Free shipping on all orders over $75!

We are back!

By Leslie Sleesman
on July 22, 2023

We are back!

I know Limelife Planners gave many customers a small heart attack several months ago after announcing its closure. But thankfully, WE ARE BACK and very excited to serve its wonderful planner-loving customers!

Ready for some juicy gossip? OK, here’s the story of what happened:

Leslie was ready to start a new chapter in her career, but then she fell into a serendipitous partnership with me, Jacquie. This was not the plan for either one of us, but we just “clicked” and it seemed meant to be.

 I had been a loyal customer for many years, and I loved watching Leslie grow the business and create so many beautiful designs. She really loved that part of the business, but over time, she got so busy with the operational aspects and it became too demanding. That is where I come in :-)  

To give Leslie the time and space to design and dream up new ideas, we moved production “down south” to Georgia. Now I am taking on most of the production and operational responsibilities. If you love what you do, it isn’t work – and being creative isn’t work for Leslie.

 Now, a little about me… I am a wife, mother to 4 kids and 2 dogs, manager, coach, troop leader – and whatever else my children, employees, and husband need. Our family and work calendars are always slammed, and I cannot imagine where I would be without all my Limelife Planners over the years!

I am thrilled to be Leslie’s partner and create this exciting new chapter of Limelife Planners. Thank you for being so inviting. I look forward to making gorgeous planners and notebooks for all of you.

Jacquie

Helpful Planning Tips

By Leslie Sleesman
on January 06, 2022

Helpful Planning Tips

Every January it feels like such a magical time of hope and promise (and okay, after these last few years maybe a bit of cautious optimism). Even though New Year's Resolutions have gotten a bad rap, I still love the idea of being reflective and looking for ways to become a better version of yourself, or to make changes that make life a bit easier and more streamlined. Not surprisingly, it's a great time to start using a planner to help you accomplish those changes. 

I am often asked how to plan and/or what the "secret" is to planning.

My advice might surprise you. People make assumptions that I'm a very Type-A person who is an obsessive planner (not a crazy assumption given that I own a planner company), but I'm much more relaxed about planning than all that. Planning should be a fun, helpful way to make life a little easier -- not stressful and complicated! 

First off, there is no secret to planning. A planner is not a magic bullet. It's not going to make your life more organized or make you crush all your goals, and anyone that tells you a planner WILL do that is lying to you. 

If you want to be successful you need to put in the work. Not surprisingly, like most everything else in life, this is about consistency. A planner can be a great tool to help you navigate life and goals when used consistently. It's as simple and as complicated as that. However! I do have a few helpful tips I've learned over the years that can help you use this tool more effectively. 

I find that one of the biggest struggles people have with using a planner is just getting into the rhythm of actually writing in it. It can take weeks or even months in order for you to be able to form the habit of using a planner if you haven't used one before. So my first helpful tip is to keep your planner visible. The old adage "out of sight, out of mind" is really true. Until you're used to reaching for your planner, keep it out on the counter, on your desk, or on your bedside table. Eventually it will become second nature to grab it. 



My second helpful tip is one that surprise people. Don't be afraid to use technology as a companion to your planner. I will often look at my planner in the morning or at the beginning of the week and set phone alarms to help me with meeting reminders, appointments, etc. There's no doubt that using a paper planner has some pretty big advantages (which I will get into in a bit), but a planner is a tool and your phone is a tool -- make the most of both and use them together when it makes sense. A quick word of caution. If you're a person who is easily distracted when you pick up your phone, and that's not a behavior that you want to encourage then using phone alarms might not be a good fit for you. Know yourself and do what best aligns with your needs and goals. 

Okay, taking a little sidebar here to tell you why paper planners are great. There's been research done that found that when we write something down on paper, we are much more likely to remember it than when we type the very same thing into our phones or into a digital calendar. Even if you never look at the phone or the planner again, just the simple act of writing it out means you're better able to remember it. Simply put: our brains are wired for paper planners. 

If you're a person who has dipped your pinky toe into the online planner community, you might see planner pages beautifully adorned with stickers and washi tape, and other fun elements. While I love the look of stickers in a planner, it's not necessary in order to use your planner effectively. My third helpful tip is to keep it simple -- or, better yet, keep it simple if simple is what you need. Do not feel the need to turn your planner into something that doesn't suit you. If the thought of decorating stresses you out, by all means do not decorate! If what works for you is using a regular #2 pencil and not color-coded pens and coordinating highlighters, use a #2 pencil. Your planner. Your rules. 

Finally, my last helpful tip is to try to keep it all together. If you're trying to accomplish multiple goals or tasks, consider using your planner to track as many of those things as possible. We sell lots of add-ons in addition to just the basic weekly or monthly planner. Having one "go-to" place for everything makes things easier. Instead of keeping track of grocery lists in one place, bills due in another, and notes in yet another, your planner can be home to all of that. 

If you've gotten to the end of this post and you're excited to jump in to your planner, great! If you don't yet have a planner and want to get one, please try out all of our printable test pages from our website. You can view them right here.



At the end of the day, the best and most effective planner is the one you use. This is at the heart of why we sell so many different sizes of planners and why we have so many different layouts and add-ons and covers. We want you to find a planner that fits your life so you use it. We wholeheartedly believe that a planner is an amazing tool to help you untangle some of life's complications and get things in order. 

Travel Planning Using a Dot Grid TN Insert

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 28, 2018
38 comments

Travel Planning Using a Dot Grid TN Insert

There are a lot of different options for travel planning out there, in the ‘planner world.’ I’ve seen whole planners for trips, pre-printed traveler’s notebook inserts, printable inserts, and more. But, nothing out there really struck me as the perfect solution. So, staying in line with my “use Limelife dot grid notebooks for all the things” philosophy of late, I decided to make my own!

Read more »

Travelers Notebook Hacks

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 21, 2018
2 comments

Travelers Notebook Hacks

Have you found yourself following the trend of TNs, aka Travelers Notebooks, and wanting to know some more tips and tricks for decoration or uses - check out this small list of TN “hacks” to get you started if you’re new or step your game up if you’re a seasoned user.

Read more »

How I Created A Master Camping List

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 14, 2018

How I Created A Master Camping List

Whether you are camping or staying in a 5-star hotel, getting organized with a Limelife notebook makes packing quick and efficient.

Read more »

Limelife Notebooks For Extended Planning

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 07, 2018

Limelife Notebooks For Extended Planning

Limelife Planners has more than just planners. The dot grid notebook is absolutely fantastic for more freedom when you plan—freedom to jot things down horizontally or across multiple lines without feeling like you're wasting paper.

Read more »

Teacher Planners! A Tour of the Insides, Some Ordering Tips & More!

By Leslie Sleesman
on May 03, 2018

Teacher Planners! A Tour of the Insides, Some Ordering Tips & More!

Limelife team recently updated their teacher planner, so why not take a little walk through it with me? I’ll give you some tips and tricks along the way, and suggestions for ordering yours when we get to the end.

Read more »

A Glimpse Inside My Bullet Journal Notebook

By Leslie Sleesman
on April 30, 2018

A Glimpse Inside My Bullet Journal Notebook

Bjuos add flexibility to planning. Limelight Media and Creative Team member, Kelly, shows you how she uses a bujo in her planning routine.

Read more »

Dot Grid Notebooks; A Month of Planning, 4 Unique Ways!

By Leslie Sleesman
on April 23, 2018

Dot Grid Notebooks; A Month of Planning, 4 Unique Ways!

Dot Grid Notebooks; A Month of Planning, 4 Unique Ways!

Read more »

New To Planning? Some "Do's" and "Don'ts" to Get You Started and Keep You Happy!

By Leslie Sleesman
on April 16, 2018

New To Planning? Some "Do's" and "Don'ts" to Get You Started and Keep You Happy!

New to planning? Here are some "do's" and "don'ts" to get you started and keep you happy!

Read more »

Cart Summary

Your cart is empty
/************blog*************/ .article-body p a, .article-body ul a, .article-body ol a { color: #add461; } .article-body p, .article-body ul, .article-body ol { font-size: 16px; } #article-body p a, #article-body ul a, #article-body ol a { color: #add461; } #article-body p, #article-body ul, #article-body ol { font-size: 16px; } .codebox { padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #555555; max-width: 100%; word-wrap: break-word } .typewriter { font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace !important; font-size: 12px !important; } .bloglovin { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; } .article-image { display: none; }