2019 is rapidly approaching like a freight train. Today, while I am celebrating Christmas with my family, I wanted to pop in and talk about the new year. I am starting to think about the new year, and I have been in full on hustle mode getting ready for it. It's insane how fast 2018 went by, and I am excited to see where 2019 takes me. One thing we should all do is try to get as organized as possible and plan things out. Today, I wanted to share my new planner for 2019 with you and talk about why I love Erin Condren so much!

Disclaimer: Thanks to Erin Condren for sponsoring today's giveaway. I purchased my own 2019 Erin Condren planner and reached out to them to see if they would sponsor a giveaway. Luckily they are one of the most giving companies I know and agreed to sponsor a giveaway on The Happy Arkansan. This post also contains affiliate links in case you want to support my brand and check out some cute Erin Condren products in the process.

Related Reading: The Top Erin Condren Products Every Incoming College Student Needs

1. Start With A Planner That Helps You Get Your Act Together

I have covered some of the many Erin Condren LifePlanners on this blog before in a post I did with Erin Condren products over the summer. This year it took some effort to find which one I wanted, but I decided to go with the hourly LifePlanner. It's my first time getting this particular layout, but I am so excited. I will like having more control over where the hours in my day are going. I hope this will help me schedule client meetings more effectively and help me understand where my time goes each day.

What I like about the hourly layout is that it still has plenty of room to write down all your goals and hopes. The to-do list section every week is perfect for making high-level goals, while the hourly time slots are great for getting into the small steps you need to reach your goals.

I've tried both the vertical and horizontal versions of the LifePlanner over the years. I am excited to try this last layout to see which one truly reigns supreme for my needs as a freelancer.

Featured: Oh Joy! Dainty Dabs LifePlanner

2. Personalize Your Planner Using Erin Condren Covers

One of my favorite parts about having an Erin Condren planner is the fact that I can personalize my planner with one of Erin Condren's many interchangeable covers. I also have a notebook the same size as my Erin Condren planner that I customize with various covers.

Erin Condren planners are great because the covers allow you to be reenergized by your planner. If one planner cover doesn't make you excited to use your planner, you can always purchase another one. Planner covers run from $8-$13 usually, so they are very affordable. Plus, the covers are high quality, so you will use them for a long time to come!

I have collected so many covers over my past few years using Erin Condren planners. I encourage you to get at least one additional cover along with your new planner. You can even make your own cover with pictures or upload an original design.

Also, did I mention you can change the colorway of your planner covers? You can make many planners unique to you just by changing the colorway of the interchangeable covers. I got both me and my sister notebooks a few months ago. When I got our notebooks, I got us both the “Life She Loved,” cover. I got mine in purple and silver, but I got hers in pink and green. While they were both the same cover, they were unique to us and the colors we loved.

Featured: Llama Lineup Cover and Life She Loved Cover

3. Get The Perfect Planning Accessories

Now that you have a planner, you need some planning accessories. I love using some of the many Erin Condren planner accessories available on the website. I have collected so many over the years.

Planny Pack

I recently got this beautiful maroon planny pack in an Erin Condren seasonal surprise box this fall. It's so cute on the inside, and it holds a ton of planning supplies like sticker sheets, washi tape, pens, and more. If you want to organize your planning supplies on-the-go, this $20 investment is a great place to start.

All The Stickers

I don't use a ton of stickers in my planning process, but it's always great to have a few on hand to inspire you and make planning more fun. There is a ton of space in each planner layout to use stickers. If you want the most value, I encourage getting a sticker book! Erin Condren sticker books are filled with hundreds of adorable stickers. You can also get a sticker sheet that matches your planner cover if you are interested in that. For example, check out these Llama Lineup stickers that match one of my planner covers.

Notebooks

As I shared earlier, I love Erin Condren notebooks. I have many of Erin Condren's notebooks. Some I journal in, others I make random lists and take notes in.

I love their coiled notebooks if you are looking for something to take notes and jot down important information in. The coiled notebooks are great because they use the same coils as regular Erin Condren planners, meaning you can use any interchangeable covers you get with them. With coiled notebooks starting at $20, it's a great investment that you can use for a long time!

I popped the “Serenity Rose Gold Metallic” cover onto my notebook, but I originally bought the “Life She Loved” notebook when I bought it a few months ago.

Featured: Serenity Rose Gold Metallic Cover, Maroon Planny Pack, and Sticker Book (Classic Edition 4)

4. Make Using Your Planner A Part Of Your Daily Routine

You don't want to get planner burnout! With the new year ahead, be careful about how you decide to approach planning. We want this to become a part of our daily routine, not something that you are excited about for a few days only to lose interest in at the end of January.

Instead, take a more calm approach to planning. Make it a part of your weekly routine to plan things out every Sunday. Then, make it a part of your daily routine to keep up with your planner every morning to see what you have going on. You also want to establish the habit of checking your planner before you commit to things, so you don't overbook yourself.

Ultimately, the goal here is to make your life easier by planning out the most critical parts of your day.

5. Don't Get Too Upset If Your Plans Take Time

We all blossom at your own rate. If you see your friends and acquaintances crushing their goals in 2019, be happy! You will get there eventually.

Also, know that an unmet goal is not always bad! Sometimes we create goals and plans during the new year that don't work out. It's 100% okay. I love a quote from Mark Manson's book “The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck” on this. He says, “The truth is I thought I wanted something, but it turns out I didn’t. End of story.” I talked about my love for this quote in a blog I shared in January, if you want to see that.

It's okay for plans to change, get pushed back, et cetera. As long as you are making progress, no matter how small, you are doing great!

Bonus: Enter The Giveaway!

You guys. I am SO EXCITED. The team at Erin Condren has graciously provided you all with the opportunity to win $100 to Erin Condren! This is honestly such a fantastic opportunity that will help one of my lucky readers get prepared for the new year. The giveaway starts right now, and it ends at 12 AM CST on New Year's Day. I will contact the winner promptly on New Year's Day so that the Erin Condren team can get you your gift card ASAP. Erin Condren can ship out products pretty quickly, so while you may not get to use the first week or two of your planner, hopefully, you will be planning by mid-January.

This prize from Erin Condren is incredible because you can get a planner with all the bells and whistles plus a few planning accessories for $100. This will set you up for a fabulous, productive new year! If you still haven't found your planner for 2019, or you want to switch to an Erin Condren planner, this giveaway is for you!

This giveaway is open internationally, but this gift code will still be for $100. Erin Condren shipping can be somewhat expensive internationally. Readers from the United States don't have to worry about this because U.S. orders over $75 ship free.

To enter this giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget below. Nothing is mandatory on the widget. It has a variety of entry options for you such as following Erin Condren or The Happy Arkansan on various platforms. If you already follow Erin Condren or me, that's even better! Claim those free entries you have!

I honestly can't wait to see who wins:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are you looking forward to in 2019?