Rant: The $15 planner vs the $2 notebook I didn't believe in

I kept buying those fancy $15 planners with the goal sections and the habit trackers. Every year I'd use them for maybe two weeks then give up. Last December I grabbed a plain $2 composition notebook on a whim at the grocery store. I just write down three things I need to do each day and cross them off when they're done. Six months later I'm still using it, which is way more than I ever got out of those expensive ones. Has anyone else found cheaper tools actually work better for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.luna16h ago

Totally feel this, the cheap notebook never judges you and just works.

caseywalker15h ago

Exactly. The cheap notebook just sits there waiting. No pressure to fill out pages of goals or color code anything. You either write in it or you don't. I think that's why they work better for some of us. The expensive ones make you feel like you're failing before you even start.

jamiesullivan7h ago

Same thing happened to me with running. I spent $120 on this fancy smart watch with GPS and heart rate zones and coached workouts. Used it maybe 8 times and felt overwhelmed by all the data every time the screen lit up. Then I just started leaving my phone at home and running down the street until I hit a certain lamppost and back again, timing it on a $15 stopwatch from Target. That was 3 months ago and I'm still running 4 times a week. The cheap stuff just doesn't come with all that built in guilt and those complicated instructions that make you feel like you're doing it wrong before you even start.