When a post I wrote for the Daily Mail received some negative comments from people who don’t understand the planner craze, I thought it needed to be addressed in a blog post. So if you’ve got a friend that likes planning and you don’t ‘get it’ or have stumbled across my blog and are thinking I’m a bit ‘OCD’ and ‘bonkers’ (as some people that commented on the article apparently think I am), here’s a bit of an explanation into why I decorate my planner.
Why I decorate my planner
1. If it’s not pretty I won’t use it
There’s something about a pretty planner that makes me want to use it. Makes me want to write neater. My handwriting is shocking – if you’ve seen my hand-writing you’ll know it looks messy in the photos I post on here – and that’s the neat version. Unless I use a planner that’s visually appealing my plans end up a mess, I can hardly read what I’ve written and I don’t want to use it. If I don’t use it then I won’t get anything done.
I feel less stressed and am more productive when using an aesthetically pleasing planner. I liken it to someone that feels better wearing a certain type of clothes or shoes.
2. Color coding
I have a lot of things I’m juggling:
- Full time day job
- This blog
- 2 Etsy shops and an online store
- My ecourses
- My investment property
- Travel planning (if you read this post you’ll know this is not something that can be done properly in a weekend!)
If I didn’t color code my planner I’d never be able to keep track of it all. The fact that it creates a colorful and aesthetically pleasing weekly spread is just an added bonus 🙂
50 Category Ideas for Color Coding Your Planner
3. I get bored using the same planner
The reason I tried a different planner each week was because I get bored of using the same planner each week. Much like I won’t use it if it’s ugly, if I’m bored with it I won’t plan using it. If I don’t plan, then things get forgotten and I don’t get nearly as much done as if I’d just taken 15 minutes or so to plan out the week. I actually tried not using a planner last year. I didn’t even last a day before I was reaching for pen and paper. Having everything planned out makes me a lot less stressed than flying by the seat of my pants and hoping I haven’t forgotten anything.
Using a planner means I don’t pay late fees because I forgot to transfer money onto my credit card or pay a bill and I don’t miss deadlines.
Some of my favorite planners that I’ve tried…
Using the Dabney Lee for Blue Sky Weekly Planner
Using the Erin Condren Teacher Planner for weekly planner
4. Saves space
It makes no sense to me to write the same thing over and over again – that’s why I tend to use habit trackers.
Planner stickers are also one of the biggest space savers, especially icon stickers and sidebar stickers (such as hydrate trackers, social media, exercise tracking etc.)
Using the Plum Paper Vertical Weekly Planner
5. Saves time
It usually only takes me about 15 minutes to plan out my week. Using planner stickers, symbols for coding and highlighters saves time.
Related: How to color code bill paying in your planner (7 different ways)
Using a planner key and symbols to code your planner (efficient planning methods)
6. Better time management
I’m a visual person. I’m going to take more note of icon stickers, than a bunch of words on the page. So at the end of the week, I can see how many icon stickers I have for something and think to myself ‘how can I cut down the amount of time spent doing this task?’ and hence end up more productive.
I also find pre-planning and then journaling what got done that week is very helpful.
Related: How (and why) I pre-plan the week using the Plum Paper horizontal lined with notes layout
7. Journal / keepsake
I like being able to look back at what I was doing when. Planning is similar to a photo album only it provides a more detailed look back into what was happening at that point in time in my life.
8. Put my own stamp on it
I hate boring, generic planners – there’s nothing that shows you’ve put your own stamp on it. Customing a weekly spread makes it your own.
DIY Covers – one of the quickest ways to personalise a planner!
The Daily Mail Article
So going back to the article I wrote for the Daily Mail… I was really disheartened by the negative comments. From people telling me it’s impossible to eat leftovers for a week to telling me I should go get a real job, that they could complete my entire weekly to do’s in a day etc.
These people clearly don’t have or use a planner.
One of the photos was my weekly plan for the week of the Brisbane Planner Markets last year. I.e. when I was flat out prepping for the markets, maintaining my Etsy shop, juggling my 9-5 job and studying for an accreditation interview for my day job. But since the fact I have a day job wasn’t a relevant question I was asked in the interview it wasn’t included in the article – so apparently people think I just laze around all day decorating my planner – oh how I wish! 🙂
To the numerous people that told me ‘you cannot possibly have leftovers everyday of the week’. Actually I can. Because I used a planner to plan ahead meals so I could freeze them and have leftovers. The images from the weeks I’d planned prior weren’t posted. Only a handful of the photos from the planner challenge were posted. I’m also cooking for only myself. I am not an obese person and I cook enough that the same thing lasts 3 to 4 meals. That’s called being time efficient so I don’t have to waste an hour in the kitchen every night. I cooked 3 times that week, so yes it is possible to eat leftovers for a couple of meals per week. As a side note, the photos I post of the weekly spreads are also from the start of the week. Things can change throughout the week.
Someone even made a snide comment asking how much money I’d paid the Daily Mail to publish the post. When they contacted me to write an article for them about my love of planning I thought it was a joke. I legit didn’t think someone from the Daily Mail had emailed me until I checked the emailer’s profile on LinkedIn. So I said sure, send me your questions. I’m not someone that reads the news in detail so I didn’t realise people do actually read the Daily Mail. And that people troll the articles on there writing really catty comments. I was not paid for the article and I did not request payment for writing the article.
The Daily Mail removed the questions and re-arranged my answers in the article. They didn’t send me a proof to review before posting. I didn’t even know it had been published until I saw an email from a radio station in Australia saying they’d seen the article and asked me if I wanted to go on air (public speaking? Definitely not!). I sent through photos relevant to what I had written. They used some of the photos, ignored others and pulled photos from the site that I hadn’t selected / given them permission to use. They chose weeks from the challenge which weren’t my favorite and which weren’t directly relevant to my answers to their questions.
If you’re a regular blog reader you’ll recognise the article was just a snapshot into my planner obsession. Not all planning topics – reviews, tips, hacks etc. can be captured in just 1 article.
Someone claimed I was just advertising. No I’m not, my ‘mission’ with this blog is to provide helpful planning / time management tips and connect with people who ‘get’ the planner craze since I don’t know many IRL people that are as obsessed with stationery and planners as I am! I doubt most of the people commenting on that article telling me I must live a really ‘sad’ life to have ‘so much time to plan my week’ even have a planner. It literally takes less than half an hour to plan the week – time well invested in my opinion! So my response is that perhaps they are the ‘sad’ people… they wasted their time reading an article about a topic they’re not even interested in, then proceeded to write negative comments for literally no reason.
Someone said I was being paid to promote Paper Mate pens. Although that would be awesome, I am not paid by brands to promote their products and if I’m sent a planner for free this is disclosed in the blog post. Regardless, I always give my honest opinion.
To the people that claimed they could complete my entire weekly to do list in a day… The couple of photos in that article are only a snapshot. I have separate planners for things like ecourse and product planning for my shop. I also have a full time day job. One item on my to do list such as ‘travel planning’ could add up to 10 hours that week. Plus I add more private, personal stuff to the spread after it’s posted online – clearly I’m not going to splash super personal things all over the internet.
To the people thinking I’m ‘up myself’ – I didn’t choose the headline for the article. I highly doubt I am the most organized woman in Australia – the current state of my desk definitely says otherwise! I considered not even accepting the article request for fear it may come across as anything other than helpful.
Someone commented saying I could achieve the same thing much quicker using apps on my iPhone. They clearly didn’t read the article when I said the reason I use pen and paper is because I get frustrated by tiny phone screens and want to see the entire week laid out in front of me. Some people use digital systems and if it works for them, then great! I’m a pen and paper person and that’s the topic I was asked questions about for the article.
So if you’ve ever read an article or a post in a Facebook group etc. and commented in a negative way – please think twice. There are real people with feelings on the other side of that post.
If you were one of those people that commented or you read one of those comments and thought there was some truth to what some randoms who don’t even know me wrote, I hope this post helped you understand that those of us that keep a planner and enjoy decorating it are not ‘OCD’, ‘childlike’ or ‘utterly bonkers’ – we simply have a hobby we enjoy – just like you probably do.
To each their own.
Kristi Anderson says
People that are miserable with their lives have to make other people feel miserable. I’m sorry that you received those negative comments from those ignorant people. Planning means that you are a goal driven person. You inspire me and I have learned a lot from your blog.
Nancy says
Honey, I am 65 years old and it took me a very long time to figure out a lot of STUFF.
However, I know now that YOU do NOT have to justify ANYTHING that you do!!!! To ANY ONE!!!!!
I love what you do! It works for YOU!!!! THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS!!!!!!!
MARCH ON and leave the others in the dust!!!!! I can see GREAT things for YOU and your mission!!!
May God Bless YOU!!! xoxoox
Mickey says
Rachael, I think what you do is amazing. Thanks for sharing with us. Your time, your effort, and your expertise are truly appreciated. <3
Kt says
People suck. I didn’t read (or even know about) the article but I have noticed the increasing trend of people not following the old rule “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.” It does not inspire me to get to know anyone or meet new people.
Please know, even though I’ve (mostly) figured out my planner puzzle, you are one of the few resources I still actively follow and get inspiration from. Thank you for all you do and share.
Cheers,
Haley G says
I think it’s so silly for people to have commented negatively on that article! I love this blog, and clearly it’s for people of a like mind! Let these negative comments roll right off your back, they’re of no importance (and probably come from people who don’t experience the joy of a good planner!).
L says
The people commenting on your article are not worth your time.
I love that you seem to love nice pens & pretty paper more than I do.
You do you, Girl! (=
SL says
Hi Rachael, Wow, I’m so sorry for you that you had all that negativity. How mean and unnecessary – ignore it all (and never, never read the comments!). I loved your article and you gave me tons of ideas of how to make my boring lists look much more interesting, as well as how to organise my busy life. Please don’t be disheartened. I am pretty sure the planner lovers out there will be signing up for your content and enjoying what you share – I know I will 🙂
Caroline Holmes says
I just want to say that I love your planner posts, they have given me great ideas on what to use my planners and Travellers Notebooks for. They also tell me which planners are not suited for me, instead of me spending a lot of money on a planner I just won’t use.
So I want to say thank you for all your hard work in showing the rest of us your experience of using various planners, stickers and pens
Thank you
Betty Hammonds says
I love your reviews and you inspire me with your tips on planning/time management. And yes we could have leftovers for 3 or 4 days. It is a great time saver. Thank you for sharing !!!
Veronica says
Oh my. i’ve only been browsing your blog over the last few months and i gotta say – you’ve helped me tremendously!!! i’ve wondered the exact things you post about and you did the work for me so i didnt have to. I struggled with my happy planner and instead of spending hours searching for better layouts all i have to do is look through your blog to see all the possible layouts out there.
i am, like you, a visual person – and this is the one thing that separates you and i from the rude critics.. i am a graphic artist and a photographer along with my 9-5 so i DEFINITELY get the need for doing what you do – to the extent that you do it.
i just wish you didnt feel hurt by those comments.. That is the worst part of all of this. You are actually doing something that is written in the BIBLE!! In Habbakuk “WRITE the vision and MAKE IT PLAIN upon tablets” (or paper in the modern world). Also EVERY SINGLE success coach in america will tell you a person needs to have clear goals and tasks written down (or use an app, whatever works best) to be able to achieve them, along with habit trackers, etc. !!!
PLEASE dont let these idiots stifle your creativity or your ambition. As you mentioned, they simply don’t “get it” and thats not yours to carry. You are providing a service to all of us who are like you and God bless you for that – because i just don’t have the time to research everything i need.
So please – keep your head high and try your best to ignore those comments. Don’t let them stop you from doing what you love & keep in mind everything we do comes full circle and the people who so carelessly judged you will also have their moment 🙂
Aniela says
Dear Rachael,
Don’t mind these haters. They are almost all frustrated people. Probably they never used a planner, just because they don’t need one… what to plan, after all???
We, your followers, love you sincerely, in a genuine way. And you make a very good ‘job’, with your blog (and shop).
Like the other commenter, me, too, always read your posts with big pleasure, and you always are my #1 priority in email (and this is something, i guess… daily i have hundreds of emails!) – and always have something new information from you, and a new point of view of the facts – not only about planners.
I learned from you the most important lessons about life, planners and goals – even if you are more younger than me.
Thanks for all your work, and keep going, because you are loved by thousands… and this means a lot.
Love,
Aniela Lucian
(author of “DESIRE between magic and reality”)
Rachel says
I really enjoyed your article. I, like you, am a pen and paper person. I find the phone too cumbersome for planning and it gives me only a snap shot of what I have to do. Before making comments like those before people should get acquainted with the work involved. Although I don’t issue multiple planners I can see why someone in your situation might. I will continue to to enjoy your posts. Keep up the good work and enjoying what you do.
Jenny says
I love your blog! I like that I can learn from what you like and don’t like so I can save money!
Lola says
It is so sad that you have to defend yourself over this !
Those of us who plan understand , and love, all that you do
?
Ariel says
Hi, Rachel – I agree with Kt – People do suck! I realize that you took the time to write something your passionate about and want to share the joy you get out of planning with others, hoping to inspire one more person to take up the planning bug. I, for one, don’t have the gumption to do so much as you have shown, but I LOVE looking at your posts and all the lovely pictures, and love reading your emails.
Chin up, Rachel – don’t let these people live rent-free in your head. You keep on doing what you love because it makes you happy. And what you do makes your readers happy, too. *hugs*!!
Dale says
I don’t recall who said this : “the way some people find fault, you’d think there was a reward”. Ignore the critics and please keep doing what you do.
Diane says
Just ignore them and do you what makes you happy!! It’s your blog. If they don’t like it, they can look elsewhere!!
I appreciate your creativity and enjoy seeing what you share!!
Thank you!!
KL says
I for one support your “planner craze” but for a different reason. I’m a stay at home Gramma now, a caregiver, ‘retiring’ from working with my husband for the last 40 years. I still have things to do around my house, scheduling appointments, all the things I have to help my patient do, and I’d like to have some ‘me’ time, etc. Like you, I’m not that into technology as some people are, plus if I’m helping my patient, I can’t say, “just a minute” and look at the notification on my phone. I’ve also discovered that it upsets him/her the more my phone goes off. When I’m finished helping, I can go back to my planner and see where I left off. But if it isn’t written down for me to see every day, I’m afraid I’ll forget something and I don’t want that to be something important in my care-giving that is important for health and safety. I have always loved scrapbooking and making cards, which I don’t have time for any more, so decorating my planner is a bit of ‘me time’, a bit of scrapbooking mindset and it’s relaxing. I have gotten several ideas from your “52 Weeks” last year and adapted them, so thank you for your time in planning, writing, editing, photos and posting every week, on top of everything else that you do.
Tess says
Rachael, please, please don’t get discouraged with negative comments. People that read your blog love the same things you do. Reading about your ideas, pens, paper 🙂 and yes stickers makes us happy. We get inspiration and creative ideas from you, and in this crazy world that is full of so much negative news.. that’s a good thing in my books. keep on doing what you love and thanks for sharing it with us. xo
CJ says
I am new to the planner craze, I was not previously aware that it was “a thing”. I have always been an office supply junkie with a love of beautiful pens and papers. I stumbled across all the planner stuff when I was trying to find another purple “Journal” by Recollections. I bought mine ages ago, and finally used it–I jazzed up my writings with washi tape, stickers, colored pencils, markers (the ones that didn’t bleed through), stamps, etc. I discovered that though I have always wanted to “journal”, I didn’t do it regularly UNTIL I made it beautiful! When it was a work of art, as well as a reflection of a work in progress (my life), I came back again and again. I read it, reflect on it, I even send copies of pages to my sister & my Mom! It has made all the difference to personalize the pages! Unfortunately, this particular journal is no longer available–but I joined the planner craze while trying to find another journal to continue my momentum with the first one. I LOVE your posts & videos! You are the only person I “follow”…and I totally get it! My planner, like my journal, is a snapshot of my life…and has great value. A creative outlet, a productivity tool, and a keepsake for future reference. Life is short–be beautiful! And thank you, for saving me tons of time & money by trying all the wonderful products out there and providing a reliable review. Priceless! I came for the free printables (I appreciate your generosity!), and stayed because I belong! GREAT JOB! KEEP IT UP!
Shelby K. says
I hadn’t read the Daily Mail article but these points commenters brought up are absolutely ridiculous. Personally, I love following your blog and you have given me lots of ideas on how to make my own planner work for me. If I didn’t like a certain idea, I just skipped over it and moved on. People are rude. You’re doing a fantastic job helping people find great middle ground between having that extreme want to bullet journal and just needing a planner to be functional enough to meet your needs (even when it’s a crap planner). Also, THANK YOU for the 52 weeks of planners series!!!! It’s helped me out a lot! ❤️ From the USA ??
Nicole says
I am SO totally with you on the pen and paper! My husband kept getting on me about using Google calendar… I am very, VERY reluctantly using it (when I remember!!) to key him into my direct sales parties. Otherwise, I am completely a pen and paper gal. I carry my mini binder with me in my purse all the time. I even made a purse big enough to hold it lol <3 Show the haters to the door 😉 Good on you for turning this into positivity
Michelle Owings-Christian says
YAY for being asked to write an article for the Daily Mail. BOO for the creeps who had to down on you. I read your blog most of the time and I have never gotten the impression that you were anything but honest and authentic. I love the way you color code your planner. I would never be able to keep hold of the pens in the place where and when I needed them, so it wouldn’t work for me.
Please keep sharing your love of planning and tips & tricks. Some of us really appreciate it.
Janice says
Rachael, some people can be very thoughtless in their comments and I agree with the saying “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything”. I must admit that I try to follow a planner, but usually fail, but definitely agree that having something written down on paper helps to make it a reality. Your planners work well for you and are fun. I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing what you are up to. Please keep doing what you are doing and ignore the comments from people who just don’t “get it”.
Mary Galea says
Why people do this is beyond me, but please just ignore them. The Golden Rule is being applied less and less these days, to society’s detriment. These same people would be so hurt and offended if something they did was criticised in the same way, but they hide anonymously behind their computer screens and don’t care for the hurt and offence they cause.
I don’t care for celebrity gossip, so I never buy trashy magazines, and I’m not into cars so I don’t buy car magazines either! But you’ve really inspired me to get my planner looking far more interesting! I had no idea about the planner craze…..! I have the Quilter’s Planner that you reviewed favourably during your year of trying out new ones, and I love it, just like your Mum does!
Your blog is the only one I read regularly and I love all your reviews. Keep up the good work, you busy, busy girl you!
Best wishes from a fellow Aussie!
Tracy says
If you aren’t prepared to read negative things that are written about you, then don’t read the comments. It was a fine article and although I do not prefer your colour choices, nor your designs, it doesn’t mean that your blog isn’t useful for me. I never would have been willing to try 52 planners! You do you your way, share your insights, and then just leave it be. If the readers of that article don’t want your insights, that’s their choice. Do what makes you happy, there was no need for you to justify anything about that article and you probably shouldn’t have. Just do what makes you happy!
Libby says
I’m so sorry you had such negative feedback. I didn’t know about the article either, but I find your reviews and tips amazingly useful and I wouldn’t know about half of these planners if you didn’t review them! I love what you do and Thankyou so much for providing your blog and website! It’s sooo appreciated 🙂
Juil says
I stumbled across your blog through a Pinterest post at the end of 2017 and have enjoyed your posts. I too love paper planning, but use an app because my that’s what works best for my husband to stay “in the know.” We’re at a place in life right now where I don’t feel like I have time to maintain a paper and electronic calendar. So, reading your posts has given me a vicarious planning experience 🙂
Thanks for all that you do to keep us planner-philes up to date on great planning techniques.
Susan says
Please don’t let them get to you Rachael, there’s a lot of us you think you’re wonderful & get inspiration from your articles. Next time I’d ask for payment so at least you’d feel like you received some compensation for any nasty remarks, LOL.
To be honest I always feel quite sorry for people who leave negative comments it states much more about them than the receiver.
Keep up the great work ! 🙂
Annie says
Hi Rachel,
I’ve been following your blog for about a year. I don’t usually comment on blogs or any other online forums but I could sense the hurt and your need to defend yourself from this negativity. You have been so generous with your time and your thoughts in everything planner related. I just want to say you have really helped me in narrowing down which planner works best for me. I bought my 2018 planner (Otto Goals Planner) because of your review. My sister bought the Wellness one. My planner is more organised after taking your colour coding advice. Purple for family time – when I see that, it stands out now and brings me joy. I’ve read your more recent posts about the layout which works well for you, being days of the week on 1 page and habit trackers, to do’s etc on the other and I’m thinking this may be my layout of choice for next year. So please know that you have positively impacted my life and the lives of many, many others. If people feel the need to be unnecessarily negative then that is their problem, not yours. Take some deep breaths and stay your beautiful, positive self.
With planning love, your fellow Aussie, Annie.
Dianne says
Ignore the haters! I absolutely LOVE LOVE your posts so please keep up the good work! I get so much inspiration from you!
Cindy says
I enjoy your blog. Don’t give those negative nillies a second thought! Thank you for all you do!
Naomi says
Do get to disheartened – I LOVE your blog & emails I receive (they are one of the emails I look out for every week in my many I get every day)! They have actually helped make me find (nearly there) planner peace & I totally get that whole thing about not being to keep to one planner style (so glad it’s just not me lol) . Through your blog I have discovered the stickers and OMG they are life changing. Keep up the awesome work. The article was only a snapshot into what you do – someone on a facebook site I’m apart of(Mum’s who organise) posted the article some wanted to know your site so I’ve passed it on; and some just couldn’t understand the whole thing. Each to their own I think! So THANK YOU and keep doing what you do! Btw I also love the Paper mate pens.
Mish says
I’m so sorry you’ve taken those nasty comments to heart. The daily mail is ridiculous and 90% of people that post on there are trolls. They are the ones that have too much time on their hands. I can’t believe they took the time to read through a fairly long article, zooming in to read what you wrote and then say you have too much time on your hands. Oh the irony
They also seem to lack a basic understanding of how things work. I can just imagine how chaotic there lives must be.the comments from people saying “I have a full time job” are eye roll worthy. I don’t think they seem to realise that people with organised planners like you are probably earning way more money than them because time management is an important skill that makes you more efficient
Tracy says
You know what? You don’t need to justify yourself or what you do to anyone.
There are plenty of hobbies, past-times and even habits that are much less productive than being a “Planner Addict”. (gosh how many hours do people waste watching TV, scrolling through facebook or making insigificant comments on newspaper articles) I’m positive that you know this, and so don’t even waste your time with keyboard warriors. I don’t read many blogs (actually none), but I read yours. And I like it. And that’s all that matters. Please don’t stop being you.
Some people play Dungeons & Dragons, and there are lots of people who don’t get that too (me included). But there is a massive community out there of people like us who are lucky to be blessed with the appreciation of paper and ink, who love stationery, and whose lives are so much more organised thanks to it.
Karin says
Hi Rachel
I totally love your blog! The ideas you share, how you plan, different planners you use are amazing. I didn’t know you had written an article for the Daily Mail and it’s awesome they approached you to write it, but it’s such a bummer they changed it. That’s totally appalling on their part and I’m really sorry you got such negative feedback for what would probably have been a brilliant article! Going by the comments here, your blog is more important and special to a lot of people and that is more noteworthy than anything that can be said by people (trolls) who aren’t all crazy about planners ?
Stacy says
It was very clear to me that the article had taken tiny bits here and there to put that thing together. The way I see it, it’s like the tabloid magazines who say untrue things about famous people to get a reaction from their readers. So really this article is in its own warped way a compliment. You’re “big” enough to get a reaction from their readers. I know it didn’t feel like a compliment, and the comments were cruel. Looks like you are handling it well, good for you!
I personally would like to say “Thank You” for all the hours you have spent gathering information, testing, and reporting results all in one place for people trying to organize their life. I am just one person, but this one person appreciates your time spent! I can’t wait to read the next post in my inbox!
Tasha says
Well said, hon! And, I agree with previous commenters. Don’t ever feel the need to explain yourself or what works for you. There will always be naysayers, no matter what.
I, too, am significantly more efficient when I plan, which is why after a year of not using a planner I knew I had to start using one again to get back on track. For those of us who use planners to organize our busy lives, it seems like a “no-brainer!” To outsiders who embrace chaos and inefficiency, kudos to you if it works for you. But, there are those of us who need organization to stay sane, maintain greater efficiency, and to ensure things don’t “fall through the cracks.”
Keep doing what works for you! Much ? love ? from America.
Lyndall says
I am so sorry that you had this experience. I am one of the many people who have benefited from your experience through your courses and your blog posts. I consider you to be a leader in the planning community. The fact that you are Australian is an added bonus.
I am not usually one to comment but I am hopeful that you receive more positive responses than the awful negative ones so here I am adding my two cents.
I’m now going to put my nasty pants on and make a general statement.
I find that those in our community who find they have to send a negative, hurtful comment regarding someone who they don’t know, relying on one media article for their entire research tend to be small minded, negative, angry little people.
Please don’t take any notice of them, don’t take their comments on board AT ALL. Those of us who have followed you, listened to you and have an understanding of planning, organising and the whole picture appreciate the work you do, the time it takes, the energy involved and the passion that drives you.
FYI if anybody asks me about planning, if they are interested in finding out more or seek to step into the planning community I always recommend they take a look at your blog. I consider you to be a leader in the industry for all the right reasons.
Please accept this comment an all the positive comments above as a true reflection of how the people who matter see you, how the people who ‘know’ you see you.
I am a school teacher with a tiny planning business that I am beginning and working on building. I tell you this so that you know I understand the time and energy that you spend each day living the life you chose.
I’m sending you all the positive vibes and thoughts from my little place down here on the Central Coast of NSW.
xx
Lyndall