Planner Speak: Plannerds, Planner Porn, and Filos

Confession time. My name is Kristy, a.k.a. Giftie Etcetera, and I have been rightfully accused of being a plannerd with an addiction to planner porn and an unfulfilled yearning for Filofax.

The people inhabiting the closeted world of paper planners speak a secret language. If you have heard the words plannerd, planner porn, and Filofax, you are probably part of the planner community. Like typical members of any subculture, some of us are a wee bit obsessive.

I am a self-confessed plannerd. A plannerd is someone who knows practically everything about planners. My friends know it. They often call or message me with a list of demands.

"I need a planner that fits in my briefcase, looks manly, and will track every moment of every single day."

(Clearly, a Franklin Covey Classic or larger, with daily refills.)

"Hey, KZB, I saw a planner at Target. Think it'll work for me to write down my schedule?"

(You have two kids, homeschool, volunteer constantly, and want to plan your entire household schedule. No. You need something more.)

"Kristy, if I want a ring bound planner that is gorgeous and fits in my purse, how much should I expect to pay?"

(You want a Filofax, in a pretty color. Plan to spend about $50 - $80.)

See? I have the answers already in my brain. I am a plannerd.

Other signs of a plannerd?

1. She or he never leaves the house without a planner.
2. She or he prefers an office supply store or bookstore gift card over any other gift.
3. She or he blogs about planners. {wink}
4. She or he has a collection of planners, even as she or he insists on a one planner at a time rule.
5. She or he has a SYSTEM, darn it. A system. Do not mess with the system. (She or he also might be a little crazy. I cannot speak for anyone but myself.)

Plannerds engage in surfing planner porn on a regular basis.

Planner porn is not dirty. It is mother-in-law and child approved (even if they both think I am crazy for wasting my time looking at it). Seriously, though, I love looking at planners. I've been eyeing one at Barnes and Noble for awhile, the inexpensive Punctuate planner. (About $10, clearly too small for my use, but beautiful with several design choices.)

Today, I bought it. I got it only for the zipper pouch in back (my old one had worn out) and the beautiful Today page marker.

In part, the planner spoke to my plannerd, as it is a great gateway planner for a young person just entering the planner scene. In part, it spoke to my addiction to pretty planner pages. I even spend hours per week on-line, looking at how others set up their planner pages. Between Facebook, blogs, you tube, and photo sharing services, planner porn is plentiful and fun! (I am working on curbing this addiction. But planners and coffee and wine, oh my!)

As an American plannerd, I don't really have much access to Filofax brand planners. But as my European brothers and sisters (and many recent American converts) will tell you, Filofax is a brand of planner that is so ubiquitous over the pond that many European plannerds simply refer to all planners as filos. Here in America, where we have many planner options, the term filos is generally reserved only for the more plannerdy among us.

Wishing you happy planning today. Plannerd out!

Etcetera.