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EVO Planner Review

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EVO Planner Review

EVO Planner Review - What is your Brain Type? Using the planner for 90 days - will it help organize your thoughts & to-do list? | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview

In this post, you’ll find my initial EVO Planner Review as I start using it for the next 90 days. This post is not sponsored – all opinions expressed are my own.

I’m a sucker for planners, notebooks, and school supplies in general. I love trying out new planners and journals. Honestly, the stacks of notebooks I’ve acquired don’t bother me. I came across the EVO planner, I was intrigued. They have four different types of planners suited for different brain types. I did the free assessment and discovered that I am an alchemist. 

EVO Planner Review: What is it & Why is it Different?

The EVO Planner started out on Kickstarter, after funding, they moved it to their website and Amazon. The EVO Planner has 4 different planner types – one for each brain type. I have to admit that it is the part that really intrigued me. I have trouble starting too many projects and finding shiny objects to distract me regularly.

  • EVO Planner Review - Alchemist Brain Type | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview
  • EVO Planner Review - Archetect Brain Type | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview
  • EVO Planner Review -Explorer & Oracle Brain Types | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview

EVO Planner Review – 4 Brain Types

To determine which type of planner you receive, first, you’ll take an assessment to determine what your brain type is. I am an alchemist. There is also Explorer, Oracle & Architect. 

An alchemist needs novelty, discovering patterns, exploring different possibilities, inventing and creating original work, competence across many areas. Some strengths: Creative problem-solving, inspiring others, playing multiples roles at once. Weaknesses: getting bored & distracted quickly, always wanting to switch to a new project, putting things off, restricting structure imposed by others, starting a project, and not finishing them.

Well. If we haven’t been introduced, then this little book just exposed my darkest and deepest secrets to the universe. So it seems they got something right. 

Take their free quiz from their website projectevo.org to find out what your EVO Planner brain type is – you’ll likely learn about yourself. My husband found out that he was an Architect brain type. Which, according to the brain type assessment means we work together well.

FYI – They will add you to their marketing list, and if you don’t want to hear from them again after your assessment, unsubscribe. You can also check out the EVO Planner on Amazon. It comes with access to their app since promotions change, you’ll need to verify if access to the app is still free with the purchase of the planner.

EVO Planner Review: Planner Layout

Since there are four different planners, each will be structured a little differently. This is my experience with the Alchemist planner.

EVO Planner - A Peek Inside | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview #plannerreview

Planner Stats:

Each planner starts with an overview of the brain types and how to use the book. The planner contains:

  • Monthly Calendar for 3 Months (actually it has 4 months, but it’s intended to be used for 90 days)
  • 14 Weekly Planning & Review Pages
  • 90 Daily Planning & Review Pages
  • 9 Notes Pages at the End
  • 2 Bookmarks – one labeled weekly & the other labeled daily to keep your place within the book
  • Unnumbered, Undated Pages
  • App for Scanning Your Daily & Weekly Progress. It will keep track of the scores you give yourself and give some incentive for continuing in your goals.
  • Dimensions 8 3/7″ x 5 1/8″ or 21cm x 13cm
  • Colors Available – at the time: Navy with Copper Accents & Copper Guilded Pages

On one of the first pages (after they give a breakdown of how to use each page), you pledge to use the planner for the next 90 days and using their app. I signed my name, so I was committed.

They bind you by your own word to use the planner and app for 90 days. I have to admit, that’s the reason why I came back to this planner after I signed it because I figured I’d already committed to giving it a go and if I’d like to order it in the future.

Find more plan with me ideas | ChocolateMusings.com #planwithme #ideas

Here are the Pros and Cons (so far) of the EVO Planner

EVO Planner Brain Types - Planner Review | ChocolateMusings.com

Pros (What I Like)

A big plus for me when using the EVO Planner is how much I actually focus. This notebook makes you sharpen your attention. You have to decide what is most important, and then it makes you accountable for how much time each activity will take. 

I habitually over-plan and carry my to-do list over though the week and sometimes month. Knowing how much time an activity will take upfront made me set real priorities. I didn’t add an item to the to-do list unless it was a true priority and I could reasonably get it done. Once finished, there’s a feel-good checkmark box to move on to the next task. (I think this is different in each brain type planner).

Daily Section: Gratitude

Something that I’ve wanted to start is a gratitude journal. Each EVO Planner has a section for gratitude every day. You may find it a little awkward to sit and think of something to be grateful for each day, I find that it adds mindfulness to the start of each day.

Daily Gratitude | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #evoplanner

Daily Pages

I’ve never used a daily planner, only weekly planners – so completing one page daily was a little different. But I really liked it! It might be something I will include in my planner in the future.

Planner Review Daily Pages | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #evoplanner

Daily Quote

They say that each daily quote is specific to your brain type. I like quotes and I like the ones in my planner so far.

EVO Daily Quotes | ChocolateMusings.com #dailyquote #motivation #quotes

Cons (What I Don’t Like)

The App

The app scanner was slightly off. I scribbled in a 7, and it gave me an 8 or 9 instead. Correcting it within the app at the time of scanning, however, was very easy. You just change the rating. I didn’t find that you could change the scan once you’ve saved unless you scanned it again and overrode the daily submission. 

There was a spot on the daily scan called “monthly ritual” I wasn’t sure what that was until I downloaded the app. It’s basically a monthly goal you want to do daily to help you achieve a bigger purpose. Mine is to write for at least 10 minutes every day.

What I Miss

What I miss about my bullet journal are my future logs, habit trackers, and journal pages. I also feel like some of the to-dos that aren’t as urgent could get lost. Although there are small areas for notes and ideas and places to write about your wins & plans for the day and week personally, I like to record deeper feelings and events with my family. I would need to have a secondary notebook to keep alongside this notebook.

EVO Planner Close Up | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner
Want More Product Reviews? | ChocolateMusings.com #productreviews

EVO Planner Review: Conclusion

In conclusion to my EVO Planner Review, if you were to ask me right this minute if I would buy another planner for the next 90 days, I would say probably not. Only because I miss my other pages so much even though I can tell that I have a greater focus on the projects I want to finish.. We will see as this experiment goes on!

What Else Should I Review | ChocolateMusings.com #productreviews

Two Things to do Every Night to Have More Productive Days

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Two things to do every night to have more productive days | ChocolateMusings.com #productivity #organization

Here are two things to do every night to have more productive days. Since I started doing these two small tasks every night, my days are much more focused and productive.

Number One Thing I Do Every Night to Have More Productive Days:

Clean up before you go to bed.

I’m not talking about breaking out the mop and scrubbing the floors. I simply mean that I straighten my desk. Put away markers, straighten papers, stow electronics. When I’m creating, my office gets very messy.

I try to keep my desk clear when I’m creating videos for my YouTube channel or taking photos for the blog or Instagram, but around the perimeter of the video, the markers spill out of their box, drawers flung open, supplies riffled through and disheveled. You’ll find paintbrushes strewn about the surface, resting on paper towels, sticky notes and open notebooks laying about. It’s really quite embarrassing.

Is Your Work Area Like a College Dorm Party From the Night Before?

Don’t you hate waking up and have to clean up after last night’s mess? Your work area looks like a college dorm party where you wonder what happened the night before. How could you have caused this much mayhem? You probably don’t remember any of this.

A Little Goes a Long Way to Have More Productive Days

If I straighten my desk and put back the pieces in their respective places, I wake up ready to work and surprisingly more alert. The same goes for my kitchen and living room. If I put away the dishes and generally straighten the counters, my morning is much smoother. Before the kids go to bed, I have them tidy the living room.

Little Tasks – Huge Impact

These small actions have a significant impact on the next morning’s productivity and enthusiasm for being productive. 

If you haven’t conquered the magic of tidying before going to bed – give it a try: spend 5-10 minutes and straighten your main work areas or areas of your home that tend to be a distraction. You’ll see the difference in your mindset.  It’s so refreshing to be ready for the new day instead of cleaning up last night’s mess.

The second thing I do every night to have more productive days:

Plan the next day. 

I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times. But it works. Write down your top three focuses for the day, make sure you have school notes signed for your kids and put back in backpacks. Set out any other supplies you need next to your planner to get started with your fresh, new morning. I like to leave my planner open on my desk, turned to the correct page, so it’s the first thing I see.

Add a To-Do List

Leave a sticky note or a loose page with ideas, instructions, to-do lists, and other details for the day. In the morning, it’s easier to jump right into your tasks instead of trying to remember what you intended to do.

Both of these items are kind of ‘duh’ moments. I know I’ve heard these two little productivity hacks hundreds of times – but usually not paired together. Cleaning up my work areas and other important (and distracting) areas of my house plus planning the next day the night before are both game-changers.

The best productivity comes not just after straightening or merely planning for the next day but when paired together. If you want to have more productive days, give these two suggestions a try.

What do you do to create a productive day? 

Two Things to do Every Night to Have More Productive Days | ChocolateMusings.com #productivity #planning #organization

Want More Ways to Organize Your Life? Check out These Posts:

3 Things to Learn From Your Friend’s Weight Loss Journey

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3 Things to Learn From Your Friend’s Weight Loss Journey {& How You Can Apply It to Your Own Goals}

3 Things to Learn From Friend's Weight Loss Journey | ChocolateMusings.com #weightloss #motivation #learnfromothers #habits

Here are 3 ways you can learn from your friend’s weight loss journey. Well, these are ways that I’ve learned from my friend’s experience. I hope by sharing what I’ve learned, you will find some motivation to tackle a big, looming goal in your life, whether it’s weight loss or not. I believe we can all learn from our friends. Here’s what I’ve learned (so far) from my friend’s weight loss journey.

Use a Fresh Start to Make a Fresh Start 

Do you find it harder to focus on your health goals in the summer? I do. Usually, I take summertime as an excuse to do what I want without regards to previous set goals. With the dawn of a new schedule due to school back in, I want to refocus my efforts.

To succeed, I need to make fitness & weight loss a habit and learn a few things from my friend’s journeys in the meantime.

Learn From Friend's Weight Loss - share | ChocolateMusings.com #goals #weightloss #sharing

Motivation From Others

Creating a healthy habit takes time and sometimes, a great example. My friend, Ani, over at allthatlifestuff.com didn’t let down her guard over the summer, and her motivation and focus are really inspiring! I signed up for the program she’s on (even though I’ve done it in the past) and used some of her techniques to change my daily eating regimen.

She’s using a point system and tries to find meals or food that cost 0 points. If you get used to eating the foods that are lower points and you’ll have better success.

What I’ve Learned From My Friend’s Weight Loss: Share With Others

Sharing is HARD!

One of the hardest things for me to do (and I learned to gain confidence because of my friend) is to share. Sharing this very personal part of my life is oh-so difficult. I hope that by me sharing, I am passing on the goodness I’ve learned from my friend’s weight loss journey and give you whatever motivation you need to take on a big goal in your life.

Train your mind and create a weight loss habit, and you’ll succeed over time. I’ve always tried to find a way to cheat in the past. My mindset would revert to “what can I get away with?” Don’t make an exception. Decide if you want it or not. If you do, then do it.

Things to Learn From Friend’s Weight Loss: Don’t Try to Make an Exception Out of Everything.

Learn From Friend's Weight Loss Journal Prompt | ChocolateMusings.com #journalprompt #journaling

Do you have a goal in your life where your mindset works against your progress? (Not Necessarily Weight Loss)

Learn From Friend's Weight Loss - Focus | ChocolateMusings.com #goals #weightloss #focus

Change of Ideals & Focus

After reading Ani’s blog posts, I didn’t want to get away with anything anymore. 17 days in, and I’ve successfully been below my point allotment every single day. Even the day that my boss made me Key Lime Pie for my birthday and I had a huge slice. I’m down 10+ lbs and excited for more.

On the day that I had the pie, I didn’t want to eat it (it was my 4th day in), but I didn’t want to be rude. So I figured out the points and knew what I had left to spend for the day, and I adjusted. I find that when I’m required to be too rigid, I usually snap.

Things to Learn From Friend’s Weight Loss: Focus

Learn From Friend's Weight Loss- No Excuses | ChocolateMusings.com #goals #weightloss #noexcuses

Past Programs – Past Experience

I couldn’t bring myself to do Whole30 again after I successfully completed 30 days because I felt like I was depriving myself and tried to rationalize the choices I was making.

Any time I start rationalizing, I know it’s not going to last very long. At the end of two weeks for many diets or programs is when most people face their demons – do they want to continue or not? I don’t feel any demons, at least, not yet.

Things to Learn From Friend’s Weight Loss: Don’t Make Excuses!

Learn & Build

But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t learn from that experience. Many of the techniques, recipes, and foods I found work really well for my current project. Do you believe that any single diet or regimen is the answer? I think I’ve finally discovered that isn’t the case. I like to take ‘truths’ from different sources and put them together to make the result that will form a habit. To make something that ‘sticks’ in the end.

What I’ve Learned from My Friend’s Weight Loss Journey (So Far):

  • Share it with others to push yourself forward & they will motivate you in return
  • Focus on your goal
  • Don’t see what you can ‘get away with,’ instead see how you can make the program (or schedule) work for you.

Do something every single day that reminds you of your big goal. Track your progress, create a habit in your life.

Choose someone in your life you can trust, and share your goal. Do not make exceptions for yourself.

You are the one who set this goal, so don’t act like someone else is forcing you to do it. Don’t try and ‘get away with decisions’. As I learned from my experience with Whole30, healthy living is a choice. Make your choice be to succeed with your goal.

This is what I learned from my friend’s weight loss journey. Leave me a comment of something you learned from your friends.

Learn From Friend's Weight Loss - Journal Prompt | ChocolateMusings.com #journalprompt #journaling

What goal are you working towards? Which family/friends will support you? Choose one (or several) to tell about your big goal. What small step can you take every single day to realize your dreams?

Find someone who motivates you and benefit on that motivation. Write down the things that they do to push forward in their own goals. How can you apply those principles to your life?

Weekly Time Block Spreads for Your Bullet Journal

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A Month of Timeblock weekly layouts | Chocolatemusings.com #productivity #productivitylayouts #timeblock

All About Productivity – Weekly Time Block Spreads

This month is all about productivity (and trial and error)! I created several different time-blocking layouts for the month of August and want to try them out. One thing I discovered is that I have a very boring schedule. It’s the same every day of the week. But I really enjoyed coming up with a month’s worth of weekly time block spreads to try out! I hope you find some inspiration. Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments below!

Weekly Spread Ideas: Time Blocking (+Video Plan with Me) | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #timeblock #minimal

The Plan

After looking at several different time block layouts, I decided that I didn’t need to block out time for sleeping. I would track my ‘awake’ hours only and not fill space with scheduling my sleep. I made a time-blocking spread a couple of years ago (please don’t look, it’s embarrassing) and I still get questions about it.

Watch the Plan With Me Video Below & Be Sure to Subscribe!

Weekly Time block Spread Ideas & Layouts

Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Spread #afterthepen | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Bullet Journal Time Block Spread with Highlighter Stripes | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Bullet Journal Time Block Spread with Highlighter Stripes | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Spread | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Spread | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Spread | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Spread | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Spread | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread

Since time blocks take up so much room on the page, there are only a few ways I could think of to customize each page. Each one is slightly different, and in pursuit of productivity, I want to find out which layout I prefer. The first week I highlighted every other line – but I didn’t find that necessary after the first week.

A Month of Minimal Bullet Journal Time Block Ideas | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread

Solve a Problem – Number Stickers

Time Block Number Stickers Planners & Bullet Journals | ChocolateMusings.com #planner #plannerstickers

I figured with so many planners and spreads with time blocking, there must be something to it. But I’ve always hated writing the numbers over and over again. Because it never fails! I start daydreaming while I’m writing and I skip a number or get off sequence. I solved my problem by creating hourly time blocking stickers that work perfectly in a 5mm grid.

Since I’m tracking only my ‘awake’ hours, I cut the hours of the day I want and stick them to the page. That’s how they work for me, and it could work for you in your own way – and isn’t it about creating a method that works for us individually?

If you like the numbers, find them in my shop!

Do you use time-blocking? How does it work for you? What spreads have you used for your time blocking?

Here Are Some Great Supplies for Minimal Bullet Journaling

Weekly Spread Ideas: Time Blocking (+Video Plan with Me) | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #timeblock #minimal

How to Learn a New Skill in 5 Easy Steps – and Keep Your Life, Too

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5 Steps to learn a new skill (and keep your life, too) | ChocolateMusings.com #habits #skills #talents

How to Learn a New Skill – all it takes is a small commitment every day

How to learn a new skill: believe it or not, it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time every day to learn something new. In reality, all it takes to learn a new skill is a small commitment, every day to develop a new talent or start a new hobby.

What is one thing you want to do but you haven’t started doing it, yet? Maybe it’s because you don’t feel like you have time or it feels too complicated or any other excuse you give yourself.

Practice Makes Progress - 5 Ways to Develop a New Talent or Skill | ChocolateMusings.com #practicemakesprogress #practice #skill

Learning a new skill or practice won’t happen immediately. My kids always say, “I’m not good at that.” My response is either “neither was I until I practiced a lot” or another one of my favorite responses: “well, you’ll have to practice to improve.” Learning a new skill is like riding a bike or learning to swim.

Buying a new bike doesn’t guarantee you’ll keep your balance; it requires practice, practice, practice. It requires skill development and sometimes some scraped knees. But it always requires you get back up and keep going.

Examples of Skills I Want to Learn or Habits to I Want to Develop

  • Learn to create a variety of lettering formats
  • Journal Everyday
  • Write
  • Illustrate books
  • Paint Murals
  • Watercolor Paint
  • Paint realistic art
  • Draw from memory
  • Draw Faces
  • Sell my art
  • Blog full time
  • Keep my house clean
  • Learn something new
  • Watercolor plants
  • Create quotes in awesome layouts
  • Paint florals
  • Photography
  • Write Comics
  • Sing

When I was learning to brush letter, I committed at least 15 minutes per day to the activity. Investing just 15 minutes per day removes a lot of excuses. It feels more like a bite-sized piece every day than eating the whole elephant at once.

ChocolateMusings.com Shop - Find it in the shop!

Make Your Own List

Go ahead and get your notebook out or a scrap of paper then brainstorm a list of things that you want to learn. Don’t edit your list right now; write down all the things you want to do. Don’t worry about how long your list is, keep writing until you feel like you’ve listed everything.

Once you’ve listed all the ambitions in your life, choose one (maximum two) items from your list to practice every day for a short amount of time.

Decide which one will capture your focus. You can’t learn everything all at one time. For one thing, the time commitment is certainly not feasible. For another thing, you’re probably overwhelmed by your list already.

Choose One Thing

The above list of skills I want to learn/habits to develop to do isn’t comprehensive by any means, but even that shortlist is overwhelming when it comes to doing them all at once.

Trying to learn everything at once quickly becomes overwhelming. The key to learning a new skill is to focus on one thing at a time. I used to be an advocate for multitasking, but I have learned over time that splitting my efforts is certainly not as effective as focusing on one thing at a time.

I’m not saying to neglect everything else in your life, in fact, contrary to that. Choose one as a focus. I’m not going to neglect cleaning my house while I learn a new skill other than cleaning, but the books I read, the research I do, my general focus will be on creating a different skill instead.

If You Can’t Decide Which One

If you can’t decide, try this: choose the first thing on your list. Think about spending the next 3 months, devoting your time every day to learning that skill. How does that one make you feel? Were you excited or secretly disappointed that it wasn’t another item on your list? If you were disappointed, choose the thing that you thought about doing instead, that’s probably the one you really want to try.

Muscle Memory

You’re creating ‘muscle memory.’ It’s like going to the gym for your brain and hands. Working out a little every day is better than working out in one long session on Saturdays. It creates a more established habit and doesn’t take an entire day to catch up.

If you give yourself just 15 minutes per day, you’ll be amazed at how much you improve at this new skill. A short amount of time every day is better than a big chunk of time – especially when you have to train your hands or mind to do something different like lettering or drawing.

You’ll make better progress if you do a little every day. And you’re not asking yourself to eat huge chunks, which is easier to swallow.

Now Commit to Learning Your New Skill

Just like my cleaning/decluttering regimen, set a specific time for when you intend to do your practice every day.

How to Commit:

Now that you’ve decided which skill you will practice, there are a few things that will help you to commit it to memory. They are simple things, but very useful.

  1. Set a time
  2. Write it down
  3. Block it out on your calendar
  4. Show up & Practice
  5. Every. Single. Day

Set your intentions for real then commit to yourself or tell someone else if you need accountability. Tell them what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.

Comment below, which is the one thing you are going to do & when you are going to do it every day.

5 Steps to learn a new skill (and keep your life, too) | ChocolateMusings.com #habits #skills #talents

My Commitment

For me, I am going to write for my blog for 15 minutes every day at 8:30 am before I go to work. If I need to, I will put in headphones to drown out the extra noise and reduce distractions. My work doesn’t have to be perfect, and I need to show up and do it. Every. Single. Day.

Where can you learn more about creating a habitual creative practice?

I love SkillShare – an online learning environment with hundreds of courses you can take to learn new techniques and enhance your skills. Sign up for a free trial, take some classes and see what else you learn.

365 Day Project
You Can Draw Anything!
Stick to it: How to Maintain a Creative Practice

If you already use skillshare – are there any classes you’ve enjoyed? I’d like to know.

Want to start handlettering? Check out my post for beginning lettering supplies.