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If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time or , you’ve probably realized I’m a pretty big fan of my Erin Condren LifePlanner. I’ve been using it for years to keep me on track when it comes to my daily to-do lists. However, I’ve always felt like there was something missing from my planning routine.
For quite some time now, I’ve been searching for the best way to set goals in both my life and business. While I love my LifePlanner, it really wasn’t equipped to keep me on track with goal setting.
That’s where the Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets come into play.
I’ve seen so many other creative business owners purchasing and using the PowerSheets over the years. Although, I always resisted purchasing a PowerSheets planner for myself. Until this year.
One morning I woke up and was watching Instagram Stories while laying in bed and two different people mentioned their 2018 PowerSheets. And something just kind of sparked in me… I had to purchase it for myself. So, as a first-time user, I’m going to share my first impressions in this PowerSheets review.
2018 PowerSheets Review: A Look Inside the Planner
For this PowerSheets review, I’m going to take you inside the planner. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to buying things like this is that we don’t often get to see much of the inside. Personally, I want to know what the assignments on each page are like. I want an in-depth look inside before I commit to the purchase! And that’s why I’ve decided to create this review for you.
First off, there’s no denying that this is a gorgeous planner. The cover design is colorful and absolutely stunning, especially with the gold detailing. It’s definitely high-quality with durable covers and a spiral binding. Besides being a functional goal setting planner, it’s safe to say it’s pretty Instagram-worthy.
Before you begin diving into your goal setting tasks for 2018, there’s some handy pre-work for you to complete. One of those pages includes a place to jot down ideas for 2018. This is your place to think about what you want 2018 to look like and any changes you’d like to make. You can get creative here and really write anything that comes to mind, while also decorating the page with different colors and stickers.
You’ll also be required to dig deep into your personality with the “Getting to Know Me” page and the worksheets that follow. On this particular page, you’ll be prompted to select words that describe you, the ways in which you’re most encouraged, and things you love to do. After this, you’ll move onto the page, “Break Your Identity Box.” This is your chance to bust through any limiting beliefs you’ve been telling yourself and flip the script on them to change your way of thinking.
The “Cultivated Life Evaluation” pages, are a place to rate various areas of your life from 1-10 and jot down a few additional thoughts. The topics you’ll cover on this page include: health, friends, spouse/significant other, family, finances, spiritual + personal growth, work, and recreation. This is your opportunity to truly see where you can make improvements in your life and what you can do to turn things around. You’ll also be able to see what’s been great so you can keep up the good habits you’ve developed.
From there, you’re prompted to select three areas of your life that you want to focus on improving in the year ahead. This will help you get clear on what’s important to you in order to make the most fulfilling changes.
The PowerSheets pre-work continues with sections on the following: Letting Go, Meet Your Fears, Good Things and Challenges, Lessons I Learned, People I’m Grateful For, What Fires Me Up, and others. There’s also space to create your very own vision board right there in your PowerSheets planner.
To wrap up your pre-work, you have the opportunity to choose your word of the year for 2018. And you’ll also be able to put the information on all the previous pages into one on the “My Most Purposeful Year” page. This is your summary of what you want 2018 to look like so you can make the most impact within your life.
Next, you’ll move into the goal setting pages. There’s a place for you to brainstorm your 2018 goals, which you can then break down on the subsequent “Action Plan” pages. After all, taking those bigger goals and turning them into smaller, actionable tasks will make it easier for you to accomplish them. There’s also a handy instructions page that details how you can best use the Action Plan pages to make the most of your goals in the year ahead.
One of the pages you’re going to get very familiar with in the year ahead is the “Tending List.” This is just one of the pages in the monthly sections. It’s your place to jot down encouraging words, monthly goals, weekly goals, and daily goals. If you’re someone who wants a place to track the progress you’re making on your goals, this is it. You’ll be able to see everything on your list for any particular month and see how things are coming along.
Because it’s perforated, you can tear this page out and put it somewhere you’ll always see it or leave it in your planner for safekeeping. Either way, it’s a great way to stay on track with the goals you most want to accomplish. Plus, it’ll be even nicer when you’ve decorated it with plenty of gorgeous Cultivate What Matters stickers!
To conclude each month, there’s a “Monthly Review” page. It has sections for writing down what you’ve been grateful for, a lesson you learned, and more. Taking this time to reflect is an opportunity to express gratitude and to see how far you’ve come.
Other pages you’ll find in the monthly sections include: Prepare Well (a page to record important events, to-dos, etc.), Let It Go (for clearing mental and heart clutter), and Make What Matters Happen This Month (space to share anything you want to accomplish during the month).
There are also blank “Wildcard Pages” through each monthly section. You can do whatever you want with these pages, which is actually pretty cool! Cultivate What Matters has created a variety of printables for these pages so you can use them in a way that’s best suited to your needs. It’s truly an amazing way to customize your planner.
There are little motivational quotes sprinkled all throughout the planner. If you’re someone who loves words of encouragement, you’re really going to appreciate this. I had to include this photo in my PowerSheets review because the gold detailing is truly stunning.
There are two pages of stickers in the PowerSheets planner. I always use stickers to decorate my Erin Condren LifePlanner, so having them here is great. These stickers are beautiful and colorful, so I’m very excited to use them throughout the planner. However, two pages of stickers for one year of planning simply isn’t enough for me!
That’s why I had to purchase the Goal Setting Sticker Book as well! It’s safe to say this will give me plenty of stickers to decorate with in the year to come. So, if you’re a sticker lover, I’d highly recommend purchasing this book as well!
There are also a few extra bits that came along with the purchase of the planner. The “Let’s Do This” and “Dream it. Plan it. Live it,” cards would be nice for hanging up in the office. There’s also a card for writing your word of the year and a postcard to send to a friend.
PowerSheets Review: My Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m really impressed with the 2018 PowerSheets. It’ll be a great opportunity for me to reflect on which goals are going to be the most fulfilling. It’s important that I pursue the things that light me up and leave me feeling complete. Having a place to record those goals and track my progress on accomplishing them is going to be helpful.
Previously, I haven’t had a proper method for watching my growth throughout the year. I’m confident the PowerSheets will help me make tremendous change in both my personal life and in my business.
I hope you enjoyed my PowerSheets review!