Why I plan with Amanda

It is that time of week again, it is a Why I Plan Wednesday! Today I am really​ excited to share this planner's interview! It is none other than Amanda Zampelli! She is one of my creative idols and I am so happy to have her on my blog. I hope you enjoy her interview as much as I did. Just click "Read More".  

Amanda's new website is launching September 1st, 2017, but for now you can follow her over on Instagram here.

Tell us a little about yourself.

​Hi, I’m Amanda- a graphic designer, lifestyle blogger, and paper crafter who’s most recent professional gig was working for me & my BIG ideas as their Social Media Coordinator. Since I left that job at the start of the summer, I’ve been working behind the scenes to revamp my online identity and website, and refocus on the next big project I have in mind.

How did you discover your planner?

I currently use The Happy Planner® system because…well…DUH! I worked for me & my BIG ideas, the creators of The Happy Planner®. It was my job to use the product, inspire & inform about the product through social media, and educate people all about it at trade shows.

I found out about the system on my first day working with me & my BIG ideas. Stephanie Fleming, Owner & Creative Director of the company, flew me to California in September of 2014 and while giving me the tour of the office, turned to me and said, “So we’re going to be making a planner.” The rest is kind of history! :)

 What is your planning system?

I use multiple planners (see my 2017 planner line-up HERE). (1) my BIG actual ‘planner’ planner, (2) my mini fitness planner, and (3) my career journal get written into everyday, while my (4) my memory-keeping planner, and (5) my budget planner can be filled out on a weekly basis.

What is your planning routine?

​During the last week of every month, I usually start setting up my BIG ‘Get Things Done’ Fully Functional Happy Planner® for the month ahead. This entails printing out a set of my designed planner strips that I created with an hourly, lined setup- to make it easy to map out my days & chores.

​Same with my mini Fitness Planner - I’ll usually fill it out and prep it for the upcoming month.

​Now, my memory keeping Happy Planner® is a little different. THAT one I fill week by week, looking back at the week that has already passed, importing, resizing, and printing photos from home, and using Happy Planner® stickers and embellishments from my collected stash to customize my memories. NOTE: All of my tips & tricks on how I documented my entire year of 2016 can be found in my online class with Big Picture Classes called “Memory Keeping in The Happy Planner®”.​​

What inspires you?

Oh boy! This is a loaded question! Firstly, and most practically, I’m going to say Pinterest - only because most mornings, with my first cup of coffee in hand, I spend 15 minutes scrolling through Pinterest, searching through a couple of keywords that have been on my mind, etc. — I try to soak up any all graphics, colors, images, vibes that seem to hit me in some way. It’s kind of like a motivation hunt! ​

​Next, I’m going to say my dreams & visions for my future inspire me. I am a great visualizer. I often insert myself into awesome life scenarios, like working from home, doing the kind of design work I want to be doing, and end up manifesting what I visualize into real life. From experience, the manifesting usually takes months or years - but hard daily work that’s in tune with the beat of your heart and the visions of your mind will eventually get you to where you feel pulled towards. Trust the tide of your life.

Also — the internet makes it so easy to hear other people’s stories. I get inspired by the stories my fellow artists, who march to the beat of their own passionate bongo drums, share. There are so many brave people doing the weird, niched things they were born to do! It encourages me to keep at my craft, knowing that I am brave and weird and niched too!  

​What is your fav place to plan?

At my long, wide, spacious 8-foot long dining room table that often doubles as my craft space. I tend to spread out all my materials, organize them in little piles, and have at it! (You see it, and my “craft room” HERE!)

​What is your fav color scheme in your planner?

I tend to switch it up from month to month, but I’ve been in love with the neutral black & white palette that the “This Is Your Year” Happy Planner® has!  I have been using it to memory keep my 2017, and it has been the chic, airy, clean color scheme I’ve needed. ​​

What is one of your fav quotes in your planner?

Sticking down any of the clear quote stickers from The Happy Planner® ‘Faith' sticker value pack always makes me feel empowered. Two I’ve used in my memory keeping Happy Planner® this year are: (1) "Great is thy faithfulness," and (2) "Count it all joy.”

Any advice?

(1) Don’t get diagnosed with P.P.S. (a.k.a Precious Planner Syndrome)! The pages of your planner are NOT precious! They are paper. They will rip, crinkle, tear, and get messy! The beautiful part about it is: life goes on, and you can turn to the next weekly spread and start fresh! Experiment on your pages with whatever is in you at the time to make on the page! That’s the ONLY way you’ll ever find your style, what works for you and what doesn’t, and the only way to possibly inspire others with your ideas and creativity!

​(2) Use social media to get motivated, but once you do - LOOK. AWAY. Please look away. Set boundaries for yourself. It’s really easy nowadays for social media to feel like quicksand — sucking you deeper and deeper into a sinkhole of wasted time and useless comparison. Focus on the uniqueness YOU can contribute, and let that be what takes up your time.

​In other news: you can find other Q&A interviews I’ve done me HERE, HERE, & HERE. // My new website launches September 1st, but in the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram at @amandarosezamp. :)

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Here is a big thanks to Amanda for the interview, it was great! Is anyone else pumped for her website launch? I know I am! Missed any other Why I Plans? Scroll down to "Search by Categories" and click "Why I Plan" to browse the other interviews. See you next Wednesday!