A Look At the 2016 Belle De Jour Power Planner

One of the most popular planners here in the Philippines is the Belle De Jour Power Planner, which has a very good following among many women and has created a community for 10 years. It is more than just a planner with a pretty cover. Through the years, it has evolved into organizing not just your day-to-day activities but also helping you become a better you. I'm also glad to have been writing for their website in sharing my tips in beauty, fitness, and health.

So here's an overview of the 2016 Belle De Jour Power Planner.

The first few pages start you on a good note... by allowing you to give yourself  a general sketch your plan for the year. Remember when New Year's Resolutions were part of someone's practice at the start of the year? This one is something like it but a little more fun and less imposing. It lets you write out your goals - personal, health, finance, career, etc. and probably a fun dream you would like to do, like probably climbing a mountain or conquering a fear. Understandably, the goals may be subject to change. It's okay, I don't judge. It happens to me too.

The Happiness list what  you need to look at when you're feeling down, because as the page says,  "Being clear about what makes you happy is the first step to being happy."

Just like the ornaments called dreamcatchers, which filter out bad dreams and only allow good thoughts to enter our mind, the dream board does something like it. This whole blank space is to be filled with photos, doodles, sketches, designs, words, and cutouts that give you inspiration, drive, and hope. It may be something like a photo of the designer bag you've been saving up for, or a destination you would want to go to. It may be your dream house, or maybe something simple like a dish you really loved and would want to master. Basically, it's your good vibes page.

Inasmuch as we all love shopping and pampering ourselves, we also have to be reminded to be responsible of our money, and our planner helps us budget our hard-earned money and keeps track of how much we're spending, helping us save for our future.

This for me is a very important feature, the menstrual tracker. Keeping track of your monthly period isn't just avoiding the unnecessary dyahe stain by being prepared. Your period in fact, is a measurement of your overall health. My doctor asks me when there's something wrong with me how my period is. And I even get this with Western medicine. The doctor who did my annual physical exam asked me about my period, not my blood pressure, not my diet, and not my medical history. The menstrual tracker keeps track of your flow, if it's regular and if there are months when you skip or there are months that they are happening more frequent, and if you need to see a doctor.

The planner itself is full of inspiration - from the colorful designs, to the quotable quotes, and even added bonus are the tips we get every month as well as words of encouragement. It helps you take care of yourself in every single way.

The booklet full of awesome coupons from partner brands. Of course we have to treat ourselves to awesome things, right?

These are just some of the features I'll be excited to use once 2016 rolls in. Hopefully, this will get me inspired. Maybe that would be the time I get my handspring or unassisted headstand right. This is practically good vibes in a book, and if you have a really good friend or relative who would need some good vibes, this is the perfect gift.