After my mom died I was in a fog that I could not get out of. I had goals I wanted to accomplish, but it seemed so difficult to not just nap or watch garbage TV all day. I tried journaling but my mind was blank – just numb. I made a to do list each night of the exercise, writing, crafting, and other productive things I wanted to do the following day. The list that would “snap me out of it” or help me at least fake it.

Then the next day the list went directly into the recycle bin.

I was looking for structure to recover from my grief, but the planners I came across seemed harsh and hard driving. Until I found the Renew Planner. This tool is the softer, gentler way I needed to bring me back to life after the numbing pain of the months of grief. 

Renew Planner

The Renew Planner is designed to add structure, mindfulness, and gentle reminders to help you stay on track towards recovery.

The Renew Planner

There are separate sections of the planner that are dedicated to various parts of your planning. A weekly recap, monthly overview, and daily calendar as shown above. I used the weekly calendar snapshot to do a time tracker of how I was spending my days, not necessarily planning them out right now. Here are some of my favorite features:

  • It is beautiful to look at. Something about the color scheme is soothing to me, unlike other planners I considered that seemed too aggressive.
  • It lays flat. This makes it easier to keep open on my desk when I was doing the time tracker recording.
  • It is about more than what I am doing, it is about HOW I am doing. This is important as I am working through grief. I want to make sure I am not stuffing feelings or sitting and wallowing.

This planner can be used for any kind of recovery – addiction, eating disorders, life… A portion of the proceeds goes to organizations providing care and assistance to people in recovery.

Disclaimer – I am friends with the creator of the planner so I did get mine before they were available for sale. However, I paid for my planner. I strongly endorse this product because it is amazing. I may be biased, but I am not a paid endorser.

Second disclaimer – This was before social distancing was a thing.