ABOUT

PLAN THE THINGS

Even in a pandemic, we've got to keep moving forward

When schools and businesses closed their doors in March 2020 and we all went home, there were so many people who suddenly found themselves with so much new time to learn a language, to take up painting, to write the next great American novel. Apparently. And then there were those of us with kids; trying to do our jobs and run our businesses from home while also taking on the impossibly hard full-time job of getting our kids through remote learning. In place of so much free time to create or learn something new, we were lucky if we got a bathroom break without a kid following us there talking, talking, talking. It's been exhausting.

As life settles down we have to get on with our new normal. It's not what we hoped for, but it's what we have, and it's time to make it work and get stuff done.

Now more than ever, we need a way to keep sight of the bigger picture while completing all the tiny details. A way to stay focused on what we're trying to achieve when we're so tired we can't remember our own names. Plan The Things is here to make that easier with simple and minimal planning tools to keep you moving forward, even if those steps are sometimes microscopic.

HI, I'M HELEN

I love stationery and I love to plan things. For 2020 I started using three planners, and two different wall calendars - I was definitely going to win the year. Ha, how we laughed/ cried. What I've recently discovered is that while I love to plan, I hate being told what to do, so I tend to rebel against my own best intentions a bit, which is not super helpful.

Like so many people, I went from being ridiculously busy and pretty productive to being even busier, but waaaaaay less productive when the pandemic hit. It was a bit like having a newborn again in some ways, when simply taking a shower constitutes a major achievement.

I've always been low-key obsessed with finding the "perfect" planning system (yep, I know that's impossible, and yet I keep dreaming...). I started this business under a different name three years ago, but it got pushed to the side a little when other things took priority. The pandemic reignited my enthusiasm to make planning simple, straightforward and minimal; something that works for people juggling with all the things, whose eyes cannot deal with any more chaos.

I'm a British artist, designer, teacher and entrepreneur. I live in beautiful Portland, Maine with my husband, our three amazing but very opinionated girls (ages 18, 16 and 11), three cats, a bunch of fish, a lizard-y thing and our two stubborn but hilarious pugs, Waffles and Pepper.

I've been building businesses online since 2008; both product and service-based design business. Currently most days of the week I teach art at a local university. Keeping sight of the bigger picture while looking at all the tiny steps (and all the freaking Zoom meetings) is helping me to keep moving forward wearing all my different hats.

With my glorious few hours a week when I'm not teaching and the kids are actually in school I'm running round the house shouting I'm freeeeeeee, by which I obviously mean I'm getting loads of quality work done in the delicious silence :)

PLANNING THE FUTURE AND PLANTING TREES

Looking after our planet so we can all have a future here is hugely important. Plan The Things partners with One Tree Planted so that we can help reforest the world, one tree at a time. For every paper item sold in the shop, we plant one tree.

Get organized and do good.

Shop today and plant some trees!

NEED A BIT OF PLANNING HELP?

Take control of your week! The Weekly Overview Dashboard helps you to see everything you have going on in one place, so you can prioritize what matters and focus on moving forwards.

Get your free copy sent directly to your inbox so you can have your most focused week yet.

I NEED THIS!

PLANNING THE THINGS

PLAN THE THINGS

PLANNING THE FUTURE AND PLANTING TREES