Why I Removed My 70 Page Planner and Embraced Simple Planning

I have a confession to make. The very first printable planner I tried to create for Lavender Life Plans was a complete failure in my eyes.

It was a cleaning planner, and on the surface, it seemed perfect. I spent months researching every cleaning method I could find, determined to build the most comprehensive printable template on the market.

It grew and grew until it became a 70-page giant. But the entire time, I was fighting a pressure I think many of us feel. It is that need to keep up, to add more, to compete with the "mega-master" products already out there.

The process was exhausting. Being stuck on one project for so long wore me down, and it felt like it would never end.

The Realization That My Approach Was Wrong

When I finally looked at the finished 70-page planner, the feeling was not pride. It was a heavy, sinking feeling. I had built a mountain of paperwork. I had created a new, unpaid job for someone to manage.

It was in that moment I understood the true purpose behind Lavender Life Plans.

My passion is to create tools that bring clarity and order. I realized my job is not to be a cleaning expert or to dictate a specific method.

There are wonderful, detailed systems out there created by people who specialize in that.

Instead, my purpose is to design the framework. I build the clean, simple, and flexible templates where you can bring your own chosen method to life.

A good tool should serve your plan, not force you into a new one.

If a planner is so complex that the thought of using it is tiring, it has failed at its one job to make life lighter.

A New Direction for Lavender Life Plans

With that new clarity, I knew what I had to do. I removed the 70-page planner from my shop.

It was a difficult choice after investing so much time, but it was also the most freeing. It was the moment my brand found its true north.

I had to let go of the idea that "more" was better. Instead, I chose to build my shop on the belief that simplicity is what truly gives us the power to move forward.

This brand is my commitment to that belief. I also believe that God led me to this path, and my shop is the result of much prayer.

A Quick Note on "Complex" vs. "Simple"

Before I go on, I want to be clear about something. This is not an attack on complex systems.

For many people, a detailed bullet journal filled with art, doodles, and daily reflections is a wonderful hobby.

It is a form of creative expression and stress relief, and I love that. My single-page printable templates are actually perfect for integrating into a bullet journal.

The issue I am talking about is different. It is when a tool that is supposed to be for pure productivity, like a planner with dozens of pages for every area of life, becomes a source of overwhelm.

If your system is working for you, that is what matters. But if you feel like you are drowning in paperwork, maybe it is time to try a simpler approach.

How a Simpler System Works in Real Life

When I talk about a simpler approach, I do not mean doing less. I mean focusing on the essential tasks that deliver the biggest results. The goal is pure efficiency.

Instead of a massive binder with dozens of rigid sections, the focus is on clean, intentional pages that do one thing well.

For example, my Snap-Track Weekly Planner is designed on this principle. It has a section for each day of the week on one sheet, with space for your most important tasks.

You can map out your entire week's cleaning schedule, meal plan, or work projects without flipping a single page. It keeps your main goals in front of you, always visible.

The same idea applies to my Core Four Weekly Planner. It divides the week into four key areas of your life, like 'Work,' 'Home,' and 'Personal.' This helps you see at a glance if you are balancing your priorities.

It is flexible enough that you can define the areas yourself and manage everything from grocery lists to important deadlines in one organized space. This approach means each template, whether it is one page or a handful of them, is purposeful.

Having less to manage and fewer unnecessary fields to fill out creates a greater sense of accomplishment, which helps make life feel genuinely lighter.

Letting Go of Perfection to Get Things Done

Another lesson I learned from my 70-page planner experience was about perfectionism.

I spent so much time redoing, erasing, and second-guessing every detail that I was getting nowhere. I realized that if I chased perfection, nothing would ever be finished.

Now, I focus on creating quality products that are good enough to do the job they were designed for.

This mindset shift was freeing, and it allowed me to move forward and create the tools I truly wanted to build, from new planners to my 30-day challenge templates and mind maps.

I believe this applies to our own lives, too. Sometimes we do not start a new habit or a project because we are waiting for the "perfect" plan.

A simple template encourages you to just start. Progress is better than perfection, always.

An Invitation to Choose a Lighter Path

My journey with that 70-page planner taught me a powerful lesson.

The best tools are not the ones with the most features, but the ones that quietly get out of your way so you can do the work that matters. 

This means choosing progress over perfection, clarity over clutter, and a lighter path forward.

If you have ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to do it all or to follow a system that does not fit your life, I hope my story reminds you that you have the freedom to choose a different way.

You can build a system that serves you. If you are ready to explore what that could look like, I invite you to browse the collection at Lavender Life Plans. You might find the simple printable template you have been looking for.