Project EVO Planner

I wrote last week about my planning and calendaring process that I use to help keep my sanity while balancing three jobs right now. Then, on Mother’s Day, Chris surprised me with an EVO planner that I am super excited about, so I thought I’d share that with you, too.

Chris is part of a leadership group here in Orlando that meets once a month. A few months ago, during one of their sessions, they took a brain type test for something called Project EVO. EVO is a planning system them works according to your brain type. EVO classifies four types of brains:

• The Alchemist – Alchemists thrive on the abstract and theoretical. According to the website, “they prefer experimenting with their ideas in the real world, and develop a lot of their key ideas while interacting with other people.” Alchemists bring structure and details, but only to a certain extent before this exhausts them.
• The Oracle – Oracles also focus on the abstract and theoretical, “but focus on developing their ideas primarily in their minds, and then bringing them out to share with others when they’re more fully formed.” They can focus equally between events of past, present, and future. Oracles often enjoy nature and get frustrated when they have to be completely present in the present world for too long.
• The Architect (Chris) – “Architects are linear, detailed thinkers who often identify with the idea of having a filing cabinet for a brain.” They are often focused on the past and use this to help inform their decisions for the future. They spend a lot of time developing ideas or thoughts before sharing them with anyone.
• The Explorer (Me!) – Explorers “prefer dealing with information that’s more concrete and in the real world. They learn best by experience” and tend to be “very present in the moment, and highly engaged with their five senses. Explorers can read between the lines and intuitively see multiple perspectives at once. They become frustrated if they don’t see this skill set bring used. They abhor and avoid activities or tasks that they don’t see valuable.

I was shocked to see that I was an Explorer because the name doesn’t seem like something that fits me – I like routines and avoid change usually. But after reading some of the more detailed descriptions, I have really come to see my own personality in a very different way. In fact, some of the things I’ve always seen as weaknesses can actually be used as strengths. I just haven’t been utilizing them fully. For example, one of the descriptions of an Explorer is that they need the freedom to do what they want, when they want. I’ve always known that I wasn’t much of a rule-follower. I’m structured, but only in my own systems and very seldom do I follow the systems and structures of others. In the past, I have seen this as a meaning I can be selfish or self-centered. And maybe I am. But I’ve also come to learn that this is also a trait of extreme leaders and creative thinkers. Who knew?!

Similarly, I have also always known that I am either completely engaged in a task or activity or not engaged at all. There’s very little middle ground for me. And once I lose interest, I tend to move on very quickly and don’t look back. There are pros and cons to that character trait, but in the EVO system, that’s listed as a positive. It says that one of the core needs of an Explorer is to see the relevance of what you are doing. If it seems like a waste of time, Explorers aren’t going to waste their time doing it. Again, this can definitely make me difficult to work with, but when positioned correctly, it means that if what I’m doing doesn’t interest me, it might be because it isn’t altogether relevant and that making a few changes to enhance the significance of the task or activity can not only help me stay involved, but can raise the standard of the task altogether.

Once you have taken the EVO brain type quiz and understand more about how your brain works, you can move on to the meat and potatoes of the company – the planner.

Chris suggested that I think of it more like a journal than a planner and he has been absolutely right, so I’m going to call it a journal from here on. The journal is formatted for your exact brain type. Chris and I both have one, but they look really different because we are different brain types. His is much more linear and detail focused, while mine is more free-flowing and creative.

Both journals (all of their journals, actually) have a monthly calendar view and a weekly calendar view. I have been using the weekly calendar view and really liking it because it helps me with goal setting and productivity.

I’m not quite sure how I want to use the monthly format yet, or if I’ll use it at all. I am pretty happy with my digital and paper monthly views right now and don’t see a need to add a third format.

It’s the daily formats that I really love. Here is Chris’s (architect):

And here is mine (explorer):

There are simple changes, like the fact that mine are open boxes to write in, but Chris’s has more structured lines. There’s also larger differences, like that Chris’s has more places to work out details in his day – like the brain dump. The biggest difference, though, is in the priorities. One of Chris’s major priority areas asks him how he will create order and balance in his day, while mine asks how I will have fun and create adventure.

Both journals have the EVO Flow section at the bottom right of each daily spread (there’s another one in the weekly spreads, too). This asks you to assess how your day went at the end and then you scan this portion of your planner with the app and it generates statistics and data-driven information about how you are spending your days, what is making you more productive, what is making you less productive, and how you can improve the use of your time.

It is a really cool system for organizing and prioritizing and it combines both my paper planner that I love and my digital, data-driven side. I’ve only used it for a week now, but I am super excited to continue! It feels like it was made just for me!

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This is not a sponsored post. Just sharing a new productivity tool!