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@kaytspapertrail -

About Kayt

Hi, I’m Kayt.

I’m a planner enthusiast, writer, and lifelong language nerd living in Arizona’s high desert—where snow on a cactus is just part of winter. This space is for the things that keep me grounded: planning, learning, creativity, and finding meaning in a full (and very real) life.

I share that life through Kayt’s Paper Trail, my YouTube channel all about planning, stationery, and using paper to make sense of busy seasons. My videos are calm, practical, and intentionally low-pressure—like planning alongside a friend rather than chasing perfection. You can also find related designs and resources in my Etsy shop.

Writing is at my core. I’ve published a novel (the first in a series I hope to continue), short stories, poetry, and a novella. On Substack at Mending the Rift, I explore politics, power, and accountability with clarity over outrage and understanding over division. I also offer tutoring and proofreading support, helping with writing, research, editing, and learning strategies in a friendly, collaborative way.

Outside of writing and planning, you’ll find me baking, gardening, watching birds and squirrels at my window, or tinkering with paper layouts. I’m learning Mandarin (slowly, imperfectly, but with enthusiasm), enjoy telenovelas and British TV (Come Dine With Me, Friday Night Dinner, Shetland, Vera), love sharks, and occasionally indulge in plausible ghost stories.

I’m a proud dog mom, a devoted feeder of stray cats, a museum nerd, and a defender of the Oxford comma. Life doesn’t need to be optimized to be meaningful—and that’s exactly what I hope this corner of the internet feels like: a place to learn, create, and plan alongside someone who gets it.


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Popular Previous Posts

My Hobonichi 2025 Haul & Unboxing

@kaytspapertrail -
  I can barely remember a time when I didn't have a planner, but I know I haven't been without one since I went back to school in 2012. I have one of those brains that spins into overdrive if I don't write down the things I need to do. For several years I've debated buying a Hobonichi Weeks. This year ... I gave in. Despite the 'Hobonichi Day Debacle', I got exactly what I wanted. Having never ordered from Hobonichi before I didn't even realize the chaos wasn't typical. Long story short, I ended up ordering from JetPens the next day. Since I was only getting a few things to try, the $28 shipping from Japan would have made it more expensive than the JetPens' mark-up anyway.  But the point is, all's well that ends well and I'm looking forward to moving into my Weeks asap (come on, November!).
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Planner Freebies - Hobonichi Weeks Cover Insert

@kaytspapertrail -
In my search for the proverbial/mythical planner peace, I thought I might like a Hobonichi Weeks. Since it was Feb/Mar at the time, and I already had three other planners I was trying out, I decided to get an undated Fauxbonichi from Amazon for like $8.  Disliking the look of it, I bought a plastic cover and printed off the following insert based on a free dashboard design from Plan With Bee.  Click below to download/print my cover insert - just print it off, trim it down a bit, and insert in the plastic cover. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WnMe2wjLSlKTwuqtW9KL5CDTNRfd1TGZ/view?usp=sharing
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Planner Freebies - Temp and Period Tracker

@kaytspapertrail -
So, probably in order to try to tame the chaos of my life, I have been diving deep into the planning world lately. I've been planning for years, eons even, but it used to be strictly functional (which is a polite way of saying my planners were ugly - not that all functional planning is ugly, but MINE WAS).  I would quickly scribble down stuff to be done, with any implement I had on hand, and cross things out and move them around to the point of being indecipherable by anyone but (hopefully) me. All with the no nonsense goal to get it down, get it done, and move on. I never decorated any of them, nor did I keep them for any reason - at the end of the year they went in the trash. But I never found the perfect planner - one that could accommodate every area of my life. And I still have not, so far. Though I am starting to decorate it, journal in it, and plan to keep them from now on. I would love to have a gorgeous BuJo, but I cannot manage to force myself to keep one due to the time ...
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