How I Organize My Planner

If you have been following me you know I am a planner. More specifically, I am a pen to paper kind of planner. Whenever a thought or new idea comes to mind I have to write it down. And digital just doesn’t cut it for me. So when planning my “life” I always start with my planner.

 

If you read my post on the 5 things I do every Sunday to prepare for a productive week, you would have seen that I plan out my week in a planner. Now while a physical planner works best for me it doesn’t for my husband, so I have to transfer a lot of the family events to a digital calendar as well.

 

With the new year in full swing, I have been able to crack open a brand new planner and boy does it feel amazing. It is almost like opening a new chapter to your story. Starting anew and writing a new part of your story. And I want to share how I set up my planner.

Planner Organization the Easy Way!

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Choose a planner

First things first, I chose a planner. Planners come in various shapes and sizes. Understanding how you plan to use your planner will aid in your decision. How do you want to view your schedule?

Would you prefer a monthly, weekly or daily view? Do you want a hardbound planner or one where you can add or remove pages?

 

For the last few years, I have been using the Erin Condren Life Planner which is a weekly layout. This has been my go-to planner since I got serious about planning. And while I absolutely love this Life Planner, this year, I decided to try a daily layout. The primary reason I chose to make the switch was that I am a list kinda girl, this format allows me the ability to track my day hourly as well as track my lists. For a daily view, I have chosen to go with The Day Designer Flagship planner. And I love this layout. It fits more with my personality since I live by lists. There is something about checking an item off your list that is so rewarding!

 

Add Accessories

When I got serious about my planning, I didn’t understand the world I was entering. There are so many accessories you can add to your planner. And stickers, oh so many stickers. If you have the creative itch, try decorating your planner, stickers are a fun way to do so. In addition to stickers, there’s washi tape, colored pens, markers, and snap-ins.

I love to purchase all of my planner accessories from Blitsy. They are seriously the Hobby Lobby of the online world.

If you are not into decorating, don’t worry, it’s not for everyone. Planners work just fine without them!  I tend to go back and forth and some days I just use washi to add a bit of color.

 

Add all important events

I start my planner by adding big recurring events, like birthdays or anniversaries or school holidays and breaks if you have children. You already know these dates so why not put them in from the start. Lastly, I will include work trips, family vacations and social events that are already planned. This way I don’t have to go back to add them, and I am not caught off guard. Looks like those birthday cards will get out on time this year!

 

Track Goals

Did you read my post on setting goals for the year? If not, check it out here! I provide great tips on tracking your goals and sticking to them.

I love to use my planner to track my business and personal goals. If you read my post you might know where I am going with this. I like to take larger goals and break them into smaller bite-sized goals that help me to work towards that larger goal. I track my deadlines in my planner and find that it works great for keeping me on track.

Leave white space and don’t overschedule

Have you ever watched a plan with me video on YouTube? The ones where someone walks you through exactly how they set up their planner for the week? I love them – they give me creative inspiration. I can sit on my sofa all day watching those. But one thing, I noticed is how some planners love to completely cover all the white space. Whether that be with stickers or activities. Now if stickers are your jam, go for it girl! I love a fun creative planner. But what you want to avoid is filling your schedule so much that you don’t leave time for life to just happen. Just because you have an hourly planner doesn’t mean you have to plan every hour.

 

If you haven’t chosen a planner yet, check out two of my favorite. For weekly planners, my go-to has always been the Erin Condren Life Planner. The set up is great and easy to manage. And with each planner, you have a large collection of stickers to get you started on your planning journey.

 

If you prefer to see a daily view, I am loving my new Day Designer Flagship Daily Planner. I am more of a list kinda girl and this is the perfect layout for lists! If you aren’t sure if the daily format is for you, Day Designer will send you a free printable to test it out!

 

Not ready to commit to a planner just yet? Try a monthly view calendar printout. I love to use my 2019 monthly calendar to track big events, appointments, family activities etc!

 

What planner are you using this year and what are some of your tips for setting it up?