Image credit : Pixabay
I’ve been a “planner girl” intermittently for as long as I can remember. My enthusiasm for planning began with a Lisa Frank binder in elementary school and continued with a free notebook in college. I started journaling at age 12 and have maintained the habit consistently since then.
In 2012, when my father had his first stroke, I needed a highly flexible planner to manage everything I had to do for him. That’s when I discovered the “Bullet Journal Method” on Pinterest, which captivated me for several years.
Planning is a fundamental element of success in any endeavor. Whether you’re launching a business, achieving personal milestones, or simply trying to improve your daily life, effective planning is crucial. This post will discuss the importance of planning and provide practical tips to help you develop & refine this vital skill. In a future post, I’ll delve deeper into my detailed and unique quarterly goal-setting system.
Moreover, planning offers clarity and direction, whether for daily tasks or long-term goals. Without a plan, life can seem overwhelming. By breaking things down into manageable steps, planning turns ambitions into actionable tasks.
What do you specifically need a planner for? Write a list on a piece of paper. Are you a student? Does your job require a separate planner or notebook? Do you need to manage medications, household chores, doctor’s appointments, or a side job? How about improving your health, strengthening family bonds, or tracking finances? Choose or create a planner that suits your needs and make sure you know what you need to keep track of and prepare for.
Next, decide on your planner – digital or analog? Your preference might lean towards one or the other. For a long time, I was a paper planner enthusiast. I’ve used the Bullet Journal, Happy Planner, and traveler’s notebook systems. I loved to decorate, customize, and adapt things to my needs. But recently, I’ve been trying to simplify my life, including my planner system. I’ve found that I rarely refer back to my old planners, and their main purpose was to leave something for my children when they’re older. But why would they want my to-do lists mixed in with memories? Thus, I’ve switched to digital planning, specifically using Notion. I find it more functional, less wasteful, and inexpensive. Now, I keep separate journals for memories and pictures for my kids, keeping my day-to-day tasks digital for easy deletion. Often times, less is more.
Once you’ve chosen your planner and know what you need it for, start filling it in. Prioritize appointments, meetings, bill due dates, and other important events. My weekly and monthly planning includes dinner plans, work schedules, homeschooling and extracurricular activities, cleaning goals, and spontaneous adventures. Don’t forget to include some fun!
Depending on what your needs are, there are lots of productivity tools to help you organize your tasks. A “kanban board”, for example, is a visual tool used to show what tasks need to be done, are in progress, or done. Another example is the “Eisenhower Matrix”, which is often used for prioritizing a long list of tasks.
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Daily, weekly, and monthly reviews can also be beneficial. The frequency of these reviews depends on your needs, but regularly evaluating what you did well and what you need to improve is a good practice.
Remember, flexibility is key in planning. Life is unpredictable and your plans may need to adapt. Embrace changes and adjust your plans accordingly. Finally, celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how small. Every completed task brings you one step closer to your goals. Just remember that planning is not a one-time task but an ongoing process that requires dedication and adaptability.
Just for fun, here’s a little zine I put together about three of the different planning types I described earlier. You can print it out for free, resize it to the paper size you use if need be, & this infographic shows you how to fold & cut it into a proper mini zine. Enjoy!!
What planning tips & tricks do you like to use? Share them in the comments; I’d love to nerd out together!! 😊
zen BLITZ 
