Let’s talk about the holy grail of organizing – the almighty PLANNER! Planners are the holy grail of organizing as they have the ability to put your entire life down on paper in a logical way that helps you stay on track and get what you need to get, done.
Now I know a lot of you are opposed to planners because you can just type everything you need into your phone, and if that works well for you, stick with it. However, you might like to know that research shows you are not only more likely to remember things better when you write them down as opposed to type them, but you are also more likely to actually do the things you wrote down.
Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind when using a planner so that you can maximize the planner’s potential, as well as your own. First things first, only use one planner. Juggling your schedule between multiple mediums can just make your life chaotic and completely defeat the purpose of a planner in the first place. Secondly, make using your planner a habit. Take it with you everywhere and every time something comes up that you need to remember, write it down in your planner. Additionally, check your planner periodically throughout the day to make sure you are doing everything you wrote down previously. If it will help you stay on track, write down your entire day, even include time for sleeping, eating, spending time with the kids, getting work done, etc. Lastly, use backward planning. This means that working from due dates, plan backwards a day or a week and write in a reminder that the date is approaching. This way you’ll never be caught off guard trying to get something done at the last minute.
If you are a true planner rookie, I can recommend a couple of planners that I have liked and used in the past: Lily Pulitzer, Erin Condren, and Kate Spade all have very aesthetically pleasing and well-formatted planners. Of course, when it comes to organizing, you don’t need a fancy designer anything to be productive. Any planner will do – it’s just about finding which format works best with your lifestyle. You may prefer a monthly view planner if you constantly need to look at what’s coming up, a weekly view planner if you take life one week at a time and need more space to write in activities, or a daily view planner if your life is super hectic and you need a whole page for every day! It’s all about personal preference. That’s the true essence of organizing after all – finding what works best for you so that you can have a happy, healthy, and sane life.
Happy planning!
Generic Planner
