Do you use a planner to keep track of your life? It makes sense. Meetings, appointments, kids activities, birthdays, anniversaries and everything else you’re supposed to remember needs someplace to live other than in your already overloaded brain.
If you have one, and you should, chances are you’re not unleashing the potential of that bad boy. Most people don’t. There is more to using your planner effectively than juggling your packed days and trying not to forget what you need to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s paper-based or electronic, most people don’t know how to use their planner beyond, well, planning.
Recently a client told me he took my advice and bought a planner. This year, instead of juggling Outlook, Google Calendar and the other places he tracked his schedule and to-dos including a scratch pad by his phone, he agreed to give a paper-based planner a go.
The problem was that he bought it but never opened it, ever. It was sitting in the box it was delivered in and slowly but surely getting covered with the clutter of daily life. Soon enough, it would be nothing more than a waste of money.
I’ve been there in the past and bet you have too. I had best intentions to use my planner daily, and I do… for like a week or two and then not so much. When I finally figured out how to use my planner effectively, not only was I more productive but also began to make steady progress on goals that were previously nothing more than hopes and wishes.
You don’t need to hire me as a coach to get my best tips on how to use your planner. Here they are; I promise you, they work if you put them to work.
How to Use Your Planner Effectively
1) Pick a Master
We have so many choices to track our schedules at work and home it’s easy not to have a master planner. A master planner is an at glance source that shows you your entire schedule and more. When you’re home, you should have access to it and at the office too. No more “let me get back to you. I need to check my other schedule.”
2) Use it
Seems silly but your planner is just a waste of space if you don’t use it if not daily (which I recommend) then at least weekly. Your planner is more than your work calendar where people can request meetings and block up all your time. It’s YOUR TIME don’t be a victim of all of the time suckers out there – be proactive.
[Tweet “Your planner helps you get control of your time. Don’t be at the mercy of meetings.”]
3) Block Out Whitespace
You need time to think about what’s next not only tackle everything on today’s to-do list. Block out regular time slots for your whitespace and use it not as catch up, but as learning, looking-forward time and looking inward time.
4) Have Sacred Time
Block out time that cannot be booked. (If you’re doing it in your paper planner, don’t forget to block your time in your online tool too.) Do not let yourself give away all of your time to back to back meetings. Sacred time could be you-time to relax and recharge or team-time to reconnect and engage with your team. Not everything that isn’t a specific meeting should be easily booked over.
5) Gratitude
I’m not a big journal person, but I do love to use my planner to jot down daily points of gratitude. It takes minimal time and changes your outlook on even the worst of days. Don’t just think about it. Write it down. There’s something about looking back on the good stuff that’s too easily forgotten when things get crazy.
[Tweet “Jot down three things you’re grateful for each day. It will change your life.”]
6) Habit building
When you use your planner effectively, you should be planning good habits, not only filling time slots. For example, gym time, reading, blog writing, grocery lists, etc. Look at your week in advance and create targets. Make commitments to yourself about what’s important to you and your well-being. Write it in your planner.
7) Create a Record of Success
This is one of my favorites things about using a planner effectively. Every time I go to the gym, I write “Gym!” and what I did for my workout. Yes, I have days planned, but there’s something motivating about seeing days string together to create real progress. Look back over your week and month to see how far you’ve come.
8) Revisit It
It’s easy to get busy, most of us wear busy like a badge of honor, but your planner is there to support your productivity, not be another to-do on your already long task list. If you want your planner to increase your effectiveness, you have to commit to using it. Make changes instead of planning and then winging it.
9) Pencil in for a Month at a Time but Don’t Etch it in Stone
When you use your planner to look ahead, some of what’s on there are best guesses and good intentions. Not everything is set in stone. Use your planning time to get mentally prepared for what’s next but remain open to flexing as the unexpected happens.
[Tweet “”Man plans and God laughs.” ~ Yiddish Proverb”]
10) Find the View that Works for You
There are tons of planners on the market that will give you all the views you could ever want or need. Month on two pages, daily pages, weekly – you name it. I’ve tried them all and a lot of the popular brands on the market. Eventually, I found the one that works for me. Personally, I love to use my monthly view in addition to week-at-a-glance because it’s where I can see progress most easily and not only appointments. Find what works for you.
11) Running Lists
Your planner should be something you bring to meetings, take home, and use beyond time tracking. I love a paper-based planner that has room to write on the sides, margins or at the bottom of the day to capture lists, ideas, and insights that would be otherwise lost. My favorite planners have notes pages and blank pages. Don’t be afraid to use it for more than you’d typically use Outlook.
12) If You Go Paper-Based, Make it Yours
You don’t need to go all out with the pretty stickers and fancy scrapbook-like designs that some people like to do. Smiley faces, fancy or plain – make it a reflection of you – you’re capturing a lot of your life in there.
13) Color Coding Works
In my paper-based planner, I use different colors for different types of events so I can see it all at a glance. Online, in my Google Calendar, I do the same. (Yes, I use both, but my master is my paper-based planner) I’ve encouraged my clients to use either different colored pens or stickers to easily and quickly categorize their plans and progress.
14) There’s Not One Right Way
You don’t have to have lists on the left, gratitude at the bottom and appointments in the middle. There’s no right layout or way to use a planner effectively that works for every individual. As you get going, you’ll figure out what works for you.
15) Save It
At the end of the year, some people never look back and toss their planner. For those people who are committed to using online tools for their planning, they keep on trucking forward too. There’s something special about looking back. Save your planners. It tells a story about you, your life, what you value and what you’ve accomplished.
What are your tips on how to use your planner effectively? What have you learned over time that you can share here?
If you’re ready for more, here’s a deeper cut on how to use your planner: Beyond the Basics: How to Use a Planner to Get Organized
Alli,
Really interesting and here are the gems of this, at least for me and so many people I know who are still in the work force. In the first place, the prologue here is “increasing productivity and success.” That’s a prerequisite to wanting to learn how to use a planner to one’s great good advantage. And then, the overarching theme of having a master plan is the biggie. Having participated in several architectural master plans for major building construction was a great eye-opener for me about the details. The resulting plan, complete with timetable, was not simply a blueprint for a building. It covered every aspect of the organization from its mission, vision and values to its programs, personnel and products. And, each plan inevitably got changed along the way. Your 15 suggestions are terrific because they work and they can make an enormous difference for those who want to change. It’s why I say, change is inevitable, plan carefully. Now, I will add, thanks to you, plan carefully and comprehensively.
Excellent advice here with all of your 15 tips! I especially love #7- Create a record of success! Never thought about doing that but that’s such a motivating idea.
I think for me I need to keep my planner or calendar front and center so that I remember to take a glance and tackle the priorities. I also love crossing out items as I achieve them. Ha!
Thanks Alli and will definitely share your wisdom!
This article is loaded with great ideas! I am big believer in 1) paper 2) planners. I’m so glad I’m not the only one! When I write down my schedule, it stays in my brain. Otherwise, I’ll forget it and then forget to look at my on-line planner as well. Mine is bright orange (Hermes) and small enough I can take it with me when I travel. It opens to a full week so I can see where I’ve got holes to add time to write, workout, strategize, etc. I feel I’m in more control of my life when I use it. So, I use it everyday….
The Planner purchasers. The men and women who buy these things every year thinking that this planner will finally make us into the productive, organized, and amazing person we know we could be. We live with this delusion that all we need is the perfect planner system, and presto the planner alone will make us organized. We live with this delusion that all we need is the perfect #planner system Click To Tweet Our Planners Need Our Help The planner can’t do that without our help.
All great advice 😁. I feel very lucky to have started at Beverly Living when they did the 2 days of Covey Training. I have recently added color pencils to the mix. I also bought a Separate planner for my free time stuff. I will use it like a journal. How many miles did i ride my motorcycle this year. What friends did i visit when. What are my goals, did i exercise?
I have met some specific goals this year, l will try to focus on exercise in 2019.
Carrie,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I can see why you use two. I just bought my 2019 planner and I’m not yet sure if it will work for me. Like you, I want to have some space to write more than appointments and to-dos and use it to look back on my life experiences too. Figuring out how to capture both.
Hope 2019 is a great success for you!
Best,
Alli