I am one of the strange people who still prefer paper planners. My mom makes fun of me, but it’s the system that works for me. There is no better feeling than checking something off of your to do list. There are many different ways to go about using a paper planner, but here is the system that I use after trying out many different types. It is simple and helps me get my crazy overactive brain focused for the day.
One thing to note, I use a vertical planner, but this method could be applied to any planner layout, you just have to be creative and maybe adapt it a little more to follow this method.
When looking at each day, I break them down into the following three sections:
Section 1 – To do list
This may be my favorite section. This is where I list out what I want to get done each day. I know, shocking a type A person loves to do lists! I generally approach my to do list a little differently in my planner than other lists. For this to do list, I limit myself to the 6 key things I want to get done that day. This could be something small like emails or an important phone call to a blog post.
These items help me understand what I want to get done that day. And, since they are higher level projects, I can look at my week on Sunday and plan out what I generally want to focus on each day. This allows you to plan out higher level what your week will look like. Then, each day I go in with a plan and then work from there.
Section 2 – Daily Focus/Priority
The next section as you go down each day on planner I use as a daily focus spot. What does that mean? For me, I like to write in one thing that I really want to be my top priority for that day. I generally fill this in on the actual day, unless I am sure it will not be changing.
The main reason I like to do this on top of my to do list is because generally my list has multiple different items if difficulty on it, but there is usually one major thing I want to focus on each day. Writing it in this section just reminds me what the major task I need to do that day is.
For example, one day my main focus was job applications. I had a list already put together of jobs to apply to, so I used this section to say job applications. But, I also included the corresponding numbers from my tracking sheet here so I would know what applications to prioritize.
Section 3 – Decoration
This is the fun part! I personally find aesthetics to be very important. So I want to make sure the thing that is helping me get my life in check is something I want to look at. So, I make a large section for me to make it “pretty”.
Now, I going to warn you now, there is a whole other world of planner decorations. There are a ton of etsy shops that sell different stickers and coordinated weekly packs with the goal of making your week decorated perfectly. However, I generally like a simpler, minimal approach to decorating.
I look for sticker books organized by color. The Happy Planner has a bunch of these that have a variety of different stickers bunched by color, both functional and decorative. So each week, I pick a color or section, and then use the stickers from that section to decorate.
I usually use a few decorative images and a quote that resonates with the week as the base for each week. I also put in a to do and daily priority sticker in that color as well to denote which section is what.
Now, I also have a ton of pens and such, so I also draw all of my to do boxes in a coordinated color and use a marker to highlight some other things I like to be able to note quickly. But this is this time for you to be creative!
There are so many different ways to use a planner, but this is the way that I have found to optimize mine to keep my life on track, especially during this global pandemic. Having a set system that forces me to organize my thoughts into actionable bites has really helped me feel more in control over these past few months.
Do you use a paper planner? Let me know which one in the comments!
