Though it’s not required for an organized life, using a daily planner boosts your chances of being a more orderly, goal-oriented and balanced individual. Using a planner effectively severely increases your productiveness in a day and helps you to tailor your planning system.
Depending on the type of person you are, this might look a bit different. However, I have outlined ways to begin thinking about how to be a more masterful planner with your daily planner:
Use Your Planner Every Day
Your first step is to fish out that 2020-2021 planner you bought on a whim out of your drawer and start looking at it daily. There are spaces for weekly to-do lists, day-to-day calendars, goals to set for the year and often encouraging quotes. It might not be the end-all to your procrastination, forgetfulness or wandering mind, but it is undoubtedly a place to start.
Start small: write down your appointments, your school schedule, that zoom lunch date with a friend. There is some basic neuropsychology that supports how effectively physically writing things down stores information in our brain more effectively! The more important things we write down, the better chance we have of remembering them. So, grab your pen and use your planner every day.
Set Up Your Planner Before You Begin Writing
Determine an easy-to-follow key system, categorize the tasks your planner will focus on, and make a mental list of your priorities. This simple forethought allows you to immediately begin using your planner more methodically before you have even started.
When you regularly use your planner, you will know what your day is going to look like without scrambling, and you will appear to be an organizational master. At a glance, you will see what tasks need to be accomplished, the order, and when you need to complete them.
Colour Code
Colour coding can have a significantly positive impact on people’s memory retention: green is linked to long-term concentration while blue correlates with increased positivity. For those fortunate enough to see colours, this could be a game-changer in your forgetfulness.
Use the same colour always for related tasks, like errands, appointments, work engagements or your regularly scheduled me-time. When you have something new on the list, like a new job or a vacation, use a new colour. Consistency is key.
Use Separate Planners for Work and Personal
Maybe your planner looks a little too cluttered with your work and personal engagements on there. It could benefit your brain to keep these two spheres of your life separated: maybe your work planner stays on your desk at work, but your personal planner stays with you always. If your shower needs to be fixed on your day off, you won’t pencil in time to remind yourself to consider calling a plumber you can trust in your work planner, would you?
Make Time for Reflection
Writing in your planner gives you a moment where time pauses, and you can focus on yourself. Evaluate your priorities and reflect on how everything is laid out. Consider the change moving forward, and the steps it will take you to get there. Celebrate your successes and ruminate on the failures: are they failures, or essential lessons to learn?
At the end of the year, when you are finishing your last entry in your planner, look back and see what you have accomplished and how you have changed.
Lessen your anxiety of feeling swept away in a busy schedule by following these few simple rules. Take it from disorganized to on-top-of-everything seemingly overnight: treat yourself to some positive productivity and thoughtfulness. I hope this helps moving forward as the daily planner is a beautiful tool to master in your skillset!
