Hello! I have received many questions as to what I do each month within my planner system to set up for a new month. I’m here to explain and outline the process I use!
For me, it’s a little different since I film my content on YouTube and Instagram; I personally film my video setup on the last Tuesday or Wednesday of each month. Not only does this allow me to set up a bit earlier (especially if I’m getting bored of the current month’s theme), but also because I need editing time and time to ensure everything is ready in time for when the first of the new month arrives.
If I wasn’t filming content, truthfully, I’d probably set up my planner on the 30th or 31st, as long as I wasn’t busy that day. Sundays are generally good when my husband takes the kids grocery shopping, but it’s nice to have some quiet time and space to be able to spread out and take your time.
I’ll write my process down in step form as this is sometimes helpful when you’re trying to figure out what process works best for you.
STEP 1: I consider myself both a functional and decorative planner, and I use elements of both all over my planner. I do think that by doing a little decorating, you will more likely come back to a visually pleasing layout. Plus, you’re less likely to get bored and want to change out of your system. I use certain kits (like from Cocoa Daisy or Planners Anonymous) to decorate my planners. I usually base it off of which month or season it is, pick my kit and then pick a matching planner. In my case, I pick my Franklin binder, a coordinating Planner Perfect Wide Travellers Notebook and a work planner. These planners don’t necessarily have to match, but sometimes they do. The work planner sometimes just stays the same because I’m a little more limited in my Planners Anonymous Melody Cover selection, but I have a large selection of other planner covers and binders to choose from. Is it necessary to do this? Of course not! You can stick with the same planner (and just one!) to take care of your entire life, and a lot of people do this. I will say it’s much simpler and easier to keep up with!
STEP 2: Since I’m on Instagram, I always film a reel of myself doing a flip-through of my previous months’ planner. I’ll do that the day before or morning of before I switch out.
STEP 3: I take my decorative papers from the kit(s) I’m using that month and I create dashboards for my planners. My Franklin requires 14-16 different dashboards to put behind every divider, and I’ll make 1-3 different dashboard covers for my TN if I think it matches better with the theme. For my Franklin, I use a paper cutter and I size out a half letter paper for each of the dashboards. I round the inside corners to match with the Franklin Covey system, and then I use my 7-hole punch from Franklin to fit my classic sized binder. For my TN, I purchased dashboard covers in the size wide from Chic Sparrow to simply fit behind the TN books. They’re perfect if you don’t like the cover for your current book.
STEP 4: I get my inserts ready for the new month and have them beside me. These include my monthly calendar, my weekly layouts and my dailies for the entire month along with any coordinating note paper I want to use.
STEP 5: Before I go ahead and actually make the switch, I always do a review of the month prior. I enter this where I have blank space (you could simply use a blank piece of note paper as well). I write out as follows: accomplishments, challenges and next month’s focus. Accomplishments will be anything that you did well that month, or completion of large goals. It doesn’t even have to be completion - maybe you made progress towards something and you’re really proud of it! Write it down! Challenges are those things that maybe didn’t go as planned, maybe something came up that derailed your plans or goals. Write not only the challenge but how you overcame it, or the outcome of the challenge. Maybe it’s something you’re still dealing with. You can write that in the next section if applicable. Next Month’s Focus: This section is to help you brainstorm what you might have for the upcoming month. This comes before actually writing down items on your master task list or calendar. Generally, I write out my review the last day of the month, but always before the new month starts.
STEP 6: Before I take my inserts out from the previous month, I will go through them with a fine tooth comb and write down information that I need to keep. If you use the Franklin Covey system like I do, generally, you are supposed to write out important information on the index pages of your planner so you know where to go easily to find it. I’ll say it now - I don’t do this; not because I don't want to, but because I simply forget. I’ll do it at this point in my process if there’s anything of importance to record. (It helps to find things later on if you keep your old planner inserts in storage binders). If there’s any information that I will need to reference for sure, I’ll add it to my reference section in my planner.
STEP 7: Switching my binder: I take out section by section, and as I put a divider into my new binder, I add one of the new dashboards behind it. I take out the old monthlies, weeklies and used dailies, and add the new ones. I put all the previous month’s info in my storage binders.
STEP 8: I review my goals and check off anything I’ve completed from the previous month. This step is different for me, because I do most of my goal work in my Cultivate What Matters Powersheets Goal planner. I usualy just reiterate it in my Franklin so I have a copy with me at all times. If I haven’t done so already, I will copy my new goals in under the correct month from my goal planner.
STEP 9: I decorate my monthly calendar and write in all appointments, and scheduled items. I take this information from my future log where I enter in all events for the entire year.
STEP 10: Master tasks: I copy over all incomplete tasks from the month before, and add any new ones that have come up for the new month. I always add to the two separate columns - one for personal and one for business so I have a master list for both on hand.
Other than doing a few extras for my business, like a full flip-through of my new setup, that’s pretty much it.
You can add your steps to a task card so it’s easy to follow and you have an easy reference for yourself.
I hope you found this relevant for your own planning needs; I’ll see you next week!
Thanks for reading!
Sandra
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