Hey guys! I want to tell you why having a planner is a good idea. This is to all those people who say they are too busy to “plan”, or who say they have an excellent memory so they don’t need to write things down in a planner. For all of my planner friends who already have a planner, well, you already know the benefits.
There are SOO many different planners on the market. All the choices make it difficult to figure out which planner is right for you, which is maybe why some people choose not to use one at all. Another option is to have a bullet journal, which is still technically a planner, but one of your own creation. We will discuss each benefit of having a planner below.
1. Organization
Ever wonder where all the scrap pieces of paper went that you scribbled notes on the day before or last week? Well, even if you still like to use post-its, you can take the information and add it to your planner at your convenience so it doesn’t get lost. Whether that simply means to stick the post-it on a sheet, or copy the information into your planner pages. The most helpful tip I think is to really look at the information going in, and determine it’s importance. If you need to keep it, at this point, you can place it where it needs to go. For example, if it’s a timed appointment, you can add it to your monthly calendar. If it is a general task, you can add it to your to do list.
2. Everything in one Spot
Everyone plans differently, and some people like to keep different planners or notebooks for different things. However, there is such a thing as Frankenplanning, which is making a planner suit your needs and “splicing” different planners together to make your own unique planner system. (I have written a blog on Frankenplanning and you can read it here: https://dog-quillfish-g77y.squarespace.com/config/pages/60772cd09ff9df1b67f0384a). This type of planning is perfect for when you want to have separate planners for different areas of your life (life categories). I always referred to the Happy Planner System for this type of planning, because it was what I was using at the time, and it is really easy to move sections around. However, any type of binder planner system is also good because you can use dividers to separate the different life categories that you may have. I will be using a Franklin Covey Binder Planning System for 2022, and you can see my initial haul video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdMlq7SOJY.
When you have your entire life in one book, it becomes super easy because you know where to go to find the information you are looking for. Your planner also becomes important since it has your life in it, so you need to make sure you don’t lose it! Having your phone number accessible is important, so someone could contact you if it does get lost.
3. Calms Stress & Anxiety
When you know that you have your day, week and/or month planned out, it relieves stress because now you know where you have to be at a certain time, or what you have to do, and you can plan ahead of time. For instance, I have planned the majority of my content for my business until the end of the year, and I feel confident now that I know what I need to get done to achieve my goals. Planning ahead gives me a sense of control in our crazy world.
Also, having everything in one spot and easily accessible allows you to be stress-free in meetings, appointments, etc. I use my new Franklin Covey Planner to take notes on the day-on-two-pages when I need to. When I integrate that with the index at the front, it’s easy to find the information when I need to refer back to it. Also, you only need to bring one book to your appointment, and not have to worry about gathering everything ahead of time.
I know I have an issue with over scheduling my everyday tasks. It’s easy to write a list of all the things you have to do. Have you ever calculated how long it takes you to do each one of your tasks? If you are anything like me, you drastically underestimate the time it takes to do things. If you use an hourly planner, you can schedule in each of your tasks. This way, you physically cannot over-schedule yourself because you are limited by the amount of time that you have in each day. It’s also important to schedule yourself some down-time. A lot of the time, my “down-time” is where I have no scheduled tasks to do. The danger in this, is we can lose our productivity to endless scrolling on Instagram or Facebook. A better option is to actually schedule a reading time for example, or schedule in your favorite tv show. That way, you are truly enjoying your down time and using it to relax, instead of wasting it on social media. It’s similar to budgeting: instead of having “left-over” money after you pay the bills, allocate that spending money to particular things such as savings, clothes shopping, etc.
Adding in things you actually like to do, or even scheduled breaks will prevent you from getting frazzled and help you keep your life together. It is the best feeling to check things off your list after a day of high productivity, but you also need a balance to keep your mental and emotional health in check as well.
Having a planner is kind of like a brain dump. (Bullet journalists refer to this term as to write down everything on their mind to empty their head or “de-stress” so they can reflect on the notes at a later time). The same thing can be done with your planner, either on a page titled “brain dump”, or, simply enter all the things on your mind into the proper sections in your planner. This works great if you have your planner on you, and you are out and about and come up with a great idea or even something you need to add to your grocery list. I would recommend having a backup system if you are out so you can still record important information. Sometimes I will bring my planner with me on my errands, but if I don’t have it, I will write my notes into my phone on the notes app or in my productivity management system, Asana.
4. Your Productivity Actually Increases
Because of the above things, your productivity will skyrocket. First, you are more organized and don’t have to spend time looking for those “lost” pieces of paper. The longer you plan, the more it becomes a habit and you will know where you need to go within your planner to find the pieces of information you need. It becomes second nature very quickly, and you save so much time by incorporating your planner routine into your day. I always check my planner first thing in the morning, and then again at night, as part of my a.m. and p.m. routines.
Since all of your information is in one place, you simply have to switch to the right section (or notebook). If you make planning a habit, you will know exactly where you need to go in your planner to record information and also to retrieve it when necessary.
Since you have your day organized, your stress & anxiety is reduced, making it likely your tasks will receive your full concentration. This means you will probably complete those tasks faster, making time for other important to'-do’s , or relaxation time. Plus, you won’t forget anything, because it’s all recorded and you won’t be a frazzled mess, which also leads to effective time management and productivity. It’s a win-win, all around!
These are some of the benefits of having a planner. I am not trying to convince those “non-planner” people to go out and buy one right now, but, if you are on the fence, maybe these reasons will help to convince you that having one is a good choice.
TaTa!
SAN 💕
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