Top 6 Planning Tips for Seasoned Planners

Hi planner friends! There is a big difference between someone who has never planned, to someone who has just started. For those of us who have been planning for years, it can be hard to put yourself in newbie planner shoes. In a previous blog, Basic Planner Tips: Planning 101 (read here: https://sandradahl.ca/planning/https/sandradahlca/blog-page-url/https/sandradahlca/blog-page-3), I spoke to those who were just entering the realm of planning. That blog consisted of basic tips that are helpful before you start. Well, if you have been planning your entire life, I bet there are still some things you may not know, or, that you may not think about all the time. Let’s dive in!

1. There’s no such thing as planner peace

At least, I think we should call this something else. There are some people who are satisfied with one planning system and use it continuously (I’m speaking to you, all of you long-time Franklin Covey users), there are some people who are always on the lookout for something better because what they find just never seems to work. Then there are people in the middle, like me. I love multiple planner systems (perhaps that’s why I have so many planners for so many things), and I get bored really easily. That’s not to say that I couldn’t use one planner system and be happy with it though. In addition, I have a YouTube channel - I have basically turned my planner into the very core of my business.

It makes sense for me to do reviews on planners and various products in the planning community, because that makes my business. Personally, I like to rotate between different planners. (I have come back to Happy Planner four times throughout my planning career). I love trying out new products, supporting new businesses and inspiring people to start planning.

I think maybe for those people who never seem to be satisfied with their system, it’s not a matter of planner peace. Perhaps it has more to do with the thrill of buying new things, and once the thrill wears off, they buy something else and the cycle continues.

2. Perfectionism is a thing, and it really shouldn’t be.

I get it - I have an Instagram account, and there is a LOT of competition out there. I think that the issue of perfectionism is something we need a mindset change on. Instead of thinking I need my work to be perfect, so it’s Instagram ready, we should look at and embrace the planning community as a community. A (large) group of people who can inspire, relate to one another and hold each other up. It should’t be about competing or comparison. In a world that is sometimes ugly, we need love and kindness. We need to stop judging and stop being judged. Share with the abandon of childhood and leave shame (and perfectionism) in the dust. Admit to mistakes, but learn from them and move on!

Perfectionism can get so bad (believe it or not!) that if people make mistakes, they get frustrated, and sometimes give up all together. They don’t even get to a finished product (in our case, a planner spread for example), because it doesn't live up to their expectations. God forbid you use whiteout in your planner! (A thing I use a whole lot!) I’ve watched people spend too much time placing stickers down in their planner (using tweezers, and trying to get it just right). Lay down the sticker and move on! If it’s crooked, so what? Life (and time) is too important to waste.

3. Immerse Yourself in the Planner Community

I understand that there are those of us who make a living off our planners and on Social Media Platforms, and then there are those who use their planners for home and work, but they have other jobs in their communities. This means you are busy and may not have time to do some of these things. Even if you simply watch and engage in Youtube videos that relate to your planner or your planner style, it still helps to make you feel part of something bigger. There are many, many different people all across the world part of the planner community and I think it’s so wonderful for the love of one thing to bring us all together. Some other things that you can do to immerse yourself in this planner world are:

• go to a local planner meet/get-together: search Facebook groups or online to see if there are other people that get together for planner meets in your area. It’s a good place to start if you want to stay local, and you don’t have a lot of money to travel.

• join Facebook groups or online meets.

• join Wild University - I’m still not currently a member, but I’m looking into it. You have access to resources, you can get advice and meet new people. There is a membership fee.

• Go to Go Wild. I have not been yet, but it is one of my dreams. I’m going to try really hard to make a plan for next year to go. You can meet new people, but also see key note speakers, get planner swag and meet the people you see online!

• Watch your favourite YouTubers online and engage with them. Comment on their videos and give them a like. It helps content creators when you support them because then they know what you like (or don’t like), and the support helps other viewers to find them online.

4. You might get too busy to write in your planner

Try not to feel bad, or guilty about not using your planner all of the time. If you miss a day or even a week, it’s not the end of the world. But, if you miss months at a time, maybe it’s time to rethink your use of a planner at all, or maybe you want to try getting back into the habit of writing in your planner. (Read Atomic Habits by James Clear - it’s amazing!)

5. Plan at the same time every day

This is something I tell everyone, planner newbie or not. It helps to have two set times to plan: once in the morning and once at night as part of your evening routine. The evening routine comes first: make your plans or list of things to do the night before. Not only does this help prepare you for the next morning so you’re ready to go and be productive, but you’re more focused on your tasks. Instead of wasting valuable time planning, you can be doing. (Wish I had thought about things like this when I was going to University). Also, when you give yourself the night after you have made your plans, your brain has time to process and think overnight.

The next morning, sit down with your planner and quickly review your tasks. If there is anything else you need to add, now is the time to do it. Sometimes when I think of things to write in my planner, but I don’t have it on me, I’ll record a voice recording on my phone so I can write it down later.

Once you start doing this process, you will notice a change in your efficiency. Of course, we all know that planning helps us organize, remember, note, etc…, so now you have the benefits of planning and doing. If you keep to these times, you no longer waste time procrastinating. (These times refer to daily planning, not necessarily planning for the entire month or week).

6. Start Journaling

This might be something completely new to you. When I mean journal, I don’t mean planning at all. I mean taking a notebook and free-form write. It could be about what you have done that day, your feelings about what happened during your day or week, upcoming plans or notes, or anything that you wish. You would be surprised at the level of perception you get when you start to write. Journaling gives you clarity - you’re taking the thoughts from your head and putting them down on paper and it’s a very freeing form of expression. You can analyze what you wrote later and reflect on it which is also very beneficial. It makes sense to do this at the same time as writing in your planner, because you’re already sitting down, writing; so why not? Start up a new journaling habit, even if it’s only a page per day or a line per day. Anything is better than nothing.

7. Planner Location & Storage

Despite what I said earlier, you want to keep your planner open on your desk beside you so you can write notes or use it for easy reference. If your planner is tucked away on a high shelf, it is unlikely to be used frequently.

If you are like me and have lots of planner options and/or binders or planner covers, you might want to keep them in a safe place. If you have kids or pets, keep them high up on a shelf, out of the direct sunlight (as that would discolor or harm the materials).

If you have a type of planner where there are lots of inserts (I.e. Franklin Covey Day on Two Pages), don’t hold on to them forever. I usually keep my old planners and planner inserts for one year and then they go in the trash. I’ve recently been on a Swedish death clean journey (minimalizing everything), and my motto is everything must go. Regardless, there is no reason good enough to keep old planners. Throw them out!

Thank you so much for reading. I hope these tips have given you some food for thought. If there’s something you think I should have added, leave me a comment below!

Happy Planning!

Sandra 💜