23 Planner Organization Ideas to Stay Organized in Life
This post is all about planner organization ideas.
Looking for the best planner organization ideas that you need in your everyday life?!
I have compiled the best organization ideas that you really need to know in order to stay organized, whether it be at school, work, or anywhere that has deadlines.
These ideas are meant to help you with categorizing your tasks, color-coding or creating a planning system that will work for you.
I have also included important dates that you cannot forget about and planner organization accessories that will help make organizing your planner, more fun and less boring.
Let’s start organizing!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I do earn a small commission when my links are used, at no extra cost to you. Find full disclosure here.
Choosing Your Planning System
Paper Planner
If you are on the market for a new planner, it is important to choose the perfect planner that works for your needs.
Your first option might be to consider a physical planner if you are more of a paper planner addict sort of gal.
Paper planners are great for visual learners or organizers.
​Some people feel extra productive if they can highlight or check off daily tasks in person versus using a mobile device.
Although, if you are the type of person who tends to forget your planner at home, you might want to consider the next choice.
Check out our recommendation here:
Digital Planner
Digital planners are great for anyone who wants to have access to important things on the go.
​As someone who uses Google Calendar and ClickUp to help me stay on top of planning, I LOVE having access to important tasks and important dates wherever I go.
If you are someone that doesn’t want to carry a hefty planner with you all day, you might want to consider going the digital route.
Nowadays, you can even use a digital planner and digital calendar duo that works best for your lifestyle!
Check out our recommendations here:
- ClickUp
- Google Calendar
Bullet Journal
​I might be a little biased but my favorite planner I use is the bullet journal!
With bullet journaling, you can doodle, write, plan, and set goals all in one place.
If you enjoy having more control over how your pages look, a bullet journal is perfect because you have more wiggle room to create the PERFECT weekly spreads.
The bullet journal is the best fit for anyone who wants to have more customization opportunity to keep track of things in different ways than paper planners or digital planners simply cannot give you.
Check out our recommendation here:
Planner Pad
​The most UNDERRATED planning system you can choose is the planner pad.
Planner pads allow you to prioritize the most important thing in your day such as your goals or tasks.
~ I would say that a planner pad is like a prettier grocery to-do list with more functionality ~
At the end of each day, you get to recycle that page and start fresh with a new sheet.
I personally love that planner pads don’t require extra work and highlight the important events in your everyday life without flipping pages or complicating your task list!
Check out our recommendation here:
Planner Accessories
Planning and Budgeting System
​Speaking about creating an organized life, BUDGETING is something you can ALSO incorporate into organizing your planner.
​If you know that the next day you will be spending $$$ on KBBQ, then you can plan for lower spending the following week.
THAT IS WHY a great way to also plan weekly and monthly is using a cash envelope budgeting system.
A budget envelope helps separate money that you need for different things so that you don’t overspend in one category and end up going over your budget.
This external cash budget envelope is SO good!!
~ I have actually bought 3 of these already to separate daily spending, savings, and business savings ~
You can have designated envelopes for food, bills, insurance, etc to help organize your personal life as well!
Planner Organization Stickers
One of the best parts about organizing your planner is adding accessories like STICKERS!!
Instead of spending so much time rewriting recurring events, just add planner stickers!
I love that this planner sticker pack from Lamare store lets you choose from holidays, appointments, inspiring quotes (among others).
It is a great tool to help you plan events in your daily planner, weekly planner, or monthly planner.
Planner Highlighters
Some other stationery you will want to look into are these Mildliner highlighters.
I personally bought these highlighters for my planning when I first got my bullet journal and it helped me COLOR CODE inside my planner.
These highlighters are double-sided with a wide-tip and a thin-tip on the other end.
If you are interested in stationery, these posts might also interest you:
Planner Pens
These Tombow TwinTone pens are also great colorful pens to use with your planners.
You are going to need to write within your journal so color-coding would be easier with these (I talk more about this color-coding in this post as well).
If you love writing with fine tip pens more and don’t need to highlight as much, then you will love these pens.
Daily, Weekly and Monthly Planning
Prioritize Tasks
The best way to start keeping track of your tasks, is by giving tasks different categories.
I like to categorize tasks with 3 priority levels: TOP, TACKLE NEXT, and REGULAR TASK.
TOP tasks are my most urgent, highest priority level​ tasks that need to be added to your daily schedule.
I usually choose 3 TOP tasks so I don’t overwhelm myself.
TACKLE NEXT tasks are less urgent, going to be due soon tasks.
I don’t always get to my TACKLE NEXT tasks, but if I do, I give myself a mental golden star for great productivity efforts lol.
REGULAR tasks are my least urgent, won’t be due until a long time tasks ~ usually monthly and weekly planning tasks ~.
These are tasks that need to be done, but you aren’t in a rush.
Schedule Breaks and Relaxation
Everyone NEEDS time to unwind and relax.. so plan ahead!
In your calendar, dedicate time blocks for taking breaks daily.
You can also dedicate specific days of the week to relax.. for example, I like to take Sundays off to just be my introvert, chips-eating self 😛
Take some time to also plan out your vacation days as well like for the new year!
Leave Room to Be Flexible for Unexpected Events
Wouldn’t it be perfect if our time management skills would be SO GOOD that we knew our day would go EXACTLY the way we planned?!
~ HA, too good to be true ~
A great place to start planning for the unexpected is giving yourself some “free space” to complete tasks.
Give yourself adequate “procrastination” time if you tend to push off doing something important.
Don’t pack your schedule with 3 time-consuming TOP tasks in one day because sometimes we don’t meet deadlines or things happen!
Planner Organization Tips
Create a Color-Coding System for Your Planner
Now that you know your TOP, TACKLE NEXT, and REGULAR tasks, now it is time to color-code!
Give each of your tasks a different color so you know what priority each of them are.
If you are using a digital calendar or time management software such as ClickUp, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EMOJIS to spice up your new task!
Make Time to Plan Ahead for the Week
I would highly recommend making time to plan ahead for the week.
Planning at the beginning of the week prevents overscheduling yourself and putting too many tasks on your plate.
Life happens so give yourself some wiggle room just in case something doesn’t turn out the way you’d like it to.
Don’t be Afraid to Improve on Your Planning System Later On
If something in your current planning system is working then keep it!
But, if something needs improvement, feel free to try out things to see what works for you.
At this point in my journey, I have tried Asana, ClickUp, bullet journaling, paper planners, etc.. and you know what I realized??
My planning system changes as MY NEEDS CHANGE.
Someone’s needs in college will be different to their needs as a business owner AND THAT IS OKAY!
Don’t feel like you are STUCK with one planning system.. you are free to use a blend of systems if that’s what works for you 🙂
Have a Digital Copy of Tasks
It would be wise to have a digital copy of tasks if you’re using a paper planner!!
The reason being, in the case you lose your planner somewhere you will not know any of the tasks you had and that’s a HUGE BUMMER!!
Just be safe and have a digital copy of your tasks (and events if possible).
Habit Tracking
Why You NEED to Track Habits
Our society seriously OVERVALUES fast results and UNDERVALUES slow, steady progress.
We should not underestimate the daily progress we make improving our habits such as eating vegetables or exercising.
Habits are followed EVERYDAY.
We use our planners EVERYDAY.
So PLANNING and HABIT TRACKING should go hand-in-hand.
Choose the Habits You Want to Track
​Take some time to jot down the habits that you want to improve (you don’t have to wait until the new year, just start today)!
The first step is to choose 2 goals that you want to work towards that nag at you every single day.
For example, last year one of my goals was to EXERCISE more.
My goal I will use as an example: I want to exercise 3-5 times a week for one year so I feel stronger and more energetic.
Make a Habit Tracker Template
Using bullet journal spread or organized planner, create a habit tracker for the month or year that helps you track your measurements.
A BONUS in this planner organization ideas is making use of posters to help you track.
They are BIG, VISUAL reminders of the habits you are choosing to follow.
For my example, I tracked on a poster chart with a checkmark everytime I exercised.
Make Adjustments to Habits
As your continue building great habits, you might find it necessary to improve on your original goals.
For example, as I was getting stronger, I realized that I also needed to maintain healthier eating habits!
Remember to Treat Yourself
You deserve to reward yourself for following through on your progress with habit tracking and staying organized with your planning.
Enjoy that dessert or vacation trip!
That will also help motivate you to continue using your planner since you are making progress towards your goals AND STICKING THROUGH YOUR GOALS.
If you see that there is something you can do to help stay CONSISTENT with your goals, then that will help you keep tracking!
Different Tasks
Make Sure to Add All Your Tasks
One of the new habits that is great to start doing is to plan at the end of the [day, week, month, year].
AT THE END OF THE DAY, plan new tasks for the next day since that’s when your to-do list is freshest on you rmind.
ON SUNDAY EVENING, update your weekly calendar or weekly pages with important events, appointments or deadlines coming up next week.
WHEN IT IT IS THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH, look ahead at what birthdays/holidays are coming up.. and of course budget.
BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS, add all the recurring events (easier for digital planners than paper planners).
Important Dates
These are a few dates that you have to include in your planner!!
Remember to plan these YEARLY, MONTHLY and WEEKLY.
Important Dates to Keep in Mind:
- Birthdays
- Holidays
- Projects
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Events Appointments
Important Tasks
Plan these tasks WEEKLY and DAILY.
Important Tasks to Keep in Mind:
- Work Tasks
- Personal Tasks
- Errands
- Meal Prepping
- Self Care Time
- Exercise
- Bills
That is All!
I hope these planner organization ideas really help you with your yearly, monthly and weekly planning. At the end of the day, you can always try out different planner combinations and accessories to see what works best for you!! Let me know which of these ideas helps you out!
Summary of post: This post goes over planner organization ideas.
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