The Benefits of a Simple Planner

It’s nearly February. How are your resolutions doing? Maybe you decided to do monthly challenges. Or, at the very least you bought yourself a new planner and you vowed to get organized. That was me for years. I love to look for new planners and it is so fun to start filling everything in. But you know what? I have never found the perfect planner for me. So, this year I created my own simple planner.

This isn’t a sales post to get you to buy it, because this is all it is.

I bought myself a 5.5 x 8.5-inch binder and some paper and dividers that fit inside. Then I printed my simple planner pages, 3-hole punched them, and put them in my binder. Not very exciting, but I love it. Its simplicity doesn’t make me stress out if I don’t use some of the pages and I can add lists and other information kind of like a bullet journal.

My main purpose for using a planner is to keep track of important dates and to list out what I need to do each day. I’ve found that I like to keep certain information in my planner so that everything is in one place.

How I Use My Planner:

Birthdays
Book tracker
Movie tracker
Blog information
Content ideas
Newsletter ideas
Things I’ve learned from my coaches
My goals and dreams
Quotes and Affirmations
Space for my journaling

I bet that looks a lot different from what you would keep in your planner!

That’s the point of a simple planner.

It has to fit your needs to work for you. Few people need or want to track the same things.

BUT, I do believe having a planner is important and will help you stay on track with your goals and responsibilities.

Benefits of using a simple planner

Time Management

This is pretty obvious, but using a planner allows you to schedule tasks and appointments without double-booking yourself. You can also write in reminders for due dates, deadlines, birthday gifts, etc. Having a plan keeps you on track so you don’t run out of time.

Improves Productivity

When you write down what needs to be done, you are much more likely to do it. Every morning I write down my to-do list for that day and start checking them off.

Stress Relief

Keeping a simple planner allows you to take away some of the overwhelm of having too much to do. You can also schedule self-care activities or use them for a brain dump!

Built-in Records

All of your activities and appointments are documented in your planner. So, if you can’t remember when your dog’s last vet appointment was, you can just flip back through your planner. Trips, dates, training, guests; it’s all there. Also, a great reason to hang on to your planner from year to year.

Utilize your Creativity

When you use a simple planner, it leaves a lot of room for creativity. I love to use colored pens to brighten my daily pages. You can doodle, use stickers, washi tape or anything else your imagination comes up with.

Take a Break from The Screens

Using a simple planner requires you to take your eyes off of a screen and actually write out what is happening in your life. It is a good and welcome reprieve for your eyes and your mind to get away from the UV light and the constant distraction of the internet.

Make Time for What’s Important

A friend of mine sent me some information from a planner she uses. The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley. This is what she says about making time for what’s important.

“Make time for what matters. At the end of this year, what will you wish you had spent time doing? Reading more? Taking your kids on adventures? Spending time with your grandmother? Make time for it. Choose what’s important. Win happiness. Plan now so that at the end of the year, you can’t say, “I wish I would have…” Don’t be afraid to get your planner messy. Scribble notes. Scratch things out. Be comfortable with white space. White space is worth its weight in gold. It’s precious time we can spend on what matters most: snuggles on the couch, playing in the rain, writing notes to the ones we love. Cherish it. Don’t fill it up.”

I couldn’t have said that better myself?.

Just like all of the ways I use my planner, there are so many things you can track.

Here are a few more ideas

Meal planning
Food tracking
Exercise tracking
Non-negotiables
Expenses
Shopping Lists
Bucket Lists
TV Shows to watch
Gratitude Journal
Wish lists
Pet Information
Recipes; where to find them
Etc., etc., etc.

Make Your Own Simple Planner

As you can see from the picture of my simple planner above, it is not hard to create your own. Discover how you use your planner every day.

What types of things are you writing down on random pieces of paper?

What is the first thing you do each morning before you start work?

How do you like to see what is happening for you each day?

Go to a craft store or a Target-type store and look through all of the planners. What appeals to you the most?

The simplest way to create your own planner is to buy a binder and paper to put inside. Use your imagination to make it look in a way that fits your personality.

The monthly calendars can be found on the internet for free. Just print, 3-hole punch and add it to your binder.

Play around with your daily page until you like what you are using. Then make a bunch of copies! I love the fact that I don’t have dates on them. There are some days when I don’t need a separate page. I can bunch weekends together or vacation days or days that I know I won’t be able to devote to work. I’m not wasting paper.

You can draw yours out by hand or I used the website Canva to create mine.

Then just use lined, dot, or blank paper for your other lists. They are easy to move around, add or take out.

Have some fun and use that creativity inside of you!

Check Out The Living Marvelously Journal

Just like my simple planner, I believe that your journal is a personal preference as well. That’s why The Living Marvelously Journal has suggested ways to use it and then you decide. Find a journal prompt, affirmation, or list to make, and then add that to your daily routine.

When you personalize the way you do things, you are more likely to stick with it. If organization was one of your goals this year, play around with a simple planner.

Let me know if I can help you create your own!

“The Key Is Not to Prioritize What’s On Your Schedule, But To Schedule Your Priorities.” Stephen Covey