Looking to get started with a new planner? Don’t get overwhelmed! Try these three easy steps to start using your planner today!
You finally found the right planner for your life and you can’t wait to get started. Starting a new planner can feel really overwhelming sometimes. This is especially true if you have never used a planner before.
Looking at social media for ideas can just add to your overwhelm, but you can’t compare your starting point to someone else’s planning journey. You will eventually get to where you want to be. The goal right now is to keep it simple so that you don’t get overwhelmed and quit.
3 Steps to Start Using a Planner
Start with Your Non-Negotiables
- Work
- Appointments
- Birthdays
- Anniversaries
- Holidays
- Vacation
Anything that you have scheduled out for the rest of the year should be written in your planner. You will no longer have to worry about keeping track of everything. It will all be written in one convenient place.
This is also the perfect time to write reminder notes in your planner. Say you have a birthday party on the 26th of the month. In the first week of the month you could write a reminder to buy a birthday present and a card. The same can be done for planning a vacation, getting ready for the holidays, or working toward your goals. Split up your tasks and write them in the weeks leading up to the event.
Beginner’s Tip: If you are nervous about writing in your planner and things changing later use a pencil. You can always go back over it with a pen later.
Write a To-Do List
Chances are, you bought a planner to help get your life under control. One of the best ways to accomplish that is with a well written to-do list.
Most of us have a mental to do list that we are always struggling to remember. That to-do list now has a home. Writing everything down on paper will make you feel so relieved. You no longer have to try to keep track of all the things. It literally is like a weight has lifted off of your shoulders.
When writing your to-do list make sure that each item you write down is one actionable step. Let’s look at laundry for example. Instead of writing “laundry” try writing “wash laundry”, “fold laundry”, “put laundry away”.
This is really a mental game to help with motivation. The more checkmarks you see the more you feel you’ve accomplished. The more motivation you have to get more done.
Beginner Tip: If you are using a daily planner, then I suggest only writing down three things on your to do-list for the day. A lot of people write out long to-do lists for each day and then they don’t cross off very many tasks. This can lead to feelings of failure which can cause you to quit. So start with just three things and then add to it if you realize you can realistically do more.
Set a Daily Alarm to Remind You to Check Your Planner
One of the biggest pitfalls when starting a new planner is failing to look at your planner on a daily basis. You put in the work to get it all set up. You wrote a to-do list for the week. None of that will help you though If you aren’t actually looking at your planner. Your life will still feel out of control and all over the place.
A daily alarm is one of the easiest ways to make checking your planner a habit. The goal is to set it early in the day so that looking at your planner actually has an affect on your day. Checking your planner in the morning helps you to get a clear picture of how your day will go and what you need to get done.
Once you have found a time that works for you, set it so that it goes off at the same time every day. This will help you to build a habit of checking in with your planner.
Jumping into planning head first is a sure way to get overwhelmed and give up. You bought a planner to help get control of your life, so commit to keeping it simple! Try the three steps above and it will get you off to a good start on your planner journey!