How to Use Your Planner: Staying Organized and Motivated

I know I am not the only one who has a thing for planners, yet it has taken me years to use one effectively, realistically, and consistently. If you’re a college student or working full-time, it’s important to stay organized and motivated.

Here are my tips for using a planner to reach your goals, deadlines, and making your daily life a little less overwhelming!

1. Be Realistic with Yourself and Your Time

The biggest mistake I’ve made is simply writing down so many tasks that are each too time consuming to complete all in one day. This can also be de-motivating when you look back at your day and feel you’ve left a lot of boxes un-checked.

Be realistic with how much time it takes to complete each task. What I like to do is give myself about a 15 to 30 minute buffer before and/or after tasks. Take into account how much time necessities take out of your available time to do work. For example, I block out about 3 and a half hours in my morning to account for waking up, working out, taking a shower and getting ready.

That being said, Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. So, be careful not to give too much time for one task when you know that you are capable of completing it in less time.

2. Be Careful Not to Over-Plan

The entire purpose of a planner is to have some more organization in your life while being conscious and thoughtful about how you will be moving towards your goals.

A planner is supposed to save time, so don’t overdo it when it comes to arranging your days. I personally don’t use the monthly spread of my planner because I find that it simply takes up time to write out rather than adding value or purpose. I am perfectly fine with leaving that aspect of my planner empty (but also having it available if needed) when it comes to planning out my weeks.

3. Write Every Single Thing onto Your Planner

David Allen, an iconic author known for his advice on productivity, emphasizes the importance of taking all of the “stuff” that’s on our minds, and placing it into an external, trustworthy platform.

So when I say every single thing, I mean every. Single. Thing. It helps to declutter your mind and feel less overwhelmed, while also not losing track of what needs to be taken care of. Write down everything from what you need to order online and what groceries you need to get, to what assignments you need to complete and what emails you need to send. I’m personally super forgetful, especially with deadlines. So this has been a super helpful tip I have learned and adopted.

4. Incorporate an Aspect of Enjoyment

It’s challenging to motivate yourself to work out a plan when you’re not motivated to write it all out in the first place. So try to integrate a small aspect that you enjoy that will make planning out your day something you look forward to or at least, something you are more inclined to do. If it’s drawing, go ahead and do that throughout your planner! Have a small section for your doodles!

I incorporate calligraphy writing throughout my spreads, as well as color coordinate the categories of tasks. My planner also includes a small section for quotes I’ve learned, random thoughts, and more (or maybe just more calligraphy doodles).

5. Reflect on What You’ve Accomplished

It seems like such a trivial aspect, but being conscious about your progress and looking back at what you were able to complete in the past week, two weeks, or month, can help you see what areas you need to change, and what you feel good about. For me at least, there are rarely days where I have felt that I have done enough, but when I actually see what tangible things were done, I feel at least a little more satisfied.

Side Note: I think this feeling of not doing enough comes from a toxic mindset I have yet to shake (I don’t think I’m alone, especially as a college student who’s grown up in a competitive environment), where I compare the time it takes for me to complete a task to someone else. That being said, I am working on changing that! Reflecting definitely helps! 🙂

I usually physically sit down and take a look at my planner once a week (usually on the weekend), and once a month when I am doing a more thorough reflection and writing down what I want to change and improve on for the next month.

That’s all I have to share for now! These major things I’ve learned about how to use your planner more effectively in order to stay organized and motivated throughout the hectic-ness of life have helped me immensely in feeling a little more in control. Hopefully you can apply the tips and little things that I have learned along the way to your own work or school life. Happy planning!

Sincerely,

Hira