How to Plan More Consistently
I’ve always been the wanna-be planner. I would purchase a planner each year with the full intentions on using it and each time I would fall short. I loved the idea of using a planner, but never was really consistent with planning. Until I met the planner community. This amazing community taught me how to make planning fun. And for a while, I was very consistent with putting my plans for the day in a planner. I also quickly realized that planning was becoming a hobby….an expensive one at that.
A popular planner would cost you around $60 and then the stickers were an extra expense. It got costly pretty quickly, but I was hooked. Each week (typically a Sunday), I’d set my planner out with my heaping pile of stickers to plan out what I was going to (or wanted to) do for the next 7 days. At the end of each planning session, I felt accomplished, proud of my work, and eager to check things off my lists.
It worked. I was finally able to be consistent with planning. Until…I no longer found planning so elaborately fun. Just like I never thought I’d be into planning like I was, I didn’t think I would fall out of love with it. And yet…I did. Then I learned to simplify my planning to create a more enjoyable and consistent experience.
HOW I FELT WHEN I STOPPED PLANNING
Everything was going well, it was almost like my life was a well oiled machine running semi autonomously. I was planning each week, my planner was gorgeously decorated, and all was well in the world. Then one day, I fell out of love with it. I can’t explain when or how…but I did. Planning got hard, tedious, and expensive. My sticker collection was piling up and I started going days without even opening up my planner.
My life began to be in shambles and I couldn’t tell which way was up. Maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but life really did get hectic. Each day was harder to focus. All of my tasks were scrambling around in my head and I couldn’t seem to decide what I was going to do.
And some days I did quite a bit, but I didn’t feel accomplished because I honestly couldn’t remember what all I did. Everything was a blur. While I regained the time I spent on planning, I lost a lot of time trying to figure out what to do each day.
HOW STICKERS HELPED ME STAY CONSISTENT WITH PLANNING
Before I got into hardcore planning, I thought stickers were childish. I didn’t understand why people would pay good money just to put these sticky colorful pieces of paper into a book. One day, I gave it a whirl and immediately was hooked by how gorgeous my planner was. So much so, that I actually started using it because the pages were so pretty. I started simple, but as time went on my style got even more elaborate. Then I was planning based off of how I felt. It was relieving, fun, and functional. Stickers really did make it fun and help me be consistent for long time.
Going from only using a planner for two weeks to using it every day for months, I couldn’t get enough. My house tasks were getting done, food was getting cooked, and I even had a self-care routine in place. The main drive was to be able to check as many things off my list as possible. I didn’t want to stickers to go to “waste” because I didn’t use them.
Stickers can help you as well if you feel you absolutely want to get into planning that elaborately.
REASONS TO USE A PLANNER
In the past, I’d buy a cheap planner from Walmart but only use it for two weeks. This cycle happened each year with the delusion I’d do better. Then I told myself, if I get a more expensive planner, it would force me to use it more often. You know what happened? I used it for two weeks and then it sat. It wasn’t until I started using stickers that I was more consistent.
Here’s why I like planners:
Planners are usually dated already. If you happen to get a planner that doesn’t have dates, it doesn’t take a terribly long time to just write the dates in (or use stickers to make sure everything is neatly labeled). It’s also a place where all of your to do’s can live. There’s no lingering sheets of paper, nope! It’s bounded in your planner ready for you to check them off.
Why you should use a planner:
Another reason I love a good planner is because you can look back on your previous weeks and see how much you have done or not done. Sometimes we don’t know how busy we’ve been and can feel like we haven’t gotten much of our tasks done. Our minds can play tricks on us at times. Or you can think you’ve done a lot when, in fact, you haven’t. A planner can be a great reminder of that.
When I used my planner it made me feel a part of something bigger than myself. I was able to make new friends who didn’t think I was weird for playing with stickers because they did it too.
HOW TO SIMPLIFY YOUR PLANNING
Do you find that your life spirals quickly without a plan for the day, but you don’t have time to do all this elaborate decorating? Yes, using a planner is really nice and helpful, but sometimes it can be overwhelming and feel like another task. In this instance consider using a single sheet of paper to write down what you’d like to get done for the day. Make sure you include self-care items. In fact, I have something that can be very helpful and instrumental in simplifying your planning. Click here to get your FREE DAILY PLANNING SHEET.
WHAT IF YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE A PLANNER
I know I talk a lot about not overcomplicating your planning style. It may seem like I am against planning in a planner all together. Let me clarify, I am not against using a planner. It’s an amazing tool that I believe many people can benefit from using. If you’re the person who absolutely loves using a planner, I am in full support. You need to have the tools you find comfortable and functional so you can feel accomplished at the end of each day.