How-To: Planning with a Planner

I'm sure it comes to no surprise that I'm a huge planner. 

So, I'm surprising no one by posting about how I use my planner.

This is my beloved Greenroom recycled planner. I love Greenroom. It uses recycled material to make everything, and everything is an incredible level of adorable. 

When I search for a planner every year, I require just a handful of things.

It must match my color scheme of the year. 

Every year when I'm getting school clothes and supplies and this year dorm supplies, I have a general color scheme. Colors I love and want to surround myself with, colors that I think scream success and productivity. Yes, it's weird.

This year, my colors are green and teal. And I love them both so much I will probably keep this color scheme for the rest of my life. (Not really, but I do love this scheme.)

It must have a full calendar at the beginning of every month, and it must have plenty of space for me to write absolutely everything in.

I write medium-sized, but I write a lot. I like details. When I go through my syllabi at the beginning of each semester, I write down everything. And that means I also have to have space where I can cross out and correct things that have been changed. (I hate when teachers change things!)

There can't be any extra stuff.

I don't like having a map, formulas, rulers, folders, whatever. I don't like it. Keep it out of my planner, put it in an entirely different notebook. 

In month view, I clearly put big picture stuff. I don't really look at my month view very often, but when I do, it's so I can figure out when I have major events to worry about. When I have weekends to go home, when I have to stay here. etc. 

It's not a major part of my everyday planner usage. But I require it nonetheless.

Here's this week, Monday through Wednesday. 

I really put everything in my planner from the syllabus. Then, when it's been completed, it gets crossed out and I move on to the next day's assignments (if I ever have time.) 

Every week, I open up my planner and look at what I've got going on. Then, I make very detailed lists (a post on that in the future) of what I have to do that week, adding in chores and cleaning and such that I need to do that isn't included in the planner. I divide it into three lists: Monday & Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, and Friday – Sunday. There's usually at least 20 things on each list. 

I never ever manage to get everything done, but I do okay. I get at least half of it done, and what I have on the list is usually pretty broken down. Then, I go back to my planner and make sure that what I had to do has been done!

This is a completed week. Clearly, I'm big about details. 

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What's your favorite way to plan? What kind of planner do you use? Let me know!

Happy planning!

Much love,

The Sticky Note Addict