Sticking to our big New Year’s plans can be tough without the proper organization. Over here at Boss Ladies and Babies… we LOVE a good planner! But, not all "good planners" are actually good. The key is finding something that works for you and your lifestyle!
One of the first sections of Megan’s new program, The Brand You Strategy, is balance. Self-management and time management working together is the perfect equation for a beautifully balanced life, and learning how to utilize your planner to the highest potential will keep you on track! Here are some of our tips to get the most out of your new favorite book:
Know what YOU need- We have all been there, standing in the aisle flipping page after page searching for what we hope will change our lives. But, even the fanciest of all- bells and whistles- plan every minute of my life- planner won’t be as useful if you don’t understand what’s inside and how you will make it work for YOUR lifestyle! Some of us love a weekly layout with lots of writing room, while others need that daily breakdown. Make sure you aren’t just grabbing a planner because it has what you think you need… but instead, it has the tools that you can tailor to your life.
Pick something that matches your personality, brand, and inspires you- This might sound silly, but I won’t buy a planner if it isn’t in my branding colors (want to know why? Ask me about The Brand You). I need my book to be inspiring and keep me in a creative working mindset. A pretty planner makes you excited to use it! It is as simple as that!
Use the tools- These days, even the Target dollar section planners have some great tools to guide you along the way. Make sure your planner has some goal setting, affirmation, gratitude, or to-do list breakdowns. These tools help you keep it all in one place, and the more you actually start to use these tools, the easier your day to day life just became!
Color code your events- If you’re anything like me, your little planner boxes look like a lot more ink than space, and that can be super frustrating when you’re trying to decipher what is happening with a million other things going on around you. So, grab a few pretty colored pens and make yourself a little legend. Pink= personal, Green= business, Blue= family, or whatever works for you. This makes it so you can quickly glance at your day and know what type of event you need to prepare for without having to squint too hard.
Schedule a weekly date with your planner- Sure, you will be spending a lot of one on one time together daily, but be sure you carve out some time each week to really get to know what’s ahead. I’m a big fan of the “set it up Sunday”, where me and my planner map out what’s coming up in the week ahead. We break down my weekly events and priorities, and then start to scatter them throughout the week. This is a great practice to keep your life and business organized, and can be tweaked each day if needed, but frees up a lot of the time in the morning when it comes to planning each day
Grab some sticky notes- If you hate to cross things out but also loathe writing in anything but your favorite pen, I’m about to change your life! Grab some little sticky notes and use them in place of writing in pen until your plans are a little more solid. I love this for planning a launch, or anything with lots of moving parts. Sometimes I don’t even transfer them into the planner and write other events for that day under the sticky note to maximize space (ooo, living on the edge). Plus, all the fun bright colors are exciting to look at and keep my attention when flipping pages.
And finally, get used to carrying your planner around with you- Yes, you can be all modern and use your google calendar on your phone, but the act of writing things down and then reading them back will help you remember. I think it is an older millennial thing, but even if it’s on ALL the digital calendars, it doesn’t really matter if it’s not in the ol’ book. Make sure your planner is a good quality to take a beating moving around with your busy life and is the right size to fit all your tasks without being impossible to carry around.
Who would have thought planner life could sound so complicated? But, don’t let us scare you, it’s really easy and fun once you get into the habit! Heck, you might even find yourself owning a couple planners- one for business and one personal! But, let’s not get carried away just yet!
Happy planning!
xo