How to Use a Planner for life

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How to use a planner for life! Using a planner for life will help you organize and stay on top of things. The key to being more effective and efficient is getting organized by using a planner.

a caucasian hand holding a pen and writing into a book

As a busy mom, student, and teacher, it gets hard to stay on top of things and to keep up with various aspects of my life. If you ask me how I am able to get things done? The answer is simple… I Plan!. My planner is my favorite planner, I do not leave home without my planner. I started using a planner effectively five years ago and it has helped me get my life in order.

Why use a Planner?

A planner is much more than the compulsory notebook you have to write your assignments from elementary to high school. Paper planners have evolved to suit the different needs of people. There are paper planners, digital planners for teachers, life planners, customizable planners, daily planners, planner covers, and fun stickers, accessories to make them attractive and fun.

Louis Vuitton Damien PM planner with are Dunn pen and a God bless planner beside it

Personally, I find paper planners more effective, because I enjoy writing in them and they work better for me but if you like to have everything on your phone, there are a couple of digital planners that are amazing. I will be sharing five reasons why you should use a planner. Remember for a planner to work, you need to be consistent and actually use it.

a planner opened to the month calendar page

Five reasons why you should use a planner

Planner is an effective way to manage your time and stay on rhythm. Planner is for everybody! It is not meant only for kids in K-12 to stay on top of assignment. These are five ways using a planner can change your life.

You will become more organized

Using a planner daily helps you become more organized. Writing things done will help you prioritize things that need to be done and to devise a way to get them done. When you use your daily planner, it improves your productivity and helps you get more done in your professional and personal life.

You will have good time management

Time is not infinite! Using a planner helps you improve your time management. Time management helps you reduce stress, achieve more and make time for the things that are important. Planning helps you stay in control of your time and create a positive work balance that makes room for self-care.

You will set SMART Goals

Habakkuk 2: 2 …” write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” ESV

In Business school, I learnt all about SMART goals. Using a planner encourages you to achieve goals by ensuring you stay on task by following the steps you outlined to achieve them. A journey of a thousand miles, start with a single step. The key to achieving goals is having a clear plan.

You will be financially smarter

Financially smart people use a budget or a planner for their finances. Lack of planning your finances may lead to debt and cause a lot of hardship. Using a monthly budget can help you attain financial freedom. You can use your planner to note due dates for bills and other expenses so you do not miss a payment and you have enough money set aside for bills and other expenses.

You will live a happier life

“Happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results ~ Dennis Waitley.

Planning gives you a purpose each day. Planning your life helps you figure out the next step each day. Having a daily planner reduces stress and improves your mood. Say Hello to a happier you! When you have clarity about your finances, personal, and professional life, you are able to live happier and work on daily improvement. You make time to work out, plan meals, and improve your mental health.

How to start a Planner

Buy a planner, make one, or print one! Planners are easy to use and the main work is being consistent with using it. I am going to share some key things to do when starting a planner, there is really to manual to using a planner but these tips will get you started.

Start with the monthly calendar

Write all upcoming events in your monthly calendar. These events include birthdays, graduations, Doctor’s appointments, vacation, school events, work events and all other important events.

Write down your goals

Goals can be short term or long term goals. Writing your goals down helps you create steps to achieve them. Goals do not have to complex. Do a personal reflection and figure the aspect of your life you want to improve on.

Create a daily Planner

Write everything down! Use the monthly calendar and your identified goals as a starting point to list tasks that need to be done. You can also merge your professional and personal schedule for your planner to be more effective. Do not forget to include your finances, shopping lists, and expenses.

If you wake in the morning and you do not know where to start or the direction your life is going, you definitely need a planner. Use your planner and follow the plan to achieve great results.