It’s a new year and you’ve been inspired to start anew again. You stopped by your local Target and got a pretty 2023 planner. You scribbled a few due dates in, maybe a few resolutions, but now what? The blank pages before you seem overwhelming or you simply don’t have the willpower to continue going back to it. It can be difficult to plan productivity and that’s why many of us fail at it.

We procrastinate, we get distracted, and we ignore tasks until they pile up. For larger goals, we may easily get discouraged by constantly chasing a moving target, especially when we haven’t made much progress toward it.

Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your planner in 2023!

Figure Out Your Level of Consistency

A big reason I failed to keep up with planners in the past was that I couldn’t get myself into a routine with them. I would jot down some tasks and forget about the planner before picking it up again a few weeks, or months later. Ultimately, you should aim to give yourself some time dedicated to your planner -- establishing new goals and tasks for the day, tasks that weren’t accomplished yet, etc. It can be daunting when days and tasks start to bleed together. To combat this, incorporate planner time into your schedule by scheduling 10 minutes in the morning or at night. Use a method called “habit stacking” where you add a new habit to one that you already do. Your planner activity may be something you add when you are having your your morning coffee or as you wind down for bed. Find a set time that you can always return to your planner, whether it be daily, every other day, or weekly. 

Find or Make a Planner that Fits Your Lifestyle

Perhaps you still like the feeling of pen on paper or you’re a digital junkie, figure out what kind of planner works best for you. It’s also pertinent that you find a planner that’s the right size for you. Maybe you want something smaller so you can put it in your purse, or maybe you want a larger one so you have room to scrawl your thoughts. Maybe you prefer the weightiness and hardiness of a hardcover. Most people think of conventional planners that have a pre-made calendar spread, weekly views, and then daily logs, however, you can create your own planner. Consider a blank, dotted, or grid-pattern style page to give you more options. Even the binding can make or break how you use your planner. Some people prefer a hard or soft cover bound-type, while others prefer spiral bound or even one in the form of a binder. Do you want an elastic band? How about a pen holder? What about the ability for attachments? These are all considerations that could maximize your planner usage.

Here are some planners and accessories that you might like!

Muji Stationary & Pens - For general planning. I’ve used these in the past! They’re no-fuss and easy to throw in my purse. You can also just buy one of their dotted or gridded notebooks and personalize how you want a la bullet journal.

Target Planners - Easily accessible. You can stop by your Target today and grab something cute.

Papier Planners - I’ve never owned one of these, but the covers are beautiful and the inside spreads are minimal but functional!

Etsy has a ton of additional stickers and inserts to make filling out your planner easier and more fun. Here’s one of my fave shops called KawaiiStickersShop and you can also search for more general planner stickers for whatever subject or topic you want.

Organize your Digital Life Too

I personally prefer a regular, physical planner, but some people like to keep everything digital! Consider streamlining your apps on your phone or computer to organize everything, just like a paper planner would. I sync my work calendar with my personal email calendar and can access it via desktop or mobile. I also color code events on my Google calendar, so at a quick glance I can differentiate work related events, from financial due dates, to social events. My digital calendar is supplemental to my regular planner, where I can go more in depth with event planning and tracking. There are also plenty of great note taking apps (or just use the default one on your phone!) to keep track of ongoing lists, tasks, and ideas!

Keep it Handy

Keep your planner accessible to you, so it’s easy to grab when something new comes to mind! Don’t stash it away on a bookshelf or under a pile of old mail where you’re going to forget it exists. Having it on hand will inspire you to get more use out of it! For me (during WFH), this means keeping it by my desk during the workday and next to my bed in the evening hours. If I were commuting, this might mean keeping it in my purse. Don’t let it gather dust!

Break Up Tasks

If you’re an all or nothing type of person, perhaps this isn’t for you, but for some of us it might be easier to break a task into smaller activities. Make actionable goals. For example, the task “Clean the kitchen” could be broken down into 1) Throw out expired foods from the fridge and pantry 2)Wipe down the counters 3) Clean the microwave 4) Mop the floors. Sure, all the tasks contribute to one larger goal, but can be considered separate tasks that you could tackle.  Also, don’t feel ashamed to add tasks to your list, just so you can cross it off. It feels good to cross things off your list, even if they’re smaller tasks. 

Find Visuals That Work For You

Maybe you’ve seen it on Pinterest, or even in school, but some people just have unbelievably pretty journals, planners, or notebooks. I’d like to think I could get to that level of visual eye-candy, but I simply do not have the supplies, penmanship, or time to make elaborate spreads. It’s important you find visuals that work for you, whether it’s already done for you in a cute, ready-made planner, or by establishing your own set of visual guidelines. These visual cues will help organize your thoughts and draw attention to what’s important to you. 

• Color coding: highlighting, colored pens, etc.

• Symbols: different kinds of bullet points, check boxes, emojis, etc.

• Layout design: checklists, using margins for notes, full spreads vs half spreads, etc.

• Added visuals: stickers, sticky notes, print outs, etc.

Here are some of my fave IG accounts that show great layout options, designs and styles.

Don’t Feel Pressured to Fill Every Space

Don’t feel bad if some weeks or spreads are more bare than others. Empty space doesn’t mean it needs to be filled up. Sometimes you’ll be busy or highly inspired, and some weeks might be the opposite. After all, you know what’s important to you and should be written down.

Your Pen Matters

It might not seem like it, but the writing utensils you use matter. Generally, you can get by with using an old pen or pencil lying around on your desk, in your bag, or whatever, but it can make a difference if you find a pen (or a few) that you really like. There’s a reason pens come in different weights and you might prefer thicker or more fine writing. You might prefer a retractable style, ones with good grips, or ones topped with erasers! Scratchy pens or pens that bleed through easily may bother you. Some pens may smudge more if you’re left handed or highlighting in your planner. 

We recommend this set of gel pens, ultra fine point for clean lines.

Muji also has these fine point pens for those wanting a sleeker lines.

Planners are More than just Calendars

You might be using a planner just to keep track of your day to day tasks, meetings, and significant days in your life, but there are many things you can keep track of. This can include:

• Calendar/schedule (Your typical stuff!): birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, work meetings and events, your significant other’s schedule, your children’s schedule, doctors appointments

• Work: meetings, brainstorming/planning, project timelines, career goals

• Household Tasks: grocery lists, recipes, meal prep, cleaning and laundry schedules

• School/Studying: homework, reading, study sessions

• Bucket Lists: general bucket lists, travel lists

• Finances: weekly or monthly budgets, bills, paycheck calendar, savings tracker, spending tracker, wish lists

• Health:  water intake, weight, meals, activity/workouts, medication tracker, period/fertility tracker, mental health or mood tracker

• Personal (Your favorites!): favorite books, movies or shows or things you want read/watch, reading log, favorite podcasts, dream log, favorite youtubers or blogs, favorite apps, etc

• Inspiring Quotes and Stories

• Brain Dump: anything and everything that comes to mind

Use it for an Ultimate Goal

Using a planner can be for general organization, but you can make it as specific as possible to suit your ultimate end goals. For some, they might want to create a fitness planner, for others a financial planner may be more important. If you’re reading this because you’re an avid Sisters for FI reader, then you probably have money on your mind. Using a planner and organizing your thoughts is a great way to grab a hold of your finances. Whether it’s by keeping track of your spending or saving, writing down due dates for bills, listing your money goals, and more. Having a tangible and visual method of keeping track of your finances can make a world of a difference! There are plenty of resources available on Etsy and the Internet that can direct you to financial planners, printables, inserts, and more.

Hopefully, we all have some better luck with our planners in 2023 and have more exciting things to look forward to in the year ahead!

We’re big on planners and journals here at Sisters for FI. We created The Money Journal following these best practices. If you are looking to jump-start your money journey, check it out.