So before August started, I decided get a planner and start using it daily. I’ve never user a planner before and always thought it was a waste of time but I couldn’t have been more wrong. What is a waste of time is not knowing how your day will play out. If you’ve never used a planner before keep reading because I think you’ll see how much of an impact it can make toward being successful.
Time Commitment
One of my biggest objections to using a planner was the thought that it took too much time. Having never used one before, I had no way to actually know what it took. If you are in the same mindset, let me tell you, it only takes about 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night. And that is for the planner I use (High Performance Planner) which has small writing prompts to help you set intention for the day.
Micro-Managing
Another misconception about using a planner is that you will be micro-managing yourself. In a way, yes, you will be managing your time better but as you go through the process you will find that there is a balance. In starting to use the planner, I didn’t schedule out every hour of my day. There was a fear of not getting everything done so if I don’t write it down, I won’t have to see that it wasn’t done. This idea fights against what the planner is for, and that is to help you manage you time to get more done. As I have increased my scheduling, my productivity has gone up and I feel more confident about my days.
Not For Me
I also didn’t use a planner because I thought I could keep track of everything in my head. I don’t need to write stuff down, I’ll remember to do it. I can’t believe how much of my life I believed this lie. Integrity is doing what you say you are going to do and when you don’t, people take notice. I am already seeing improvement in being able to get everything done that I say I’m going to do. Typing this blog was written into this timeslot and it’s getting done. If I hadn’t written it down it would have been very easy just to push it off.
Procrastinate Much?
So the last argument I’ll make here is that procrastination is a powerful force that the planner will help you overcome. By writing out your day, and sticking to it, you can make sure you are getting the important things accomplished and not pushing them off. By reviewing the planner in the evening, you will see what got done and what didn’t which definitely motivates me to get everything done that I write down. The planner is your accountability partner. It also allows you to see how much time is spent on areas that are not adding value to your life. Make sure to focus your time on the important things.
Just Get One
It doesn’t have to be the same High Performance Planner that I use but I highly recommend this one. It has writing prompts to help you be intentional about your day, daily layout to plan, and also a scorecard to check on how you are doing daily and weekly. It has helped me transform my days from scattered to focused.
Here are a few that I would recommend trying:
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