If you’re new to keeping your daily planner, the empty pages offer a new world. They focus your creativity and boost your positivity.
Why?
Handwritten planners offer a break from all the bings and beeps of digital reminders on harsh screens.
Start by following some bullet journal profiles on Pinterest or Instagram. Not only will you get ideas for the designs but also, you’ll get a feel for how people use daily planners.
Format your Lists
Everyone formats daily lists a little differently. The big decision — choose how you’re going to mark progress on items.
Some people simply cross them off by putting a line through them. However, that does ruin the look of a pretty weekly spread.
So, you’ll see different types of checkmarks, check boxes and dots. Some people even create a small page with a key or code.
Lately, I’ve been using an open dot as the bullet point. When the item is complete, I fill it in.
Create a Shorthand
As you put items into your planner, you’ll want to create a consistent shorthand. For example, I always start appointments, meetings and events with the time. Then, I note the location and a label to remind me what the appointment is. If the meeting needs prep, notes or additional information, I put that on it’s own page.
For other tasks, I tend to pick a label that is a category like “Cleaning,” “Writing,” “Email”, or “Project.” Then, I do a comma and something more specific. It helps me see at a glance what type of work is on my agenda.
Some people color code their tasks or use different headers for subsections.
Carry It with You
The biggest change? You’ll need to carry your planner with you at all times. At home, I leave it out on my counter that connects the living and dining areas of my home. It’s a central place for me to reference.
When I’m out, I keep it in my purse or my son’s diaper bag.
By keeping it with me, I reference and update it all day.
Tell me about your daily planner
I’d like to hear how you use your daily planner. It’s so much fun to see what other people put in their pages. Just leave a not in the comments or join the conversation on Instagram.
