Keeping a planner is a great way to schedule and organize your time.
We’ll go over how to choose a planner as well as some helpful planning tips
to keep you productive and stress free.
There are three main considerations when choosing a planner.
First, decide if you prefer a dated or undated planner.
You can jump straight into a dated planner, but it can only be used for a specific year.
Undated planners are easy to personalize around your work rhythm.
Plus, you can skip days without wasting pages!
Next, pick a size that suits your needs.
Most of the planners we carry are A5, which is roughly the size of a hardcover book,
or A6, which is about the size of a small paperback.
Larger planners give you more space,
but smaller planners are easier to carry around.
Finally, consider what format would best suit you:
daily, weekly, or monthly.
Many daily and weekly planners also include monthly calendars,
so you can plan events and projects in advance.
Daily planners dedicate one page per day.
We recommend these to creative journalers and artists so they can have tons of free space to write and doodle.
One of our favorite dated daily planners is the Hobonichi Techo.
If you prefer an undated planner, the Stalogy 365Days Notebook is a great alternative.
Weekly planners help you visualize an entire week at a glance.
They’re perfect for keeping track of short-term projects and assignments.
You can choose from three main formats: vertical, full horizontal, or half horizontal.
Super organized people will benefit most from a vertical layout.
Each day is a separate column, divided into hours.
One of our favorite dated planners, the Kokuyo Jibun Techo, uses this format.
A similar undated option is the Mark’s System Planner Refill in Weekly Vertical.
A full horizontal layout divides a spread into six to eight sections:
one section for each weekday and a shared one for the weekend,
or one for each day of the week and an extra section for notes.
The Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner is a good dated example,
or you can try the undated Mark’s System Binder Refill in Weekly Horizontal.
The half horizontal spread puts all the days of the week on the left
and leaves the right side blank for doodles or extra notes.
The Hobonichi Techo Weeks is one of our most popular dated planners in this style.
For undated planners, check out the TRAVELER’S COMPANY TRAVELER’S notebook refill number 19
or these stylish Soumkine No. 302 planners.
Lastly, monthly planners show an entire month in one spread, making them ideal for big picture planning.
We recommend the dated Midori Pouch Diary in A5--
its convenient cover has a zippered pocket for all of your essentials.
If you want something simple and inexpensive, the undated Apica CD Free Monthly Planner is worth a look.
Now let’s get into some tips on how to get the most out of your planner.
1. Prioritize your tasks.
List out your tasks and prioritize them so that you can stay focused on what’s important.
The Kyokuto FOB COOP To Do List Sticky Notes are perfect for this.
You can choose from three options: a checklist, days of the week, or hours of the day.
2. Create a schedule template.
Maximize your time by identifying recurring tasks on your weekly or daily to-dos.
This helps you establish a rhythm and form a better understanding of your time.
Write them down on a sticky note, like these Midori Journal Weekly Logs,
and move them from week to week.
3. Don’t overplan.
It might be tempting to write down every last detail in your planner,
but this can make it seem impossible to finish your tasks.
Keep your planning concise and easy to read.
4. Schedule breaks.
Schedule breaks so that you can refresh your mind.
This can be a day out of the month where you take time off,
or an hour in the day where you’re not thinking about work.
To make it more fun, mark this space with cute stickers, like the Midori Seal Collection Planner Stickers.
5. Use visual cues.
Take advantage of highlighters, stamps, or colored pens to create visual cues for separating different tasks.
We love the Pilot FriXion line of pens and stamps.
They’re erasable, so you can keep your planner neat when plans change.
Watch our staff member Connie use FriXion pens in her Plan with Me video by clicking the card above.
We hope this video has been helpful.
For more information, read our blog linked in the card above.
It’s not too late to grab a dated planner;
some of our most popular planners are still available at JetPens.com.
Thanks for watching and see you next time!