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It’s the end of the year. The time to reevaluate your goals, ignore the goals you failed at, and manifest some wins for the new year. It is also the new planner season. Most planners begin in January and end in December, so many of you are likely looking for something to help organize your life.
Did your planner for 2021 help you succeed or did it weigh you down? These 6 planning styles may be what you need to get a headstart on a productive 2022!
The Traditional Friend: The Basic Planner
Purpose: To focus on tasks and events.
What is it?
This is likely similar to the planners you received in school. There is a monthly calendar and 2 pages with the week spread across it. The layout can be in a vertical or horizontal layout. This feels familiar and is easy to use and follow. There is no further thinking needed. If you need more space, look for a planner that also has space for each individual day, as in many Japanese planners.
Where to find it?
You can find these planners by going to the planner section of any store like Target, Barnes & Noble, and Staples. Brands include Day Design, Blue Sky, and Leuchtturm. For more variation check out the Passion Planner and the Traveler’s Notebook.You can find Asian-style planners on Jet Pens (also includes non-Asian planners) or Amazon. Brands include Hobonichi, Midori, and Kokuyo.
The Sticker Obsessed Friend: An Erin Condren
Purpose: Break down your daily tasks and events.
What is it?
The Erin Condren is a popular planner created with 3 large boxes for each day. It provides the flexibility of using the planner of how you see fit, but there is some structure. It includes a calendar and weekly spread. People commonly use stickers to spice up their spreads. It can also be used as a memory keeper like scrapbooking by using stickers. There are many variations for everyone, but the price point is a drawback for many.
Where to find it?
The Erin Condren planner can be found on their website for the most visibility and personalization. They recently started being sold in stores like Target and Staples. The Lights Planner Action and The Happy Planner are 2 common alternatives to the Erin Condren.
The Artsy Friend: A Bullet Journal
Purpose: Flexibility and Self Expression
What is it?
The bullet journal is a planning method developed by Ryder Carroll. It is the most flexible planning method. It allows for full freedom of the type of spreads you need. From calendars and basic to-do lists to drawings to help motivate you. You can even mind map or take notes for class. The bullet journal is what you make of it. This can be as creative or as practical as you need it to be, so don’t get discouraged by the highly decorative spreads you see on social media.
Where to find it?
Grab an empty notebook and pen and get started. Popular dotted, grided, and blank notebooks people purchase are Archer & Olive, Leuchttrum, Moleskine, and Mossery.
The Minimalist Friend: A To-Do List or a Wall Calendar
Purpose: To focus on the tasks or events at hand.
What is it?
This is the basic form of planning. Grab a notepad and write down your to-do list for the day or week. Or grab a calendar and write down all of the important events you need to keep track of. These can be combined together, but this method is for the people who need to focus on one area to be productive.
Where to find it?
Calendars can be found at any store like Target and Staples. You can get a large wall calendar, a dry erase one, or a small one with cute pictures for the month. If you want an upgrade from a notepad, you can use a memo pad or empty notebook to track your tasks. There are also pre-structured pads from brands like Knock Knock.
The Disorganized Friend: A Digital Planner
Purpose: To keep everything in one place.
What is it?
This can be a range of things. A digital planner can be as simple as using Google Calendar and Google Keep to stay on top of your tasks and events. It can also be as complex as a traditional planner or a bullet journal. This is for the people who do not want to carry around anything extra with them. It is just as easy to look down at your phone to see what needs to happen next.
Where to find it?
The calendar app on your phone works great. The most common calendars used are Google and Microsoft Outlook.
Sites like Notion, Trello, and other productivity apps for teams are great to streamline everything in your life. If you want a premade planner, Etsy has a number of digital planner templates for apps as GoodNotes.
The Brave Friend: No Planner
Purpose: A Confidence Boost
What is it?
This is for the people who are confident in their abilities to keep track of their tasks and events. There is no need to track it or write it down.
Where to find it?
In the mind of the user.
Are any of these planning styles sparking your interest? Do more research about each. Google them. Watch plan-with-me videos on YouTube. Do whatever it takes to find what works for you. Don’t rush into buying all of the cute supplies and accessories for an Erin Condren or bullet journal, if you turn around and use a memo pad instead. Try the methods out and work your way up in complexity and financial investment.
When it comes to planning, all that matters is that you are making your life more efficient. Some days are more productive than others. Planning burnout is real. If you need to change your style mid-year to something easier, do it. If you want to try something more flexible, do it. There is no definitive date to when you have to start a new planner. Plan the way that makes you happy and your life easier.