We all plan differently. Some prefer to buy expensive notebooks to plan while some can plan on any book. Over the years, I have tried using expensive and cheap notebooks…. and finally find a method that I am could stick consistently to.
Nowadays digital planning is popular. However, I still plan on paper as it is more effective. In the past, I have tried using electronic calendar to plan and do not like being bombarded by too many reminders. It can get overwhelming and make us feel like a failure which would lead to giving up and returning to our old ways. Also, the phone is very distracting. Like many people, I would pick up the phone to check on something and somehow ended up wasting time watching videos.
Planning on an inexpensive notebook
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I realize that I prefer to use an A5 is the right size for me. Usually I would get the inexpensive notebooks …. which I would tend to buy and keep whenever I encounter any that have the cover designs that I like.
When it comes to planning, it is important to be willing to experiment and try out various formats. We can watch YouTube videos to get some ideas on how to plan but eventually we have to START, EXPERIMENT until we arrive at a format that we like.
During the process of planning, there are bound to be mistakes made or when we wish to try new ideas or layouts.
Using erasable pens
Erasable pens are indispensable must-haves for me. Initially, I use Pilot Frixion pens but have bought a couple of cheaper erasable pens. Still, the Pilot Frixion pens are so far the best erasable pens that I’ve used.
When we are experimenting and trying to find a format or layout that we like, we are bound to make mistakes. Or through doing, we gradually think of better ways, ie innovate our planning style. If we use normal pens, we would not be able to erase or undo our mistakes easily. That is when erasable pens are useful.
For example, you can see plan layout below:
At first, I put in a week on the left side, then to-dos in the right. Then realized I needed more space for each day but do not need so much of space for notes and to-do list. By then, I have already drawn out about two weeks in advance.
Because I was using erasable pens, I was able to delete and redo a new layout:
Yes, the amended page look a little messy but in future weeks, it would be okay.
I’ve made amendments a few times until I come up with something I like.
And as I plan along, I would make changes or try out new layouts or ways of planning.
Is it a waste of time to have to draw out our own formats?
Once we have ease into a particular layout, we would be able to draw out the format in minutes. In the past I thought that doing this would be a waste of time….. but I realize I waste much more time and money in trying to find a format that I like and then spend money buying the planner…. only to find it is not suitable.
To date, I have not found a single planner that is something I could totally use and really really like. Even if there is one close to ideal, the price is often way too expensive. As a caregiver when I started tracking items like meal times and expenses in caring for my mom, I found a planning style that I like and was able to stick to it consistently.
What if we do not follow according to what we plan?
Planning is not something set in stone that we must absolutely follow. We can plan but life often throws in ad hoc stuff, last minute changes and emergencies. Or we could get feel unwell and hence not able to do the tasks that we set out to do. It is alright, we do not need to be too hard on our self.
We just need to plan, and PLAN REALISITICALLY. Do not try to squeeze in more tasks and to-dos that we can manage. If we do that, we would find ourselves not able to follow our plans and eventually would just discard our planning.
Most important is to have a plan….. so at least we have an idea of what needs to be done for the day. It frees up the space in our mind as we put down our tasks and responsibilities on paper. If something comes up during a particular day and we could not complete our tasks, it is alright, reschedule it.
Making our planning flexible with breathing space
While I layout the outline of what I need to do, I usually plan on weekly basis. That means I do not layout my schedule and tasks one month in advance because through experience I find there is a lot of changes during the week which requires adjustment in the following week.
I would draw out the blank layouts first, and then put in important tasks that must be done on a particular day or important reminders. For example to pay bills, hospital appointments, or other items that are fixed on a particular day. The rest of tasks that can be moved around I would plan them out on a weekly basis and revise them perodically.
Also, I have learned to allow breathing space during the planning. That is, not to schedule too much to-dos every day till I feel overwhelmed and ended up not completely my tasks.
How this simple way of planning has helped me
I have been planning this way for a few weeks now. Important dates, as well as bill payment dates are clearly written down in the planner. That really help to clear my head and lift if from the feeling that I may have forgotten something important.
Either on the end of the day before I sleep or first thing in the morning I would strike out the day that has passed and then do a brief check of any important tasks. Uncompleted tasks are then rescheduled.
Now, I wake up each day with a clear sense of what needs to be done. The endless to-dos no longer swim around vaguely in my head because they have now been transferred on to paper.
Hopefully this post would give you the inspiration to start and a rough idea of what to do. The most important thing is to just start….. and then as you go along, keep modifying until you find a layout or style that suits you and that you can stick to.
Happy planning!
