Based on learnings from this year, I have prepared my planning tools and setup for 2025.
The tools I have are as follows:
- Desktop table calendar
- Content planner notebook
- Personally mini monthly layout planner
- Content planner (monthly spread)
View a Short video I’ve made related to the setup:
Originally I had planned to DIY everything myself, ie printing my own desktop calendar, DIY all my planner spreads by customizing the templates and then printing them out, etc. However when I discovered that I could get the simple planners and calendar I want at quite a low price, I opted to purchase them instead.
Note: Before purchasing, I’ve actually made my own ones which I would share in other posts in case for those who wish to make their own.
Here is going into details my planning tools:
1. Desktop calendar
My friend managed to get quite a nice desktop calendar for 50 baht (less than USD1.50) from Bangkok Chinatown, complete with all the holidays and observation days as practiced in Thailand.
Desktop calendars have been a staple planning tool I’ve used for years starting from my days in corporate until now. I’ve written in another post on why I have always use a physical desktop calendar instead of relying on an electronic one. My desktop calendar is always placed at a prominient area in my living space and I would write down important dates such as my mom’s doctors appointments and bill payments due dates, etc.
I also sometimes use my desktop calendar as a habit tracker for any habits I intend to build up. I would mark on the calendar the days I’ve accomplished that habit and as this sits on my desk, unlike a closed planner, it becomes something hard to ignore.
2. Content planning- preprinted A4
For content planning, I use two different books- one is a notebook that I fully customized myself and another is a thin preprinted monthly planner A4 size spread (in past years I’ve used A5 size which I notice does not have enough space to write sometimes so for next year I got myself a bigger one).
The preprinted monthly spread is used mainly to provide at a glance all my published and scheduled posts across all my platforms. I usually prepare my content in advance and schedule them so it helps for me to get an overall view of what are the content I have planned out and scheduled ahead. I use Pilot Frixion pens when writing on the planner because I often find myself altering and rescheduling content. Using a simple inexpensive preprinted monthly planner have kept me consistent and I dare say plays an important role in helping me becoming consistent especially in my Pinterest account.
3. Personal monthly layout planner (A5 size)
This year, I have gotten myself 2 monthly spread planner…. one which I use consistently as content planning (item 2 above). The other, I tried out some new ideas. I find that it is useful to be used as a to-do list tracker. As the book is A5 in size, there is not enough space to write down a lot of things….. which keeps it realistic…. where I only list one to three things I need to get done that day.
By now, I am used to my schedule as my mom’s caregiver and as someone who works on content creation part time so I need not break down my daily schedule by the hour each day. Initially I had to when there are changes in my daily schedule and I was trying to adjust but with time, I got used to it and need not write down.
At times where there was no specific tasks, I would use the column to briefly write down the highlight of the day. Or I kind of journal in them and easily fill up the boxes. It is nice to flip back where the brief notes would enable me to recall an event or some good lessons that I would otherwise have forgotten had I not written it down.
4. Content planner- customized notebook
I’ve written an earlier post on this, ie my DIY content planner notebook. When the post was written, it was during the time when I had thought I would be doing everything myself without any purchasing. But after I’ve bought items 1 (desktop calendar) and 2 (A4 planner), I’ve done some changes to this content planner. I’ve also added some new sections to the planner.
For example, I have a checklist for what I need to do after publishing every post or YouTube video. This enables me to know at a glance if the tasks related to each content has been completed or not.
Summary:
The above are time sensitive planning tools. I’ve actually have other notebooks to organize non time sensitive information such as commonplace books (I have recently made two of these for different purposes), a quote book, a book to track my medical supplies, DIY sticker book, etc.
I prefer to have separate notebooks for separate functions because I would mentally associate a particular book with a specific function. With this, I find that each time when I pick up a specific book, I am intentional with what I wanted to do and I do get sidetracked or distracted with other things.
