1 Simple Rule to Maximize Your Planner

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on planners. We set out in January (or July) to make the most of our year. We vow to ourselves to make better use of our time, to accomplish more of our goals, to kick bad habits. We insist that a fancy new planner will help us do just that. So we flock to Staples, Amazon, Target, or Etsy and get a planner that allows us to track these things.

Then, some time in Quarter 1 or 2, we stop using our planners. They become too burdensome or too detailed. They demand too much - thought and intent. So it feels easier to avoid it.

Well, I have one simple rule to make the most out of a planner - whether it be yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, or daily. That simple rule is to start at the top. By the top, I mean your vision for your year. Here, I’ll give you an infographic and then an example.

1. What I want to accomplish this year: Be debt-free.

2. List the steps needed to achieve the accomplishment:

   Pay debt #1 of $200;
   Pay debt #2 of $400;
   Pay debt #3 $450; and
   Save $1k.

3. Schedule each step for the accomplishment:

   Debt #1 in January;
   Debt #2 in March;
   Debt #3 in May; and
   Save $1k in July.

4. With each new month, break down each step into weekly bites:

   January week #1 - $50
   January week #2 - $50
   January week #3 - $50
   January week #4 - $50

5. With each new week, break down each step into weekly bites:

   NO Starbucks! Lol

This, of course, is just an example. Things will vary based on how much is required to achieve the goal. But you get the idea. When you start from the top, it gives your daily and weekly actions more purpose. You don’t get lost in the details or discouraged by the mundane. You know that each and everything listed on your daily planner is working to achieve something on your weekly planner, which is working to achieve something on your monthly planner, and so on and so forth. It feels less daunting, more achievable. This, then, makes it easier to stick with.

And if you’re looking for printable planners, I’ve got you covered. You can find daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly planners right here.

I personally like to start mine with a vision board. Did you make a vision board? Do you plan your goals from the top?