What is saving my life right now? My planner!

What planner do I use? 

I have tried several planners over the years.  Last year I tried out a Happy Planner and my heart fell in love!  I like the ability to easily customize what is in my planner from month to month. I girls are also fascinated with the ability to "tear" the pages out and put them back in again.  

What is in my planner?

I use the vertical layout.  Each week has its own two-page spread.  Each day has three large boxes that allow you to divide up your day in a variety of ways: morning, afternoon, night; a box for each member of your family; or possibly work items vs home items.  

I use the top box for each day to record events/appointments for that day.  I also write down what we are having for dinner that night.  The other two boxes I use to create to-do lists for that day.  Sometimes both boxes are used, however, most days only one of the boxes is use.  

I currently have added to my planner the following sections:

• Quarterly: This contains my goal planning and brain dump for the current quarter.  More to come on this process later!
• Routines: Here I create pages for each of my routines including my planner routine, cleaning routine, and meal routine.  More to come on these as well.
• Entertainment: Right now, all this section contains is my list of movies and TV shows I would like to watch.  

My Planning Routine

I usually sit down every Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and all of my planner supplies and calendars to plan out the upcoming week.  

The first thing I go is choose the stickers and color scheme for the week.  I don't use a lot of stickers, but I like to have just a few to give a little decoration.  The stickers I am currently using are Bloom Daily Planner Seasonal Sticker Pack , Bloom Daily Planners Inspirational & Motivational Quotes Planner Stickers, and Dot Stickers.  I then take out my favorite Flair pens and highlighters and pick a color that matches these stickers.  I plan out the week using a black pen, but then use this colored pen to make adjustments as the week go and to check off my to-do list.  

Next, I use my dot stickers to add in the events and appointments for the week.  I gather most of these items from our shared family Google Calendar however I do look at my girls classroom calendars as well. I also add in our meals for the week. 

Finally, I add in my to-dos for each day.  This list is determined by what events are happening that week and my daily to-do list.  I also include a post-in note on the bookmark in my planner titled "Next Week" where I can record things that pop into my brain that I need to do, but can wait until next week.  One more spot I check is my email for additional to-dos. 

As I am listing out my to-dos I keep in mind everything that is already happening that day and I try to be realistic with how much energy and extra time I am going to have that day.  For example, Tuesdays are extremely busy with with dance for my girls and meetings for my husband.  It is all on me to get the kids back and forth from three different dance classes and to find a way to feed them some dinner.  I don't have much time or energy left once we get home for the night!

I hope that you have gather some ideas for your planner or if you don't use one currently will think about giving one a try!