Planning: The Beginners Guide
What you need to know to start organizing your life.
Okay! So if you are currently reading this, your life must be spiralling into immense, dark chaos. You are grasping onto whatever you can find just to stay afloat in your life. I feel you. I was once there and on some days, I still find myself there. The key to planning your life is consistency.
So let’s start with the basics.
When planning out your life, every tiny piece of your day matters. You need to decide what kind of planner you are. For example, I am a daily/weekly planning individual. I like creating a space for the main highlights of the week and also I like to have space to see a detailed list of my daily tasks. There are individuals who also prefer to plan by the hour. I am not quite there yet. I’m finding it rather difficult to plan down to the hour in my life, and I’m not sure I even want to do that. I don’t think it would work for me and that’s okay. It may work for you, though.
When determining a planning system, you need to make a list of what parts of your life you want to lock down on and regain control. Do you have children with different extracurriculars? Do you have a full-time job? Do you work out? Do you need a cleaning routine? These are all aspects of your life that you should consider.
I find it easiest to sit down with a blank piece of paper and pen and decide what is stressing me out in life. DO THIS. This will help you determine what needs planning.
Types of Planning
Monthly
This type of planning is usually done on a monthly calendar that is either on one page or spread across two pages. Most people use this type of planning in regards to their finances or important events that need to be tracked. I’ve seen some people track their health, as well as extracurricular schedules. I choose to use this type of planning for my finances and important events. I find it easier to look back and know what is going on in that month of my life.
Weekly
This planning style is done on a one or two-page spread containing all seven days of the week. Each day is allotted its own space for writing down events and tasks. Most people can fit the tasks of that day and important reminders in the allotted space. I know a good number of people who use it for meal planning. They write down what meal they are having that day and the ingredients that they need to pick up from the store. I’ve found this method very useful.
Daily
This planning style gives an entire page or however much you need for only one day of planning. This is my favourite. Let me tell you why. I love lists. I feel like my life is easier to live if I organize it into a small or large task list. Let's be honest, I also have a terrible memory. This method allows me to get very detailed into different parts of my life.
As I said above, daily planning can be more than just a detailed list of what your day looks like. You can break your entire day down by the hour. Sometimes it helps individuals to know what each part of their day will be like. You're basically mapping out your plans for the day.
Planners
This is the fun part of planning. There are so many different planners on the market. Some are cheaper and some are a little pricey. It all depends on what works best for you. Here are a few of my favourite planners:
These are just a few, but I’ve tried so many that I can’t even begin to list all of them. These three stand out the most for me because they offer efficient planning no matter what kind of planner you are. They have high-quality planners that are also affordable. (This post is not sponsored.)
Hopefully, this post has at least pointed you in a direction for organizing your chaos. :)
Happy Planning!