I'm a planner. Ask any of my closest friends and they'll tell you about my crazy color coded calendar! Most of my 2016 is planned out already. Hehe. There are so many wonderful options out there for planners. But I thought I'd give you a few favorites I found.
Before that, let's talk strategy . . . .
1. Brain Dump. Just get it all out on paper. Anything you can think of that you need to do.
2. Priorities. What are yours? Choose 3 or 4 areas that are big ones for you.
3. Goals. Set some realistic goals for your priorities each month.
4. Schedule broadly around these goals.
When it comes to weekly planning, you are going to want to dig a little deeper. Make sure all your appointments are on your calendar first. Your "have to's". After that I like to "time block" based on my priorities. This is just blocking off chunks of time for certain things you know you need to do during the week & then on down to each day. My health is a priority for me, so I make sure there is an hour each day blocked off for working out. If something ends up creeping into one of my blocks of time I make sure to move the others around. But there are only so many hours in the day. When you spend time on one thing, something else is sacrificed. So just make sure you are spending your time based on your priorities :)
You will obviously have non-negotiable / have to get this done or else type things to schedule each week. But outside of that, block time for other things from your "Brain Dump" list. Don't just do things from your list. You will be overwhelmed. Choose 1 or 2 to get done each day. You'll be surprised at how productive you can be.
So, here we go. Here are my favorite planners so far :)
I LOVE how this one by Tools4Wisdom is based around goal setting and priorites! It's so much more than a jot appointments down sort of calendar. It truly is a planner! LOVE IT!!!
This Bloom Daily Planner is pretty awesome too! It has different focus areas, goals & notes sections, and a really cool year in review. Lots people save their planners as keepsakes or journals to look back on over the years. So I really like that aspect of this one.
This Sugar Paper Planner from Target is pretty simple. Nice clean lines, no frills, which may be exactly what you're looking for :)
Whichever one you choose, I hope it becomes a habit for you to plan out your weeks and days. Set some goals and stick to them! If you get off track, well just get right back on again!
And with that, I sure hope 2016 is your most productive and happiest year yet!
Happy planning!
Jena :)