Planning your days and weeks ahead is the best way to being organized with the things you need to do. Learn why you should use a planner, how to use one, and get these free printable planner templates so you can start planning immediately.
Why we all need to make plans
When it comes to my life I am a pretty busy woman. And I don’t say that to brag, my life is chaotic! Between being a mom, building a business, and being self-employed, I wear a lot of hats.
To stop me from spontaneously combusting I need a good planner that allows me to organize and structure my days. I need an all-in-one productivity tool.
That is what a planner is.
Now you’ve probably seen planners splashed across Instagram, or plan with me videos all over Youtube. The planner community is growing rapidly and it’s no wonder why.
People are realizing it’s time to get organized and it’s fun to do so. Organizing your life works wonders for your productivity and mental health so join the community and see how it works for you.
How do beginners use planners?
If you’re new to using a planner then you’re probably wondering how to use them to full effect.
There are a few things you can do to start planning successfully.
Choose a planner that you like
It might not be important to some but choosing a planner that you actually like the look of will make you more inclined to use it. Choose a planner that suits your style but also has good, useful pages inside.
Choose a planner size that suits you
There are different planner sizes to choose from:
- Pocket (smallest planner size) – 81mm x 120mm
- Personal – 95mm x 171mm
- A5 (Half A4 page size /common in UK & Aus) – 5.8 x 8.3″
- Half letter size (common in USA) = 5.5” wide x 8.5” high
- Classic (most popular Happy Planner size) – 7” wide x 9” high
- A4 (Common in UK & Aus) – 8.3 x 11.7″
- US Letter size (Common in USA) 8.5” wide x 11” high
A4 and US Letter size both look the same however A4 is slightly longer and US Letter is slightly wider.
Some people like the smaller sizes because they can fit into their purses and are easy to travel around with however they might struggle with space inside the planner.
Other people prefer US letter size because it offers plenty of space to plan.
Our printable personal planner is US Letter size but can easily be resized to different pages and planner sizes by following this easy guide.
Plan daily
Aim to use your planner daily if you can. Use the daily pages to schedule your day, sort your tasks out and even come back to your planner every day to track your habits, mood, and anything else important to you.
Using a daily planner is key to helping you be more productive and organized.
Plan weekly
Spend some time at the weekend to plan the week ahead. I like to do this on a Sunday with a cup of coffee as I note down my plans and ideas.
Use the weekly planner pages to give yourself an idea of how you would like your week to look including using a to-do list to note the priority tasks that need to be completed that week.
Plan Monthly
I love planning the bigger picture and then going a little deeper as my planner fills up. Choose a planner that has space for you to plan your month ahead.
Obviously, things change over time so having something simple like a monthly calendar in your planner will allow you to draft some tasks and events.
If your chosen planner doesn’t have a monthly calendar then feel free to use one of our popular free printable calendars. You can choose a different style every month.
Remember to use the month in review too!
Put time aside every day to use your planner
An easy way of making sure you use your planner every day is by putting the time aside each day to use it.
Use it in the morning over a quiet cup of coffee to plan your day then make sure to keep it in sight so you are reminded to look at it every now and then throughout the day.
Don’t worry if you don’t fill your planner up. Just go at your own pace and make it work for you. The planner is all about you, all for you so do whatever you need to to make it work for you.
Make it fun!
Planners might be there to help you organize or structure your day but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
Make your planner fun by adding fun inserts! Use different trackers for your hobbies or to track your favorite tv show. Add fun playlist pages, add quotes!
What should be included in a planner?
There are tons of different things you can have in a planner but with a personal planner, you should at least have some basic templates to start with.
If you are purchasing a planner make sure it has:
- Cover page (if it’s a printable planner)
- Daily planner pages for planning the day
- Weekly planner pages for planning the week
- A calendar to plan the month
- Space to write notes
- Spare blank pages for anything important
These are key pages to have in a planner as a basic starting point, anything else is extra and you can build a planner with printable planner templates to suit your specific needs.
Where do I find planner templates?
You can find printable planner templates anywhere online. If you look on Etsy you can find templates for specific planners that may be either printed planners or digital planners.
It’s also a good idea to look on the official website of the brand of planner you have purchased.
Even better, you can stick around here and find hundreds of high-quality free printable planner templates, pages, and inserts for your planner.
We even have an amazing personal planner that you can grab in one quick and convenient bundle so you can start planning straight away – see more below.
Should I use paper planner or digital planner?
It’s entirely up to you! The whole digital vs paper debate is actually a matter of preference.
Some people like to be physically involved with a planner. They like to write, use different pens, style it up, carry it around, and have a tangible planner.
Other people like to keep their planner digitally on their phone or tablet and do it that way.
I’m personally more of a paper girl because I find that I use it ALOT more than using a digital planner. It’s nice to have my planner sitting by me rather than having to go onto my phone or tablet to use it.
It also seems a little counterproductive going on my phone to use my planner because there is a higher chance of me quickly flicking onto Instagram or the news.
A printable planner can be printed as and when you need it. No need to buy a planner from the stores, no need to wait until your phone or tablet has charged to use it.
Just print and plan!
How can I make my planner look cute?
This is my favorite question because I simply love making things look cute!
It’s so much fun styling up a planner and you can really customize it to suit you. I’ll list some of my favorite ways on how to easily make a planner look cute.
- Good pens
I love using pens in my planner and I’m not talking about ballpoint pens. Depending on the thickness of my pages, I love to use markers to highlight and add color to my pages. I’m also a fan of cute gel pens. - Cute stickers
Some people love stickers, some people don’t see the point in them. I am a fan of stickers to make your planner cute and more visually appealing.
You can also use stickers to give your planner more function too. You can buy planner stickers anywhere! Buy bundles from Amazon, or even try Etsy.
Want free planner stickers? - Washi Tape
Don’t even ask me how much Washi Tape I have. Let’s just say it’s a box full that I don’t have the time to count.
Washi tape is amazing. I love using it to underline, stick stuff in, create borders. It’s so flexible and doesn’t tear the paper. It also comes in every design, pattern, color you can think of. - Printouts
What would make you fall in love with your planner even more? Would it be cute printouts of you and your best friend? Vacation memories? Snaps of your favorite band?
Print out different things that mean something special to you and add them to your planner.
Having a planner that makes you smile is a good thing. - Pretty inserts
You will always find extra things to put in your planner, some functional, some for decoration. Use pretty inserts to make your planner more personal for you.
Why not try some pretty dividers? Or add some inspirational coloring pages so you can color them in your downtime?
How do you organize your life with a planner?
If you want to use a planner to become more organized then the main key is to be persistent and actually take the time to use the planner. The planner won’t work if you don’t work it.
Your life isn’t going to drastically change because you have decided to start scheduling and organizing, but I guarantee you will see positive changes very quickly, the more you use it and make it a part of your routine.
It worked for me, it works for the 100,000 people a month who come here to grab our printable planner templates and it will work for you!
The Personal Planner Bundle
One day I realized that I was just flowing through my life, putting everyone else first and revolving around them. My days consisted of my family and working everything around them. It wasn’t very productive at all.
One day it hit me that to achieve more, I need to do more. I needed to work smarter. So I asked myself, What are my needs? What do I want to achieve today that is important to me? What are my goals and my project ideas?
I thought it was about time I sat down and gathered all my thoughts and ideas in one place and that’s when this personal planner bundle was born.
I can write down everything I need, plan my schedule and create a plan that will boost my productivity as well as fitting time in for my family.
There are so many useful pages that make this planner perfect for tracking the goals and projects that are important to me.
What’s inside the personal planner bundle?
The personal planner bundle is a printable planner dedicated to helping you live a more structured, organized, and productive life.
This is a planner that you can use for your own needs, forget about housework – there’s a household planner for that, and forget about budgeting – there’s a budgeting planner for that too.
Just focus on yourself and your personal planner.
The personal planner bundle is a printable planner set of templates that has everything you need to organize your life. It comes with dozens of templates, in 4 different themes.
Let’s take a look at what’s inside the personal planner:
2021 and 2022 year at a glance calendars
An easy to read year at a glance 2021 calendar beautifully designed to fit your chosen planner style. There’s also a 2022 calendar included so you can see the next year too which will come in handy.
You can see the whole year at a glance which makes it easy to quickly check dates.
Thoughts & Notes template
This printable notes page is perfect for writing your thoughts, ideas, notes, ramblings. You can use this page to write anything you like. Print as many as you need.
Year at a glance planner
The year at a glance page is perfect for noting important events, projects etc throughout the year. You can print the year at a glance for this year and next year!
Weekly planner template
Use the weekly planner pages to plan your week easily and effectively.
There is plenty of space to write what you need and the days aren’t dated so you can use them as you need them. You can also note any priorities and tasks.
Personal finance planner
Take charge of your personal finances once and for all.
Use this page to track your monthly income, total expenses, daily spend, monthly balance, differences and total.
Printable project planner
The project planner page is a perfect way to easily plan any projects you might have.
Use a page per project and make a note of the project details, objectives, resources needed, individual tasks, deadlines and checklists. You’ll get your project completed in no time!
Home Planner
Use this page to plan your weekly meals, write your shopping list, and note your house chores. You can also write any errands down on this page.
Personal planning template
Figure out your focus for the week, note down your goals, take charge of your health and fitness, track your mood and log your habits with this amazing personal planning page.
Weekly Planner Printable
These weekly planner pages are perfect for listing your daily goals and tasks and offer so much space for you to plan effectively.
Daily Planner Template
Dedicate these pages to organizing your priorities and tasks. There is also dedicated space for your schedule and other notes of importance.
Printable Checklist
Everybody needs a checklist in their life. It’s how we see what we need to do at a glance! Use this checklist to organize your day and print as many as you need.
Month in review template
The month in review is a great page for reflecting on the past month and understanding how you can have a better month ahead. It is also a great way of noting your achievements and memories, logging what you learned and celebrating the positives.
Printable blank dot grid paper
Your personal planner features a blank dotted page that you can use for anything! You can use it to write notes off the cuff, create a page layout for something you need or simply use it as a doodle page.
Next year planner
Use this page to plan ahead to next year. It’s the perfect page to write down any goals or foreseeable projects or tasks that you have planned for the year.
I think it’s so important to have space where you can focus on your own goals, and this personal planner is a perfect start.
You’ll find many more printable planner templates here on our website, but as you can see, the personal planner bundle has everything you need to plan and organize your days efficiently in one convenient bundle.
Get the personal planner here and focus on your own goals today!
Will a planner work for me?
If you put in the effort with your planner then yes, I definitely think it will work for you. With anything it takes persistence and continuous work to make a difference or positive changes.
You can easily grab and print the Personal Planner and get started with it straight away. Use our free planner printables to customize it to suit you perfectly.
There’s no harm in giving it a try and if it’s not for you then it’s not for you.
If you are an avid planner user or new to planning then leave me a comment below. I’d love to see how a planner has worked for you or if this post has encouraged you to try!
Find 100’s more stylish planner templates that you’ll love
Some of our recent planner templates. Find many more Printable Planner Templates that will help you get on top of your life with ease. You’ll love them.
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