How I use my Planner

A few weeks ago I talked about a few of the things I do to try and keep organised at home and mentioned that I use a planner, after a few of you got in touch with a some questions about both the type of and how I use my planner, I thought I’d put this post together.

I’ve always been a diary kind of girl (even as a child) as I really like (and need!!) to see reminders, tasks and ALL the important information I need right in front of me.  While I’m all for going electronic and using apps etc where possible, when it comes to organising my (and my families) life, I don’t think you can go past writing it all done.  I’ve used a few different planners/diaries over the years and this year I’ve even trialled using two in an attempt to keep my home and personal life separate from my work deadlines and responsibilities.  Late last year I purchased an Erin Condren Life Planner (work) along with a  Leanne Baker Daily – LBD Planner (personal) to help me get better organised this year but over the last couple of months I’ve found myself reverting to using just one planner which contains EVERYTHING.

While I’ve seen some absolutely AMAZING planner spreads, when it comes to decorating my planner with stickers, tape or other pretty things I keep things pretty simple.  I will pop a few stickers on to highlight special days (birthdays/anniversaries etc) but that’s about it when it comes to adding a bit of ‘bling’ to my planner – not that there is anything wrong with people doing it!

How I Use My Planner

Each week on either a Saturday or Sunday, I sit down by myself (usually with a coffee!) to go over what we’ve got on for the coming week.  I highlight appointments etc which have been made already and then slot other jobs and tasks around them to make sure we aren’t trying to cram everything into one or a couple of days.  I also use this time to go through what we have in the fridge/freezer/pantry and write up our meal plan and shopping list and by having my planner with me, I can also plan easy meals (usually something from the freezer or leftovers) for those nights when we have other commitments.

I’m a big fan of a ‘to do’ list (and I may sometimes write things down that I’ve already done just so I can tick them off!) and I also write my to do list for both the week as well as each day.

Monthly Overview

Here I pop in any important dates and deadlines, appointments etc and I also add an reminders for approaching events – like organising a costume book week later this month! By having this information visible in the one place, I can quickly check if we are free when the kids receive birthday invitations (which is never ending!) or when we are making plans for a family day out etc.

Daily View

One of the reasons I’ve switched to using just one planner for my WHOLE life is because I like the extra space that I get using a day to a page planner versus a week being squeezed into a double page spread.  My LBD Planner allows me to easily add appointments as well as block out times for work or other commitments. It also helps me to keep on top of important tasks for the day with it’s daily ‘List of Three’ and there is a good notes section where I can jot down other important information.

Meal Planning

Now not all planners have a dedicated meal planning section, but I highly recommend that you get one that does!  Having my meal planner included within my planner allows me to easily check which nights we have commitments and I can plan our meals accordingly. It’s also a great way of keeping track of meal and recipe ideas to look back on for when you are having those days where inspiration is lacking.

So there you have, a few of the ways that I use my planner.  Do you use a planner too?