While I have been organizing my life digitally for over a decade, there are still many people who prefer paper. A paper planner, when used correctly, is a great tool to put everything which requires your attention into one place. Perhaps a paper system is your choice, but you have not found page formats which suit you. Perhaps you don’t want to spend money for commercially-prepared pages. If either of these descriptions are applicable, this post is for you.
Paper Planner Daily Page
The layout presents in your day in two facing pages. What you get matches the concepts I teach in my workshops and in my books.
On the left-hand page, you will be able to do the following:
- List your Fab 5
- Batch related items
- Word items clearly
Of course, the page provides a space for appointments. You also have a dedicated space to answer the all-important question, “How did you make today count?”
The right-hand page gives you a space to trap notes from phones calls, meetings, and any random information that comes your day during the day. You can get rid of the sticky notes and scraps of paper and put everything in one place.
Duplicate the pages front/back and use a paper cutter to cut them apart. If you have accomplished these steps correctly, each page will have the appointment/tasks on one side and the documentation page on the other.
Punch holes, and you are ready to go!
Montly Calendars
Click the tab for each month and print. Put the pages on a paper cutter, hole punch, and insert them into any notebook designed for pages which measure 8 1/2 X 5 1/2. Use the back of each page for additional information related to that month.
Goal PlannerÂ
Goals or projects are different, in that they are accomplished through a series of tasks. We need a place to house all of the tasks and related information for the projects we undertake. We then “farm out” the specific tasks to specific days. Having some Goal Planner sheets in the back of your book gives you control of the big picture.
Master List
We all have those tasks we want to accomplish “sometime,” but do not want to assign a specific date. The “Master List” is just such a parking place. Put some of these sheets in the back of the planner, and you will never be at a loss for a “parking place” for the random tasks which come to mind.
What tool do you use to stay organized? Is it paper or digital? For those who organize with paper, what commercial pages do you use (if any)? For those who organize digitally, what software do you use?
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