In this post, I’ll discuss ways to use a planner, both how I use my planner and ideas for how you can use your planner.
My entire life is in this planner. Well, this planner and a few others – the thing is, planners have become not only a way to keep tasks on track and bodies where they need to be on time – they have also become a way that I document this incredible life God has blessed me with.
Not only do I plan ahead in my planner, but I also go back throughout the week and document happenings. This makes my planner like a textual scrapbook of my life. I’ve listed 40+ different ways to use a planner below to get you thinking about ways to document your incredible life this year – and I encourage you to comment other possible ways.
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Planner Uses:
Here are my top 40 – what would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!
Use a Planner To Stay on Task:
On-going tasks and activities – planners are great for creating an on-going list of daily activities using checklist stickers this works great for both home-life daily check lists and work related tasks.
Deadlines and Project Tracking – break down project tasks in to bite sized chunks using your planner and project tracking stickers.
To Track and Maintain:
Income Tracking – use your planner to track finances – payments that come in from your 8-5, or from side hustles – they make sticker options to track nearly everything and what they don’t have you can have customized through various sticker shops.
Expense tracking – all expenses can be tracked in your planner either using a planner finance register insert or any number of adorable expense tracking stickers.
Orders/Deliveries – this is especially useful if you order planner supplies and other gadgets from aliexpress – the prices are ridiculously low but the shipping can take a while. Here’s my favorite order tracking sticker to use.
Debt Payoff – Track your debt payoff so that you can visually watch the progress you’re making.
Bills – on that same note – you can get these gorgeous bill pay stickers that will make writing that mortgage check sting a little less.
Household Maintenance – air filter and smoke detector battery replacement, repair and maintenance appointments – Check out these stickers to remind you it’s time to change the air filters.
Automobile Maintenance – this was especially helpful when my car was under warranty but also helps keep up with oil changes, tag renewal and even upping that turnpike pass.
Yard and Garden – time to spray for weeds or creepy crawlies? Bi-weekly reminders to water your succulents – not only are there cute ways to document this, but it also keeps your investments from turning brown.
Menus/meal plans – If you’re the family that eats at home every night (pat yourself on the back!) then meal planning is essential – you can find hundreds of meal planning stickers to use in your planner online.
Habit Tracking – Want to go to bed on time every night? Or only spend 1 hour a day with electronics? Habit trackers make this totally manageable.
Use your Planner to Track your Leisure
Television shows – I’m not a TV junkie by any means, but there are a few shows I don’t miss – well, two actually: This is Us and Grey’s Anatomy. I put them in my planner and then often, I go back and write a few words about it.
Movies – I don’t use my planner for movies, but I think a real cinema buff could find fun in tracking movies they’ve seen, release dates, etc in their planner. Check these movie tracker stickers– oh my word they are adorable!
Swaps/Trades – if you’re in a planner group or another craft trading group you likely already use your planner for this – here are some adorable free happy mail stickers that you can print for tracking incoming and outgoing happy mail.
Crafts – I’m a Pinterest loving fool but sometimes, I’m on craft picture overload. In my planner, I list the projects I plan to do, and the materials required. It makes it doubly fun to check them off the list. I also like to track my current Crochet WIPs. By the way – if you’re on planner, follow the All Things Planners group board where all the planner bloggers put all of their fantastic new posts.
Party/social – Keep track of all the deets on parties and events as well as gift registry locations and RSVP deadlines.
Relationships – When is the last time you had a date night? Ate lunch at school with your child? Sent a card to your mama. Here’s a great date night sticker for your planner.
Volunteer Work – everyone can help a little more – from home room mom commitments to bake sale projects there are stickers for just about everything.
Planning – if you’re laughing at planning time for planning, you may not have been bitten by the planning bug just yet – here’s a planning sticker you definitely want to try.
Occasions – Birthdays Holidays and other special occasions, of course!
Wedding – planning your nuptials? Use a wedding planner to track it all
Personal Health
Mood – I love this – feeling blue? Track your moods using mood tracker stickers to help you see patterns and identify things that help.
Health – I love using the FREE healthy planner printable for all health related items in my planner.
Weight – one of my favorite health professionals says that what you measure you can improve – writing down your goal weight and tracking it daily or weekly can help you reach your weight goals.
Exercise – There are just too many cute exercise stickers not to track this one – oh, and it’s good for you too, I guess!
Water intake – Make sure you’re staying hydrated by using a daily hydration tracker. Note to self: Drink more water.
Medications/vitamins/supplements – I use the Daily Medicine Tracker Stickers in my planner – I also use an RX sticker to notate when I need to call in a new batch of prescription refills.
Conditions and Symptoms – I have heart failure and hashimotos and I can tell when my levels are off just by glancing in my planner. You can use symptoms, specific trackers or symbols to document the various things that go along with your personal health conditions.
Fertility/Menstrual – I use symbols in my planner. A red bullet point (circle) is the start, a black one is the end and a turquoise one is when I expect it to arrive. Now that I put this here, I’ll have to change it up. I don’t think anyone else should be tracking our cycles.
Spirit and Reset
Tracking spiritual endeavors in your planner is a great way to make sure that those practices are incorporated into your every day. It also makes a great companion to bible journaling.
Scripture – what have you read in your bible? What do you plan to read? What stuck out to you in your readings today? This week?
Gratitude – I fail here sometimes, it’s not that I’m not thankful, I just need to be more disciplined in making a note of it, and not just in November.
Quotes – fill empty spots with quotes that match your mood or ones that resonate with you. You can find a host of quotes for every occasion with a quick Pinterest search.
Prayers – for those who have ever said “I’ll pray for you” but then forgot. Check out this prayer list planner sticker to keep you on point.
Accomplishments – Track goals met and accomplishments for you and your family (such as: ran 5K, student of the month)
Document Life
Of all the ways to use a planner, memory keeping in my planner ranks in the top 3. I love documenting the every day, but special memories in my planner are important to me too.
Memories – I love to go back and note memories of the day in empty spaces in my planner. Sometimes I save receipts or other clippings of the day to add in.
Photos I love to print a photo of something we did that week on copy paper and slide it in to an empty spot in my planner. This photo printer prints perfect 2X3 photos from your phone that fit beautifully in your planner spaces. Bonus that they’re already sticky. Not only is it a great way to fill empty space, you’ll appreciate doing this as you look back on your planner year after year.
Notes – to loved ones get a planner for each child and just write something about the day each day or a little love note to them. Pass it on at a later time.
Blogging
You can use a planner for blogging – your normal daily planner will work just fine, but there are several planners made specifically for blogs as well. They include places to plan and track:
Blog stats – I have started using the best blog planner for my blog tracking but before this, my planner was where the information lived.
Blog Posts – Both post writing and post publishing information including meta descriptions, tags, links, and affiliate opportunities.
Social media posts – This is something I’ve always found incredibly difficult to keep up with, yet it’s a little easier in my planner. Speaking of, if you’re not following me on Social – you can find me on Instagram @hookandpaperco.
Do you keep your planners or toss them at the end of the year? My planners are packed and I never throw them away, they’re the history of my life in my own words and I know that some day, my girls will enjoy browsing through them.
