Use a planner effectively
Part 1
Monthly Pages
In this series we’ll explore ways I use a planner effectively to contain information so my brain doesn’t have to, because it won’t. I will be using my favorite planner of all time, Sue Hooley’s Homemaker’s Friend Daily Planner. How much info can you get into a monthly calendar page? Would you believe pay days, bill due dates and if they are EBTs or do I have to get them paid, appointments and events for the whole family? It’s doable with color coding. My color scheme: Green for paydays, bright pink for the EBT bills. Bills I have to pay are black or pencil. Hubby is blue. I am purple. The boy is red. Family is orange. I use erasable pens so changes don’t have to make a mess of my pages. This example is just our family of three. When more kids were home we used more colors and had much less space. Also note the wide left margin with room for some monthly goals, perhaps a word for the month, instead a year
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Weekly Pages
The same colors work on the weekly pages. These weekly pages are genius for those of us with out-of-control variables in our days, children, customers, etc. We are given a large area to list tasks for our week. I strongly recommend keeping your list short, the most important goals for the week and only what can reasonably done in your week. Long, unrealistic lists are discouraging and are not effective. A short list gives room for keeping a list of meals I can make with groceries on hand. The space for each day is enough for appointments and main goals for the day.
Using a planner effectively is crucial to organizing your life. Planners can “remember” so much for us with failing brains. Digital planners are a thing, but I much prefer one I can touch and see large amounts of data “at a glance”. If you don’t have a favorite planner, I can’t recommend Sue Hooley’s Homemakers Friend Planner highly enough! Get yourself a planner and start using it! More post will come on using other parts of this planner. (This post contains an affiliate link. That means that I will earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. There is no increase in cost to you.)
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