The Hidden Secret to an Effective Work Planner

I work to live. 

Oh, I actually enjoy being at the office. You can't deny that all those office supplies make you giddy, too, or you wouldn't be reading this. But none of us go to work solely for the coffee or the office supplies, even if we like our jobs.

We go to work to afford trips to Europe, cute shoes, and nights out at fancy restaurants. Or, if you are more like me, to afford electricity, water, and a roof of some sort. Maybe, if you are lucky and determined, you'll make enough to put a new handbag or planner on your birthday list.

Work is an important part of life and takes up a lot of time, so keeping work pleasant and NOT overwhelming is an important goal.

I'm going to suggest one important tweak to your work planner (that also works for home) to change how you think about productivity planning...

Organizing Your Planner Page

If you use a planner (or struggle to use a planner), you probably like writing on paper. 

I certainly do. I love the connectivity of the ink scratching across the paper. The feel of having a plan, written down and organized, makes me believe I can handle anything.

But writing things down in a way that works can be a challenge. So I took a picture of my weekly planner page and took some notes about how I organize my planner spread for maximum performance.

Combining Daily Planner Pages with a Weekly Plan

Since I've moved to mostly daily pages in my planner, people keep asking the same question over and over - "do you also use weekly pages?"

The Cleaning Schedule in Your Planner That Will Actually Work

When I was younger, I was a history teacher. I was obsessed with the colonization of America. I thought maybe, someday, we'll colonize the moon.

Well, I have now achieved greatness by doing something I've only ever dreamed of doing.

I've colonized my home...

Keeping a Monthly Master Calendar in Your Planner

Even though it's summertime, a glance at my monthly calendar shows just how overbooked I truly am at the moment.

Maximizing the Power of the Middle of the Planner

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When you open your planner, does it serve you? Is the information that is most important right there, in front of your eyes?

The Context Task List Planner Hack

I just did something so simple and so smart in my planner that I kicked myself for not doing it earlier!

Pin This on Pinterest!!!

What's Not on My Planner Page

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I spend a lot of time at Giftie Etcetera talking about what is on my weekly and daily plan.

But what about what is NOT on my planner spread for the day?

How to Use Your Planner

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Today's post is a flashback to 2013. Yes, that was years ago! But it's worth the read.

How to Plan for a Multi-Day Event

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Last year, I wrote about Planning a Holiday Week. 

It was a great post, packed with information to help get a busy week under control.

But I've done a much better job this year. So Merry Christmas! 

My gift to you is to teach you how to plan for any multi-day event or hard deadline coming up in your life.

Solving The "Too Much To Do" Problem with a Planner

There are days when there is so much that must be done. It can make a person crazy. 

When the stress becomes overwhelming, I turn to my planner to handle it.

(I also turn to coffee, escapism in the form of romance novels, and burrito-wrapping myself in blankets. See? Crazy.)

The Right Planner for Everyone on Your Gift List

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A dedicated day planner user - also known around these parts as a plannerd - might ask, "why would I ever buy a day planner for someone else as a gift?"

After all, if you are a Loyal Reader of Giftie Etcetera, you likely already use a planner tailored to you and your needs. That's the goal, anyway. You understand that a planner is a very personal item.

This year, I'm challenging you to share that love of planners with someone in your life who might either need or truly appreciate it!

Since every plannerd (or potential plannerd) is unique, I'll try to share some interesting planners that you might not know about and the unique aspects of each of these planners with you.

The Power of a Planner Over Scraps of Paper

Even though I use my planner regularly and mostly keep it organized, there are times when the sticky notes and random entries get overwhelming.

The Comprehensive Guide to Organizing Tasks in a Planner

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Some people plan with just a calendar and a to do list.

On any given day, that's a good plan.

But over time, organizing your tasks is a more efficient and effective way to plan.

10 Tips to Completely Transform How You Use Your Day Planner

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On Sundays, I remind you of a classic Giftie post that you might have missed.

I Bought a Planner...Now What Do I Do?

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A new planner comes with infinite possibilities, but it also comes with infinite questions and decisions to make.

The Rhythm of the Weekly Plan

Do you find that you plan less or more poorly later in the week?

For example, on Monday, you have a detailed task list and a specific, hourly schedule.

By Friday? You are barely even using your planner!

If this sounds familiar to you, consider changing things up a bit.

*Plan to do really important stuff on Monday or Tuesday.

*Make your Friday schedule in advance, on Wednesday or Thursday.

*Dedicate to always writing it down, even on Fridays.

*Bring your planner everywhere with you.

Finally...

*Remember that you can always start over on Monday.

You don't need to be a perfect person to make your planner work for you.

If it only works Monday through Wednesday, but you get lots done during that first half of the week, then your planner is working.

If this speaks to you, please consider sharing with someone who needs the encouragement to use their planner, even if they use it imperfectly.

Etcetera.

If you enjoy what you read at Giftie Etcetera, please share on social media. Click here to join the Giftie Etcetera Facebook group.

Partied at: Friday Favorites, Weekend Blog Hop, Home Matters, Pretty Pintastic, Homemaking Mondays, Monday Musings, Something to Talk About

Organize Your Day with a Planner

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Go get your planner or your notebook. I'll wait...

How to Plan Pending Tasks

Whether you use a paper planner, Outlook, or Google calendar, pending tasks are a problem for most people.

What do you do when you are waiting on your husband to do something critical, like call the insurance for preapproval?

How do you remember to bring the boy scout popcorn order form the next time your scout has a meeting, if the meeting isn't scheduled yet?

What if you want to organize the kitchen counters AFTER you purchase a new toaster?

I use the @ symbol.

I follow the @ symbol with the person I am waiting on, the date that I am waiting on, or the other action that must happen first.

For example, the preapproval will say "@A: schedule appointment." (A is my code for my husband, Alan.)

The kitchen counters task will say, "@toaster: organize kitchen counters."

Thinking of the @ as meaning "AFTER" helps me to keep track of things.

TIP: Write the pending task on the next day that the waited on part could possibly happen. For example, if my husband cannot call for preapproval until the correct person in the insurance office returns from vacation on Wednesday, the @ task will go on Thursday.

You could also just have a waiting on list, but for time sensitive stuff, having them on a weekly spread makes sure they stay on your radar.

Etcetera.

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Why Planner Layouts Matter

There are three things that you should see at all times in your planner's weekly spread:

1. Today

Obviously, you should be able to see today so you can complete today's tasks.

2. Tomorrow

I like to see tomorrow. That way, I can easily add tasks that I cannot get to today. Also, it lets me know if tomorrow is really busy and I should do even more today.

You should consider making sure you can always see tomorrow.

3. Weekly Tasks

If your weekly tasks disappear, how will you ever accomplish them?

HOW TO MAKE YOUR LAYOUT WORK

It takes a little bit of shuffling to make such a layout system work, but you can do it with a few tricks.

***Double hole punch daily pages.

They can easily move left and right, as needed, if there are holes on both edges of the paper.

***Use sticky notes for weekly tasks on the page finder.

Since the notes can be repositioned on the front or back of the page finder, this works really well.

***On days with a daily page, set up so tomorrow is visible.

***On days using a weekly box only, set up so today and tomorrow are both uncovered, when possible.

Sometimes, that won't be possible. But whenever it is, move around daily dockets and sticky notes so that you can see both days.

Etcetera.

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Partied at: Reasons to Skip the Housework, My Favorite Things, Create Link Inspire