USING YOUR PLANNER TO REACH YOUR GOALS

Do you use a paper planner? Or keep everything on your phone? I used a to keep everything on my iPhone and I still use it for reminders and appointments for alerts. However, I’m so visual, I realized I need to see the entire picture at once, whether it’s the month or the week. So I went back to my paper calendar.

Plus, I love paper.

I used to design stationery and I love to write pen to paper. There is something about the feel of the perfect pen to the right textured paper. Not too thin, not too slick, but not rough either. The way the pen glides over the perfect paper.

I’ve used a system that has been working pretty well for me for several years. This is my 5th Lilly Pulitzer planner. I’m open to suggestions and I know there are a lot of good planners for creatives. I like this one because the medium size is perfect for me. It also includes both a monthly and a weekly calendar. There is plenty of space to write and yes, it’s pretty.

Here’s how I use a combination of calendars:

Goal Setting:

I’ve been using this method I’ve been using from Beth Kempton, and I incorporate it into my calendar format. Each year I like to outline goals for the year, but I also think about how I want to spend my time.

Do they match up? What’s working? What’s not?

I write my three big goals for the year in my calendar and then block out time to work on them. Each month, I rewrite them in my monthly calendar. I need constant reminders or I get caught up in emails or whatever I need to do that day.

Words of the Month:

Once I’ve figured out my annual goals, then I make two lists of words.

Just a list. The first list of 12 words is how I want to feel. Each month I select one of each that fits my current project or situation. For example, in January I might want to feel organized and in July I might want to feel relaxed. My ‘feel’ list might include words such as grateful, rested, energized, or productive.

My second list of 12 words is what I want to do. It’s more task-oriented but still focused on how I want to spend my time. My list may look something like this: writing, painting, marketing, editing. I put these words in my planner each month.

Yearly Dry Erase Calendar:

I plan out my art collections on a big dry erase calendar. I like it because I can see the entire year at once. This year, I’m planning a quarter at a time to see how that works, rather than the entire year. It seems less overwhelming. I work backward, writing down vacations, holidays, and special events, and then planning my art collections around them.

I then move this overview to my paper planner.

Monthly Calendar:

I work a month at a time in my planner. I have a list of five tasks I like to do each month. My list includes finances, photography, reviewing my business plan or vision board, an email newsletter. I like to add a creative play day if I can squeeze it in. At the beginning of each month, I schedule each of those items on my monthly calendar.

Weekly Calendar:

Each Monday morning I sit down with an Acai bowl in my favorite cafe and plan my week using my paper planner. Sunday evening would be even better, but I really enjoy my Monday morning planning.

I add my monthly calendar items to the weekly section and add in all of my appointments, personal and business. Then I write ‘studio time’ on three post-it notes and move them around as needed. I try to paint three or four mornings each week, but sometimes it varies.

I keep my personal ‘to-dos’ separate, other than personal appointments that need to be on my calendar, such as a doctor’s appointment.

Weekly Goals & Accomplishments:

I make two columns at the bottom of the weekly planner calendar page: my accomplishments from last week and my goals and task lists for the current week. I’m often surprised that I accomplished more than I thought, even though sometimes it moves to the next week.

This system has worked really well for me for about 4-5 years. I like that the focus is on what I want to accomplish, how I want to feel, and how I want to spend my time, rather than just being an ongoing task list or a way to record appointments. It keeps me in check when I feel ‘busy’ but not working on the items that move me closer to my goals.

Do you use a paper calendar? If so, which one do you like?

Want to read more about ‘Discipline, Routine, and Emotions?’

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