ToniaMonroe.com

• Don’t have space for a large calendar?
• Use a calendar, but don’t want folks in your business?
• Forget to update your electronic calendar because it’s out of sight and out of mind?
• Tired of not having enough space to write on your calendar?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, it’s time to get a planner! I’ll be honest and admit that all four have been a yes for me at one point or another. Now, while I am a huge advocate for planners, you can end up buying the wrong type. To help you make the best judgment call, consider the following:

What are you using the planner for?

• Keeping track of finances: Consider a financial planner. They typically come with sections to help you budget and track bills and financial goals.
• Keeping track of health: Consider a fitness planner. These typically come with sections to help you with meal prepping and tracking your health progress.
• Staying on top of tasks: Consider a to-do list-based planner. It’ll help you feel productive as you check items off your list, as long as you give yourself realistic goals to accomplish.
• Multi-use or unknown/undecided: Consider either a bullet journal, or a traditional daily/weekly planner.

For specific tips based on the four questions asked at the start of this post, I’ve come up with these:

• Don’t have space for a large calendar? Feel free to utilize whichever planner suits your needs, as they’re all typically travel sized. The largest planner I’ve come across could still fit in my laptop bag.
• Use a calendar, but don’t want folks in your business? With a planner, your privacy is completely up to you. If you’re going to walk away from your planner while it’s open, it’s just as in the open as posting up a huge calendar. Personally, I also take mine home after a day in the office. Even if I don’t have my personal business in my planner, I may have jotted down a client’s phone number or email address, and I value their privacy too much to leave it unattended.
• Forget to update your electronic calendar because it’s out of sight and out of mind? Keep your planner in front of where you sit. You can prop it against your monitor, right above your keyboard, etc. If this doesn’t work, place it in your snack drawer! Worst case, decorate it in a way it stands out with bold colors, sparkles, stickers, or all three.
• Tired of not having enough space to write on your calendar? I recommend a daily planner for the most space, as they offer one or two full pages to write on for each day. Is this a little too much space? A weekly planner may be a better option for you.

*TIP: Worried about losing your pages? Most planners come with a bookmark!