by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve talked about using planners regularly here on the blog. Although I also use a digital calendar, there’s something about seeing something physically on a page and then striking it off that’s particularly satisfying. Also, seeing a list on paper seems to not only cement it in my brain better, but to make it seem more manageable and less overwhelming.
For a while I was using a composition notebook as a planner. I divided each page with seven vertical lines for each day of the week. I put appointments at the top, then made a list of my usual tasks underneath that for each day. My tasks always include: write, schedule social media, exercise, walk the dog, errands, advertising/other business-related work, etc.
It’s important to note that I’m not a bullet journal person. I’ve no interest in making my planner anything but a functional tool. There are some planners that look like art. Mine is definitely not posing as art in any way.
That process worked really well for years. It was cheap, portable, not very time-consuming, and customizable to whatever my needs were.
Last year, though, I stumbled upon a method that seemed like it would work out even better. I found a free site that offered downloadable calendars. I decided on a weekly calendar that had one week on two pages in a portrait layout. There are gobs of other sizes and layouts, including school year calendars, yearly, monthly, and hourly calendars.
I have a three-hole punch (my kids used to use it for school). Then I just stick it in a 3-ring binder.
Also in the binder are a few section pocket dividers. I’ve found the calendar uses so little room that it’s nice to put more than one year in a notebook, for planning purposes. I put the dividers between the years. In the divider pockets I have everything from small sticky notes to checklists for updating my books.
Scattered among the weeks are blank 3-ring college-ruled notebook paper for me to make additional notes on.
Simple, easy, and effective.
Do you use planners? Online or paper? What’s your favorite way to organize your writing and life?
Easy Planners for Writing and Life: Share on X
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay
This is a great idea for planning, Elizabeth! I do like digital planners, but one of the nice things about a paper planner is that you can have it right next to the computer, so you don't have to toggle back and forth between apps on your computer. Thanks for sharing this. Happy New Year to you and your family – I wish all the best to you for 2024!
Sometimes my brain seems to work better when it’s dealing with old-school longhand. Happy 2024 to you and yours, Margot!
That's a great resource, thanks for sharing!
I've used all different types of planners and the one that works best for me is a hard cover notebook. I keep everything in it – birthdays, doctor's appointments, writing deadlines, social media ideas. This year I splurged and bought a Moleskin.
Thank you for all you do for writers everywhere! I always find good information on your LitLinks.
All the best to you and your family in the new year.
Hardcover notebooks are great! It’s so nice to have everything down on paper, isn’t it?
Thanks so much to you for reading LitLinks and for the kind words! Happy 2024 to you and yours!
I wish I could use planners – but my brain doesn't work that way!
The rest of my family all use them and thrive with them but I've tried so many times with no luck :)
Glad you found what works for you!
I totally get that! The important thing is always knowing what works and having a system that works for you!
What a great tool. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for coming by, Elizabeth! Happy 2024.
Happy New Year!
I use a bullet journal, but I do not decorate or do anything that one might consider "visual art". Okay, sometimes I've been known to use a pink or orange highlighter when making my monthly calendar, but that's really the extent of it. (I see other "bullet journalists" get really excited about calligraphy and illustrations, and I honestly wonder if I'm a member of a different species.)
The reason I use the bullet journal is that it affords me what I consider to be the ultimate in flexibility. I can make the calendar any way I want–you guessed it, it's bare bones–and track any project ("collections") that I want. Most importantly, I can change the format from month to month or even day to day. Friends of mine who take their planners/notebooks/journals and plan out two years in advance make me hyperventilate; I'm way too perverse and mercurial to stick to something like that.
I also use my bullet journal to collect research notes (and the I use my highlighter a lot more) and track my spending as well as to draft my finances. None of this works without 1) numbering pages and 2) keeping an index in the front of the book so I can use it for easy referencing. I know it's not for everyone, but having a common place book of my own helps me stay sane.
Deb
It’s good to hear of a bullet journal user who doesn’t go all out! It does sound like a really flexible option that can be used for anything you need to work on. I love the idea of collecting your research notes and tracking spending. Having an index makes a lot of sense, considering the different areas you’re working on.