Creating a Planner Routine That WORKS FOR YOU!

Your ultimate guide to successful daily planning, plus how to make a daily schedule for yourself and includes a free daily planner template!

Does your life feel chaotic or overwhelming at times? Meanwhile your planner is collecting dust on the shelf?

Having a strategic planning routine can help you feel in control of your life and live more intentionally. 

For me planning my day especially, feels like a deep exhale, a sigh of relief and a release of anxiety of stress.

So in this blog I want to share how to create a daily planning routine that works for you!

And this routine will help you use your planner to actually achieve goals on top of using it to orgainize your scheduling and to do list.

So I hope this blog helps you feel inspired to stay consistent with your daily planning with easy tips that can help you use your planner to make your life easier.

 

If you’re looking to get rid of morning anxiety, DON’T DO ANYTHING

Morning Planning Routine

Let me explain, as a psychologist I’m acutely aware that our cortisol or stress hormone levels are highest during the first 45 minutes after waking up in the morning. Coupled with the fact that we are hit with a spike of emails, reminders of our long to-do list,  the latest news, and the rush to get ready for the day, sometimes mornings can feel more stressfult than we’d like. 

When I had my babies back to back, I took a break from daily planning and afterawhile I found the day getting away from me, I was less realistic with my time, and the morning anxiety at times felt overwhelming.This is why my morning planning routine is all about getting grounded and not doing a thing until I set up my day.

I start with putting on alpha wave study music to help me focus and lighting a candle for a little aromatherapy.

 

Then I move into reviewing a few pages in my goal planner. 

Which reminds me of a quote I recently saw, “Schedules Are Meant To HELP, Not HINDER. Create Them With YOUR LIFESTYLE In Mind” – Chrissy Halton 

And I would add create them with your goals and values in mind. So before I even get to the practical daily scheduling I take a look at my goals that I’m working towards. 

Specifically I quickly take a look at my:

• Vision Board
• Goals
• Focus Wheel

This can be simplified even further if you’re just getting started with daily planning. Remember to make this process as easy and fun as possible so you can stick with it. 

Then I move into reviewing my weekly plan that I do every Friday. Being a wife and mama of two, my weekends are too full to try to find the energy to plan so I usually plan my weeks on Friday afternoons (usually on Youtube Live) or on Mondays if I didn’t get a chance to on Friday.

My weekly plan is based on monthly plan, which is based on my quarter plan, which is based on my yearly goals. This is one of the great things about the modAmbition planner, it comes with every type of planning pages you need. So just looking at my week is a strategic way to stay on track in a very short amount of time. And the great thing is my weekly plan already has laid out what I need to do each day so then all I have to do is time block those things or try to incorporate flexibility and modifications if tasks were missed in previous days. 

Then I move into a little bit conscious and intentional work before time blocking. 

I decide on my:

• Intention for the day
• What I’m grateful for that day
• And my priorities for the day. 

 

 

Each of these prompts are based on evidenced based psychology to help you not only with motivation but they also have been shown to improve your mood.

Then I move into timeblocking:

1. I start by inputting my meetings
2. Then I put in place holders for my routines
3. Then I schedule my to do tasks
4. I also make sure to include buffers

And that’s it for the morning. It’s simple, it’s fast, but it’s also strategic and stress relieving.

OK, Have you ever finished a day of work and it feels more like hitting a brick wall?

End of Day Planner Routine

This is likely because you’re wound up from up from all that work you just did Which is why I love to use my end of day planner routine to wind down from work and reflect.

It starts with tracking:

• Back planning - did I do what I daid I woud, and how much was what I did aligned with my goals
• Habit Tracking -

According to an article on habittracking from nesslabs.com, “One of the key advantages of using a habit tracker is that it allows you to visualize your progress and identify any recurrent setbacks. This form of metacognition can help you adapt your approach and keep on improving your habit formation strategies.”

• 12 Week Year Scorecard

 

 

Then I wind down with a little reflection.

This is where I take about five minutes to journal in the notes section of planner and write down any revelations for the day.

And to get the most benefits from daily planning, you have to make it a routine. Making this a habit really has the power to change your life so that you are less stressed and more in control. Which is why I tee’d up a video I did called, “How to use your planner consistently for you to watch next.”

Cheers to planning, manifesting, and enjoying your dream life and until next time Namaste!