It’s Time to Get a New Planner
So it’s time to shop for your perfect planner
My calendar planner runs out in September. It’s pretty common that if you use a calendar planner, there are one of three ways your calendar is set up. You will need to replace yours in one of the three times a year your particular planner calendar ends. Either January following the calendar year or summer following the academic year, or any time your undated calendar fills up.
Mine is an academic calendar that runs through September. Many academic calendars run through June, July, or September, so the decision to be made is whether to stick with an academic calendar planner or get by through the end of the year and switch to a calendar-year version.
I truly like starting a new calendar in the summer. Everything tends to run a little slower then and I usually love planning under a shade tree. I like to use the lazy days of summer to accomplish lingering goals and ramp up for September when the pace starts to pick up again.
January is too busy wrapping up the holidays, putting decorations away, and getting going again. It is usually mid-January before I’m up to par, so not having to start or set up a new calendar planner is one last thing I have to do.
So, what calendar planner is best? That is a truly personal preference, and everyone has a different preference. I like to keep it simple, though, but one thing I need is plenty of space to write in my day’s section. I use this as much for recording what I do with my days as I do for planning them.
Recording my completed activity shows me what I actually did with my time. Rather than checking off a to-do list, I build a done list. This way I build momentum from accomplishing things rather than from being weighted down by all the things not checked off on my to-do list. Of course, I put the must-do today list on each day and make sure I complete them. But the rest of my day’s section is filled with things I actually did.
A planner is much more than a calendar. It is a tool to use daily to stay on task, set goals, and dream to achieve higher levels of happiness and success. It can be considered a training tool, a motivator, a tracking system, and a calendar planner—so many things there really should be an extraordinary name for it. It’s not simply a calendar planner; rather, it’s the most valuable tool for dreaming your future and living your best life!
To help you dream in living color, try using colored pencils, markers, and colored ink pens to translate your thoughts into vivid script and images as you plan—it’s fun and motivating!
