Have you bought a planner thinking that it was the one that was going to get you organized and increase your productivity? And then you got home and found it to be too overwhelming or realized that there were pages you could not possibly fill, yet no place to capture other information that you really needed to have available for use. Perhaps you are a perfectionist, and you didn’t want to “mess-it-up”. Maybe you are afraid of change or think planning will take up too much time.
Are you ready to break through the barriers and start using Functional Planning to become more organized and productive? If so, then you have come to the right place. This post is the first in a series on Functional Planning that will address:
- Identifying your functional planner needs,
- Options for planner components to meet specific need, and
- Prioritizing your planner needs for implementation.
Follow-up posts will address steps for implementing solutions for specific types of information and how to develop the planning habits to help you reach your goals.
Identifying Your Planner Needs
The role of a functional planner is to record information that we need (or want) to refer to in the future. The information we store in our planner needs to be in a format that allows us to refer to it, update it and add to it. It should enable us to be productive and organized, but not be another burdensome task for our to-do list.
So, what kinds of information can we put into a planner? Here are a few things that quickly came to mind:
- Dates/Appointments/Events
- Notes (text or sketch on blank, lined, dot grid, grid)
- Collections/Lists (tasks, shopping, contacts, passwords, bucket list, books I’ve read/want to read, brain dump, inventory, birthdays, and anniversaries, etc.)
- Goals (long term, near term, etc.)
- Project Plans and Progress Tracking
- Medical info (medications, doctor info, notes for next visit)
- Meal Plans
- Budget Info
- Progress Trackers (goals, water, exercise, etc.)
- Journals/Diaries
- Memories/Photos
That is just a few of the many, many possibilities. I did not call out work vs. personal information or multiple sets of information related to family members. Wedding plans, buying a home, having a child are “seasons” in life could also need some special space in your planner.
As you read that list, did you say “yes, I need that”, “maybe, but not that important to me”, or “nope, not in my planner”? Did you also say, at least once “but I have that information on my phone/tablet/computer”? And our devices can be part of our functional planner system. Because what we really need to identify is what our functional planner system looks like. A planner system is simply one or more planner components/tools used to manage all our information. They can be all on paper, all digital on one or more of our devices, or a mix of the two.
Options for Planner Components
I also imagine that as you were reading the list and thinking of the information that you need to capture for your use, you thought about where that information is currently being kept – on your phone/tablet/computer, in a planner, a journal, a scrapbook, sticky notes, backs of envelopes, or just in your head. These make up your current planner system. A planner system is simply one or more planner components (digital or paper) used together to manage and make usable your essential information.
It is not necessary for all your information to be in one planner to have an effective planner system. What is important is that the components of your planner system need to be accessible for you to enter, use, and maintain the information at the time you need to access it or add new information. Some information needs to be with you wherever you are, but other information can stay put on your desk or at the location you are going to be using it. Obviously, there are advantages and disadvantages to both digital and paper options.
Digital Planner System Components
Using digital planning tools or components has many benefits. Most of us are carrying at least one device with us wherever we go these days. There are apps for all our devices that fill various planner needs. These apps may be free, free with ads, or require purchase or subscription. Some are available across multiple platforms and provide syncing across device platforms. And most digital apps allow us to share information with others.
Information in digital planner apps is usually searchable making finding something quite easy. Some apps make creating recurring tasks, reminders and synchronizing across device platforms and apps easier. But other apps provide no syncing with other device platforms or apps. You can usually rearrange or reschedule tasks more quickly because you can “cut and paste” or “drag and drop” the task info.
The digital planner files, such as those used with Goodnotes and similar apps, can be highly customized. You can even use digital stickers and washi tape. However, they are not actually apps; they are a set of hyperlinked images displayed as pages by the host app (i.e., Goodnotes). They do not have the capability to automatically synchronize with other digital calendars like Google calendar or Apple calendar. On the other hand, they do not require any paper.
Use of digital planner components usually requires access to the internet for synchronizing across platforms or backup of data. This may be an issue if you are frequently “off the grid” and could raise privacy and security concerns.
Digital devices require charging at regular intervals and usually have other apps and notifications that can be distractions. Apps occasionally have bugs or glitches that could cause problems resulting in failed sync to the cloud or other devices, corrupted data, or loss of data.
Here’s a list of some of the digital planner/planning apps I have discovered (in alphabetical order):
Some of the apps are browser based and accessible from most devices. Others are limited to smartphones only, iOS or MAC only, etc. From this list, I currently use Apple Notes, Goodnotes, Google Calendar, Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote, and Todoist. I have used or tried Asana, Evernote, Monday.com, and Trello in the past.
Before I move on to the paper planner options, here is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of digital planning components.
Advantages of digital planning components:
- Devices are usually portable,
- Apps may be available free or free w/ads,
- Some are available across various platforms making them more accessible,
- Some sync across device platforms,
- Some apps integrate with other apps,
- Information can be shared with others easily,
- Data is usually searchable,
- Some digital apps provide reminders and can automate recurring tasks, and
- Rearranging/rescheduling of tasks is usually easier.
- No paper waste
Disadvantages of digital planning components:
- Some apps require purchase or on going-subscription,
- Some apps have no integration with other apps,
- Apps may not synchronize across device platforms,
- Higher learning curve,
- No pages to turn,
- Require internet access,
- Privacy and security concerns for digital data,
- Devices require charging,
- Other apps/notifications on the device could be distracting, and
- Bugs or glitches may occur.
Paper Planner System Components
When I think of paper planners, calendar pages come to mind first. I have been using planners for so long; I can remember when they were called Appointment Calendars or Date Books. Most were spiral bound and had only monthly or weekly calendars, and here in the US, the weeks always started on Sunday. Really nice ones had an Address Book included. These days there are dozens of different formats available with weeks starting on Sunday or Monday, so you can choose your preference.
In addition to the calendars – yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily – there’s pages for every conceivable purpose. You can find notes pages in various formats, budgeting, meal planning, habit tracking, goal setting, collections/lists, gratitude, journaling, and many, many more. And if you cannot find one, there’s ways to make one.
You can purchase paper planners that are spiral bound, disc bound, ring-bound, or even book bound. Being able to remove or add pages can be a big advantage if you wish to customize your planner. It is possible to customize spiral bound planners using a special punch to create inserts that are similar to those for disc bound planners.
And of course, there are planners that are simply book bound journals used for Bullet Journaling or your own free form planning and journaling. You can find these journals in various formats – blank, dot grid, grid, or lined – and obviously, they can become whatever you make them into. Traveler’s journals are “lighter weight” versions of bound journals and are also available in various formats.
Paper planners and journals come in quite a few different sizes ranging from full page 8 ½” x 11” planners down to pocket size in the range of 3 ½” x 5 ½”. Smaller planners limit the amount of information you can carry with you but are more portable than larger planners.
Paper planners are easy to use and require no technical knowledge, internet connection or batteries to use. Many people enjoy turning the pages and writing on paper. Studies have shown that we are more likely to remember what we write down by hand. However, new planner pages are needed year after year or when you’ve run out of pages. Unless you are willing to create your own formats, you are limited to what is available. Paper planners are not searchable and if lost or damaged, the information may not be difficult to recover. Sharing information with others is difficult.
Here’s a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of paper planner system components.
Advantages of paper planning components:
- Dozens of different calendar formats to choose from,
- Forms for everything you can imagine putting in a planner,
- You can create your own formats,
- Satisfaction of writing on paper,
- Increased retention of information,
- Variety of bindings,
- Variety of page sizes,
- Easy to use, and
- No batteries or internet needed.
Disadvantages of paper planning components:
- You will need new pages every year or when you run out,
- Book bound planners are difficult to add inserts to,
- Existing formats may not meet your needs,
- Larger sizes are not as portable,
- No backup copy, and
- No search capability.
Non-digital, Non-paper Planner Components
To cover all the bases, there are planner system components, that are non-digital, but do not reside in a collection of bound pages. These would include things like whiteboards and larger calendars for posting information that is shared. I might include something like a chore chart for children to follow that would fit in a bound planner, but that has been laminated and posted on the refrigerator for use by the whole family to be in this category, as well. You may consider these as extensions of your planner system that communicate with others.
Prioritizing your planner needs for implementation
Once you know what information you need to put in your planner system and what your planner system might look like – digital, paper, or some of both, you need to start bringing in all together. This is the point where it can start to feel overwhelming. You want to do it all, you need to do it all, and you may start on one thing and shift to another and end up frustrated and decide to just continue on as you were.
Effective use of a planner system requires developing habits that make all the necessary steps automatic throughout your day. Developing new habits takes time and works best if small steps are taken and then built upon. For example:
- My goal – lose weight
- follow a strict diet,
- walk for 1 hour daily, and
- drink 100 oz of water daily.
- My current state –
- I eat whatever I want,
- walk only when I have to, and
- drink maybe 16 oz of water daily.
I would not be very successful at going straight to my final goal in any of those areas. But if I focus on one of those areas and make small, incremental, and intentional changes every day and so that they become habits; I can make progress. As I start to make progress in one area, I can begin working on another area. There will be more on this topic in later posts, but I do want to recommend one of my favorite books. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (2018), by James Clear, explains how making small changes over time build into remarkable results.
Deciding where to begin should be based on importance/need and ease of implementation.
Greatest Need
One way to choose where to start your implementation is to determine the area in which your need for increased organization and higher productivity is the greatest. Another way to look at this is identifying the area that is causing you the most frustration and “pain”. This would be your #1 ranked area/type of information. It may take several incremental steps to see the desired results, but it will be well worth the effort.
Ease of Implementation
A different approach would be to go for any quick wins. Did you recognize a quick and easy-to-implement idea that would fill a need while determining what should be part of your planner system? If you start with that and get a quick win, it could be the motivation needed to tackle the bigger and/or harder areas. But don’t just go after all the easy stuff and put off tackling the important, but difficult stuff.
Next Steps
If you want to follow along with this series and work on improving your functional planning skills to increase your productivity and organization, your homework begins here:
Step 1 –
Determine what goes in your planner: Using the brainstorming method, jot down everything you can think of that you might want to organize and have available in your planner system. Include things you’ve never included before, but have considered before. Annotate work vs. personal vs. social information. I like to use sticky notes and jot one thing per note because it makes the next step easier. ClickUp has a whiteboard feature with digital sticky notes that would work just as well. Or I’ve uploaded a simple Brainstorming notes page you can download for your personal use.
Step 2 –
Consider each item you identified in Step 1 and ask yourself the follow questions:
- where (location) will I use/update/collect this information (home/work/running errands),
- what other information do I need to have available with it (calendar, tasks/to-do, notes, project plans, tracking, lists)
- who, if anyone, do I need to share it with, and
- where (in my current planning system) is this information being kept currently (app, planner, files on my computer, I don’t know).
Step 3 –
Use the answers you found in Step 2, and start mapping the information into possible planner components – what do you visualize being in a digital app vs. a paper planner. Look into the digital apps, if you are not already familiar with them and are interested in going digital with your solutions. Identify any possible issues or concerns with needing to “share” data between different planner components. If you need to same data to appear in more than one place, put it in both groups. This is where those sticky notes, paper ones or in ClickUp will make the task easier.
Step 4 –
You are finally ready to identify the area where you have the greatest need. “If I my planner system supported me by ______________, I could be more productive, be more organized and/or make progress toward my goals.” Choose an area that can bring you significant return on the time you’ll invest in changing the status quo.
If you identified any areas that would be a easy quick win, go with it.
Step 5 –
Tell me in the comments what your biggest issue is. I’m already drafting the next few posts planned for the series, but if I see particular needs, I can try to work on those faster. And questions and feedback are always welcomed.
P.S. More free downloads will be added over the coming days, as well.
Tell me what you think …