How Planning Transformed My Life

In the past, I’ve always been a casual planner and calendar user. I utilized as many as I could. I had a calendar on my wall at home, I had a calendar on my desk at work, and I had a teacher planner and pocket planner that I carried with me everywhere. I had so many planners that planning was overwhelming. Two years ago, Christen introduced me to Happy Planner® and I fell in love. Instead of having so many planners, I committed to having one planner for all of the planning that I do.

Katniss helping me plan.

My Happy Planner®  has many sections that help me stay organized:

• Year-at-a-glance section
• Month-at-a-glance layout
• Weekly spread
• Daily entries

Different things I use my planner for:

1. Everyday events such as birthdays, due dates, date nights, weddings, etc. I also take it to the next level, and I have spiritual and literary events added, as well as the moon phases and Banned Books Week. Because I am an English teacher, I like to add the literary holidays because I like to plan around them and celebrate with my students. I utilize my monthly calendar for these things.
2. School dates such as school holidays, the nine-week grading periods, field trip days, testing days, and lesson due dates. We have a lot of school dates, so I utilize the weekly part of my planner. The weekly spread is also very helpful when planning out lesson plans and to-do lists. I try to organize the weekly calendar.
3. Budgeting. In every monthly section of my planner, there are pages for notes. I write a list of my bills and their due dates. I will also make a note of bill due dates in the daily section of the planner. I use a budget tracker to track my spending habits. You can also buy supplemental budgeting sheets to add to your Happy Planner®.
4. Lists. Listing is very important to me. I like to keep a daily or weekly goal list and to-do list. I write these lists in the margins of the weekly section in my planner. I also have a call list that I keep in the monthly section of my planner which reminds me of the phone calls I need to make.

Rough draft of to-do lists

Other key features I like:

• Stickers. I love stickers! When I first bought a planner, I immediately purchased cool stickers to go in my planner.
• Folders and pockets. You can add folders and pockets to your planner to keep loose papers and it gives your planner a notebook-like feel.
• The room to truly be creative. Not only do I like to color-code my dates but I also like to draw pictures in my planner to represent key moments in my life.

After all of this, I still do not consider myself an extreme planner. However, after changing my planning habits and consolidating all of my calendars to one catch-all planner, my life has been more organized and efficient. When I get to school, one of the first things I do is take out my planner and see what I have going on that day. Planning has helped me look ahead and not overbook myself. Planning has also helped me keep accountable in certain aspects of my life that used to challenge me, such as budgeting. Organizing to the extreme is not for everyone and you can still be a casual planner using Happy Planner® but if you are looking for an extra creative outlet in your life, I highly recommend it.

Let’s continue the conversation. Do you use day planners in your life? Join us on our Facebook Group: MMC Chat and on our Facebook page.

Pro Tips for PowerSheets®

Hello, Christen here. This week I want to show you how I, and many others, take my PowerSheets® to the next level. I am super stoked about setting up the first section of the book, where I will dive into my thoughts and ask myself what is important to me and what I want to accomplish in 2022. The program itself is a fantastic tool, and it has really helped me propel forward with my dreams and aspirations.

Through trial and error, I have identified one key factor that makes it as successful as it is, which is daily use! When I use the PowerSheets® workbook daily, by checking in and reading my daily, weekly, and monthly action items as well as my overall goals, I tend to have far more success. In addition to checking in on your “Tending Lists”, as they are called, I recommend a couple of other tools to keep you organized. These methods will help you stay engaged in the workbook, and bring it into your everyday life.

Color Coding with Pens and Washi Tape
One of the things that I was most attracted to about PowerSheets® was that I had seen many others using their very own color coding system with markers, pens and stickers. This allowed them to use a separate color to compartmentalize their goals within different areas of their lives. In the PowerSheets® workbook there are some places where the designer, Lara Casey, has used corresponding colors and there are plenty of places where you can add your own splash of color. Lucky for me, I already had a color coding system in place with my MacBook. On iCal, I have certain calendars in their own color, for example work and home life, so I can easily see what areas of my life might be over-scheduled and I was able to carry that over to my workbook and continue the flow. Below you can see where I have used the color coding system to keep things organized in my calendar, and these are the same categories that I work through in my PowerSheets®.

Washi Works Wonders
If you want to give it a little pizazz or want to change the colors that are already established on some of the pages, you can go all out and make it your own. There are endless things you can do with color coordination.

My next tip… is a Brush Tip
I keep a separate bundle of markers just for my PowerSheets®. I absolutely love the Tombow brush tip markers. They are dual sided pens. you can write with them as well as use the brush tip to write in script or as a highlighter.. I love using these in my day planner. You are going to find that things on your tending list might need further planning out. Dedicating the time for the action items gives you that extra structure to make it to the end goal. When writing the action items into your day planner in their respective colors really does give you perspective and makes those items jump out at you, so you can’t miss them!

Have it out and take it with you!
One thing is for sure, you have to pick up your PowerSheets® Book and use it every day! In that regard, it is very much like a day planner. Daily use, lots of notes, and eye-catching color are several ways that make a day planner successful. PowerSheets® run on that same principle. If you don’t actively reach out, pick it up and affirm your daily, weekly and monthly objectives, it will not do you much good at all. If you struggle with utilizing the workbook every day like I did, you will notice that once the month comes to an end many of the tasks you had eagerly planned out were left forgotten or only half completed. Since the action items that are performed at those intervals can possibly slip your mind, it is extremely easy to lose focus on the main goal. My suggestion to champion this is to always have the workbook available to grab and use. Think about it as something that you need in order to get through your day. I keep my day planner open to the current week, so I don’t miss anything important. I need to check it everyday. I keep my power sheets workbook tucked right under my day planner. I always take it with me if there is a chance that I might be staying overnight somewhere so that I can continue tracking and building the habits that I established as part of the daily action items. In the past I have just used a cute book bag or laptop bag to carry my workbook with me, but this year I just couldn't resist the matching zipper bags that were available on the Cultivate What Matters website. The best part about the matching bags, is that I have one for my pens and stickers too, so I will always have them and can quickly grab them when I am on the go. You don’t have to have the bags, but they sure do make it cute!

Seeing is Believing
Posted on my wall, right above my desk is a piece of paper with my goals written out. Is it color matching? You betcha! There are 8 blocks, one for each goal, with the goal written on the block. I kept it as simple and plain to see as possible. I guess you could say that it is a vision board in its most rudimentary form. It took very little effort to make, and doesn't require deep thought or any symbolism or flipping through magazines to get my point across. I simply just wanted a fast reminder of the exact wording of my goals for 2021. Be on the lookout for a demo for a refreshed version for 2021!

If there is one thing that I wish for you to take away from all that I shared today, I hope it is to understand the importance of using the PowerSheets® on a daily basis. Just like a newly forming habit, the PowerSheets® workbook needs to be cultivated by repetition and a serious heart. I got my husband into using a daily planner two years back and we are still working on building that habit with him - it doesn’t come naturally for everyone. Don’t kick yourself if you have days when you forget to use your PowerSheets®, just open it back up, refocus and keep on going! I can guarantee that you will see some wonderful, positive changes in your life!