Organization Hack:10 Incredible Ways To Use Your Planner To Construct The Life You Want

Life is busy.  There are you way too many things to remember: deadlines, due dates, birthdays.  Having to recall all these things can be madding.

How can we get ourselves together, and schedule our lives? We are always in a time crunch.  We end up running to the store every day because we forgot the milk, or eggs, or some other item.  Each of our classes have a dozen different due dates and then there’s exam time...

How are we going to get ourselves together?  How are we going to find the time to do our homework or all of the studying that we need to? When are we going to prepare for those labs and, how are we possibly going to fit in any downtime?

Life is a constant mass of obligations and to-dos.  Organizing our time as efficiently as possible is not feasible without a solid plan; a blueprint if you will.

Your planner is this blueprint. It allows you to lay down the foundation of your obligations.  Build it up with your tasks and to-dos.  Cap it off by never missing a deadline.  Then, landscape your build with self-care and personal time. OK, OK, enough with the analogies let's get right into:

10 incredible ways to use your planner to construct the life you want!

1. Time management

Planners are a great way to balance your time.  As you plan out your days, and weeks, you can easily see how much you are actually expecting yourself to accomplish at any given time. 

It’s easy to just say, “I will get to that tomorrow”.  When you sit down and plan out your time, you can get a better sense of what is realistically possible to get done.  You can also easily chunk and organize similar tasks to a single day in the week. For example, running all your errands together, on one day, saves much more time than a quick trip out every day.  Especially if any of them are on the other side of town. 

You are also able to get a nice look at your overall obligations for the week to see if there is anything productive you can fit in between them.

2. Complete to-do lists faster

Writing down your to-do lists helps you in a couple of ways.  First, they are not as easily forgotten.  As long as you keep the item on the list, and you review it regularly, these tasks will not be neglected.  This helps to complete duties that are easily forgotten.  They may be simple if they are remembered, but the constant slipping of the mind often greatly drags out their timelines.

Second, crossing items off your list often turns into a personal challenge.  The feeling of accomplishment is amazing when you start picking up momentum with checking these tasks off.

Chunking can also come in handy here to complete like tasks together.  Similar items, like the errands mentioned earlier, cleaning, or even studying and homework, can all often be addressed in one sitting with a single set up.  Once completed they are crossed off your list and you can get to the fun stuff!

3. Track personal habits

Your planner is the ideal place to track any patterns, or habits you may be trying to either pick up, or break.  Are you drinking enough water?  Getting enough sleep?  Or even moods and headaches.

Noting these things in your planner will keep you organized, and at a glance, you can pick up on any patterns.  

4. Declutter

Having dozens of post-its hanging all over your laptop or desk is a nightmare.  So is keeping piles of invitations, bills, and other reminders, on hand.  Having a single place to write down everything you need to remember can be a relief. 

Your planner is the ideal place for this.  Plan your schedule and to-do list.  Track the due dates for all of your assignments and tests.  Write yourself reminders to pay bills, and track nearly anything else that you need to remember.

This decluttering is not only for physical items in your living space but also for your mind.  You will feel the burden lifted once you realize that you do not have to live under the weight of these anxious thoughts swirling around in your head. 

Your mind will also be free from this same clutter.

5. Increase organization

Once you are tracking your obligations and tasks, you will notice your time becoming significantly more structured. This increased organization should begin to spill into other aspects of your life.

Your time management should become more efficient, your desk is more arranged, assignments more coordinated. If you add the effort you can quickly incorporate even more organization tactics throughout your life. The habit tracking aspect of your planner can be a godsend when working to implement these strategies.

6. Stress relief

Being able to organize your workspace, and mind, will lift a massive burden. By visually tracking all your commitments you can see the timeline leading up to due dates.  This can be very helpful in relieving stress.

Having your time organized will help you to coordinate when you need to accomplish a task or project. Quickly being able to assign time to any given endeavor throughout the days and weeks can add extra relief.

Sometimes, just knowing that you will have two uninterrupted hours, next weekend, to dedicate to your obligation can be the relief that you need to not stress about it today.

7. Remember important tasks, dates, deadlines, and items

Planners are the ideal place to write down all your important tasks, to-dos, and deadlines. The fact that they are a calendar will easily allow you to incorporate important dates, so they are never forgotten.

Keeping a to-do list is essential to efficiently complete tasks.  Planners are generally meant to be carried with you, this allows you to have your to-do list always on hand, so you can reference it and take care of tasks at any given time.

It's also a great place to keep any shopping lists so that you never forget your milk again.

8. Helps mental health

Mental health is under the spotlight in this burnout culture we currently reside in. Anxious thoughts can take up all available real estate in your mind. Writing down these thoughts, whether they are constructive, or just bothersome, can be a relief in getting rid of them.

Sometimes these thoughts are brilliant ideas and we don't want to lose them, adding them to your planner is it great to ensure but you can save them for later. Burdensome or negative self-talk can also be written down so that can be released from repetition and discarded.

9. Increases productivity

Being able to quickly track not only what is left to do but what you have already accomplished, is a great first step in increasing productivity.  Moving forward and completing your tasks and goals can be incredibly motivational. 

Being able to quickly organize, chunk, schedule, and complete tasks efficiently is one of the most suggested ways to be, and stay, productive.

Having these lists allows you to keep track of them at any given time and constantly be looking for ways to cross more items off your list faster. This habit will naturally make you live your life in a more goal-oriented fashion, organically increasing your productivity and advancement towards achieving what it is that you want to accomplish.

10. Track and achieve your goals

With all these combined benefits achieving your goals, assuming that you have set them, is easier than you ever could have thought. Goals, especially huge ones, are extremely intimidating. Breaking them down and setting a task list to achieve them, is a great way to make them more realistic and easier to accomplish. Your planner can play a vital role in this as an essential tool, or even a map, to guide you through these steps.

Your planner is the blueprint of your life and you are building your dream.

There are so many types of planners from pre-made agendas, to bullet journals who's only restrictions are bounded by your imagination. If you have a busy life and you are a newcomer to the planner scene, I would suggest purchasing a pre-made planner. If you are the creative type, you might lean towards a customization planner, planner stickers, or even a full-on bullet journal.