Ok, I see you over there with all the eye-rolls thinking, “Thanks, Kayla. Thanks for letting me know that a planner would be help me keep order in my life. Great advice that everyone on the planet already knows.”

I totally get it. Everyone talks about planners. Everyone talks about how they help. But, goodness gracious, I was not good at it. I’ve bought all kinds of planners. Cheap ones. Expensive ones. Ones that are especially for a certain season of my life. I’ve bought it. I’ve used them and I’ve failed miserably.

Emily Ley is one of my unicorns. (If you don’t already know, I have this group of people I call my unicorns. These are people I admire almost to fault. I hope one day to be sending them Christmas cards having at least an annual gathering. And when I put their contact info in my phone, you better bet their name will be followed by the unicorn emoji. Don’t laugh at my dreams. Others on this list, Rachel Hollis, Amy Porterfield, and Jenna Kutcher. Stop laughing. )

I decided for Christmas of 2017 that I was going to ask for a planner and actually use it. Kind of like an experiment. Will it make a difference?

And what do you know, it did. All the people telling you that planners will help you stay organized… they’re right. But what they don’t tell you is why or how.

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

I live by these words. If something doesn’t go right and I didn’t plan well, I know there is only person to blame. A planner helps me not only plan my day but my whole year.

First off, we need to have a mind-shift change when it comes to our planner. Instead of just planning our day or year, think of it as checks-and-balances of time. We have LOTS of schedules in our lives: school, work, extra-curriculars, etc. You planner is the ultimate schedule of your life. You will need to look at each schedule and “balance it” with your planner. It will tell you if it does or doesn’t work with your life.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to choosing and using a planner:

1) For me personally, I need a planner that’s pretty. Does that make me shallow or superficial?Probably, but I know that about myself. I need to WANT to use it. Being something that I find attractive is a must.

2) Sit down as soon as you get it and write down all important dates. This is important. This is  where you write all the birthdays, all the events on the school calendars,  and anything and everything you know will happen in the coming year. This is HUGE! When someone asks you if you can do something on Thursday evening, you can confidently know if there is or isn’t an important life event happening.

3) Take it with you. These planners are thick and made to be used. Take it along and write in it when something comes us or when you need to add something to grocery list.

4) If you want it to happen, write it down. Want to schedule a grocery pick-up? Write it down. Want to meal plan? Write what is for dinner in advance in your planner. There is actually a spot for meal planning in the Simplified daily planner. LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Meal planning is a pain point in my life. Having a designated place to write meal plans is a huge help for me.

5) This is huge! As soon as you get a schedule for anything, sit down that instant and write it in your calendar. School calendars, baseball schedules, dance schedule, Junior League meetings, Rising Tide Society meetings, etc. Write it down. Mark yourself off so that you don’t over commit.

For example, I am the Rising Tide Society Leader for my area. They are always the second Tuesday of every month. Easy enough to remember, right? Not! Not when someone ask you if you can meet them on the Tuesday, September 11. When I hear that it doesn’t register as the second Tuesday of the month! But since every second Tuesday is already marked off, I know I’m unavailable.

I highly recommend the Simplified Planner to anyone. Throughout 2018 I’ve had a season of using it religiously and times when I slacked-off. Y’all, there was a huge difference in how I handled myself. There’s a difference in how anxious I feel. Planning my day, week, and year has been a serious game changer.

Y’all the planner that I love so dearly is now on sale! The sell starts today and they have sold out FAST in past year.  And they sell out… fast! Follow this link to get yours before they are gone AND save $10 when you use this link! Show me the Simplified Planners!

*** The links in this post are affiliated with Simplified’s Pineapple Point Program.