2021 Planner Setup

The first of the year is such a good time to post about what organizing system you are going to be using for the months ahead.  I have tried many different planner sizes, inserts, and systems, but I always come back to what is tried and true.  I started learning how to use a planner in 2014, and my main source was Kristy at Giftie Etcetera.  I will share with you below my core system.

Size:  I use personal size planners, but use inserts that are 6.75 x 4.25, or Compact size (commonly used in Franklin Covey planners).

Dividers: I made my own dividers by printing the tab names on vellum, and then laminating and cutting them out.   Since I love the whole DIY aspect, I frequently make a lot of my own accessories.

Side tab names: Daily, Weekly, Monthly,  Projects, Health, & Food.  

Top tabs:  daily page marker by Franklin Covey, A-Z files laminated tab, and an Avery sticky tab for quick access to my goals section.

A-Z tabs: These tabs are address page dividers.  I have always used them in my planner as a filing cabinet of sorts.  I include information to remember (passwords, phone numbers, the name of the makeup I use) on the address section of the dividers themself, and file other information alphabetically as needed (such as Someday List under "s" and Review List under "r").

Inserts: I plan using daily, weekly, and monthly insert pages.  All 12 months, as well as a 2022 Future Page, are kept under the monthly tab.  For weekly, I use a week on 1 page, with a Mon-Sat column and a weekly tasks and priorities column.  Every week I transfer important events and appointments to this page, as well as list the tasks I want to get done that week (but they don't have a firm due date). The tasks eventually get transferred to a daily page and are either marked off as completed or migrated to another day or week as needed.

Projects: Projects are to-do items that require more than one step to complete. I usually plan family events, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, in my project pages.  For me, it is just a larger workspace with more room to make related lists and notes.

Health: I'm not using this section as much as I thought I would.  Currently, I have a tracker to record any health-related items or symptoms for my whole family, my medication list, and a pounds loss tracker.

Food: Master grocery list, family favorite meals, menu planning, etc.

That's it!  If you have any questions about my setup, feel free to ask them in the comments below or send a message under "Contact" in the sidebar.