You might be aware of the basics about using a daily planner, but maybe you haven’t discovered the many benefits. Everyone – including you – should be using a planner! Here are FIVE life-changing benefits of using a planner to get more out of life.
Get More with Time Management
Do you find that there’s never enough time for everything? You make a list, check it throughout the day, and yet at the end of the day you’ve got nothing checked off….GRRRR! If so, it’s probably because you’re not managing your time effectively. This happens when you just run constantly, going from one thing to the next, without really thinking about your day, week or month as a whole. Using a planner allows you to schedule each event, appointment, errand, and task, so that you know what to expect when, and don’t run out of time. Set specific due dates and deadlines, and use time-blocking, for everything to help you stay on track, and get more out of life for yourself and your family.
I have used the method that Stephen Covey, developed decades ago, for the last 30+ years. I flag the most important/must get done TODAY with an “A”; nice to get done today are marked “B”; and things that have no specific deadline or that I can do when all else is done are marked “C”. Advanced Covey enthusiasts, like me, even go so far as using A1, A2, A3 to put very specific priority on priority tasks. Some days it seems like everything is an “A” priority. So, I use this method on my calendar. A1s need to be done first, or are a higher priority, before A2s, etc.
Get More Productivity
This is important for your personal and professional life. While many people think of productivity as it relates to their job, you also want to be productive at home. This might include getting cleaning and home organization done, or working on projects you keep putting off. Remember that closet that makes you cringe every time you open the door? Yup, tackling that belongs in your planner. Regardless of what it is, planners help you to stay on track with each individual task you need to complete, want to complete, and “sure would be nice if I finally completed”, and encourages you to move on to the next one effectively and efficiently. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to get more out of life, to do the things you want to do, because your planner found you more time?
If you’re like me, when you have home projects you want to accomplish, it’s not enough to simply put them on a To Do list. In order to get them done…finally…I time block home projects on my calendar based on the amount of time they’ll take. That prevents me from leaving projects half done because I ran out of time in the day. I hate having a home with perpetually half-done projects…talk about STRESS! It also helps me ensure I don’t over-commit myself, then find I need to back out or worse, I drop the ball.
Stress Way Less
And speaking of stress, it has many forms, right? But the one thing they all have in common is it comes from being overwhelmed. If you’re like me, you can feel stress increasing when you have a hectic schedule, too many demands, or you’re just putting too much on your plate. External “junk” can also affect your stress level – a sick child, disagreement with a co-worker, you’re out of butter… but think of how different it could be when you actually have time for everything and can comfortably go from one responsibility to the next without having to worry about missing something, being late, or having to back out at the last minute.
Get the Health Benefits
As you might imagine, using a planner can help you stay healthy in a wide range of ways. It helps your physical health by helping you track things like diet and exercise, you can schedule regular doctor and dentist appointments, and make sure you are getting enough fresh air and vitamin D by scheduling days spent outdoors. I think every weight loss program out there today encourages food planning and journaling. And, people who have kept planners said keeping a planner is life-changing and helped them reached their goals.
As importantly, you can get mental health benefits by reducing stress and anxiety, and having journal pages within your planner is great for when you just need a good brain dump. A planner is also a great place to jot motivational, inspirational, or humorous messages. If you were to page through my planner, you’d see a whole host of journal notes and quotes, along with a brain dump section specifically for my blog, my goals clearly written, a long-term project list, and a few mindless doodles thrown in for good measure. Having all this in one place not only keeps me organized, but keeps my stress low and my motivation high.
Have More Time for Creative Activities
Finally, wouldn’t it be great if all the “need to do” responsibilities are all neatly in their place, keeping you on task, and getting done, and suddenly you find your nights or weekends (or non-work time) starts coming wide open. That’s PERFECT for you to finally sign up for that watercolor painting class you’ve always wanted, or take a day trip to that park you read about in the local events magazine, or give a shout to a dear friend to hit up that new winery.
Get More Out of Retirement Life!
I can hear my sister saying, “Yeah, but I’m retired. I’m not tied to any schedule and can do what I want, when I want.” Yes, that’s true….BUT…one of the biggest struggles for retirees is to NOT have that push of a demanding professional calendar. Oftentimes, the direct opposite can happen – too much unplanned time results in nothing getting done, or a feeling of being out of control. All the things you dreamed about doing in retirement suddenly go “POOF” and fall off your radar.
I remember when my parents retired. My mom, not a hobbyist, was always go-go-go, always busy doing something. She kept a calendar and a notebook always with her so she stayed on task. So, when she retired she had a long lineup of things she wanted to do that she finally had blocks of time to accomplish. My dad, also not a hobbyist, was a lost soul when he retired. He not only didn’t know what to do, he wandered aimlessly through the day without any direction, getting under my mother’s feet and into her hair.
Mom didn’t tolerate that well. She got so frustrated with him, she went back to work for another 6 months until he figured out how to get his act together! As my dad got settled into retirement, he actually DID start a planner in the form of a wall calendar. He not only jotted appointments, but temperatures, key events that happened, snow and rainfall, and other brief notes to himself and others. He learned how to time block his day to accomplish what he wanted to get done – dig a new garden, make a pot of soup, etc. I often thought they got so much done and were more busy in retirement than when they were both working!
Ease Into Retirement
Using a planner can also help you ease out of the hustle and bustle of work life, and into a fulfilling retirement. For some, that “hard stop” of retirement gives the feeling of lacking purpose. A planner can help you strategically plan out your days and weeks, give your days some structure and direction as you adjust to this new, freer lifestyle. You can remain comfortably in control while building your next life purpose chapter.
Up next, we’ll talk about how to select a planner that fits your lifestyle. In the meantime, drop a comment if you do or do not use a planner, and why. Love to hear your story!
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