Thank you all so much for tuning in to this week’s Blog. I am so excited to share with you how you can use your planner for maximum success in 2021.
You are in the right place if you want to have a successful 2021 (and I know we all want that right?) 2020 was a year that, you know, was different. For some it was quite challenging. There was heartache for some, and others claim that it was the best year of their life. You are also in the right place if you are ready to have the best year of your life and if you want to find out more about how you can plan for this success that we are talking about. You’re also in the right place if you are having challenges remaining consistent with planning. I know that can be the case, especially for women. And also if you are ready to set bigger goals and intentions for 2021.
Firstly, we will cover what is planning and why should we practice it? Secondly, what should you plan? Thirdly, we’re going to cover which planner is the right one for you, and what are the best tools to use when planning. Finally, the big question is how to plan effectively.
The first thing we are going to be talking about is what is a plan. We always talk about planning, but what does that really entail? The first thing I want to share with you is
“a plan is an idea of how to carry out an action”
It’s also
“a method for achieving an end”
And it’s
“an orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective”
So it is something that you want to complete that you are looking towards with an overall objective.
Why is a plan important? A plan is important because it’s really the foundation that will help you to determine your objectives and identify your ultimate goals. Without a plan you will not know what you are working towards. You will not know what your objectives are and how you can achieve those objectives. A plan will really help you to get there. It also helps you to take control of your life and your time.
I know exactly what it means to be everything to everyone, and when you don’t set boundaries and you don’t have a plan, then ultimately you are saying, “ Okay, I’m ready for a roller coaster!” Your life will be so out of control and your time will no longer be yours.
A plan is also important because it reveals what resources are needed to achieve your goals. Anytime I chat with each of my clients, one of the things that I always ask them is what is needed. Let’s identify what is needed to help you, and what resources are needed. If you don’t know where you are going, or what you have to do, then you will not know what you need.
Now let’s get into what you should plan. What are the most important things that you should plan?
Three important areas to plan are your life; and this is the big area because it covers areas like your spirituality, your self-care, your family and your education. All these make up the bigger part of your life. Another important area, especially during this time, is business. I would encourage you if you don’t already have a business you should ultimately start thinking of ways and how you can get one going, because it is one of the ways that will really help you through these times. Finally, you should also plan your finances. When we don’t plan our finances, the same thing happens: it gets out of control.
How do you know which planner is right for you? There are different types of planners. There are planners that deal with your family and your home. There are also planners that focus on finance and budgets. There are also planners that deal with your health fitness. Also planners that deal with business and travel. You must decide which planner is the right one for you.
Inside those planners you have to go deeper to find out which pages in the planners suit you. This will help you to choose the right planner. There are planners that have lots of notes pages, budgeting, to-do lists, daily appointments etc.
Then there’s the style. There are spiral planners, disc-bound planners, leather planners, paper cover planners, colorful, plain, tabbed etc. All of these things you have to consider.
There are different price points to consider. Low cost will be from $5 to $15. Medium priced planners are from $16 to $25. There are high price point planners from $26 to $49. Then you have premium planners which are the ones that you really invest in. They are really suited and tailored for exactly what you want to do. I invest in premium planners because they are aligned with my goal in some way.
Some persons purchase planners because of their size. You have the pocket size if you just want to have it in your bag so that you can take it everyday. There are larger ones that you can usually keep on your desktop or in your room.
So, what are the best tools to use when planning? One of the things that you should really invest in are great pens and markers. I love to keep beautiful pens. They give me extra motivation to write in my planner. When you transfer from your brain to paper you are making it plain and you are saying the thing that’s written down is what is going to happen. I take planning very very seriously, and I take what I write very seriously so take it a step up. Get markers and felt pens in many different colors. Your planner should be so colorful. You can have highlighters to make sure that you highlight the things that are important to you. Stickers as well are a great accessory. It’s some person’s job to design and to decorate planners. I don’t have that kind of time. It’s a great ambition, but it also gives your planner a beautiful look. You will want to go to it more when it is decorated. You could also use washi tape. This is a tape like masking tape, but it’s decorated and it’s quite thin. It also adds to the design aspect of your planner as well.
Now we are moving on to when you should plan. You can plan every year, quarter, month and also every week. Some persons opt to plan every day, but I find that is not a great use of your time. So at least if you can plan a week out I would encourage that. Just as the year has turned over, you can start with your year . Always start with the largest time frame first, then break it down into your quarter, then your month and then your week.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Blog. Be sure to leave a comment to let us know what stood out the most to you.
Also, my Ultimate Mompreneur planner is available! Order your copy now at: www.ultimatemompreneur.com.