Paper planners - do you have one you like?

[Kristine]

Yours looks nice!
I do use paper planners. I like different kinds for different reasons, but after 2020 went off the rails and my planners ended up mostly wasted, I decided this year to use Commit 30 - you can set up and track progress/hiccups in meeting the monthly goals.
The fitness planner is my main personal one (it arrives undated, so I started using it Nov 1); that ended a bit oddly with being out of the gym a few months due to having covid!

I have a 2021 Commit 30 for all the appointments for the family, writing and reading tracking. At the end of January, I’ll use my fitness one again for my workouts, meetings with trainer, yoga, meditation and such (I allow my mom access to only the big one to add appointments and events).

I love using Erin Condren planners, with flexibility of adding and moving lists, pockets, etc.— but I needed simple and a more streamlined, goal-oriented system for now.

[dtill359]

No paper for me. I use white boards.

[Danielw]

Tell me more! What kind of white boards?

[dtill359]

I have two small, plain ones I use for goals. Right now, the second plain one is housing my word count and chapter marks for the novel I’m writing.

Then, I have two 1-week boards where I write deadlines in one color, and accomplishments in another.

I’ve got places for notes, event brochures, and a small full-month calendar.

[Danielw]

Wow – this is great. Thank you for sharing.

[tannislaidlaw]

I use Excel. I am trying to cut down on paper!

[DeAnna]

I am all for paper planners. I used to relish the beginning of a new year so I could go pick out just the perfect one!

There is something more concrete about it all being written out.

I keep one for following my many Angora rabbits progress. When they arrive to my rabbitry, ages, weights, pedigree info, timing of births and
for breeding info, etc. There is nothing else like a paper calendar and all the other organizational charts to really work everything out in front of yourself at a glance.

Daniels, yours looks awesome. Your wife picked a great one out, truly.

[DeAnna]

That looks so clean and easy to follow great job

[riterrebs]

I used to Bullet Journal but it was time consuming. Now I just use a spiral notebook and set up the next few days. Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to add future plans. It’s also messy because I add notes when I make a call, or things I need to be reminded of. Spiral pages tend to tear. Composition Notebooks are not so flat and harder to tear pages.

[Zara]

I use Google calendar to schedule, but use a DayTimer paper planner to plan daily activities. I list tasks and then check them off as completed. I review the next day’s list before I go to bed. When I start the day, I know my tasks. Also, because I am self-employed, I use the paper planner to keep track of how I use my time each day, just in case the IRS should ever ask me to prove that, yep, I worked that day.

[SHoutman]

I love the idea of paper planners (it goes along with my obsession with stationary of all kinds), however I’ve learned that I have to have my planner with me at all times. So I can add to it when the idea strikes, look up info when I need it, and most importantly, cross things off once completed. So I ditched the paper a few years back and I keep everything on phone now. For better or worse, I never go anywhere without it.

[Kimb]

I’m not a fan of paper planners and just saw this idea on Instagram which totally works for me. I’m getting the 2-piece set with the line down the center of each month. More styles and sizes available.

Yearly To Do Planner Dry Erase Wall Planner 12 Month | Etsy

[Kimb]

Very orderly. What a beauty when it is all filled out and used for the year!

[Angela]

I reverted to paper planners in 2020. I had three electronic calendars going and it did not work out for me previously.

I have my main calendar, www.wmaxwell.com design and a hand written on with writing specific goals only in it. Hopefully, between the two, I will stay on track with my writing and editing goals.

[Writesmith]

I’ve been using a Clever Fox for the first time this year, and so far it’s delightful.

[Tatteredpage]

I use a Moleskine diary. I’ve used other more organized planners in the past, both print and online, but I keep coming back to this one.

[PendoliNZ]

Wow. This is fantastic. I generally use excel and a Monthly Planner. Both are effective if they are referred to daily. I recently attached a small white board onto a small set of shelves behind the computer and attached a blank A4 August to that. The idea is that I add appointments and so on to that. But, what you’ve got going in your pic, dtill359, is perfect. I hope you won’t mind that I do my own version of this.

[dtill359]

Go for it. I love my whiteboards. Total lifesavers.

[rtcatling]

+1. Spreadsheets all the way. I live with an old school paper collector; consequently can’t find any single sheet amongst the dead trees all over the house.

[JKM]

I use Trello. It allows me to schedule my time, and provides all the flexibility to let me manage the tasks associated with my writing projects - Edit Logs, Task Lists, Character Development, Scene and Chapter lists, wordcounts, key structural points, etc. I used to have these things scattered across numerous notebooks (anyone else addicted to notebooks and pencils and fountain pens and different colored inks?) which meant I would end up frustrated when trying to find the notebook that contained whatever piece of information I was looking for.

Jessica