How to start Planning

Planning for Beginners

By Crystal Marie

So you’ve decided you want to start planning and are unsure of where to begin. In all honesty the only thing you really need when it comes to planning is a planner and a writing instrument. You might find several planning videos that use all sorts of stickers, pens, markers, several planners, and other items. There’s nothing wrong with all of that, however if you are new to planning, don’t make the costly mistakes I made when I first got started with planning.

Five years ago, I wanted to use a planner for work that I felt worked best for me. I went to Michaels, or Hobby Lobby I don’t really remember which of the two stores I went to while in Flagstaff. I didn’t know at the time that you could find coupons for just about anything or that most of these stores typically offer some type of coupon or discount online that you can take to the store. So I ended up paying full price for everything and spent well over $90 in creating my own planner. While I don’t regret creating my own planner, I do regret spending over $90 on said planner.

If you want to create one there are plenty of how to’s on YouTube. I did a simple one on Youtube using a composition notebook, however if you want one that’s more professional they sell an assortment to meet your needs at just about any craft store, The happy planner website, amazon, staples, etc. If you want them customized you can get them on sites such as on Etsy, the Erin Condren website, 4theloveofpi ( which sells only during certain times of the year for teachers but also has non teacher planners), etc. Or if you want a digital planner they have plenty of those for sale as well. Find out what works best for you.

You can also find undated planners on-line as well as stores like Ross, TJ maxx (I’ve found some for $8), Walmart, Target, Marshalls, etc.

What You need to know before getting started is what will you be using your planner for? Do you need to know where you will be every hour? If so I’d recommend getting an hourly planner, Do you want one that is customizable? Do you need to know what college assignments you have coming up? Do you need a budget planner? Do you like a vertical or horizontal layout? Do you want your planner to be colorful or a simple black and white will do? Do you want it dotted, with lines, with a grid, or blank?

Determine how often you will be using your planner. While I attended college, my planner was the key to my success. I was able to look at the syllabus for each class and jot down when every assignment was due. I made sure to look at it on a weekly basis to ensure that I was always on top of assignments.

When I worked for a non profit organization, I tried the hourly planner but found that It didn’t work for me as I needed the space to not only write down where I would be, but who I would be meeting with. However others might have a different experience.

The most important part with planning is ensuring you are keeping your planner up to date. Do you need your routine schedule written down so you can accomplish your goals? Then use your planner to jot things down and cross them out as you’ve completed them.

If you like color you can add stickers though this is not needed, I found that I liked looking at my planner more when I had colorful images on there. You can find an assortment of stickers at your local store, or order some online. I like buying mine from etsy and purchasing the digital stickers as I can reprint them as many times as I want.

I’ve tried the digital planner, but find that my personal preference is a paper based planner, as I can always go back and see what I’ve completed and what I need to accomplish quickly.

You can even start planning with a notebook, you simply jot down the date, what you need to get down and take it in a day at a time. Every person is different, find out what works best for you and follow through with it.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. This in no way is at a cost to you, this is only if you decide you want to use the affiliate link.

I’ve purchased several notebooks from the Erin Condren website and given them away as gifts as I like that I can personalize them by adding a persons name directly on the notebook. If you are interested in trying out Erin Condren, use the link below to get $10 off your first purchase.

https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/crystalbustillos1009/1