First up: While it physically pains me to tell you that Bliss Collections no longer makes this exact notepad, they've more than made up for it by creating this fabulous weekly planner - similar idea, but in a horizontal orientation (plus a habit tracker - if you know me at all you know what I'm going to say: pick one habit to track. Unless you're habit stacking, in which case, I'd only track the new habit.)
The ONLY planner I've used since 2016. The Large 17 Month Ban.do Planner. They also have a 12-month version. It's minimalist (the best planners are) - nice, wide margins to write in, plus it has stickers. What more do I need to say? Oh and it's under $35.
Oh, this angel.
I'd been eyeing a giant wall calendar from another vendor when my mom suggested that we should just design one instead. (She's a graphic designer.)
Brilliant.
Many edits later, this beauty was born.
I'm a proud mama.
& last but certainly not least: Google Calendar.
With one really important caveat: FOR APPOINTMENTS AND MEETINGS ONLY. Nothin' else goes in there! We don't do time blocking around here (that's a post for a different day!)
There you have it! My four favorite calendars and planners as a time management coach.
And now, for a plot twist:
It's NEVER about the planner.
There isn't a magical planner out there that will keep you organized. This isn't a thing.
Time management skills ARE the “magical planner.”
Time management skills are:
Honest, pro-active communication (instead of people-pleasing and giving out deadlines you hope you can deliver on)
Planning well (knowing how to work with your brain to make the things you need to do, easy, so you can stop waiting on big blocks of time to follow through, AND so you can navigate out of procrastination and overwhelm)
Prioritizing (how to know what moves the needle and what doesn't so you know what to focus on and what to set aside, for now. Not utilizing this skill will have you feeling like you always have too much to do and you aren't getting the things you want to do, done.)
Knowing your capacity (this is what allows you to stop taking on more than you can handle and start actually enjoying your work time + planning realistically so your workload always feels manageable AND so you can do the work you love with the people you enjoy.)
How to do things now (instead of pushing them off until later)
Willingness to fail (more time won't make you more confident, “doing it right” won't make you more confident, learning more won't make you more confident, but failure - and most importantly LEARNING from failure, will)
Commitment (commitment is required for consistency, progress towards your goals, and following through when you don't feel motivated)
When you have time management skills, it literally won't matter which planner you use. You'll be able to make ANYTHING work. Want to learn these skills? Book a consult, right here.