OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: How to Make Multiple Planners Work
May 13, 2016
The planning community is so amazing. It's fun and creative but OMG it can be sooooo overwhelming! There's so much to see and learn and obsess over ;) There are so many different types of planners and inserts and stickers. So I've got this great series for you coming over the next few weeks. It will help simplify everything and make choosing your first (or next) planner much easier.
Today we are talking about USING MORE THAN ONE PLANNER. How many planners is TOO MANY?
The biggest thing to consider when deciding how to use multiple planners is your schedule. Not only yours actually, but your family’s (or any one else you need to keep track of) as well. I highly suggest keeping all the scheduled things in one planner or calendar, appointments, practices… anything that has a fixed time. You can duplicate specific schedules in other planners, but keeping one master schedule in ONE place minimises any double bookings. Otherwise things could get really messy!
If you’ve got little Peter’s hockey practice scheduled in one planner, but all of your family’s medical appointments are in another and your work schedule are in yet another one, you may end up in a meeting that you can’t get out of, at the very same time that Peter needs to be getting his braces on! Keep it all together and keep it simple to keep yourself organised.
click to tweet:
Using multiple planners is super fun, but keep all your scheduled things in one planner so you don't double book.
Pens and/or stickers in a specific colour for each family member (team member, employee, etc) are a great way to separate each person’s schedule within one planner.
Maybe you simply have ‘Shiny Object’ syndrome like many other planner girls (raising hand) and want a collection of planners, and every everytime a company comes out with a new style (have you seen the new Reset Girl Carpe Diem's!?!!) you have to have it. If this is you, consider using covers/binders that you can change out, not unlike how we women swap out our bags and purses. You can continue to use the same inserts, just make sure that each new planner you add to your collection can house your planner contents and they are easily switch-out-able ;)
For example, if you like using A5 sized inserts, then, when you see the newest Kikki K or Filofax (or that Reset Girl Carpe Diem) and you NEED to get one, make sure to buy the A5 size. Or if you are Traveller's Notebook girl, always buy them in the same size, or that will hold the size inserts you use. So no matter what planner you use, you can switch covers/binders depending on your mood and your OOTD.
Each additional planner can have a specific purpose. There are a variety of ideas and you could have something that is maybe an extent of your main planner (that houses you schedule), but that's not required.
Some ideas for ‘purpose planners’ are Study Planner, Wallet, Christmas Planner, Bible study Planner, Harmony Binder (more coming on this soon), Work project, Social Media scheduling, Goal tracking, Health, Craft projects etc etc. If you want to use a planner you’re bound to find a reason. ;)
One great use for a planner is to plan out projects. These could be one time projects or ones that reaccur. Not only could you plan things out and know when the deadlines are for milestone and map out individual each step, but it’s also a great way to track your progress and know if you are keeping on schedule.
Heidi Swapp’s idea of a Memory Planner is not only a fun one, it’s rich with sentimentality. They are a wonderfully detailed look back at life exactly how it was at that time. Instead of planning your time, you are recording it immediately after it happened for a lovely recount to look back on. I have an alarm on my phone that goes off every morning to remind me to jot down a few words about the day before. Then later, I can go back and decorate. With the little bits of journaling added, they can become a rich treasure in years to come. And don’t feel like you need to have Heidi’s actual planner, any planner with enough room to write is perfect.
Memory planners are a wonderful, meaninglful excuse to add a new planner to your collection.
Planners make excellent scrapbooks for once in a lifetime events, such as an upcoming wedding or a baby/pregancy. I absolutely adore the idea of tracking baby’s first year in a planner, but there are many different options here. You could use it to actually plan the event. Or pre-decorate one and jot down little things that happen along the way in sort of a memory planner style. Or decorate one, leaving the planner bits blank and give it to bride-to-be or a mama-to be as their shower gift. So that they are the one planning or documenting, but they don't have the stress of having to decorate if they aren't the crafty type.
If you liked this post you can check out the other posts:
Newbie Planner Girls START HERE!!
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: Choosing a Binding
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What SIZE to choose
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: What Inserts do I Use?
OMG Where do I Start? Planner Series: 4 things to do Before you Buy All the Things!
And if you're new to the Planner World and would like a free (and pretty) Planner Newbie Cheat Sheet with some of the definitions of those terms and acronyms that seem so foreign to you, but everyone else seems to know what they mean, then just click here:
I also have a class specifically to help newbie planner girls get started in this slightly overwhelming but fantastic planner world. Click here for more information:
See you for the next segment of the Newbie Planner Series!!