Weekly Planner Printing For The Win
Planning is an essential part of being organized. If you don’t plan well, you’ll never know what to do with your time, which means that you won’t be as productive as possible. But there’s more to planning than just putting down a few things on paper.
Notes fall out of binders. Pieces of paper get lost. Sometimes you make a mistake and you feel like you have ruined the whole planner.
Making your weekly planner printable is a great solution to the anxiety of less than perfect page.
But even if you already know you want to print your planner pages yourself, there is still something you need to decide.
To really stay organized you need a system. And the first thing to do when creating a system is to set a goal.
Setting Planner Goals
First, you need to decide what you want to track. If you’re going to keep track of your weekly schedule and daily tasks, then a planner like that would be best. On the other hand, if you’re more interested in tracking your finances or keeping up with personal goals (such as weight loss), then choose a planner with those elements already in place.
Picking a planner that is already set up for your goal with save you time and effort and make it more likely you will make positive steps in the right direction.
Many planners are pretty, but pretty won’t help you reach a goal. Don’t get me wrong. Pretty is good. I like pretty too. But you need pretty AND efficient.
Trying to remake a planner adds complexity you don’t need when trying to start an organization program. Trying to reinvent something will take your focus off of your goal and send you in another direction.
Keep it simple and direct.
Find Inspirational Words Or Quote To Use As A Background
What can help you enormously is self talk. What you tell yourself can actually be more important than what other people tell you.
The relationship between self talk and performance has been studied for decades. It has been proven over and over that what you say to yourself absolutely impacts your performance.
Adding positive, motivational or inspirational words or quotes to your weekly planner printable page is a great way to boost performance and feel good about yourself.
Here’s how:
· Find inspirational words or a phrase to use as a background. You can find inspiration online—I like Pinterest, Etsy, and Google Images for finding great phrases—or you can write your own using your favorite font and color scheme. Remember, this is personal! So choose something that means something to you and makes you feel good when you see it daily.
One of the best things about going with weekly planner printable pages is you can change your mind and customize throughout the year. If a word or phrase no longer appeals to you, change it up. Pick a new one. This is one of the best things about doing the weekly planner printable route!
Choose A Page Template That's Easy To read
There are thousands of fonts, colors and free page templates out there. Almost too many to choose from.
The best advice to use the 3 second rule. If you are looking at something and it does not immediately appeal to you, there is a reason. The type is too small, the font seems off, the color unappealing. Don’t overanalyze why. Just move on. Like clothes, you will never like something more than you do in a dressing room. Make sure you like a template before you start investing time to make it your own.
If you’re like me and have difficulty reading small text, I suggest choosing a larger font with bold lettering. This will make it easier for you to focus on your tasks instead of trying too hard to read your weekly planner printable pages. No matter how efficient your template is, if you struggle to use it, you will eventually stop trying.
Starting from scratch can be overwhelming. Buying an inexpensive template on a site like Etsy can help. Not only are you supporting a small business, you are giving yourself a great shortcut to a preestablished template. You can spend your time tweaking a design to be yours instead of struggling to figure out what you don’t know yet.
Layout Essentials
Because planners are so personal there will never be just one set up “must have” elements. But with 99% certainty I can say that these layout elements will appear in almost all good planner layouts:
· Create a table of contents. It’s easy to get lost without some kind of index that tells you where your sections are located.
· Headers. When looking at pages, a bold header allows you to quickly know what you are looking at.
· Boxes that are large enough to accommodate the level of detail you need. Nothing is worst than trying to squint at words that run together and try to figure out what you meant. If you need details, give yourself room on the page. Extra space is great for impromptu doodling, stickers or other creative touches so don’t feel like you are wasting space. Give yourself the room you need to organize and enjoy the planning process.
Name Your Plan
To make your weekly planner printable pages look more polished and professional, include a header on all the pages that contain the name of your plan. This will be helpful when you’re looking back at past weeks to see where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished.
I have looked at planners from years past. It’s a great way to remember life events, not just meet commitments. Life is absolutely a journey. Make room to enjoy that journey.
Making Your Printable Planner Work Harder Than You Do
Planners do more than keep you organized. They can help you track your activities too.
The easiest tool is probably Microsoft Word. The same tool that lets you get your work done, can help you stay organized at work and play.
Again, if it is too overwhelming to create a template from scratch in Microsoft Word, it is not cheating to buy a template and make it your own.
If you’re looking for a way to stay organized and connected, making a printable planner is the best choice. It’s easy enough to do, and if you have an idea in mind, it will be easy to make one that will fit your need and even easier to buy a template from Etsy too.
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