OK! You've ordered your DIY Planner and want to dive into the world of uber-organizing, but you have NO IDEA where to start?! Sound like you? This was exactly how I felt when I received my first notebook.
All the pages are blank?! What am I supposed to write?! What if I make a mistake?!
Before you begin, these are my TWO "GOLDEN RULES" of DIY Planning:
- You're going to make a mistake, just accept it will happen. You can use a white gel pen, or washi tape to just cover it up. NO BIG DEAL! Worst case: you "mess up" an entire page. Just leave it and turn to the next one. (If it really bugs you, tape the two pages together and you'll never see it again!)
- Try something new - every week, each spread. Do yourself a favor and change it up a little bit. It doesn't have to be a big, dramatic change. You never know if something is going to work for you unless you try it.
Now, that you've accepted the fact you're not perfect and you're willing to try something new each layout, here's my advice for your FIRST STEP in your new planner:
Pencil in what trackers / layouts / swatches you think you might want to use and LET IT SIT FOR A WEEK. In that week, browse Pinterest, Instagram, whatever to see if any other ideas stand out to you. Adjust your pencil outlines as necessary, and that way if you come across something you like, but hadn't thought of, it's super easy to incorporate it into your new planner.
Here's me setting up my next / new planner I'll be using starting October 2017.
I'm lucky because this is my second planner, so I already have a pretty good idea of how I will be using this planner. My previous planner lasted about 8 months, so here is how I plan on breaking down my second planner:
FRONT - Long Term Trackers
- 12 Months-on-a-Page
- Book Log
- Movie Log
- Series Tracker
- Future Log (4 Months to a 2-Page Spread)
NOTE: I do leave several pages blank in between the Series Tracker and the start of my Future Log in case other Long Term Projects appear.
Some other ideas for Long Term Trackers
- Savings Log
- Debt Repayment Log
- Bill Tracker - Whole Year
- Travel Log
MIDDLE (Starting on page 22) - Actual Planning Pages. My monthly spread typically consists of:
- Gratitude Log
- Monthly Calendar / Bill Tracker Spread
- Blog Planning
- Instagram Tracking
- Then a Weekly Layout and Daily Note Spread for each week
Some other Planning Pages to Consider:
- Monthly "Plan With Me" Challenges
- Monthly Doodle Challenges
- Monthly Lettering Challenges
The last few pages of the Planner are perforated so you can write on those and transfer them to your next planner (or secure the with washi tape and leave them in this planner)
END - Swatches / Special Projects
- Swatch - Pens I use in my Planner
- Swatch - Colored Pencils
- Swatch - Brush Pens
- Special Project - Weight Tracking
- Special Project - 100 Lettering Projects to Gift
I use the end of my planner for "Special Projects" I don't necessarily want everyone to see when I'm flipping though the front of my planner 😜 ). As I blog about the other sections, I'll link back to this article so you can easily see what I mean for each point.
Please feel free to share pages / layouts / trackers you use in your planner!! 👇
PRODUCTS USED: (the following contains affiliate links, unless otherwise noted. Affiliate links do not increase an item's cost to you, but does pay me a small commission if you are so kind as to make a purchase based on my recommendations.)
Notebook - Leuchtturm 1917 Hardcover Dot Grid. Comes in LOTS of colors, so browse until you see one you like. This notebook is great because it includes an index, the pages are already numbered and because it's a hard cover, it lays flat when you're writing on it.
Pens - Pentel Touch Sign Pens, Flexible Tip. Make sure you buy the brush / flexible tip, and NOT the felt tip if you intend to use these for brush lettering.