As we mentioned in our previous post, we are thrilled that you have chosen Day Designer to plan your upcoming academic year!
Our mission is to help you live more productively and joyfully in the coming year. We want to enable you to manage your time better and make each day truly count. Your first step is to set up your Flagship Planner! Head over to Part One of this series to get started and then return here.
By now, you’ve likely completed (or at least reviewed) the goal-setting worksheets in the front of your planner.
Today, we’re walking you through a few more steps to take in setting up your planner for the coming year!
1. Gather Schedules
It’s time to gather any plans you’ve already made for the coming year as well as any schedules that have been provided to you from work, school, etc.
Think through everything you’re juggling and get the dates in front of you. Don’t forget:
• Holidays and birthdays
• Trips and vacations
• Health and fitness
• Appointments: Doctor, dentist, specialist, hair, etc.
• Social events and church events
• Membership schedules: Clubs, groups, subscriptions, etc.
• Nonprofit events and volunteer schedules
• School schedule (yours or your kids’) and events
• Sports schedules and other after-school activities
• Work schedule
• Spouse or partner’s schedule
• Dates related to finances, bills, and auto-payments
• Timelines related to your goals!
2. Record Everything
Yay! It’s time to fill it all in – you have arrived at the most exciting part of the setting up a brand new planner!
Get those events, birthdays, holidays, and important dates onto paper and see how it all lays out. Incorporate your lists, tasks, and notes where needed!
This step of the process will help you start to visualize your upcoming days, weeks, and months.
3. Don’t Overschedule!
The final step of setting up your planner is the following important reminder: Leave a little bit of white space for magic to happen!
In other words, avoid overscheduling as this is one of the root causes of feeling overwhelmed. Remember to align your plans with your priorities and goals. Remind yourself of how to say no.
And be patient. Goals take time to achieve. Your small steps, as outlined on these pages and accumulated over time, will turn into big leaps!
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Finally, admire your work and notice your clear mind! We can’t wait for you to see the difference in focus and productivity, allowing more time for what’s most important to you. Don’t have a planner yet? View our Flagship Collection here.
Stay tuned for our next post: How to Make The Most of Your Day Designer!