We love using a monthly planner because it gives an entire overview of everything you need to do- from appointments, to projects, self-care, errands and everything else in between.
It gives a macro-level view, which is basically a fancy way of saying it gives you the “bigger picture”, as opposed to a detailed daily or weekly overview.
Here are 7 ways you can use your It’s Pretty Productive Monthly Planner to help you to stay organized.
1. Financial Planner
Track payments or when your electricity, phone and other utility bills or instalments for other larger purchases are due. This is great way to keep on top of your finances so that you never miss a bill or payment- or our favourite day, payday!
PS: our Beautifully Organized Life Folder is perfect for storing bills and keeping a paper trail!
2. Student Planner
This is ideal for seeing all of your major deadlines for your assignments, projects and exams. It can be used for preparing your timetables and class schedules so that you will always know what’s coming up in the month. This will help you feel less overwhelmed because you’ll always be seeing everything you need to do.
Looking for a pen? Our Create Your Dream Life pen has the silkiest ink you’ll ever write with.
3. Appointment Tracker
A monthly planner is a must for service-based businesses like nail and lash techs and even bakers. This is super useful because you can see all the orders and appointments you have for the month so that you don’t overbook yourself. For example, if you’re a baker, you will be able to see which cakes and other desserts are due and track your delivery/ pickup schedule. It is so important for business owners to be on top of their orders so as to not overbook or overwork themselves.
4. Project Planner
This is our CEO’s favourite way to use her monthly planner. She has used it to plan many of her pop-up shops and PR events. It allows you to break things down into smaller, more manageable chunks so that you won’t feel overwhelmed. Use your planner to plan deadlines for every aspect of any project you take on- for example home renovations. Start with your end date and work your way backwards, filling in materials to be bought, dates smaller projects to be be completed, and payments to be made to the contractor.
5. Social Media Planner
Using your monthly planner for social media is especially useful if you are a blogger or small business owner and you want to grow your brand. Utilize your planner to write notes on the content you want to post and create so that you have a clear overview of what you are putting onto your page and what you are working on for the month.
PRETTY TIP: if you’re a content creator or run your own business, try planning 30 days of content using your monthly planner! Every day you can write in a post idea or caption idea so you can be consistent on your social platforms! Take one day (we like Sunday!) to plan your posts so that you can stay on top of your schedule. Consistency is the key to growing a brand and planning is the best way to ensure that you stay on top of things.
6. Personal Planner
Perfect for beginners who are new to the planner world and have no idea where to start. Some things to add to your planner include your personal appointments e.g. dentist or doctor, beauty appointments, chores, meal prep and workouts. This is an excellent way to ease yourself into planning if you’re now starting off.
7. Memory Keeper
We love sentimental details. Use your planner as a gratitude journal, personal journal or even a pregnancy and baby log, so you can reminisce on the details years after. For instance, as a gratitude journal, you can write a little note every day of something that you’re grateful for. By the end of the year, you will have 365 littles notes. Of course, this technique can be used for any aspect of your life that you want to remember. You can even go a step further and add little embellishments such as stickers, pictures, ticket stubs, bills and ultrasound images as pieces of memorabilia.
Some other tips we love:
- Colour Coding: Using colourful dots and highlighters can make the planning process more fun because certain colours can be assigned to different categories of your life e.g. pink for work-related tasks, green for workouts and purple for social media.
- Add Stickers: We have so many stickers available that are perfect for adding a little extra life to your planner. Use them in your monthly planner to add a pop of colour. You can even use washi tape or journal cards to spruce up your planner as well.
