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I love beautiful, fancy planners. I could easily spend hours scrolling Pinterest looking at all the amazing ways people set them up. But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t do it myself. Maybe for a couple weeks, a month tops, if I really try hard, I can do it. But inevitably, I *always* get behind and then quit. See… ain’t nobody got time for that. (Well, obviously some people do, but let’s assume they’re magically gifted by the planner fairies and move on.)

A few months ago, I finally accepted that I’m simply not dedicated enough to my planner right now to make it a useful tool. I need something quick and dirty; something the kids can come scribble on without dire consequences.

And so, I created the most simplified printable ever.

I present to you, the one page wonder.

Ok, technically when you download this, you’ll get more than one page (we will get into that momentarily). But two to three page wonder doesn’t sound as good. If you want to print yours out and follow along, just fill out this form and you’ll get it right in your inbox. I’ll wait right here.

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Welcome Back!

Ok, now that you have a hot copy of your planning sheets in hand, let’s start filling them out!

Step 1

The first thing I like to do is a massive brain dump. I actually like doing a big brain dump every week, but that’s another post for another time.

In your planning download you’ll see a brain dump sheet divided into three “goals.” I call them goals because it makes sense in my brain, but really they’re more like categories. I limit it to three because I’ve found that I get totally overwhelmed if I do more.

My categories are this blog, my fiction books, and my editing client work. Pretty soon I’m going to have to swap one out for homeschooling…

Set a timer for five to ten minutes and write down everything you need and want to accomplish this month for each goal.

If you run out of room, consider cutting down your list. Or at least check back at the end of the month to see if you really accomplished everything you hoped.

Step 2

Take out your Monthly Planner sheet. Write the month at the top and the dates for each week along the side. I also like to mark any significant days down. In the example, we have Day Light Savings Time (*sob*) and Easter.

In the download, you also have an alternative version of this with space at the top to list your three goals. I like using it when there’s something big in the pipeline (like a publish date for a book) to keep me really focused through the month. If it’s just business as usual, though, I prefer just the calendar area.

Step 3

Now transfer tasks to the week you want (or need) to do them. If there’s a specific day something needs to happen, I like to put a little asterisk under that day’s column. That said, overall, I function much better with weekly goals/tasks than trying to plan everything out to the day.

Bonus Step

Tweak your planning sheet as you learn more about how your planning brain works.

Tips for Using Planning Sheets Instead of Planners

1. Don’t be afraid to be messy. You might have to break up with Pinterest for a week or two, but you’ll be ok.
2. Colors are fun. I use different colors for different…things…but I need to be able to erase. (Sincere apologies to my 6th grade teacher who made us write in pen.) AND SO, I found these bad boys! Erasable pens! They are amazing!! Here are some extra exclamation points for you!!!!

3. If you are a hoarder…I mean if you like to save things like I do, throw last month’s planning sheet in a three-ring binder. If you’re also a nerd, like me, you can use one of these totally awesome throwback zipper trapper keeper things.

4. Sit back and enjoy your simplified planning method!

Another Chance to Download Your Planning Pages

Free Planning Sheets

Forget fancy planners. Get your free weekly and monthly planning sheet printables right in your inbox!

Send me my planning sheets!

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with ConvertKit