When you have not used your planner in days
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When You Have Not Used your Planner in Days
Hello, my friends, I hope you're doing well. What do you do when you haven't opened your planner in days? Has that ever happened to you where you went days and days and just didn't even touch your planner? Well in this video, I'm going to give you some tips on when you haven't used your planner in days.
If you're new here hello, my name is Tonya and I do videos on functional and practical planning. If being organized and productive is something that interests you, please be sure to hit the like and subscribe button. So, in this video, I'm going to give five tips on when you have not opened your planner in days.
TIP 1
So, tip number one for when you haven't opened your planner in days is to reevaluate the planner you have. Maybe the planner you have isn't working for you, doesn’t inspire you to want to actually use it, for example, maybe you got a format that doesn't agree with your lifestyle. I'm going to give you an example of that. Previously, I was using a planner like this, it was a day on two pages. So, this is one day. And for this one day, there are two pages. There's a place for a task list, for an appointment schedule, a daily tracker and then you have a whole page for notes. I've started to become uninspired to use it because I felt like I was wasting paper.
Not every day I had enough notes to put on my daily planner pages. So, I decided to change the planner format. And now that I feel I have a better planner format, it helped inspire me to actually use my planner. So, the planner format that I use right now is the day on one page. So, you have a whole day here and a whole day here. And for notes. I just have this section at the bottom here to put notes in. There's plenty of space right now for me. If I want from time to time, I can switch back between the two formats since I have both of the planners but for now and in this stage of my life. I don't need as much room for notes. There may come a time when I switch back to that. So, having the right planner format can help inspire you to actually use your planner.
By the way do you like my planner, this is the new Victoria Planner sold at Tonyaplans.com. So let me show it to you really quick if you have never seen it before, the Victoria Planner has intricate detailed stitching throughout the planner. This is the spy and this is the back end as a beautiful flower and leaf pattern. And this binder has the turn lock closure and it not only comes in the paint color it also comes in the black color. And this is the classic size. It has seven rings so it fits Franklin Planner inserts but it's sold at Tonyaplans.com and you can save money with discount promo code TONYAPLANS10. This binder also comes in a smaller compact size and both the pink and black color.
All of the binders come with a lot of extras such as a chain that you can use that's completely optional for a limited time. So, if you want the chain, I would encourage you to get the binder sooner than later. It includes a clear page lift with oblong holes that start that will help your planner pages stay straight so that you can write on your planner pages easily. The binders also come with a matching page leaf with a third pen loop with card slots on the back. And they also come with rim protectors. You can put these ring protectors in your binder, if you like, which is completely optional, but it protects your binder from getting a ring in debt. But all of those things I just mentioned are included.
So, in this binder, there's a pocket here on the inner cover that goes all the way down. There's a zipper here with a gusseted pocket that expands out, has a beautiful pink line and, on the inside, there is a place for documents card slots, here's a see-through card slot holder and in the back, there are two pockets.
So, let's get back to the subject at hand.
TIP 2
So, tip number two is even if you don't feel like using your planner, keep your planner accessible and keep it near you. If your planner is out in the car and you're inside the house. There's no way you're going to use your planner because it's nowhere near you. Having it with you most of the time will encourage you to open it and use it. Even when I go into my bedroom at night. I always have my planner with me. I put it in my tote bag. It is great to have it near me because if a thought pops into my head, which is normally at night and first thing in the morning, it's right there so I can just grab it and write that thought down in my planner. But having your planner just simply near you is half the battle of making sure that you actually use it.
TIP 3
Tip number three is to renew your interest in planning. For me I renew my interest in planning by watching videos like this one. I enjoy seeing other people's planners, I enjoy people's pictures of planners, so on Instagram, on Facebook, and even here on YouTube. I like to watch YouTube videos on planning. I find it interesting and it makes me actually want to use my own planner when I see other people using theirs. You can also renew your interest in planning by buying an accessory. Maybe it's time for a new binder. You can get something like some washi tape, some stickers, maybe some new forms or you can renew your interest by reorganizing your binder. Maybe you have some old planter tabs that you no longer use and some sections in your binder that you no longer need. Maybe it's time to just purge all that information and set up your binder a new; that will help renew your interest and planning because then you know everything in your planner is relevant to your life today.
TIP 4
Tip number four for when you haven't opened your planner and days is to remember the reason why you got a planner in the first place. The reason you got it was probably to be more organized. Maybe you wanted a place where you can write down your thoughts with pen and paper. I know for me; my planner is my quiet oasis where I can write down my thoughts and get myself together. It's a place where you can put all your to-do's lists, and it is distraction free. When you use your planner, there are no notifications, no pop ups and bells and whistles that are going off while you're trying to get your thoughts together. That's the beauty of writing on paper is distraction free. It is the reason I wanted to do paper planning in the first place. Maybe there are some things you need to focus on health wise that a planner can help you with. So, when you haven’t opened your planner and days, think about all those reasons why you got a planner.
TIP 5
Tip number five for when you haven't opened your planner and days is to remember that a planner can even be used on a go. I think some people think about when they use a planner, it should be at a desk, it should be quiet. And they're sitting there and they had their pen and everything is just so neat and organized. No even on go, even when you're sitting in a car hopefully when the car is still but even when you're on the go sitting in a car, you can quickly open your planner, go to a page and jot something down. A planner can be used on the go for sure. Which is why with the on the go point, I love the option of having a chain with it, because it just makes your planner more portable to go wherever you go. But if you have a planner like this that's ring bound, the great thing about having a semi structured binder like this is semi structure, you can't really bend it, it's a good hard sturdy surface, you can write on your planner pages, even if it's sitting in your lap. That's the great thing about a semi structured binder. So basically, your planner can be used anywhere. So that's something to remind yourself of when you're on the go and thinking that you don't have time to use your planner, it can be taken with you and it can be used almost anywhere.
So, there are several reasons why I think people don't open their planner in days. The number one reason is people just get busy. And they may feel like it's a chore just to go to their planner and open it. And I also think sometimes I don't open my planners because already in my mind, I think I know what I need to do. But in reality, a lot of times I'll open up my planner to a certain page and then realize there's something I need to do that I forgot about. So sometimes I think that's the reason why people don't open their planners.
So, in conclusion, I want to say that I feel your plans are too important to let them fall to the wayside. Time is our greatest asset. It needs to be managed; I think even more closely than we manage our money because our time here is limited. Even if you're retired and you're watching this video and you may think you have a lot of time on your hands. Are you using that time productively, perhaps you've had a great long career and now you're at retirement age or perhaps you had to retire because of health reasons. Okay, now is a great time to use the time you have to be productive. Maybe it's to spend more time with your grandchildren. Maybe it's to do that hobby or project that you've always wanted to do. A planner is a great way to organize your time whether you are a stay-at-home mom, someone who's retired or someone who works every day. And also, lastly when you haven't used your planner it's kind of like wasting money. You spent money on this organizing tool and you're not using it and you certainly don't want to do that.
So, I hope this video was helpful and gave you reasons to think about when you haven't opened your planner and days. Do you have a tip that helps you when you feel like you don't want to use your planner? I would love to hear about it in the comments below. I love talking to you guys in the comments. Please don't forget to like this video. This is Tonya helping you feel more organized so this can be your best year yet.