Hey Guys & Gals!
There has always been something about using a planner for goal setting. I seriously wouldn’t know what to do without it.
There is research that suggests that by writing something down you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down regularly.
Even if you aren’t in school anymore, there are so many befits to using a planner or agenda to achieve your goals.
One of my favorite things about the new year is sitting down for a couple of hours and planning what goals I would like to reach for the new year, are you the same? or Do you end up giving up after the first two weeks?
Well with an agenda you are more likely to stick to those goals and making them happen.
There are so many cute and inspiring images out there where you can get inspired to write something and plan out your week. There are people on Instagram that I follow because they have some of the most aesthetically pleasing handwriting and their planners look so nice and neatly.
A few of my personal favorites:
* @Studywithara
* @janicestudies
*@shakesparians
Yours doesn’t have to look like that, but if you can use that as a source of inspiration to help you keep accountable for your goals, then I would say go for it.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM PREVIOUS YEARS:
This year, there are a couple of things that I am going to be doing differently.
Last year, I decided to use three different planners; one for personal and school, the other for habit formation and finances, and the last one for my blog and everything related to my blog.
It didn’t go quite as planned. Although good intentions were there to separate work from personal life, by the end of the first month I ended up giving up on my blog agenda and my finance agenda.
THE PLANNER
There are so many cute planners out there and for various needs. The one that I had last year I loved it because it was affordable and not to judge a book by its cover but it was also really cute because it had a floral print and I loved it.
This year, I’m super excited to have this agenda that is Disney Princess theme. I have used the vertical style agenda before and it’s one of my favorites. It’s great that you can separate your morning, day, and night with three boxes.
I also liked that at the beginning of the month it has a blank space to write anything down and the last year they had a page where
I would write a couple of things from that month that are memorable like a book I was reading, or my favorite song of the month, or even what I was watching and loving and there are so many things to look forward to for that month.
I also really love that the calendar monthly squares are big enough but not too big because I find that a lot of agendas make really small calendars and it makes it hard to write but a single word down.
THE AGENDA LAYOUT
I like that it has a small line and an overview of what 2021 is going to be looking like and it’s a great space to plan out social media content.
If you prefer using something online you can use sites like Trello (I’ll touch bases more about Trello) which I also have used when I want to write down things and plan them out. There are so many good features that this program offers.
Also, I’ve always wanted to try Note taking on an iPad and you can buy from Etsy or creative market a templet for the week and keep using that to write down your weekly goals and they are basically like digital agendas which are environmentally friendly and also great for on the go.
The planner was a bit pricy it was $25.00 at Walmart, but honestly, there are other great planners at places like TJMAX, Marshalls, HomeGoods, etc.
You can always look online or you can create your own with bullet Journaling and what’s nice about bullet journaling is that it’s cheaper and also easily customizable.
COLOR-CODING
By color-coding you don’t need multiple planners, you can use one and know what each one is about just by the color. For Instance, I categorize green for personal finance and budgeting, purple might be my social media, and pink might be my blog, blue, can be healthy and fitness, and so on. Have fun with it.
It also helps to separate the things that you are working on especially if you are only using one agenda and it helps keep track of the various adult responsibilities.
FIND YOUR FAVORITE PEN
Maybe this is more me, but certain pens write so beautifully and the ink flows just right and when writing with that pen is so much fun. It doesn’t have to be an expensive pen although there is a fair share of really nice pens.
My favorite is the Pilot G2 pens. I just bought the microprint pens .05 and because they were pricy I’m going to be using them up but I won’t be repurchasing them.
JOURNALING
I can’t begin to express how much journaling has helped me out in my mental health journey. It’s something that I started implementing more seriously in 2016 – 2017ish when I had hit rock bottom and as I slowly started to pick myself up I noticed how much of a difference it makes.
I found this cool notebook called “The Story of my Life” and it was at Walmart and I think this is great for people who struggle and don’t know what to write about.
It’s very helpful because it has prompts on top and it doesn’t have dates so you aren’t forced to write about a specific topic you can read the prompts and write on the one that sticks out to you the most.
I also have a blank notebook that I like to write when I know what I want to write about and sometimes there is something in my mind that I feel like I have to jot down on paper. Without needing a prompt.
However, if you do struggle with writing then this is a great way to focus on a prompt, but if you don’t struggle with writing then a regular notebook will do. Also, you can always go to Pinterest for topics and prompts.
If you are more of a tech person who likes to have their things sync in together and prefer to be more environmentally friendly there is always the option of writing online on a word doc and keeping these saved there for easy use.
HABIT TRACKING
If you want to find the best agenda for creating healthy habits I would highly suggest (Blue Sky) and the reason for that is that they have beautiful and well-done agendas when it comes to creating habits.
One of my goals this year is to create a healthy habit everything single month I like that it has a tracker for that habit for the month and it has a space for brain dumping, it also has a space to reflect on the goal at the start, middle, and ending of the goal.
It has a monthly reward and since reading the book, Atomic Habits which inspired me to take on this goal of creating healthy habits I found this agenda helpful.
I have two, one from last year that I got on the latter half of the year and I got a new one that they came out this year with is so convenient because it is small and sleek and you can carry it anywhere.
TRELLO
Recently, I have been noticing the increase in use in programs such as these and I can understand why. If you prefer more of a tech approach I would highly recommend that you check out Trello and there are other programs out there like it. I like that it’s like having an agenda for various categories.
From my content calendar to my social media plan, to my weekly calendar and an overview of my week and things that I will be doing, and so on. If you are more of an online and digital agenda person this can also be a great option for you.
I like having both and when I complete something on one I like to add it to the other agenda and it just keeps me motivated and better organized that way.
I’ll keep you guys updated on how it goes. I won’t know till I have done it for a couple of months and then I will know for sure what is or isn’t working the best.
What is a goal that you have for 2021? Did you achieve your 2020 goals? Let me know in the comments. Also, let me know the type of content you guys would like to see about Productivity, Healthy Habit Formation, Routines, Personal Finance, and Studying Tips.
Blessings and Best wishes to you all, Happy New Year, xoxo
