How to Stop Giving Up on Your Daily Planner
It’s easy to pick up a brand new daily planner and start using it, but continuing to use it in the long-term is where the challenge comes in. Here are a couple of tips to help you understand why you keep quitting, how to be motivated to continue using your daily planner and really benefiting from having it.
Pick a Daily Planner You LOVE
If you keep using a planner for a little while, then ditching it, it is probably not the planner for you. A planner that you love and are passionate about is one you want to keep using.
From the look of it on the outside, to how the inside is set up, you need to fall in love with this planner. It is all in the details, the size and look and feel, how many pages you have, whether or not the pages can be customized, and so much more.
When you’re in the habit of quitting with using a daily planner, start researching different types of planners and really take your time picking the right one.
Make Your Planner Fun
In addition to using the right planner, how you use it will also make a big difference. You need to have a reason to keep using it, which involves making it a fun experience. Don’t make it a chore with a boring black and white planner that you don’t enjoy using.
Figure out ways to make this entire experience more enjoyable. Maybe you sneak in some coloring pages so you have activities to do each time a new month starts, or you use color coding, stickers, Washi tape, and embellishments. Maybe you prefer using more of a bullet journal style planner because it gives you more customizable options.
Track Daily Habits or Tasks
You need a reason to use your planner every day, as opposed to just using it monthly for appointments and schedules. To do this, think of some things you want to track or write down every day. Your personal goals will determine what this is, but some ideas are:
- Your water intake
- Quality of sleep
- What you eat
- Fitness routines
- Anxiety or stress triggers
- Mood tracker
- Gratitude or inspirational quotes
- Work tasks you got done
It can really be anything you want, as long as it is something you do every day that will keep you opening up that planner.
Use Your Planner As a Daily Routine
Another great way to encourage regular use of your planner is to add it to your daily routine. It should be something scheduled into your day, whether you use your planner before writing in your journal, have it be part of your mindfulness routine, or write in it in the morning while having your first cup of coffee (or, tea).
