What Is Your Planning Style: Let’s Find Out
Let me start by saying that I have tried essentially every style of planning. And while there are pros and cons to each style, my planning style is something that has evolved over time.
What I think is the best part about planning, is that you can create and find your own planning style.
This means you can create your planner to be whatever you want, need, or desire!
There are so many different planners out there that it can be hard to know where to start. (not to mention with all of the planner accessories, how can you know what to buy)
Hopefully this guide will help you figure out your planning style, and find the perfect planner for your newly found style!
Functional Planning
I thought we would start simple with a style of planning that is very self explanatory, functional planning.
This is exactly what it sounds like, planning out your days, weeks, and months in a way that is simple and to the point.
For some people they prefer a functional planning style because they find the stickers and washi tape too distracting.
For some people they prefer a functional planning style because they find the stickers and washi tape too distracting. Others may prefer having this type of planner as one they carry around with them each day and have an additional planner that you can use later on.
I found this style particularly useful when I was an undergrad student. There simply was no time to sit down and decorate a planner –
I was lucky if I kept to my color code for my different classes!
Now a day I like to have a functional planner with me at my desk so I can scribble down any important notes or future events I have coming up. The simplicity is definitely something I need inmy life sometimes!
To Do Lists
My next style is the extremely simple to-do list. You can use this style in many different ways, but for me this is what I use on the go.
Whether I am creating grocery lists or a task list that is time sensitive for the day, having a to do list can be quick and fast to use.
This style may be all you need, or you could be like me and require many different planners for different aspects of your life.
I created some weekly printable templates that allowed me to jot down quick notes in my on the go planner!
This is a great option to add in conjunction with other planning styles.
You can even purchase a bullet journal or travelers notebook that can be your on the go planner that is solely made up of lists!
Bullet Journal
A more creative outlet than a simple to do list is a Bullet Journal. All this is, is a notebook that combines the art of doodling with productive to do lists.
What’s so great about this style is it literally can be made to whatever you want it to be.
Do you want to design a weekly spread where you can list out all your meals? Do it.
What about dedicating one page to each day of the week so you can have a brain dump whenever you need it? Make it.
Have a few hours to spare and just awant to create something over the top and get lost for a couple of hours in your art? Go ahead.
Your bullet journal can literally be whatever you want and it can change with each turn the your page!
Don’t worry, there are many more posts to come about this topic. I have started and stopped approximately 24 bullet journals… So I have some cool tips and tricks that I promise I’ll get around to posting!
Memory Planning
Have you ever heard people talk about their planner as their scrapbook? That is essentially what memory planning is in a nutshell.
Here’s a look into my memory planner from a few years ago!
It’s also an example of how you can memory plan monthly spreads too, not just daily!
You know I had to have a Harry Potter sticker kit for my birthday month!
I always liked having one planner that I kept up with on a daily basis and then a second planner that served as my memory planner. Between stickers and alternating layouts, my memory planner is one my favorite things to look through!
This is a sneak peek into my memory planning process:
- Sit down with my planner from the previous week and pick out the most important things I want to highlight in my memory planner
- Gather a sticker kit or print out pictures that I will want to include in my planner spread
- Put on Netflix in the background and spend a few hours just creating a memory spread that I can look back on for years to come.
Memory planning is essentially an after the fact kind of thing. It doesn’t really help to keep you organized during your week, but it can add a creative outlet that your other planner style was lacking.
Sticker Planning
Okay so myself and my wallet fell victim to this kind of planning style for a good few years – but looking back it is some of my favorite planners to look back on.
For me, this turned my ordinary planner almost into a scrapbook and allowed for me to be creative in my daily planning.
I grew up scrapbooking, so this is like a simplified version of scrapbooking where I spend anywhere from half an hour to an hour sitting down at my desk and planning out my days with stickers.
The sticker planning style is essentially spicing up your planner with stickers. Seems simple enough right? Well you couldn’t be more wrong! Sites like Etsy have become a platform where sticker shop owners can create and sell stickers for almost any type of planner!
Like I previously mentioned there are a lot of sticker companies out there that provide stickers and sticker kits for different styles of planners, so you are going to want to make sure you are buying the right planner for your stickers if you are intending on using sticker kits.
Make sure to check out my review on some of the best planner sticker shops for beginners!
Am I going too fast? Let me break down some of the different styles of sticker planning for those who might not understand what I mean:
- Sticker Kits: These are a set of stickers that are sold in a bundle to make planning your week in your planner look cohesive. Typically there will be a mixture of checklist stickers, decor or full box stickers, and additional stickers you can use for decoration as well as functionality.
- No White Space Planning: This takes the sticker kits a bit further. Rather than having white space throughout your weekly spread, no white space sticker planning is when you use stickers to completely cover up all the white space in your planner.
- White Space Planning: On the other hand is white space planning. This is where, you guessed it, you use less stickers to create a more open and flowing weekly spread. To create a spread like this you can use one weekly sticker kit for two weeks to make your purchase spread further. You can also purchase sticker books from Hobby Lobby.
- Functional Stickers: Some shops are known for selling cure function stickers to use in lieu of an actual sticker kit. Perhaps it’s an icon to show you did the laundry or a work sticker that logged your meetings. This is a great way to start to use stickers in your weekly planner spreads!
The thing about planning is you do what you want.
For me, my style would change throughout the weeks. And even though I’m in one style of planner now, that could be a different story this time next month.
As you can tell by the pictures, I have tried out every single planning style at one point or another. I’ve picked up one planner just to start using a different system two months later.
That’s the reason I love planning so much. There is no one right way to do it. What’s better is you can keep trying new things until you get it right. What may work for one point of your life might not work for another. You may not financially be able to afford accessories and planners and that’s okay too! Simply stick to a plain dollar store notebook (sneak peek for an upcoming post).
The point is, planning styles will change and fluctuate with you life. Planning is supposed to add simplicity into your already hectic lifestyles, so just try something out. You might find your new obsession!
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