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Planning Mechanics | One Book July 2022

Planning Mechanics | One Book July 2022

I know I go on and on about having a planning system that works with your brain. The planning mechanics are the subsystems and parts that make a planning system work.

— A place for everything, and everything in its place.

— Be creative with your page real estate.

— Sticky Notes!

— Incorporate printables! This applies to all planners, including bound books. Don’t hesitate to glue in or tip-in a printable ( ). We are incredibly lucky to have access to a wealth of printable inserts. Don’t skip using them just because you’re in a bound book! If it works for your brain, throw it in there! If it saves space (hello to my A6 and smaller planner people!), throw it in there! I use yearly foldouts for my husband’s game schedule for work; finances; large, multi-part, long-term projects (home improvements, specifically); and project index. It makes way more sense for me to keep all of that info on a one-page foldout for each item rather than using three or four spreads in my pocket Moleskine otherwise. That also allows for one spread to be dedicated to that “topic,” so the pages of the bound book that surround that tip-in can hold sticky notes or permanent notes that belong there as well… all of the pertinent information in one spread. Also, gluing in monthly calendars instead of having to draw them in every month guarantees that I’ll stay in a book longer… by about the third month of drawing in monthlies, I’m way over it.

— Pre-decorate for dailies, notes at the end of those pages. I am genuinely shocked that having different “page types” interspersed with each other doesn’t bother me; a few years ago, it would’ve bothered me to no end. I know that this is the best use of space in this small, bound format, and I know this setup and size are what I need right now, so having dailies/notes/journaling all interspersed isn’t bothering me at all.

— Quick curation: do I need this long-term (more than a month)? If not (a short/term, small project), I use a sticky note in the Project section or a page or two in the Daily notebook. If yes, at least a sticky note in the monthly or projects, or a spread or two in the Projects section. If not sure, then sticky note on the Weekly until I decide. Quick curating comes with being familiar with and comfortable in your system. I don’t want to think about where I should put something. I don’t want to think about where I might find a specific something when I need it. If I have to put too much thought into either placement or retrieval, I’ll constantly think about that instead of leaving that mental energy open for more important things. I don’t want to spend mental energy thinking about the mechanics. I need the mechanics to just work.

— Abbreviate when necessary, don’t worry about taking up space when I need it. I need space for school notes (formulas I need to memorize, steps involved in solving certain types of problems)… the stuff I need to commit to memory so well that little to no effort goes into retrieving it from my brain when I need it. This goes into curation. And sticky notes. If I’m not sure, sticky note on the Weekly. I can always dedicate a page or spread to it in a day or two if necessary.

— Section Linking! Information flows from one section to the next and back again. Projects and all of their steps go in the Projects section. Projects get listed on the Weekly (just the “title”, no specific steps), specific tasks for that project go on Dailies. There, I’ve linked three separate sections of my planner. This ties in to using page real estate (and time) wisely. I don’t need to list every step for a project on my Weekly because those steps are already listed in the Projects section. I just need the Project title/name on the Weekly so I remember to make some headway on it. When I’m setting up my day the night before, I look at my Weekly, see that project name listed, flip to it in my Project section, and add any tasks I want to finish from that project just in the next day. This also keeps my mental clutter at a minimum; I put my mental energy and time into the project steps that are on the Daily. The rest is in the Project section; I don’t have to worry about forgetting it or losing it.

— Timed things. A timeline, a list, what does your brain like? What looks the least distracting or confusing? I struggle with things that happen at :15, :20, and :45 because I have a lot of them and they don’t fit nicely into regular timeline inserts (usually). So I did what my brain defaults to anyway right now: a list.

— Yearlies act like a filter, (monthly) info I want to see without the noise of the other things in the same calendar.

LINKS

Tons of free printables and great information at Philofaxy

— Beautiful, free printables from NeverPaperLand

— If you’d like to see the full set-up of this planner, it’s .

January to June 2022 Planner Flip

January to June 2022 Planner Flip

I’ve finally stayed in one planner, and been able to make time, to record a six-month planner flip! I thoroughly enjoy watching planner flips because I always learn something, regardless of what kind of planner the person is using.

And here are all of the links to everything mentioned!

(Carie Harling is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

Cover —

Moleskine Pocket Softcover Ruled Notebooks: https://amzn.to/3wuifD5

Monthly Cover Freebies — PaperTessDesigns on IG (link in her bio): https://bit.ly/PTD-IG-bio

Free Coffee Sticky Notes set — minimal.kylie on Instagram

Summer Dawn Printable — LionsHeartCreations on Etsy

SouthernBellePlans Laminated Bookmark

PeanutsPlannerCo

Month on 2 Pages — Small Weekends v2 — Marsia Bramucci on Etsy:

Deco Stickers and Washi — PaperMintyStudio

Transparent Dots — Lets Make It Sparkle

Dusty Florals Printables — LionsHeartCreations on Etsy

PeanutsPlannerCo

Tiny Circle Icons — RandiDotPlans on Etsy

Poetry by Vean Ima — @vean_ima on Instagram

Summer Nights Printable — LionsHeartCreations on Etsy

Journaling Cards and Prompts — JournalingHome on Etsy

Planner Needs | One Book July 2022

Planner Needs | One Book July 2022

Figuring out my planner needs was fundamental in building my system.

My main, absolutely necessary need is the Seamless Flow of Information, both into and out of my planner and within the planner itself, amongst the sections. I don’t want to have to think about where to put incoming information, and I shouldn’t have to think about where to retrieve information when I need it.

I also need:
— Quick capture of information: Reminders, the Drafts app, and Fantastical

— A “Filtered” Yearly (finances and travel schedule)

— Monthly (full year): out of the ordinary schedule things, game schedule, due dates, monthly task list, quarterly goals (not in a separate space or I forget about them), memory keeping

— Weekly (full year is not a need but I like it): daily schedule for each person whose schedule I’m responsible for, day-specific tasks, due dates, weekly task list (which includes project tasks)

— Daily: daily schedule broken down by drop off and pickup times, day/specific tasks, notes about what I did that day, journaling, blank space for whatever I need at a moment’s notice

— Projects: set up by their particular needs, currently active projects on sticky notes in the current monthly section

— Tabs: quick access to information

— Sticky notes: moving information easily, quick notes, printable sticky notes for specific needs

— Portability: I use my planner more when it’s always with me. The more I use it, the better the system becomes.

— Options: Right now, my brain craves the ease in turning to a blank space and using it for whatever I need. My current setup accommodates that need in my Daily book.

— Pockets: to keep spare sticky notes, my ruler, stickers, keepsakes

Wants:

— Pretty things: some tasks just aren’t fun to see written in your planner because you’re dreading doing them. At least having a pretty space to do them in makes them a little more tolerable.

— Photos: make my planner uniquely mine

— These aesthetic things make my planner enjoyable. I take a few minutes every morning just to flip through my planner and simply enjoy it. I made a reel about it here: https://bit.ly/FirstFourMinutes

— A cover that feels good: I want to enjoy the material from which it is made, the weight of it, the size of it in my hand.

You can find your own planner needs in any number of ways, and I’m sure there are more than I’ll offer here.

You can start with a blank book and only add the things you have decided you absolutely need. Then, as time, progresses, you can add or remove things as needed.

Starting with a predesigned system can also be a great place to start. Something from Franklin Covey, Filofax, or Day Designer is all set up and ready to use. Then you can add and remove things as you need.

Free printables are also a great way to jump start building your system. Philofaxy and Peanuts Planner Co offer great free printables if you’d like to start there.

One Book July 2022 | Introduction

One Book July 2022 | Introduction

It’s time! It’s time! It’s time again for One Book July! This year we are doing a free-for-all, and I am focusing on building a planning system. I originally wanted to talk about all different kinds of planning systems, but the more I thought about it, I didn’t feel educated enough to talk about the plethora of systems out there. And, let’s face it… every system I’ve ever used always defaults to my core, fundamental system anyway! It makes more sense for me to talk about the system I know best — my own! So let’s spend the month talking about planning system and planning mechanics. What is the main framework that holds it all together (the system)? What are the mechanics of that system (how all of the disparate parts work together)? If One Book July is your time to simplify, go back to basics, and see what exactly you need in a planner (essentially, building a system from scratch), then let’s dig in!

One Book July Channel
Vicky
Mimi
MegJournals on Instagram (Follow Meg for #junkjournaljuly )

January & February 2022 Planner Flip

January & February 2022 Planner Flip

January & February 2022 Planner Flip

JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2022 PLANNER FLIP

(Carie Harling is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

Personal Moterm (Taupe)

Month on 2 Pages – PaperTessDesigns

Horizontal Monthly MO1P Grid (Insert 139)

All stickers & wash tape – PaperMintyStudio on Etsy

Task Manager Set – PaperTessDesigns

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