Details of a Daily Plan

There is one question that is universally common among non-planners and newbies. They are want to do, "what do you put in that planner thing, anyway?"

Understand, the motivations for asking are completely different. Non-planners don't understand why you need to write things down. Newbie planners want ideas for what to write down.

The answer, however, is the same. I write down anything that I might forget and that makes my morning (and life) easier.

I made a list of the details that show up in today's daily plan to help plannerds and future plannerds think about what a daily docket could do for them.

What to put in your daily planner?

Approximate Times

I put approximate work times (since I don't have set hours) or times for anything else that is partially flexible in brackets. Workouts sometimes go in brackets. Errands also might go in brackets. Mostly, these things can be done anytime during the day, but are easier to do while the kids are otherwise occupied

TIP: If something is not time sensitive at all, but just must be done today, it goes on my Must Do list.

Not Duplicated Elsewhere

Once I write something on my daily plan, I highlight to cross it out anywhere else that it appears in my planner.

TIP: It is better to have an inconsistent placement of items (e.g., work going on my schedule one day and my must do list on another day) than it is to have a duplicate placement of items. In other words, never have the same thing written in two different places at once!

Totes

I make a section of the daily docket cover things that I will tote out of the house other than my purse.

Details in Notes
Why have all that space in a daily plan if not to write detailed notes to myself? Plus, the notes are separate from the timed events and marked with an * so I can find them easily.

Must Dos

I keep this list short.

Specific Times

Specific appointments go on a schedule. I build the rest of my day - my approximate times - around the specific times.

Timed Tasks

Some tasks go on my schedule, either because they are particularly time consuming (like work) or must be done at a certain time (like cooking dinner after homework).

What to Wear

This part is only necessary if I don't put out clothes the night before.

Should Dos

This list is generally long, but it is the most important. I only do it if I find extra time.

Repeating Tasks

There is no point in skipping the movement of repeating tasks to the daily docket, as I don't want to look at two different pages to make decisions.

Menu

Having a menu saves so much time and money.

If you are thinking of using a planner or simply trying to use your planner in a better, more dedicated and effective way, save this post to go over in detail later. You can pin it to Pinterest or simply share on your Facebook wall. Either way, start planning!

Etcetera.

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