My 2021 Planner - Something Brand New

I'm a fairly modern person, technologically speaking. I schedule my work appointments in Outlook and my personal appointments on Google Calendar. After all, my smartphone goes everywhere. Why not keep my calendar on it?

Because a cell phone calendar is NOT planning. 

(Note that work appointments outside of blocked out work hours go on my personal calendar, as well.)

Planning doesn't absolutely require paper. Gasp. Blasphemy.

But it does require a place to think out your plan - and paper is the simplest place to do that.

I'm a paper planner lady, so I'm lost without paper, but whether you use paper or - like my silly non-paper husband - spreadsheets and lists on your laptop, planning always requires thinking. Paper is simply the tool that I use most often to force myself to think.

Paper planning allows me to think clearly about my goals for the day and week, encourages me to make decisions, and frees up my brain from having to hold on to excess thoughts and information.

So why am I using plastic instead of paper in 2021?

For 2021, I'm using a Rocketbook Fusion because the amount of paper is piling up, but I still need to write it down! By using the Rocketbook, I can back up my planner to the cloud, erase the notebook, and start again every month.

Like my bullet journal planner (which is what I use for work since I need a permanent, confidential copy of that planner), I can customize month-to-month, week-to-week, and day-to-day in my Rocketbook.

All the tips for the Rocketbook that I'll share here also work in any bullet journal. In fact, I ordered an extra dot grid Rocketbook for adding pages to my planner so it functions just like a bullet journal. (I just uncoiled and recoiled with the extra pages.) Most of the tips that work in the Rocketbook ALSO work in more traditional planners, like Filofax and Franklin (Covey, because I am old school), though, because they are really planner tips.

Whatever planner you use, consider a backup plan.

With Rocketbook, I scan into OneNote or email. If you use a paper planner, schedule a moment during your monthly review to snap a few pictures. If you ever lose your planner, regular pictures and backups help.

Add an index to your planner.

Yep, even if you are using traditional planner, having an index means you can quickly find where you took notes at that symposium or the last day your kid had a seizure. The index can be RARELY used, if you want. It's just the place to note the date that the school called because your middle schooler took off his clothes in the principal's office as an attempt to get out of going back to class (true story, middle school, first day of this school year - y'all keep me in your meditations, prayers, and/or human sacrifices) and you took notes for the psychiatrist - or whatever other bad news arrives.

(Sometimes good news arrives? Great for you. Weirdo.)

Number your planner pages.

If you are using weekly and monthly pages, no need to number those. But anywhere you take notes, like in the note section or an extra set of pages, add a tiny page number in the same exact place on each page. It's so useful for your index. If you use dailies, though, and take notes there, just use the date as your page number in the index. (November 17, 2020 can become 111720.)

Finally, ignore the rules of your planner template if they don't work for you.

In the pic above, I'm using a Project Planning Page as an Index. Instead of the weekly spread that comes with the Rocketbook Fusion for planning (which actually functions as my running to-do list), I make my own quick daily pages - scheduled stuff, repeating stuff, tasks, and notes.

Since I just keep going day after day on my dot grid pages, I can make each day really detailed (most days) or barely detailed. I can skip a day of planning if I need to. If it's a schedule heavy day, I can list appointments/tasks by the 1/4 hour. If it's a house cleaning day, my plan might just be a list of areas to straighten up.

If you are still reading, and know me at all, you are probably laughing at the idea that I cleaned the house. I didn't. The maid came yesterday. Ha ha! Worth budgeting, y'all.

By the way, this post is not sponsored by Rocketbook. I don't really blog to sell you things and I really believe you need the planner that works for you. 

(Rocketbook execs, I accept donations, though. See below. :) )

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