When I first started using a planner I did the whole copycat thing and tried to do what everyone else was doing but it didn’t work. I felt even more overwhelmed and spinning circles until I finally took a step back and figured out how to fit a personality to the perfect planner.

Filling a planner with too much content, colors, shapes, stickers and washi tape may make your brain feel overwhelmed. Keeping the planner visually simple is calming and picking out the best planner layout for your personality can make all the difference in the world for success!

I learned how to use one planner that fit me and my personality when I was working full-time, managing our business, a full-time student, managing a life with medical needs, volunteering in our community, and starting an online business.

What works for me might not work for you. This article will cover a few things to take into consideration when picking out your planner and picking out your planning method so you actually stick to it this time because your overwhelm is reduced instead of increased. 

Why do planners feel overwhelming?

A planner can be very visually stimulating. All of the colors, lettering, drawings, washi tape, stickers, lines, and dots on top of an already busy planner layout is very stimulating visually and for some this wells up anxiety and the feeling of so much going on they end up getting overwhelmed. If this sounds like you keep reading. 

Sometimes this is mistaken for the anxiousness coming from a mountain of things to do and a busy schedule. In reality, if the pages were less stimulating and clarity was on each page through minimalism, a sense of control and desire to take action may be experienced.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people enjoy visual stimulation and feel they desire to take action with energy more so. 

How to pick out the right layout for my planner?

There are a few things to take into consideration when picking out your planner. 

• Do you meal prep or plan meals ahead?
• Are you tracking symptoms or medications?
• Do you need your week to hour or 30 minute time slots?
• Are you tracking your budget?
• Are you tracking paying off debt?
• Do you prefer open space to write in or do you prefer lines to write on?
• Are you tracking health and fitness too?
• Do you want sheets to break down your goals?
• Do you want End of Month assessments for any trackers?

We could keep going but you get the point.

Yes, it would be great to fit all the things listed into your planner but let’s be honest, that would be really overwhelming and make the planner so thick you probably could only get 6 months max out of it. Which is fine if you’re into that and it totally helps you to have a literal’ On-the-Go Command Center’.

Most people would find this much to keep up with in one place to be daunting and can actually process the same amount of information better when broken up into 2 pieces. 

Simple is always best. You can always add lines, dots, colors, stickers and notes to a very simple layout. You can’t take the graphics off a printed planner though so keep that in mind.

Which kind of planner is right for me?

This answer will vary for each individual, same as setting up your planner and the layout. There are 3 ring binders, 6 hole hardcovers, 6 hole binders, stitch back, spiral, wire o hard or soft back, and disc bound, just to name a few.

Those that can be easily moved around, added to, or sheets changed are the binder styles and disc bound.

The covers and such can be changed with Spiral but it can be a pain for some people. Definitely use binder clips to hold all of the papers in place together while you do this, otherwise getting it all back together can be time consuming.

Binders and disc-bound are great because you can purchase or create your own printables to customize your own planner anytime you want and the covers can be changed easily as well.

Also, take into consideration how rough you are on your planner. A mom of three children in sports will handle her planner differently than a secretary that uses hers just at work. The more active of a lifestyle you live (or if you’re known to toss notebooks in the backseat of the car and they slide off into the floorboard like me lol) the more I suggest a hardcover with a sturdy bound combination. 

How to set up your planner without getting overwhelmed?

Understanding the type of stimulation you get visually when looking at planners will help you navigate how to set up your own planner and what layout feels best.

For me, if I utilize all the stickers, colors, washi tape, doodles, etc. I associate the graphically busy pages with my schedule so I begin feeling overwhelmed with so much to do, sort through, and remember. 

Whereas, I color code, have simple shapes, and block off time. This visual appearance for me is more structured like a workflow with a little bit of creativity. This makes me feel more in balance, control, and happy.

A girlfriend of mine uses all the stickers, washi tape, does some lettering, and doodles. When I look at her week or month glance my eyes immediately start dancing over the page trying to figure out what it all means, what is important and what’s just decoration.

When she looks at my planner she feels bored, lacks motivation, and overwhelmed with too much structure to be able to have fun doing all the things. (which is actually really strange because I’m the more creative one and she’s the more structured one in the relationship but we prefer our planners reversed. who knew?)

Reducing the Overwhelm of Planning and Using Your Planner Consistently

1. Don’t try to fill in the entire planner at one sitting. Start with just the month overview by filling in birthdays, appointments, field trips, etc. on the month view. Then go to this week and fill those items and any other non-negotiables (like classes, sports practice, etc.) in under the designated time. Now, add in a couple things you want to include, such as what meal you’ll cook each day or what 1-3 priorities there are each day to work towards.

2. Becoming consistent is the best way to reduce overwhelm. When it becomes a muscle memory to sit down on the same day every week to fill in that week’s schedule in your own system, it will feel refreshing instead of daunting.

3. Start with a brain dump on a separate paper, whiteboard,etc. Then, categorize or group items that go together. Finally, rearrange the groups by priority. Then you can write in the group name as a goal for the week and use the items in the group as your 1-3 daily priorities you write in. Bam, you just broke your big goal down into bite size chunks! Try to focus on one goal a week if possible to reduce overwhelm as well.

4. Use colors or shapes that fit you. If the word “DUE” written in red gives you feelings of anxiety, write it in another color. Choose your own colors that compliment you and your personality. High priority could be green, blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, or whatever color you want it to be. I personally love using green as high priority, it’s almost like giving my brain permission to GO after this due date by taking action sooner than later instead of focusing on the feeling of warning from the impending RED due date. But that’s just me.

5. Try different ways of setting up your planner for a few weeks to find what you like. But start with simple. Add in the necessary, color code and time block if you like but wait to add the washi tape, lettering, doodles and stickers for at least a week or two while you create the habit of planning and how you like to create your own system. 

Then, if you feel you want to try to decorate it up a bit, start slow. Don’t fill it all up at once.

It might be fine during planning but what about on Thursday when nothing is going right, the refrigerator has gone out and a last minute meeting was called? Trying to quickly look at your planner to fit things in when you’re rushed and stressed may bring up more feelings of overwhelm if your planner is too visually stimulating.