New Year New Agenda
schedules and time management
Hello Friends and Happy New Year! Since we are in the first week of the year, it is a great time to tell you how I manage and keep track of everything going on in my life. I have been using an agenda (an agenda is an appointment diary or a planner) since I was a teenager. I love the feel of putting pen to paper, so I still use an agenda even though I also use digital c
I have tried and used many different agendas throughout the years. Some of the ones I have liked the best are MOM AGENDA, ERIN CONDREN, and INKWELL. All of these have served me well in the past. I usually pick and buy my upcoming year agenda in October. So this past October I did just that. I had just started the blog, when, I soon realized that I was going to need to track and schedule all aspects of blogging as well. Because of this, I was going to need a notebook and another agenda. I went to Office Depot thinking I would get another planner just for the blog schedule. While I was looking at them I figured out that I did not want to have three different agendas plus a notebook. I decided that for 2019 I would go back to using an A5 ring binder planner. This allows me to have everything I need in one place. I came across a display for THE SIMPLIFIED PLANNER which had some very pretty agendas, A5 binders, and all the inserts for it. What really caught my attention was that one of the insert pages is a BLOG PLANNER. Awesome! Not only did I like the A5 binder but they offered all the additional insert pages that I was looking for. I bought it, and put it together and began using it that same day, I love it.
what should a good agenda have
In my opinion, a good agenda needs to have four essential parts. First, a current year calendar spread, and an upcoming year calendar spread. Second, a monthly spread with space for a to-do list. Third, a weekly spread that offers space in each day for time schedule and space for a to-do list. Fourth, a few note pages at least a minimum of five. And a very good agenda will have a bonus, an upcoming year spread that offers you space to write down mayor plans under each individual month
how to use an agenda or planner
What I have found to work the best is to use the monthly calendar to note down birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, holidays, and very important appointments. This way you can see them all in one glance. The to-do list by the monthly calendar, I use to note down whatever tasks I need to or want to accomplish that month. In the weekly/daily spread, I schedule everything I need to do for each day and in the weekly to-do list, I keep track of the important tasks that have to get done that week. The note pages I use for writing down anything I need to remember, such as sign-ins for websites, my wish list for things I want to do or get for our home, and a personal wishlist of things I want to get or products I would like to try. Lastly, in the upcoming year calendar view, I write down any important dates as I find out about them. For instance, the important school days for my daughter or planned vacations or trips that my family will be taking.
The most important thing to do with a planner or an agenda is to use it and use it every day. Schedule what you need to get done and what you want to accomplish as soon as you know about it. Keep track of all your tasks! By doing so, you will be more efficient and you will also be able to accomplish more. You will even be able to see where in your day you do have some available time. There are a few studies that indicate that by writing down your goals you are 42% more likely to achieve them. I schedule everything I do, I use a block schedule system. I will describe this in detail along with how and why I also use Google Calendar and Cozi in my next blog post. If you want to make sure you do not miss it, subscribe to my email.
