Have you started thinking about 2025?
As much as we would like to stay in the present, especially this time of the year, the approaching “turning the calendar page” is too much to resist.
I have had so many customer conversations about the new year lately. Think of a new start, set intentions, maybe even some goals if that is your thing.
In our household we have already hung our wall calendar from 2025 because the activities, invitations and obligations have already started.
Maybe you bought yours too. Or maybe you look at a new planner for the new year.
Something that will help you make progress with your goals, keep your intentions of thoughts and ensure that you use your time effectively.
I get excited if I only think about it. (Can you see that I am in a candy store as a child when it comes to office supplies?!)
But before you click on ‘Add to the car’, whether you get something brand news, buy the 2025 version of what you are already using, or return to the planning after a break, there are a few things you need to consider.
You see, I am always asked which planner I use. And I have many thoughts and recommendations.
But if you have a number of half -used planners around your house, you know all too well how we hurry to solve a problem without first Real Understand what the problem is.
You see, a planner is a great tool. But that’s it just A tool.
You have to know How You will use it, Where You will use it, and What You will follow to get the one you will consistently use.
I can tell you that I am currently using a PDF planning page that I made for my remarkable. I love it, but it may not be for you!
(In fact, I recently shared it with a customer who, after just a week, said: “This is not for me!”)
So, to find the right planning tool for you, here are 7 questions to consider first:
#1 Why do you want a planner?
If you want one because you think it will change your life, you might be able to set yourself up for disappointment. But if you want one because you know that writing down things helps you to stick to it, whether you want to be able to view your goals, meals and priorities at a glance, or you want to follow your progress in the direction of goals or habits, that is good to know. And it will help you choose the tool that supports those goals.
#2 What does not work on your current system for time/task management?
Think about the types of things that now fall through the cracks. The agreements that you have double booked, the deadlines that you have missed. Why do you think those things have happened? Where has your current process broken down? Be extra clear and specific here, so that you can find a tool that will help you solve those problems. But also consider whether it is the system or you are. Not to beat yourself up, but to recognize where you can be a better steward of your tool
#3 If you have something important to remember, where do you keep that info?
Where do you reach as a standard? An app in your phone, a notebook or piece of scrap paper, your agenda or e -mail? We are looking for what kind of tool feels most natural for you, so you don’t choose something that is so drastically different from what you tend to. That just makes it difficult to implement and be consistent. I will always reach for pen and paper. But I actually use a hybrid model because I recognize that having a digital calendar that synchronizes and is available along the way is so much easier. But for the things that I really have to remember, they go on paper.
#4 Where do your tasks currently live at the moment?
If you don’t have at home for that, that’s something you have to think about, because not all planners have the space for long lists of tasks. So you must either make a process for capturing and storing that outside your planner, or ensure that your planner can accommodate them. If you don’t know how to make an ongoing task list, make sure you take my free guide that you walk through step by step.
#5 Are you on the road or somewhat stationary throughout the day?
In essence, you want to think about how big a planner you can get. Do you need something small and portable or perhaps even a digital option? Or can you use something bigger and heavier that in principle simply live at your home office? If you fall in love with a big planner but to an office shuttles or have a role, make sure you have a bag that fits all things!
#6 How much control do you have about your day?
If most of your working hours are justified because you teach in a classroom whether patients see all day with very little time to “choose” what you are working on, then you probably don’t need a planner with a detailed hourly schedule. Maybe in this scenario you just need a weekly overview where you can see what your main tasks are or what you intend to make for dinner. If you have a job where during the day there are pieces of time where you have to choose which project or task you are going to prioritize, then a detailed daily spread might apply more so that you can block your priorities for every day and ensure that you have the space for everything you plan to achieve.
#7 How dedicated are you to the success of your new planner?
Whether this new system is successful or not, is more about your consistency than about the tool itself. You could actually just plan your days using a piece of paper. (That is actually a great place to start if you don’t have the habit of using such a tool.) A planner can make it easier, because the layout is already made before you, but you are the one who will decide whether or not you can use it. Are you committed?
If you still read and just want a list of planners that I recommend, I am here for you with a list of my proven favorites.
But also know that I have customers who are planning with a clipboard and notecards, a digital notebook with checklists and their Google or Outlook agenda for time blocking. These customers took the time to answer the above questions, experiment a bit and eventually came up with what works for them.
My favorite planners
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Monk manual – smaller size so great for residential work and has a daily spread per hour for time blocking
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Panda Planner – Available in different sizes and great for weekly and daily spread options to help you limit your priorities
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Passion planner – larger size but great with setting goals and they now have a daily distribution next to weekly
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Full Focus Planner – Useful to make progress with your goals and priorities
After all this you may still be tempted to just click on that planner, because who has the time to think 7 questions?! I get it. If you feel overwhelmed, you just want to solve the problem.
But what if you ultimately buy a tool that contributes to your overwhelming? What if your new planner does not help you to solve the problem because you don’t even know what the problem is?
If you take a few minutes to think these 7 questions, that will not happen.
And if you want more thoughtfulness and intention when it comes to your time in 2025, I put together a small group coaching experience for working mothers who start in January. The group is limited to 5 working mothers, and we will look at your relationship with De Tijd: how to plant and manage it so that you can deliberately go on your days, free up space and energy for the projects, people and passions that matter the most. The small size of the group is designed in such a way that everyone gets individual, personalized coaching and support with my eyes on your schedule, routines and how you do life. Moreover, you get the added bonus of hearing other women who really get what it’s like to manage a career, a family and a house.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, click here to fill in a short form and I contact more details to see if you would be a fit.
Happy planning and Happy New Year!