Paper Planning for Beginners

Paper planning is a great way to transform your life and get organized better.

We already spoke about digital planning by using electronic devices, but if you prefer a more traditional approach – paper and pen, then paper planning is something you’re looking for.

Many people say that paper planning is better for them. Additionally, paper planning doesn’t bring any distractions (notifications, for example) and helps with memory.

So, how to start paper planning?

Define a Goal

Yes, this may sound a bit cliche, however, it is true. The goals you define affect everything else and help with future planning.

What do you want to achieve with paper planning? More productivity? Habit tracking? Goal setting?

These are just ideas to help you define your goals.

You may want to start planning your days in detail, requiring a daily planner template. Or you want to write a recap of your day where an ordinary journal will do the job.

Another example could be tracking your new/old habits. They won’t require too much time from you. This monthly habit tracker we have requires you only to write down habits you want to track, then each day check that habit. One minute a day only.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself before starting with planning:

1. What is the purpose of my planning? Are you planning for a specific project, a general improvement in your life, or overall organization?
2. What is my planning timeframe? Short-term (daily/weekly), mid-term (monthly/quarterly), or long-term (yearly/beyond).
3. What are my current resources and limitations?
4. What are my existing commitments and priorities?
5. How can I make planning a sustainable habit?

Pick a Planner

The next step is to choose the planner type you need.

Choose a Planner Type

There are a few most populist planner types:

• Monthly planners – Provide a big-picture view of your month, helping with long-term goal setting.
• Weekly planners – Offer a weekly overview, ideal for setting priorities and tracking your week at a glance.
• Daily planners – Break down each day into hours, perfect for time-blocking and scheduling.
• Bullet journals – Fully customizable and allow for creativity, habit tracking, and brainstorming all in one place.

Pick the Right Size

Additionally, choose a planner size. The most common types are:

• A4: Large and spacious, good for detailed planning and at-home use.
• A5: Compact and portable, great for on-the-go planning.
• Half-Letter: A popular size, it offers a balance between portability and space for notes.

We also offer additional planner sizes like Letter, A6, B5, B6, and 7x9in.

Read more:

• How to Bind Your Planner Pages

Prepare Your Tools

For planning on paper, you’ll need some basic tools (which btw are not too expensive).

• The Planner: Choose one that suits your lifestyle and needs.
• Pens: A smooth, smudge-free pen is essential. Consider having different colors to categorize tasks (e.g., work vs. personal).
• Highlighters: Useful for emphasizing important tasks or deadlines.
• Stickers: Add some creativity and personality with planner stickers (icons for birthdays, meetings, etc.).
• Washi Tape: Great for sectioning off parts of the page or decorating.

Set Up Your Planner

To be more efficient you should set up your planner. Here are a few ideas:

• Color Coding: Assign different colors to different categories (e.g., red for deadlines, blue for appointments) to make your planner easy to scan.
• Decorations: Stickers, washi tape, and doodles can make your planner enjoyable to use. But remember function over form — don’t get so lost in decoration that you lose focus on actual planning.
• Theme Pages: Add monthly mood boards or inspirational quotes for motivation.
• Budget Planning: Use dedicated sections for finances, like monthly budgets and expense tracking.

Start Planning

When you start planning, there are several ways you can use to start paper planning.

• For overall organization: The best way is bullet journaling. It lets you create your structure using bullet points, fast logging, and symbols to describe tasks.
• For prioritization: The Eisenhower Matrix is best for this. It lets you assign tasks in a grid with two rows (Urgent/Not Urgent) and two columns (Important/Not Important).
• Specific purposes: For example, habit tracker or brain dump pages are great here.
• Additional: Mind mapping technique which allows you to create a central topic and then branch out with connected thoughts and ideas.

Of course, there are just a few ideas, and there are many other planning techniques you can use to plan your personal or work life.

Examples for Inspiration

Now, the most important part – write everything down.

Here’s an example of writing down work-related plans using a daily schedule:

• 9:00 AM: Review social media content calendar.
• 10:00 AM: Team meeting.
• 11:00 AM: Follow up with the design team.
• 1:00 PM: Lunch break.
• 2:00 PM: Research competitor marketing strategies.
• 3:00 PM: Develop a draft post-launch customer survey.
• 4:00 PM: Respond to urgent customer questions.

This can be followed with additional notes like:

• Include deadlines for each task on your daily schedule.
• Assign ownership to tasks that can be delegated.
• Schedule buffer time between meetings for unexpected events.

Here’s an additional example, this time using the Eisenhower Matrix for self-development:

Important & Urgent:

• Finish an important assignment due tomorrow.
• Address a car maintenance issue.
• Respond to an urgent email from your manager.

Important, But Not Urgent:

• Schedule a doctor’s appointment.
• Research and enroll in an online course.
• Pay bills.
• Meal preparation for the week.

Urgent, But Not Important:

• Respond to non-work-related social media messages.
• Help a neighbor with a small task.

Not Important & Not Urgent:

• Organize old clothes.
• Browse social media mindlessly.
• Play video games for an extended period.

Stay Consistent

This may be a hard part in the beginning, but over time it will become your habit.

Here are a few tips to stay consistent:

• Set a Planning Routine: Choose a specific time each day or week to update your planner. For example, Sunday evenings could be for reviewing the upcoming week.
• Review Regularly: At the end of each day or week, review your tasks and note what was completed and what needs to be moved forward.
• Stay Flexible: Plans will change! Don’t feel bad about moving tasks to another day if needed.

Try Different Planning Types

Start Simple: Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many categories or complex layouts. Begin with the basics: to-do lists, events, and deadlines.

• Set Weekly Priorities: List 2-3 top priorities for each week to stay focused.
• Daily To-Dos: Break your bigger goals into daily actionable tasks. Use bullet points or checkboxes to mark tasks.
• Time Blocking: Divide your day into chunks of time for specific activities. For example, 9 AM – 11 AM for work tasks, and 1 PM – 2 PM for errands.

Or Try Different Layouts

Except for different planner sizes and types, you can try different planner layouts. Experimenting with different sizes, types, and layouts will help you find what works best for you.

Here’s a list of different planner layouts:

• Vertical Layout (or portrait): Days are organized vertically in columns. It’s great for detailed daily planning and scheduling.
• Horizontal Layout (or landscape): Days spread across the page horizontally. Perfect for those who prefer to see their whole week at a glance.
• Grid/Dot Layout: A flexible layout for bullet journals, where you can create your own grids or trackers.
• Dashboard Layout: Combines lists, notes, and calendars on one page, giving a more flexible, visual layout.