Time Management Tools: I prefer the old school paper and pen approach.
Productivity and time management are popular topics these
days – but most of the stuff that I read on the web has to do with
software. Calendars like those offered
by Google; task lists and project management that can be coordinated between
phones and laptops through online tools like
Trello
or
Asana.
Sure, I use Google Calendar.
I like it. However, when it comes
to keeping track of my time, from my calendar for the week or month, to how I
will be spending my day, I prefer to use pen and paper.
That’s right. I use
a physical planner made of paper, and I don’t use a time management system that
appears on a screen.
.
Why I Like Paper Planners Instead of Online Time Management Tools
.
Why a paper planner? I
enjoy them. It’s fun to use a paper planner. Fine!
Okay. I love pens.
Pens!!!
Blue ink, black ink, green, red, or purple: always a fine point,
preferably an extra fine. I like to
write as much or more as I like to type.
Plus I like buying pens.
Using planners is another reason to feed my pen habit.
Some people like shoes, I like pens.
However, I do think that working with a paper planner works
better for me. It makes me stop and
think in more detail about how I will be spending my time – it’s too easy for
me to type in an entry here or there and keep going without much thought.
.
Writing the events into the paper planner’s calendar makes
them more of a commitment, somehow.
Deciding
how I am going to delegate my 10 hour work day between three rush projects is
less stressful for me when I’m using pen and paper.
Maybe I’m strange in this; maybe not. I just know what works best for me, and it’s
not keeping track of time on a computer screen.
.
Different Kinds of Paper Planners and Finding Planner Peace
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Not that dedicating myself to paper planners for my time
management has been the end of the road in decision-making here. Nope.
Why? For me, once I
got to the stage of deciding I would be using a paper planner, then I had to
decide which kind of paper planner I wanted, and which system I preferred.
There’s a phrase to describe this process: it’s the search for “planner peace.”
And I’ve learned that if you do find your planner peace, don’t
get comfortable – as time goes on and your life evolves, that peace may
evaporate and you’ll be back on the hunt again.
Not to say this doesn’t have its perks. For one thing, you
may have more excuses (ahem, reasons) to buy fun things like stickers … and
pens!!!
.
6 Kinds of Paper Planners - My Reviews
.
There are all sorts of paper planners out there. Here are six that I’ve personally tested and
liked, for various reasons.
.
Franklin Covey Planner
You can use these paper planners without reading the book or
going to the Franklin Covey classes, sure, but these planners work best if you
understand them as tools for this approach to time management.
What I like best about these planners: the time sheet feature, where you can keep
track of your day as it progresses.
Reminds me of my years as a Baby Lawyer, writing down my time on my time
sheet each afternoon before I left the office.
DayRunner Planner
The Day Runner Planners are designed to compete with Franklin Covey. They cost less. Similar additions are available for purchase,
too: things like contact Information lists; lined paper pads; pocket dividers;
etc.
You can get them at your local
office supply store, which is really convenient. (And it’s so near their pen aisle.)
BlueSky Planner
When I first veered away from Franklin Covey-esque Planners, and I
admit to feeling a bit rebellious in doing so, I bought a Blue Sky Planner at
Border’s Book Store. Since Border’s is
long gone, that should give you a hint on how long ago this happened, right?
Mine was pink. It was
pretty.
How did it work for me?
Well, it was a change. Here, there’s a spiral ring binder system holding
your planner’s inner workings together.
No ring binder like the Franklin Planner, which I did come to miss. I like adding things into my planner – it’s
not the same to clip or tape something into a spiral bound planner as it is to
punch holes and insert it into the rings.
I like that.
However, I did enjoy the ease of use here. Less muss and fuss. I didn’t have to ask myself if I was “
SharpeningMy Saw” (a key component of the Franklin system).
However, it didn’t offer me a daily time sheet and I missed
it. Plus, I started making my own To Do
Lists on separate paper (or index cards), which I clipped into the Blue Sky
Planner. That got bulky and hard to
control.
So, my search continued.
Tools for Wisdom Planner
My next step in my search for planner peace was a
Tools4Wisdom Planner.
I bought this one
off of Amazon after searching online about planners for a bit. It seemed to combine what I liked about the
Franklin, which is the ability to keep track of my time during the day, with
the more informal and light approach to time management.
It had pretty graphics with inspirational
quotes, for instance.
And while it was
another spiral binder, I was willing to get it a try.
I don’t think it lasted the year.
Happy Planner
After the Tools for Wisdom fiasco, I tried using online time
management tools for a bit. It didn’t
feel right for me. I wanted to go back
to paper, but not to Franklin Covey – though I was leaning toward returning to
them when I discovered the Happy Planner.
However, I was none too sure about using one
of these whimsical planners, where a new world of stickers and washi tape
(what, washi tape?!! Oh my!!! Fun stuff!!!) was open to me.
I suppose you could put some washi tape on a Franklin Covey
planner, and I did try it. It felt
bad. It just seemed wrong somehow.
But washi tape on a Happy Planner? Zowie!
That was fun. Stickers on a Happy
Planner? Ditto.
I bought a Happy Planner with a coupon at Hobby Lobby for around ten bucks. That's simple living, folks ... and I was happy right off the bat, when I compared that price tag to a comparable Erin Condren! (Not that they aren't nice, of course.)
I'm so grateful for that Happy Planner. I learned that having this planner freed me somehow,
allowed me to be creative in building my monthly plan, or weekly plan.
This was fun, and it brought me back to that
planner more and more often just because it was a pleasure to work with all
this creative stuff. I used it more. I got more done. That's key.
Now, Happy Planners don’t have a time sheet function. That’s a problem. However, they do come in a format that breaks
each day into “morning,” “afternoon,” and “evening,” which I like. So it has time blocks, but not the actual
hours.
As for the Happy Planners, they do make me happy. I still use one today, but they aren’t
the ones that I think are bringing me planner peace. At least, not by themselves.
For that, I’m able to pick up just about any
paper notebook because I’ve discovered Bullet Journaling.
Bullet Journaling with a Moleskine
Today, I have a blue Moleskine notebook that I call my “Blue
Brain” and here I track my goals, my projects, the meals I eat, well … just
about everything. I use all sort of pens
here, and I get to try out my cursive handwriting as well as doodles, too.
I have a second basic notebook, leather and a
Moleskine-wannabe, that I use specifically for my daily stuff. Each day, day by day, is recorded in
here.
My month at a glance remains in my
Happy Planner. Ditto my Week at a Glance.
But the guts of my day gets recorded using the bullet
journaling method. This includes diary
entries as need be.
Keeping track of all my personal stuff that I will need over
time goes in the Blue Brain.
This is working for me … for now.
Have I achieved planner peace? Maybe I have.
I think so.
It’s called “resistant starch.” Time Magazine covered the topic in its May 2016 article, “Eat This Carb and You Won’t Gain Weight.”
