In my quest to find the perfect planner for me, I designed my own blank planner pages that include a monthly calendar, weekly planners, and notes pages to be used in a binder planner.
I found that I had partial pages filled out in notebooks, scribbles on Post-it notes, and even electronic notes to keep track of various things I wanted to remember. It was all a chaotic mess! I couldn’t find what I wanted right away. I needed a new system where all of my notes would be in one place.
I created a one-month set of blank planner pages that is 10 pages long and designed to be printed front and back on five sheets of paper and inserted into a binder. Dates are not pre-filled, so you can start with any month you want.
If you want to print a whole year at once, you would just need to print the PDF 12 times. The margins are designed to work best with printing front and back. In your home printer, that might mean you need to print the odd pages first and then put those pages back in your paper drawer and print the even numbered pages.
How I Use my Blank Planner Pages
Pages included:
- Monthly Brain Dump page
- Monthly calendar (spread across 2 pages with space to the right and bottom for extra notes.)
- Monthly Action Plan page
- Five weekly planning pages (some months you won’t need the 5th page)
- Additional Notes page
Monthly Brain Dump
This sheet is not fancy. It is simply lined paper in printable PDF form with a header and space to fill in the current month name.
I start with my previous month’s brain dump page. Any things on that list that have been done or that I no longer need to worry about get checked off. Anything I still need to remember to do or think about gets added to the new month’s brain dump.
As I think of new things that I want to remember, I will add them to this page throughout the month.
Monthly Calendar
Then I will fill out the monthly calendar. I use the calendar on my phone that links to my Google calendar, but it is also nice to be able to flip to a page in my planner when my husband and I are discussing upcoming events. I also have a dry erase monthly calendar on display that is basically the same as my planner calendar so everyone in the family can see what is going on this month. It sounds redundant, but having multiple calendars works well for me.
Monthly Action Plan
This is where I fill out everything I want to get done during the month. I will continue to add to this list throughout the month as I think of things I need to do. I will then use this information to create my to-do lists each day using the weekly planner pages.
Weekly Planner Pages
One week fits on one page. I have space to write down up to five things I want to accomplish that day.
I fill out each daily to-do list the night before. I keep this binder in a magazine rack next to our couch, so while kids are getting ready for bed and my husband and I are relaxing, I will make my to-do list for the next day.
I refer to my monthly action plan and my monthly calendar when creating my daily to-do lists. I choose tasks in a way that if those are the only things I accomplish that day, my day will be a success.
I have found when I try to fill out tasks for the whole week in advance, it turns into a mess. I get things done early or other things become less of a priority as other things come up.
I don’t usually write appointments on the weekly pages. I include those on the monthly calendar and also on my Google Calendar on my phone. I use the weekly pages to write down the things I want to get done that are not already planned for in some other way.
Each day also has two lines to use for meal planning. I have never been much of a meal planner, but I have found with this planner I actually like preparing a meal plan. Usually on Sunday I will sit down and fill in dinner ideas while looking at the monthly calendar. This helps me plan for days we might not be home for dinner or extra busy days where it would be best to plan a slow cooker meal.
Additional Notes
Some months I may have more to keep track of, so I wanted to make sure I included another basic lined page to keep more notes with my planner.
I often listen to webinars or podcasts and want to take notes of things to try. Instead of grabbing a separate notebook, I take notes on my Additional Notes page in my planner. Some months that one page is not enough, so I also keep extra notebook paper in the back of my planning binder in case I want more space for notes.
This allows me to keep all of my important notes, to-do lists, and monthly plans all in one place that is easily accessible.
Why I Love This Planner
This planner helps me keep track of what I need to be working on, whether that is blogging projects, family projects, or meal plans.
It is very easy for me to procrastinate, or simply be busy without actually being productive, but this planner shows me exactly what I have prioritized so I can get back on track.
If you struggle with procrastination, like I do, I recommend reading Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy. It includes 21 solid strategies to help you to quit procrastinating. Read them all and pick the strategies that work best for you.
If you have made it this far, you have read all about my personal planner and I hope you are thinking it may be helpful for you, too. Get my free PDF blank planner pages by clicking the button in the image below below.
For best results, print the planner pages front and back. In your home printer, that means you will probably need to print the odd pages first and then put those pages back in your paper drawer and print the even numbered pages on the other side.
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