LifePlanner™ Hacks and Planning Tips

LifePlanner™ Hack #1: Don't Wait to Get Started.

Starting is the first step towards setting yourself up for a more organized, productive life. Start small and set up your new LifePlanner™ by transferring important information from your old planner and digital calendar to your new one (events, appointments, birthdays, etc.). Make it fun by using planner accessories like washi tape and stickers to make priority dates pop. Don't forget to include downtime and self-care in your schedule!

LifePlanner™ Hack #2: Make Planning a Habit.

Set aside 10-20 minutes for yourself to plan ahead. It helps if you plan at the same time every day and/or the same day every week. However you like to plan, make it a habit so you can consistently benefit from its positive impact on your mood, productivity, and daily routine!

“Using the Erin Condren LifePlanner™ is an essential tool for preparation and organization of our days, months, years, and life.”
– Laquisha Hall, Artist & Advocate, @confidentcanvas

LifePlanner™ Hack #3: Make Planning Personal.

There are virtually countless ways to use the spread of customizable boxes in your LifePlanner™. You may want to use them to set monthly goals or intentions, log reading for book clubs, track fitness milestones, or record memories and silly things that kids say! Whatever you do, make this section work for you!

LifePlanner™ Hack #4: Make a Plan, but Stay Flexible.

Getting organized when the whole world is in a state of chaos can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Whenever things don't go as planned and you feel flustered, remember you can always make an adjustment! Always make a plan—it helps you reduce stress, improve productivity, and reach your goals—but stay flexible. When circumstances shift, adjust your plan, not your goals.

LifePlanner™ Hack #5: Use Sticky Notes for Floating Plans and Pop-Up Tasks.

When you make a planner mistake or have to move things around in your schedule, use sticky notes. They make it easier, faster, and neater to adjust plans, events, meetings, and all those floating to-dos.

Take your sticky note game to the next level by creating your own color-coding system based on priority level, time of day (morning, afternoon, night), or type of to-do (for work, family, or yourself).

LifePlanner™ Hack #6: Customize Your Planner to Fit Your Life.

Named "Best Custom Planner" by Country Living, our LifePlanners come in a wide range of styles, each offering new ways to customize your planner to fit your planning style and schedule. With our classic coiled LifePlanner™, you can personalize your cover (and you can swap those that are interchangeable to change the look of your book), choose your interior design, coil color, add on extra pages, and more.

With our sleek and slim Softbound LifePlanner™, you can choose a customizable undated option so you can start planning any time you like. And with our portable and ultra-customizable LifePlanner™ A5 Ring Agenda, you can rearrange your planner pages to fit your style and add on planner inserts for productivity, wellness, and more to design your perfect organization system.

Further enhance your LifePlanner™ with matching accessories to complement your style and make planning easier and more fun. From to-do list dashboards that are double-sided, wet-erase, and reusable to sticky notes, bookmarks, and more.

LifePlanner™ Hack #7: Know When It's Time to Try a New Planner Layout.

If you’ve recently changed careers or taken on added responsibilities and feel overwhelmed or less in control of your schedule, don’t give up. Try a new planner layout that better suits your new planning needs. LifePlanner™ layouts range from hourly to daily to weekly, with multiple options for weekly planning.

For example, if you’re used to weekly planning in a linear or horizontal layout but you feel it’s not as effective or fulfilling as it used to be, try a vertical weekly layout. Experiment with reshaping your linear, full-sentence plans into a vertical, listicle style (or vice versa). Restructuring how you plan can restructure your perspective and help you discover a new way to organize that helps you live your best life.

Explore All LifePlanner™ Layouts + How to Plan in Each

Dig into the pros and cons of each LifePlanner™ layout, how they compare to one another, and how to plan in each layout + scoop creative planner prompts in these popular planning guides:

• Daily LifePlanner™ vs. Weekly LifePlanner™: Which One Is Better for You?
• How to Plan in a Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
• How to Plan in a Vertical vs. Compact Vertical LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
• How to Plan in an Hourly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts

LifePlanner™ Hack #8: Make the Most of the White Space in Your Planner.

Whether you use a weekly or daily LifePlanner™, leverage the white spaces to decorate your planning pages or use them for reminders, notes of encouragement, to-do lists and more. Use washi tape and stickers to make dreaded tasks seem more fun and doodle, draw or sketch in the margins to relieve stress and stay on task. Or, if you're a minimalist, strategically leave the white space in your planner blank as a clutter-free frame around your planning space.

LifePlanner™ Hack #8: Use the “Write” Writing Utensils.

Pens, pencils, markers, highlighters ... which are best for planning? If you’re new to planning or your schedule changes often, plan in pencil. If you love the contrast and confidence of classic black ink, use black fine-tip or dual-tip markers.

For color-lovers, color-coders, and creatives, multi-colored gel pens, markers, and highlighters are the way to go. And for avid list-makers, our Dual-Tip List Markers™ will bring you the planner peace you seek.

If you’re not sure or you love experimenting with all kinds of pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters, explore our extensive writing tools collection and see what feels “write” to you!

Shop our full LifePlanner™ Collection to find your ideal planner, or to try a new layout, and infuse your days with more balance, productivity, and joy.