How to Plan in a Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts

If you’re new to planning, love to plan in complete sentences, or prefer the familiarity of a traditional weekly planner layout, then the Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ is your best bet for getting (and staying) organized, week after week. Out of our collection of best planners, this is a favorite among new planner newbies, students, and traditionalists.

What Is a Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™?

The Erin Condren Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ offers wide planning spaces in a structured lined layout, unlike a vertical planner with stacked, long but narrow planning sections. With its horizontal two-page weekly planning spreads, the Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ is the most familiar planner layout (available in select planner sizes and binding options—from a standard 7”x9” to an 8"x10" softbound option; though not in the smaller A5 planner size) designed to maximize your writing space in a traditional lined planner format.

This layout gives you the best of both worlds:

• Structure: Lined writing space provides a foundation for detailed planning with complete sentences, similar to the layout of our Academic Planner.
• Freedom: Generous blank boxes within each day offer limitless possibilities! Use them for freestyle planning, highlighting important notes, adding decorative touches with stickers and washi tape – anything you can imagine!

It's the perfect combination for well-rounded planning that fits any style and schedule.

Pro Tip: Use the blank boxes to the right of each day in the weekly spread for a to-do list or to highlight your top priorities for each day.

Who Is the Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ For?

The Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ is a great fit for beginners and anyone who:

• Thrives on a visual approach: The horizontal layout allows for color-coding, time blocking, and visual organization of tasks, similar to our other planner layouts you might be familiar with.
• Needs more writing space: Lined sections within the open daily boxes provide ample room for detailed plans and notes, just like in our Daily LifePlanners.
• Enjoys creative planning: The open layout provides flexibility for incorporating stickers, washi tape, and doodles for a personalized touch. Habit tracking, memos, notes, decorations – anything you like! Just like in our other LifePlanners, personalize it to fit your style.
• Prioritizes time blocking: The horizontal columns are perfect for scheduling appointments, meetings, and other time-sensitive activities, mirroring the functionality of our hourly planner layouts.

Whether you're a visual planner, a busy professional, or simply someone who enjoys a creative approach to organization, the Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ could be the perfect tool to improve your time management and productivity! Now, let’s explore how to plan in a Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ + planner prompts provided by our team of planning experts.

How to Plan in a Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™

Step 1: Set Up Your 12-Box Spread.

Get creative with the 12-Box goal-setting section. This section offers endless possibilities! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Think about what you want to accomplish for the next 12 months. Break down your yearly goals into smaller, bite-sized monthly goals.
• Create a reading list. Plan out the books you want to read each month.
• Think outside the box. Don't feel limited to monthly topics! Use it as a visual map for meal planning, fitness tracking, content creation ideas – anything you can imagine!

Step 2: Fill in Your Monthly Calendars.

• Carry over recurring dates, events, and celebrations from your previous planner or calendar.
• Block in any new, upcoming dates, appointments, and events you need to remember.
• Assign different colors to different areas of your life (work, personal, health) for a quick visual reference.

Step 3: Set Up Your Monthly Productivity Spread.

• Add your monthly goals to stay focused on what you want to achieve.
• Track the habits you want to cultivate throughout the month.
• Set your monthly priorities to keep yourself on track.
• List and track your top monthly to-dos
• Use the additional lined spaces to set your monthly mantra, jot reminders, journal, and more!

Step 4: Use Your Weekly Spreads to Plan a Week Ahead.

• Pick your planning day. Ideally, establish a consistent routine where you plan your week ahead on the same day each week (Sundays are popular!).
• Fill out your weekly spread with all your to-dos, deadlines, meetings, and appointments for the week ahead.
• List your most important tasks first for each day – either in the lined space for each day, or in the blank box to the right.
• Break down large projects into smaller, actionable steps throughout the week.
• Block out designated time slots for work meetings, appointments, errands, and workouts.

Pro Tip: Get creative with washi tape, correction tape, and/or colorful writing tools to create columns and extra boxes within your horizontal planning layout.

Step 5: Use the Note Pages for Journaling and So Much More.

The lined note pages throughout your Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ offer a treasure trove of possibilities! Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Journaling: From gratitude journaling to work journaling to mindfulness journaling, use the blank pages to express yourself, reduce stress, get clarity, and quiet your mind.
• Notes: Take detailed notes during important meetings, appointments, and/or classes and keep them all in one place for easy reference.
• Quotes: Find a motivational quote that speaks to you and write it on a note page for a weekly reminder.
• Grocery Lists: Jot down your grocery list for the week on a note page.
• Travel Planning: Use a note page to plan your dream vacation or brainstorm ideas for your next weekend getaway.

Pro Tip: “Color outside the lines” of your note pages. Just because there are lines doesn’t mean you have to use them for writing and list-making. The possibilities are endless! Use the note pages for drawing, mood trackers, visual maps, and anything that helps you stay organized and productive.

10 Creative Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ Prompts

In addition to the prompts embedded in the five planner setup steps above, here are more planner prompts to keep you motivated and inspired:

1. Daily Journal: You can also use the horizontal lines for each day in your weekly spreads for short, daily journal entries. In the end, you’ll have a year’s worth of inspirations, lessons learned, goals, growth, and memories.
2. Self-Care Sunday: Schedule relaxing activities throughout the week for a stress-free Sunday (preceded by a more balanced Monday-Saturday).
3. Brain Dump: Use a horizontal spread to free-write and brainstorm ideas for a project you’re working on, an upcoming event or vacation you’re planning, and more.
4. Content Planner: Whether you’re an influencer, podcaster, blogger, social media specialist, content marketer, or any t
ype of content creator, use the weekly spreads to map out your content for each day of the week.
5. Gratitude Challenge: Choose a different theme for each day (e.g., people, experiences, objects) and write things you're grateful for.
6. Weekly Action Steps for Monthly Goals: Divide your monthly goals into smaller, weekly tasks for a clear roadmap to success.
7. Fitness Tracker: Track your workouts, steps, or active minutes for the week across the horizontal lines.
8. Reading Log: Use a horizontal spread to log the books you read, including a brief synopsis or review.
9. Weekly Budget Tracker: Track your daily spending or set savings goals using the horizontal layout.
10. Weekly Meal Plan: Outline your meals for the week in the horizontal columns.

Pro Tip: Use planner accessories like tabs, wet-erase dashboards, and LifePlanner™ add-on pages to design your ultra-unique planner with enhanced organization.

With a little planning and creative thinking, your Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ can be your ultimate tool for productivity and a well-rounded life!

Customize your new Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ by choosing your cover design, then interior design, select the horizontal layout, your calendar dates, and even personalize it if you like!

Explore More LifePlanner™ Layouts.

In the market for multiple planners (for yourself or as gifts), or curious about other planner types and how to organize your planner? You’ll love these popular planning guides:

• How to Plan in a Vertical Weekly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
• How to Plan in a Dashboard LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
• How to Plan in an Hourly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
• Daily LifePlanner™ vs. Weekly LifePlanner™: Which One Is Better for You?
• LifePlanner™ Hacks and Planning Tips
• How to Start Planning