When I was in middle school, our district gave each student a 8.5″ X 11″ planner. We were required to use them, as teachers and parents/guardians signed off on them each week. These planners were 3-hole punched so that we could easily put them in our 3-ring binders. Along with the planner, we also 3-hole punched everything else too: Assignments, exam dates, homework, flyers – everything. Those binders were homes for our academic lives.
As an adult, we now have full control over how we organize ourselves. Problem is: There are just so many methods to choose from! We can use a smartphone app. to plan electronically or handwrite everything in a physical planner. Some folks might even have multiple planners that are designated for each subject matter, such as finance or fitness. There’s also bullet journalling too, which combines a planner, to-do list, and diary into one place! With so many options, it may take time to find what is right for you and your current lifestyle.
Personally? Call me “old school,” but I do miss those required planners from middle school. Having everything in one place (even though it may get heavy to carry around sometimes) is just very convenient. This is especially true if you’re a bit of a scattered brain (guilty).
Question is though: How can I transcend my middle school organization style into my present life?
The first step is to take a close look at what I currently do and my priorities. Professionally, I am a teacher and program coordinator for a nonprofit organization. Personally, I study for tests, meal prep, and keep track of a personal budget.
Now that I have a good understanding of my professional and personal life, I can design a personalized binder/planner system that fits this lifestyle. Here is what it looks like:
Firstly, I like to use these $3 checkered binders from Daiso. They’re so affordable!
Inside, I create these monthly calendar sheets with a template from Microsoft Office. Then, I print them out on kraft cardstock paper (simply because I like the old school look of it). On these sheets, I jot down important dates (deadlines, birthdays, events, etc.).
Behind each monthly calendar are these weekly schedule sheets, which I created in Microsoft Word. By creating your own weekly sheets, you can control what sections to include and customize it your way. The front side of the sheet has a breakdown of each day within the week, while the back side has sections for meal planning, budget management, a to-do list, and notes for the week. I typically set aside about 20-30 minutes at the end of each week to plan out my days.
On a weekly basis, I either teach classes for students or do presentations for staff, so I almost always need to have handouts ready for everyone (like this Pokemon-themed verb tenses worksheets for my students). I print out one copy of the handout, 3-hole punch it, and then place it behind the designated weekly schedule sheet. That way, I can simply make copies when class or presentation day comes.
Lastly – adding aesthetics to functionality is the fun part! I go to my local craft store for all sorts of cute stickers, sticky notes, and bookmarks that I can code/decorate my binder with. I won’t get into details about how I code it, because it’s the sort of organized mess that only I can understand…
That’s how I plan my days!
The required planners from middle school turn out to be very valuable as an adult after all. I guess that along with doodling, cute stationary, and goldfish crackers, there are just some things from middle school that I can’t really grow out of…
