#5 6 Reasons Why Your Planner Isn't Working

Welcome to the fifth post in the Createyou86 March Planner Awareness Month Blog Series featuring @Babybellex3 from Instagram.  Today i want to share some reasons that your planner may not be working for you.


1. Its Too Strict
Most planners are very strict in that there is a certain format or design.  Maybe that isn't working for you.  Maybe you need a new, more clean design, or a design that isn't so restrictive.  I love FIlofax because they are completely customizable, and come in so many sizes.  However i also enjoy the design of the Personal Planner in that it is completely customizable from cover to cover in a much different way than a Filofax.

2. It's Not Realistic
Maybe your a mother of four, or maybe you have no children, but run your own company.  Is your planner designed especially for your needs, or are you making use of a planner for someone not specifically you?  There are so many planners for so many different people, and realistically some of those planners may not be the best fit for you, or your needs.  Just because it is pretty, and works for someone else does not mean that you will get the same effect if you use it too.

3. It Was An Impulse Purchase
It's that time of year again.  It is a few months into the year, and new planners are on sale EVERYWHERE!  They are all so colorful, new, pretty, organized, convenient, streamlined, flashy, and seemingly "customized just to your needs".  Are these statements describing how you feel each time you look at a planner that is on sale?  If so, your planner might have been an impulse purchase.  It is a great idea, and I strongly encourage trying out different planners, and planner styles.  However, just because a planner goes on sale, it doesn't mean that those particular planners are going to suit your needs.  Again this goes back to point three to be realistic about your purchase.


4. It's The Wrong Size
Planners have different sizes for a reason.  Some planner users need more space for daily activities, and others write smaller, and would prefer a smaller planner.  Some planners are small enough to just throw in a handbag, or even put in your back pocket while others are A5 size, desk size, or larger.  The great thing about Filofax planners besides being ring bound is that they come in several different sizes from compact to A5.  Personal Planners which are spiral bound also come in several different sizes to suit different fancies.  Make sure that your planner is the right size for you.  Weather it ring, or spiral some planners come in one size only, and that may not be great for your specific needs.


5.You Aren't Using It
Yes! it's beautiful, crisp, the pages aren't bent, and the colors are perfect.  Those are all great things, but in reality if you are a planner they aren't.  Your planner may be beautiful, but if you aren't using it are you actually accomplishing anything?  If you are, you may not need a planner.  A planner isn't any good not being used.  I thought that my Sugar Paper LA planner was too pretty to use so i didn't use it until i found a very specific use for it, and even then because of how crisp it was i didn't want to deface it, but i finally took the plunge, and wrote in it.  Writing in a planner is how we planners get things done!  You can start small, and pencil things in which is great if you have a lot of appointments,  use sticky-notes, and hopefully that would lead to using pen, or even a permanent marker (on certain paper) .  The key to planning is writing it all down regardless of how "pretty" your planner is!  


6. It Isn't Readily Available
You bought your planner, you wrote your appointments, and now you forgot to bring it with you.  We talked about mobility in point number four.  Is mobility a problem for you?  You might not have the right planner.  Are you conveniently forgetting your planner because its too much work to put it in your bag?  Is it too big to fit in your bag?  I always make sure that my planner is with me, and if it is not with me that is because i am at a specific engagement where i know i will not need it.  I am that planner that sleeps with my planner over my bed, and it sits next to me all day long (My bed has shelves attached to the back of it, and i work from my bedroom).  I always know where my planner is, and it is readily available for my use.


I hope you enjoyed this post about why your planner might not be working for you.  If you did be sure to check out Isabella's blog for her reasons why your planner might not be working for you in her opinion.  Why do you think your planner isn't working for you?  Feel free to post in the comments below.

My planner this week