I’m doing the A to Z Challenge in April using the theme “What to Pack on Your Creative Journey.” Today, we’re going to tuck a planner into our metaphorical suitcase.

[A] statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1957)

Do you take your planner on vacation? I do, sometimes. Otherwise, how would I know what day it is or what I had planned for that day? If I don’t take my usual planner, I take a substitute – notes on my phone or papers in an accordion file organized by day.

A planner is a good accompaniment to a creative journey, too.

A planner forces you to break your project down into smaller parts that can be done over multiple days or weeks. Pencil those steps in your planner on the appropriate dates and, suddenly, your creative journey has all the same weight as your next professional appointment.

Henry Cole’s diary 1865
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

I use a pencil in my planner, especially for creative projects. As Publilus Syrus said in 43BCE, “It is a bad plan that can not be changed.” (Of course, he wrote that in Latin, Malum est consilium, quod mutari non potest.)

My A-to-Z project plan changed at least three times. I fell behind on my plan to write a post a day, starting in late January. I caught up by writing two posts a day and, then, went ahead on that plan (thanks, social distancing), so my final plan ended up with a mix of one-post-per day and two-posts-per-day.

I usually plan projects, like A to Z, on a separate spread in my planner or on a different sheet of paper. The steps only go in my planner on Sunday, when I plan my week.

How do you use your planner in your creative journey? I know some of you probably love some bullet-journaling and planner practitioners. Feel free to share the links to your favorite YouTube channels and Pinterest boards in the comments. I’d love to check them out.