P is for Planner #AtoZChallenge
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.
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.
I tried to use bullet-journal, but no one suits me, so I’m still looking for THE perfect one for me

I stay organized and plan quite everything using the Trello app. A great one and it works for me
P is for Pojagi
Planners are such a personal thing! I have tried a lot of different styles and even made one of my own a couple of times. I have 4 planners, one for my crafty work, one for my typing work, one that I use as a food diary and a “regular” one for the house. I never could use digital planners though, give me paper, room to write with colored ink and a place to decorate with stickers!
I have a giant dry erase board in my bedroom/office. That’s what I use as a planner. On the up side, it’s very easy to change things on the dry board when I have to. On the downside, I can’t really take it with me when I travel.