An Ode to My Weekly Planner
My Top 5 Strategies for Managing Time
Prefer to listen? Click play on the audio track above to hear SVB read you these words.
And don’t forget your Reflection Points at the end.
“In our modern world, rest and wellbeing are not obtained without effort.”
LAPTOPS AND TABLETS. While they’re the mode for learning in most elementary schools today, back in the 90s, this kid existed on pen and paper and my trusty Trapper Keeper.
So perhaps that’s why I distinctly recall when I received my first weekly planner in the 4th grade. It was school-issued, small and spiral bound, and was essentially a bullet journal to help stay on top of homework and studying.
The fact that I remember it so fondly likely sheds a lot of light on my psyche.
Because that planner provided me a sense of peace. Not so much in terms of organizing my tasks, but in organizing my time (are you really surprised that the pursuit of Lighten Up has roots in an overachieving 10 year old?).
So, fast forward to current day where professional and personal obligations abound, and I am still leaning heavily – dare I say am dependent – on systems to manage my days.
As a visual human, I personally have a penchant for color-coded methods that allow me to take in an overview of priorities – and assess the notion of balance – with just a glance.
But since I respect this approach may not jive with everyone, I often ask others about their strategies for maintaining priorities, as I understand that this is a very personal endeavor. The answers always fascinate me, as they run the gamut from apps to old school calendars and straight-up lists on post its.
Then there’s the hardcore renegades who point to their noggin and say with staggering confidence, “it’s all in here.”
Obviously, there’s no right or wrong. If it works for you, that’s all that matters.
Except when the system – or lack thereof – starts to backfire.