Tips&Tricks | Monthly Planning - How I Plan Out Each Month

It's no secret that I am OCD when it comes to every aspect of my life so I thought I would share some of my trade planning secrets. I am a heavy duty planner and I take time every evening to sit down and make sure the next day is planned and plotted out. If I did not have the system I have I would very likely go completely insane and my entire life would fall apart. No Joke.

Since I run two blogs (one personal and then this design studio) I find that my OCD cannot be satisfied with simple notes. I scoured Pinterest a million and one times looking for a way to keep everything flowing and neat. Eventually I settled on a five step process.

Wanna check it out? Get clicky wit it!

Naturally, this is the easiest part. If you happen to have a command or communications center in your home, you know how simple it is to round up all those party invites, school notices and other such things that are a must for your schedule. I also recommend pulling up your events section o Facebook as we are often invited to things solely on FB and don't get a physical invite. You should also make not of any standing dates you have each week or month, such as I see my daughter Abbi for an hour each Wednesday for some Mom/Oldest Child time together. 

My OCD cannot truly be satisfied unless I color code each type of thing I have to record. The example above is 100% how I use color to acknowledge my sections and how I can easily take a glance each week to see what is going on. I realize this step may not be necessary for all of you reading this post but trust me, it works! 

 Yes, I realize it sounds extreme but by making sure I have everything written in several planners I am actually accomplishing two things

1. Writing something repeatedly drills it into my head so there is no way I am forgetting

2. If I happen to not have a certain planner, I am guaranteed to have another so it's all there no matter what.

And lastly, don't forget to plug in all those extras that take up time each month. If you have a note showing money coming in and going out you will be able to glance quickly at your organizer and know whether or not you can accept that coffee date! I find it doubly handy to make sure I know what I am posting on my blogs at a glance as well as it helps keep me on task and to not repeat any topics. It also allows me to draft them in advance (but that is a whole separate post!)

Now here is what my planning supplies look like:

Overall, I realize it looks like a lot but once you have done your planning a time or two it will become routine. I find that I actually enjoy sitting down at the end of each month with some smooth jazz and a cup of coffee to focus my brain and get my month in order!

Start the Discussion:

How do YOU plan your months?
Do you have any trade secrets you'd like to share?

Happy Blogging!