How to Customize Your Planner for Productivity & Balance

How to Make Your Planner Work for YOU (Not the Other Way Around)

I've been there - staring at my collection of both digital and paper planners, each started with great intentions. That familiar mix of optimism ("This time it'll be different!") and guilt ("Why can't I just stick to one system?") is something I know all too well.

But here's what I've learned after trying countless planners: sometimes one system isn't enough, and that's perfectly okay. These days, I use both digital and paper planners, each for what it does best.

The Planner Struggle is Real

If you've ever:

• Bounced between paper and digital planners, feeling like you should choose "just one"

• Felt guilty about not using every feature or section

• Wondered if you're just "not a planner person"

• Hidden your "messy" planning style from others

You're not alone. I used to think I was somehow failing at planning until I realized something: planners should work for us, not the other way around - no matter what format they're in.

Finding What Works For You

Here's what finally clicked for me: different types of planning work better in different formats. Now I use:

Digital Planner for:

• Appointments that might need rescheduling

• Projects with lots of moving pieces

• Lists that need frequent updating

• Things I need to search through later

• Recurring tasks and events
  

Paper Planner for:

• Daily to-do lists that help me focus

• Creative brainstorming

• Goal setting and reflection

• Habit tracking

• Notes from meetings
  

And guess what? Using both actually works better than trying to force everything into one system.

Making Any Planner Work Better

Whether you're using digital, paper, or both, these principles make any planner more useful:

1. Use It Your Way

Just because a planner has certain sections doesn't mean you need them all. Start with what you actually need, whether that's just a monthly view or a detailed daily layout.

2. Keep What Works, Skip What Doesn't

• In digital: Hide or delete unused sections

• In paper: Skip pages or repurpose them

• In both: Focus on the features you actually use

3. Make It Your Own

Whether it's digital stickers or washi tape, colored tabs or bookmarks, make your planners easy to navigate and pleasant to use. I love using:

• Color coding that makes sense to me

• Stickers to highlight important things

• Tabs for frequently used pages

• Simple symbols for quick visual cues

4. Make It Convenient

I finally started using my planners regularly when I:

• Kept my paper planner open on my desk

• Put my digital planner somewhere easy to access on my devices

• Stopped trying to use every feature

• Made planning feel fun rather than like a chore

When Life Gets Messy

Sometimes weeks go by where I barely touch one or both planners. Instead of feeling guilty, I just start fresh where I am. No need to fill in blank pages or explain gaps. Life happened, and that's okay.

Small Changes That Actually Help

These simple adjustments made a big difference:

• Using my paper planner for focused daily work

• Keeping long-term planning digital where it's easier to adjust

• Adding decorative elements that make me happy to use either format

• Moving things between systems when needed

• Not forcing myself to stick to just one method

The Real Goal

The goal isn't to have the perfect system or the most organized planner. It's to have tools that actually help you navigate your days, remember the important stuff, and feel a bit more together.

Your planning style might look nothing like what you see online. You might use different tools for different things. But if it helps you keep track of your life? Then it's working exactly as it should.

I eventually created my own stickers that work for both digital and paper planning - not because I needed another "system," but because I wanted planning to feel good. Sometimes it's those small touches that make the difference between planners that work and ones that sit unused.

Moving Forward

If you take anything from this, let it be this: your planning system is yours to use however works for you. Mix formats, skip sections, try new things. The only "right" way to plan is the way that helps you.

And if you're looking at unused planners right now? Open them up to today's page and start fresh. No guilt about the past, no pressure about the future. Just a fresh start and whatever combination of tools works for you.

Because ultimately, the best planner isn't the prettiest or the most organized - it's the one you'll actually use. Whether that's digital, paper, or both. 💙