Why do I journal and plan? And if I'm going to do those things, while do I do it on paper? Why do I make such elaborate spreads and spend so much time decorating my planner books? It's a question that I have been asked more than a few times over the last several years since I started sharing my planner spreads. As I am beginning a new year in a new set of planner books, I thought it would be a good topic to answer... and perhaps I'll drag you over to the dark side where we have stickers and washi.
Planning
I plan for the same reason that anyone plans so that I have the illusion of control over my life. Seriously though, if I didn't plan I wouldn't know when anything was happening and we wouldn't be able to do all that we do. I have joked in the past that if it isn't in the planner it isn't happening, and that is very true. If I don't write it down we either don't get a task done or we miss out on an activity. So my primary reason for planning is to stay on top of things.
In addition to planning big events though, I also keep running to do list in my planner, this serves multiple purposes. First, if they aren't written down I'll probably forget to do them. Secondly, it helps me to make space in my day for getting things done that I'd rather never do again... like mopping. Third, checking off tasks releases dopamine and encourages me to get more tasks done. For these reasons, I have a monthly and weekly to-do-list, these are tasks that must be completed every month or every week. Then I also have my daily to-do list. Sometimes these are tasks from the weekly and monthly list, because it's one thing to say I need to do that this month, and another to say I am doing it today. But, just as often, these tasks are single event task that need doing.
Lastly, when I am planning I also time block. This is a practice that I started about a year and a half ago, to help me see where my day was going. I quickly realized that the reason that I felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything most days, is that pretty much every activity that I did took longer than I thought it did. It also showed me that I am pretty much busy from the moment I get up till I go to bed. I began time blocking to help me better manage my time. By blocking off a long window for school, I didn't try to get other tasks done during that part of the day. I solely focused on schooling the kids. Then when I sat down to complete desk work like bills, phone calls, blogging, etc. That I worked on just those things, rather than feeling that I also needed to be folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and sorting kids' clothes. It was like giving myself permission to do what was at this moment the most important thing for me to work on, and schedule the rest for another time. I have also found that reviewing my last few months of time blocking, helps me when I need to revamp our daily schedule around the house, because I can see what is taking longer or needing to be done more often than I initially planned.
By planning, keeping running to-do lists, and time blocking I am a better steward of the time that I've been given. It helps me to know when I can say yes or when I need to say no to an opportunity with friends or events in town. It helps me to make only one trip to town rather than multiple trips on multiple days. It helps me to be more present in whatever I am doing. More importantly it pays out dividends to my family in a clean, organized house, in good quality schooling, and in a far less stressed mom.
Creating
Maybe I've convinced you that there are benefits in planning, and now you are going to go and get yourself a calendar, date planner, or empty notebook; but you are still wondering what's with all the stickers and artwork, after all we aren't 12 anymore. The truth is that I love to be creative. It's a core part of who I am. Before I had kids, I painted (watercolors and acrylics), I crocheted and cross-stitched, I experimented with mosaics and landscaping plants, and I scrapbooked. I carried a sketchbook in my bookbag pretty much everywhere I went. I was a lot like Ruth with her 7 notebooks and half a dozen types of art supplies on a trip. However, after 6 kids the chances to do any of those things are few and far between. The demands of keeping up a house and schooling the kids take up 90% of my time.
I have discovered two reasons for decorating my planners. One it makes me happy. I get a small creative outlet. I have a small amount of time, but I only have a single page with a small amount of space to be creative. It doesn't take long, all that often to decorate my planners but I get to do something creative and express myself. Also, because there are set spaces that I'm using for set things, my decorating tends to fall into patterns, which means there is no decision fatigue associated with creating, that a huge plus after a day of answer every question and deciding everything for six little people, and often two adults.
The other reason that I decorate my planners is that I have found that I'm far more likely to use something that is pretty. There is a reason that we want to have pretty homes with colorful garden tools, brightly colored kitchen pots, and lovely blankets and pillows. These things encourage us to use them. A prettily decorated planner is no different. Years and years ago, I used basic black and white Walmart planners. Sometimes I kept them up for a time, but going back to flip through them there are far more empty pages than used pages. And we've already established things don't get done if I'm not using a planner. When a planner has beautiful colors and a decorated layout, I keep it open, I find myself checking it multiple times a day, and so it can do it's job of being my extended memory.
Journaling
So now that you understand why I plan and make my planner pretty, you might wonder why I need to do something else extra, by journaling. The number one reason why I journal is that it helps my depression and anxiety. Simply put I'm more fun to be around when I'm regularly journaling, and science proves that. I do this in a few ways by writing prayers and keeping bible study notes in a Bible journal, but I do this daily in a small way in my planner. By writing about the things that I'm stressing over it takes those problems off my mind and makes them seem more manageable. Sometimes, writing about these negative things, cement in my mind that I need to talk them over with Gary, because just writing doesn't alleviate the problem. Sometimes, I instead focus on the positive things and it helps to reroute my thoughts, and look for the good things when I can't fix the things that are contributing to my depression.
Another positive of journaling is that it actually improves time management. By doing all this planning and then reflecting on the day through journaling, it shows where time was misspent or what things were worthy pursuits and so I can better plan the next day. This is why most often my journaling is just a synopsis of the day or a look at something that was most memorable during the day. It's a way of processing the day.
Finally, my favorite reason for journaling is it gives me the opportunity to save the little things that the kids do and say that I would have forgotten otherwise. Just like I love seeing facebook memories pop up with "Brittisms" (things the little boy would say and do when he was small), I love to flip back through my old planners periodically and read through our memories. I find things that seemed so huge and looming that worked out to be nothing at all. I see snapshots of the kids when they were younger and the conversations we had. I can see how God has provided when we didn't have any options moving forward.
I have tried journaling weekly or monthly, and while that is good to measure progress for longer term goals, it doesn't really do what I primarily need it to do. I need the daily chance to process my day and save the things worth saving and leave behind the stuff that isn't helpful. Daily journaling, even just a few sentences is a way to do that.
Planning and Journaling for You
So, have I made you a believer in the power of planning and journaling? January is a great time to pick up a planner and start a new journal. It's amazing to then flip back over at the end of the year and see what all your year held, little things that you might have forgotten about as well as the big events. I'd love to see what you do with a planner or a journal if you decide to start one. If you still have questions about using one or making your own, be sure and leave them here with me.
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