Monthly Planner Time

Make Goal Setting And Time Management Easy

Autumn is not all pumpkin lattes and cute back-to-school outfits, it is time to start thinking about plans and goals for next year. As the cooler weather settles in and the current calendar is running out of months, I start looking for next year’s monthly planner.

I am already planning travel for next year and I need to schedule out dates so I don’t schedule overlaps — that’s no fun for anywone. When I start having a fairly long list of advance dates in the Note section of this year’s planner, I know it’s time for a new one.

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Monthly Planners

Remember the feeling of getting all new school supplies. It was the sign of a new beginning, a new year, a new you. I feel the same way when I get my new planner, it’s a time of anticipation, wondering what the new year will bring.

You know those beautifully composed desk photos, where they are pristine and uncluttered? Well that’s not my desk, it’s totally a hot mess. I work a lot. Who has time to clean and organize?

Planning Style

Each year as my businesses shift, I find my planning style and needs a change. This year I have an 8 1/2″ x 11″ planner with one page for the days of the week and one page for notes. This worked really well until I started lugging my planner with me on long work trips — it was a bit too heavy.

Now that my travel assignments and workcations are longer, I need something lighter and smaller but still offers the same great opportunities to take notes. I found this 6.1″ x 8.5″ Leather 2024 Daily Planner that has a single page for each day (1/2 page for weekends). I tend to overschedule, so having just one page per day keeps me on track. I expect I will ignore the time table on the sideline. My calendar is more about todo’s, I only have a few appointments each week and they will be easy to highlight.

Computer calendars are great, and I enter important appointments in my phone so I can get a reminder, but the lion’s share of my schedule goes into a planner. I like to see my entire week’s tasks and appointments in one view.

More Space To Track

If you want to succeed with goal setting and tracking, all the experts will tell you must write your goals down and they must be measurable.

You must write your goals down and they must be measurable

I track deadlines, social posts, newsletter planning, appointments, exercise, and all the must-do’s in my personal and business life. For entrepreneurs, these tend to be blended together so why not keep them in the same calendar.

I love the pre-printed tracking on this calendar. Each page has its own day — this is new for me — usually I have an entire week on one page. I like the time blocks for business appointments, phone calls, exercise scheduling, etc.

I am a follower of the Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy method of task completion. Essentially you take the three biggest and hardest “frogs” or tasks you need to accomplish and make them a priority — it makes procrastination almost impossible. Things that really aren’t that important fall away and don’t consume precious time. So I will add three bullets at the top of each page for my three frogs.

My 2024 Daily Planner

How cute is this BRKURLEG 2024 Daily Planner, right? The best part is that it’s available on Amazon — my favorite go-to shopping site — I’m sure it’s one of your favorites too.

No matter how you like to keep track of your calendar, get yourself a good planner that suits your calendar style and you will find you are on time and on track.

Planners, Calendars, and To Do Lists

No matter what type of monthly planner you chose, remember planners make goal setting simple!

Wishing you love and happiness in the New Year

Sandi

PS:

Getting ready to set your goals for the New Year? Now is a good time to review how you did with this year’s goals and get ready for next year. Check out my primer on Goals Are You Best Tool For Success to give you a jump start on your goal setting.

Don’t you just hate it when your phone battery is in the dreaded red zone? I always carry Fuel Rods with me. They give me a battery boost, they are rechargeable, and they work with iphones and androids. 

Travel health insurance when you are heading out of the country is an important consideration. Many policies don’t fully cover you outside of the US. I use Safety Wing for my international travels. I use the one-time coverage option for individual trips – luckily I haven’t had to use it, but it’s comforting to know I have it in place. 

If you know me, you know I love a glass of wine (or two). My favorite mail order wine company is Naked Wines. I order a case every month or so – no judgment please. I love that they work with small independent winemakers and I get to choose what wine I want and when I want it delivered. 

Don’t forget to download my free packing list! It’s the perfect jumping off point to get your adventure started.