Planner Ideas: How To Customize & Use Your Planner

Get ready to transform your planning experience from ordinary to extraordinary!

When your planner is personalized, planning becomes so much easier. Instead of struggling with plain Jane layouts that don't fit your lifestyle, customizing your planner turns it into a system that motivates you and makes ticking off your to-do list genuinely satisfying.

So, how do you personalize a planner and actually stick to using one? Simply follow our planning tips to design the custom planner of your dreams that you'll enjoy using every day.

Let's do this!

Your planner layout and setup should work with your routine, not against it. Here are seven easy ways to customize your Plum Paper planner:

1. Choose your planner

The secret to planner success starts with choosing the right planner. Will your planner handle household tasks, like chores and shopping lists? Or, are you using it for work or school? The answer will point you to the right planner. From there, consider:

Size

• Small: A5 (5.8”x 8.3”) planners fit snugly in your purse or school bag.
• Medium: 7”x 9” planners are the most popular, perfect for keeping at home or in the office.
• Large: 8.5” x 11” planners are great desk planners and work extremely well for teachers or those managing multiple responsibilities.

Planner type

• Undated planners: Flexible for those who don’t need a fixed schedule.
• Daily planners: Detailed, daily hour-by-hour scheduling.
• Weekly planners: View your week at a glance.
• Monthly planners: Track important monthly appointments, vacations, or commitments.
• Financial planners: Designed for budget tracking and money management.
• School planners: Ideal for teachers and elementary, middle, high school, and college students.

Layout

Choose a planner with planner pages that match how your mind organizes information:

• Vertical layouts are designed with days of the week running from top to bottom of the pages. They usually include extra space at the bottom (or side) for notes, lists, or habit tracking. These setups are fantastic for financial planning, household chores, work, and meal planning.
• Horizontal planner pages run from left to right, with a dedicated row for each day. They give you enough space to jot everything down, including longer notes. These setups work well for students who want to plan classes, activities, and subjects.

2. Design a dream cover

• Pick a theme: Whether you're a cat lover, foodie, beach enthusiast, or prefer neutral tones, design a front cover that reflects your personality and planning style. Your cover should inspire you to reach for your planner every time you look at it.
• Get personal: Add your name, year, and favorite motivational quote to give your planner a personal touch.
• Be creative: Personalize the cover with printed pictures, family photos, hand-drawn doodles, or stylish typography to create something uniquely yours.

3. Use a color-coded system

• Use different colors: Use a specific code-coloring system for work, family, personal goals, deadlines, and other life categories. For example, use red for urgent priorities, blue for family events, and purple for personal goals.
• Be bright and bold: Use highlighters, colored pens, and stickers to pinpoint certain sections in your planner. This helps important information "jump off the page" so you never miss a beat.
• Use custom inserts/dashboards: Have dedicated sections for budgets, meal plans, fitness, or DIY projects. Use planner add-ons, like dashboards and dividers, to track and keep habits, goals, and budgets all in one place.

4. Use clever headings

Thoughtful headings help you customize planner sections to work for your unique needs. Think beyond generic titles like "Notes" and design headings that actually work for you, your lifestyle, and goals.

• Goal-oriented achievers: Create sections like "Weekly Goal Focus", "Daily Wins", "Monthly Momentum", and "Progress Check Ins". These headers keep your motivation levels at an all-time high and help you work purposefully toward smashing your goals.
• Family and kids activities: Headings like "Family Schedule", "Winter Sport Events", and "Summer Vacation Plans" help busy parents ensure everyone's commitments are accounted for and never forgotten.
• Chores and shopping lists: Clear headings like "Home DIY Projects", "House Maintenance List", "Supper Club Groceries", "School Snacks", and "Cleaning Rosters" work well for household tasks and to-dos.
• Meal planning and recipes: Create food-focused sections like "Weekly Menu Planning", "Recipes To Try", "Quick Weekend Meals", "Kids Food", or "Baking Tips". These go-to headings transform "What's for dinner?" dilemmas into an organized, calm process.

5. Add tabs & dividers

• Create themed sections: Correlate your headings from above with distinct areas in your planner for categories like "Budget", "Wellness", "Family", and "Vacations".
• Try separation methods: Use sticky notes, washi tape, or magnetic bookmarks to separate months or sections, so you can easily find what you need.
• Add an index page: Include an index page at the front of your journal, planner, or notebook to find your most frequently used sections in an instant.
• Add functional storage: Include pockets, pouches, or envelope organizers for receipts, tickets, or important papers. This keeps loose papers neat and organized instead of scattered around your home or office.

6. Add tasks & hobbies

• Track meaningful activities: Use extra refill pages to track workouts, books read, TV shows, and other things that bring you joy. This makes your planner a space for both your responsibilities and everything you love doing.
• Include wellness practices: Design dedicated sections in your planner for gratitude lists, daily affirmations, mood tracking, and/or motivational quotes. Start each day on the right foot and set a positive tone for everything that follows.
• Plan for personal growth: Include sections for skill development, hobby tracking, reading goals, and bucket list dreams. Writing them down keeps you focused and makes it easier to turn goals into reality!

7. Decorate!

• Use planner accessories: From colored washi tape and decorative stickers to handy pen loops and bookmarks, there are endless ways to jazz up your planner.
• Change it up: Keep your planner looking fresh by switching themes with the seasons. Think florals in spring, cozy tones in fall, or festive Christmas spreads. Try interchangeable covers for a quick refresh anytime without starting completely over.
• Get functional: Make planning your day quick and easy with functional stickers. Use them for school, goal setting, doctor's appointments, and so much more.

Bonus read: Best Planner Accessories to Stay Organized

Now that you know how to customize your planner, here's how to put it to work:

Plot your goals

• Set short- and long-term goals: Include everything you want to achieve, from daily tasks and monthly DIY projects to yearly goals, so your planner supports both your short and long-term goals. It's a good idea to break big goals into quarterly milestones or weekly steps to make them more manageable.
• Make goals visible: Writing down all your goals is super important. Even if you don't intend to achieve them right now, having a clear path helps you stay focused and motivated. Use planner dashboards or weekly spreads to keep these plans front and centre.
• Track progress: Use visual progress bars, checkboxes, or milestone markers to gauge your progress over time. Celebrating small wins builds momentum towards smashing larger goals.
• Use time-blocking techniques: Assign specific time slots to important tasks rather than just listing them. This approach makes your schedule more realistic and helps prevent procrastination. Also, treat your goals like any other task. For example, if you're training for a marathon, carve time out of your schedule to include 2-3 runs per week.

Record important dates

• Daily schedules: Write down appointments, vacations, school events, work deadlines, and daily tasks to keep you on track.
• Weekly overviews: Plan balanced weeks that include work obligations, family time, personal goals, and self-care activities like gym sessions or get-togethers with friends. This helps prevent overscheduling and stops you from burning out.
• Monthly planning: Jot down big-picture events, seasonal goals, and special events in your planner. Include friends' and family's birthdays, wedding anniversaries, planned vacations, and religious holidays so you always know what is happening and when.

Track everything that matters

• Go beyond basic planning: Your planner doesn’t have to stop at daily to-dos. Use it to track bucket list progress, travel adventures, new recipes, books you’ve read, or health and fitness milestones. Looking back at everything you’ve accomplished is rewarding and motivates you to keep moving forward.
• Identify patterns: Regular tracking helps you notice what's working well and what isn't. With this insight, you can fine-tune your planning or shift your goals to stay on track.
• Celebrate progress and wins: Use the extra pages of your planner for a dedicated "Celebrations" section. Here, jot down the goals you’ve achieved, how long they took, and the milestones you’re proud of. Reflecting on your wins (no matter how tiny) gives you a real sense of accomplishment and keeps you motivated for your next goal.

Be consistent

• Keep your planner nearby: Place your planner within arm's reach, such as on your desk or in your bag. Accessibility is the key ingredient for building consistent planning habits.
• Have a daily routine: Spend a few minutes each morning reviewing the day ahead and each night ticking off what you completed. This daily practice helps you stay focused on your goals and maintain momentum over time.
• Review regularly: Flip back through previous weeks and/or months to see patterns, celebrate progress, and pinpoint areas for improvement. This approach helps you tweak your planning style for better results.

Make space for random notes

• Be flexible: Leave blank spaces in your planner for random ideas, inspiration, brainstorming, or notes that don’t fit neatly into categories.
• Log ideas and memories: Use your planner to jot down creative ideas, interesting conversations, funny moments, or random memories that pop up out of the blue. These "unplanned moments" often become the most treasured part of your planning journey.

At the end of the day, there's no right or wrong way to use a planner. As long as it fits your lifestyle and helps you stay on top of everything you need to get done, it's doing its job well.

Where can I buy custom planners?

Right here at Plum Paper! Build your planner exactly how you want it with our premium range of customizable options available online.

How detailed should my custom planner be?

The great thing about planning is that it can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Whether you deck it out with dashboards, stickers, and washi tape, or keep it minimal with just a few personal touches, your planner should reflect your style and work for your life - there are no rules or limits.

So there it is, a complete rundown of how to customize and use your planner.

Start by choosing the perfect size, designing an epic front cover, and bringing it to life with color-coded systems, stickers, and creative decorations. Your planner should be an extension of your personality: fun, functional, and fabulously YOU.

When using your planner, think of it as your personal sidekick. It helps you track goals, manage checklists, remember important dates, and spot progress patterns along the way. Plus, it leaves room for spontaneous ideas or bursts of inspiration.

If you're ready to transform your planning experience from ordinary to extraordinary, discover Plum Paper's extensive collection of fully customizable, best-selling planners today.