The Current Planning Market is Saturated
The current planning market is very crowded right now, offering a plethora planners of all shapes and sizes, in both paper and digital formats. From the more traditional daily/weekly/monthly planners to the more specific ones like gratitude journals, vision planning, and bullet journals, it can be hard to choose the right one. What makes a planner successful? It all starts with being able to identify meaningful goals and then build steps to reach them. Fortunately, there are some excellent planners on the market that make this process easier.
Planners Now Include More Long-Term Planning
The Covey-style planners were mainly used for short-term tasks and some very undefined project planning geared to reach long-term goals laid out in a personal “mission statement” — now the scourge of the corporate world.
Newer planners now lay out one’s personal vision, defining current, medium-term, and long-term goals. Those goals are then broken down by short-term 1-2 year goals, spawning projects, and then the action steps to complete those projects. It is easiest to think of this process as starting at the top of the mountain and figuring out how to take the first step to climb to the summit.
When used correctly, planners can help you stay focused on what matters most to you, and help you take meaningful steps towards reaching your goals.
The key to successful goal setting is to make sure your goals are clearly defined. If goals are vague, it’s hard to know what steps to take to achieve them. A good planner can help you break down your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks, so that you can take action to reach them.
Vision is an Important Word
The word “vision” is important when it comes to planning. It’s important to have a vision of what you want to achieve in life, and to be able to articulate it in a way that is meaningful to you. When setting goals, it’s important to have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and how you plan to get there. A good planner will help you to focus on your vision and break it down into achievable steps.
Two of the most popular planners for identifying meaningful goals and for building steps to reach them are the Panda Planner and Passion Planner. Both of these planners are designed to help you focus on your goals and break them down into achievable steps. They also help to keep you motivated and on track with your goals.
Bullet Journal Was Conceived as a Minimalist Solution, But Its Most Enthusiastic Adherents Overcomplicate Them
The bullet journal is another popular planner. It’s a great way to stay organized while also being creative. But unfortunately, there are too many people in the bullet journal community who make their journals obnoxiously complicated works of art. This can be overwhelming and can actually create more stress and anxiety, rather than helping to keep you organized.
The key to successful planning is to find the right planner for your needs. There are many excellent planners on the market that can help you identify meaningful goals and build steps to reach them. Take the time to research and find the one that works best for you, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your dreams.
My Personal Favorites That Help Me With My Anxiety and Why
My mind does not like too much repetition, so I find myself switching out systems over 6 months or so. I need variety. My favorites are:
The Bullet Journal
The basic bullet journal setup is minimalistic and requires no fancy notebook. I have used $14 planners, Field Notes 3 x 5 pocket notebooks, and less fancy Amazon Basic planners. I do recommend hard cover because it is important to take your bullet journal with you everywhere, but you can use a simple notebook from the Dollar Tree and it will work just fine.
A neurodivergent young man, Ryder Carroll, invented the bullet journal. You can see his first video outlining his method here. Caroll also wrote The Bullet Journal Method, a book which outlines and expands on his technique from the videos. It also dives into his method of goal setting. His goal setting method works for him, but I found it confusing and too abstract for my tastes.
Bullet journals started out as minimalistic and non-rigid, but many fans have turned them into a literal art form. My advice for avoiding the anxiety induced by trying to do things as well as others is to stick to the basic layouts and avoid the bullet journal fandom rabbit hole. I do recommend this video because the technique varies so very slightly from the original bullet journal basics to create something very useful for people with ADHD.
Tomorrow: are structured planners better or worse for anxiety?
Howling Yeti 
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