The new year’s been ushered in and you now have a beautiful new planner with crisp, clean pages. Hmm….so, what’s next? How do you get started organizing your life for the upcoming year? Start by checking out today’s list of 7 tasks to add to your new planner this year.
At the beginning of the year, most people know to mark important dates like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, previously scheduled appointments and events in their new planner. But you shouldn’t stop there….not if you want to be more organized and intentional in your planning. Let’s plan for success and schedule some tasks that you may forget about otherwise. Here are 7 additional tasks you should go ahead and add to your new planner right now. Grab a pen or marker and get started!
Task #1: Gift shopping and mailing for special days
Like I stated earlier, people easily think of writing down birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special days in their planners at the beginning of the year. But since planners aren’t merely just calendars, we need to go a step further. Take some time to jot down reminders in your planner of when you should place orders or shop for gifts for those special days. Need to mail someone a gift or card for a special occasion? Go ahead and make a note the week prior to the date so you’ll be sure to get it to the recipient in time.
Task #2: Appointment scheduling
Do you have appointments that need to be scheduled throughout the year? Go ahead and write down a note of when you should schedule them. For example, since I normally get yearly physicals and eye exams, I go ahead and write a note in my planner to get them scheduled a month prior to when they come due. Don’t only think about medical appointments, but include annual appointments related to the home, also. Think about scheduled car maintenance, vehicle inspections, exterminator visits, HVAC tune-ups, etc.
Task #3: Family event scheduling
What family events do you need to schedule this year? A vacation? A weekend excursion? A family picnic? A date night? Go ahead and pencil them in your planner so you’ll be more apt to follow through with them. Add any seasonal festivities you normally attend if you already have the dates, and if you don’t just put a note in your planner to get the events scheduled a month or two prior.
Task #4: Cleaning and organizing
What annual cleaning and organizing tasks do you need to schedule? Maybe you want to schedule a Spring cleaning day for your family in March, or set aside a day to purge your closet every quarter, or do a deep cleaning of your home prior to the holidays in November. Maybe you just need a reminder to flip your mattress every 6 months. Maybe you want to spend one Saturday a month completing a home organization chore. If you send some time proactively planning these tasks and scheduling them in advance if so more likely you’ll get them done. Otherwise, life will get busy and you’ll forget about them.
Task #5: Home improvement project completion
What home improvement projects do you need to get done this year? Hold yourself (and your spouse) accountable by assigning a day or creating a deadline in your planner to get them done. Trust me…this works. My hubby and I put off regrouting the tile in our home for over a year, but once we sat down together and designated a specific weekend to get started on it, it finally happened!
Task #6: Yearly goal deadlines
Take a look at your yearly goals. Did you create a timeline to ensure that you get your goals completed this year? If so, go ahead and write them in your planner. If you didn’t, read my post on goal setting, set some deadlines for goal completion and then write them down in your planner.
Task #7: Personal goal reviewing
If you want to succeed with your yearly personal goals, you should schedule time in your planner to review them throughout the year. Set aside time each month to review your goals, contemplate your progress and make changes if necessary.
If you still haven’t purchased a planner for this year, you can find out how easy it is to make your own daily planner. Good luck adding these 7 useful tasks to your planner so that you can plan for success this year!
Here are some other posts you may enjoy:
- How to Use a Daily Planner Effectively
- Weekly Planner Free Printable
- Free Printable 2016 Planners & Calendars
Number one is a big one for me this year. In the past I feel like I’m always blind sided by birthdays even though they are clearly marked on the calendar. I’m always rushing around last minute for gifts, and end up using Amazon because I’ve run out of time to mail them. So not personal! Great tips Christie!!!
Thanks, Amanda! Yes, I’ve had some slip past me since they are the first week of the month….I turned my calendar page and oops…saw they were only a day away! LOL I’m so glad you found these tips useful. Here’s to a wonderfully planned 2016! 🙂
This a a great list! My grandmother does the first two, and I have never received a card late from her. I love the idea of putting goals on there, too. I have a typed version of my goals, but I feel like I would be more accountable if I had the dates on the calendar, too.
Thanks, Susi. I have found that I’m more accountable when I place my goals on my calendar and schedule times to review them. I hope it helps you reach your goals this year, too!
Great list! Thank you for sharing. I will be adding these to my planner today. I really appreciate your idea to schedule a personal goal review. This is extremely important and I overlook it all the time. This will certainly keep me living a more intentional life.
Yes, it’s easy to make goals and forget to go back and check your progress. That’s what makes this method so effective. Thanks so much for stopping by to read my list of tasks!
Wow! This is such a great list. Not too long and productive. Also, what planner pages are used in the picture? Nice layout! Thanks
Hi, Tanya, I’m glad you like the list! I used a stock photo for the picture, so I’m not sure the planner pages used in it. 🙁 Personally, I use The Happy Planner to plan out my days, and The Blog Planner for planning for my blog and business. Happy planning!