Plans & Vibes Archive - How I use my planner for work - my professional, intuitive and flexible system
One thing i noticed when i was on my journey to find ‘planner peace’, was there wasn’t a whole lot of inspiration out there that suited my needs work-wise.
I work in a corporate environment as an HR Business Partner so i needed something professional and minimal that i can use in meetings without distraction. It just isn’t my style to whip out a glittery/colourful book in a meeting with senior leaders in a business to talk about serious issues.
I also needed something functional and intuitive to use. I can get pulled from pillar-to-post at a minutes notice and I needed to know i can walk into a meeting, flip straight to the page i needed to be and not have to be distracted with ‘how do i use my system for this situation’.
I also knew i needed a flexible system. In my role, you can plan out the day first thing in the morning and you can be fairly well guaranteed that the day will not end up looking that way. Meetings get cancelled/ rescheduled. Incidents occur that need to be dealt with as a priority. Some tasks could take longer than planned, or not get done, or get pushed to a later date.
Now, in saying this - i still needed something that i found aesthetically pleasing. I am a self-confessed planner addict after all.
I have tried using separate planners for personal and work, but it just wasn’t for me. Work is a big part of my life and is part of who i am, so for me it just makes more sense to have everything together in one ring binder. It is in a separate section so my personal tasks don’t get lost in a sea of work!
After about 6 months of playing around with my planner and different systems and inserts, this is what i have found works best for me:
Master List
At the beginning of each month, i write a master list of all of the ‘projects’ or ‘top priorities’ i want to get done that month.
Inspired by David Allen’s ‘Getting Things Done’ (G.T.D) methodology, i do this by:
Get a scrap piece of paper and just braindump everything that comes to mind that you need to get done for work. It could be a project/thought/task/inspiration etc. Don’t think, just chuck it down.
Review this list and group them into what i call projects, but by that i really just mean related sections. For example, in my job it could be:
Talent mapping for X area
Change management for X area
Strategy alignment for X area
From there, on some paper you want to keep in your planner for the month (I use thick lined note paper), write out each of these projects as a heading, with what the next steps in the tasks are for the month. This could be:
Book meeting with X
Draft template
Template reviewed by X
Develop communications plan for project
Once i have this list, it usually comes out to an A5 sheet, back and front. I keep it in the front of the work section of my planner, so at the beginning of each week i can review it and either check off completed tasks or assign tasks to the week.
Weekly Task List
I like to use a vertical weekly task list and particularly like the Cloth and Paper Undated Vertical Week on 2 Page inserts, however they are not cheap, and the shipping to Australia can be pricey.
So i now use the 8lotus Weekly Vertical Custom Lists inserts which i am totally smitten with. I love that Monday to Friday is on the left page, with the right side the weekend and lists page. I love the flexibility of printables. Being in Australia, i am way too impatient to wait 2 or more weeks for my printed inserts to arrive, so unless i am doing a sticky notes or stickers order, i tend to always use printables.
At the beginning of each day - yes day - i write out my tasks that i THINK i could realistically get done that day. I use the master list, as well as my emails and outlook calendar of meetings to determine what the tasks need to be. I do not rewrite tasks from previous days, and i feel like this is just double handling so don’t rewrite them. Instead, i go back to basics and use Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal task key to denote a task, a migrated/moved task or a completed task (photo of how i use this below).
On the very right side of the insert, there are 3 lists sections. This works perfectly as i have three portfolios at work, so i use the master list to determine what the week’s project priorities are for each portfolio, so they are front of mind every time i flip to this page.
I don’t need the weekend days for my work tasks, so i use sticky notes for additional notes and urgent things that pop up. I can quickly jot them down here.
Meeting Notes
Strangely enough, this was actually the hardest part to determine what works best for me. I spend a lot of time in meetings and need to jot down summaries of the conversations i have. I also need to be able to flip back to these notes throughout the following weeks.
If i use printable notes pages my planner ends up way too full, and if i only keep a week or so’s worth in there to make it fit, i lose the ability to be able to flip back and refer to my notes.
Therefore i have found that using a separate Moleskin lined journal is portable, lovely to use and fits perfectly sitting just in the front of my planner.
Stationary
My current favourite pens are:
Zebra Dryjell Sarasa dry (0.5mm) in black
Sigma uni-ball ultra micro 307 - in black
I don’t tend to use stickers in my work section, because i like to keep them for my personal planner - work gets messy and complex so i dont want to waste them.
Sticky notes on the other hand - oh boy, i go crazy for sticky notes. Sometimes i think i resemble those crazy people in movies when all the walls in their house are covered in them. I love the versatility and flexibility of them. That’s why i keep them at the front of my planner for easy access, so if I need to take a super quick note or reminder down, i can write it on a sticky note and put it in the right section in my planner later.
I hope this summary of how i use my planner for work gives you some ideas or inspiration.
How do you use your planner for work? Have you found your ‘work planner peace’ yet?
H xx