Your Planner Won’t Help You Get More Done

So, guess what? Your planner won’t help you get more done. There – I said it! Now, before you think I’ve completely lost my marbles, hear me out.

I think planners, planning, and time management techniques are amazing and useful tools. I happen to love pretty printables (in case you haven’t noticed). However, despite trying to use all these tools, I still feel overwhelmed.

I feel like all those things let me down.

I want to do so many things.

I want to soak up every minute with my toddler and baby, because I know that time goes by so fast and they’re only little once.

I definitely want to to keep the house tidy, every closet organized, and all the laundry caught up. I want to cook better and healthier meals.

I want to exercise regularly, because it’s so good for my health.

I want to spend time with friends and family.

I want to totally rock my business. I want to create more products, write more blog posts, and always stay caught up on my emails. I want to reach out and connect more with my readers and with other amazing bloggers. I want to say yes to most opportunities that come my way.

But so many times I get to the end of the day, and I only managed to do a few of those things. What happened? Did my planner let me down?

Here’s the thing. No planner or time management ninja trick can give me more hours in a day. When I try to pile too many things in my planner, it’s just a recipe for disappointment.

Here's where I went wrong: My planner isn’t supposed to help me add MORE THINGS to my life.

It helps me prioritize doing more of the things that matter most to me and less of the things that don’t.

It helps me feel calm knowing that all my to do’s are safely written down and out of my head.

It helps me accept my limitations and 24 hour day realities.

It gives me focus and direction and helps me break big projects down into bite size chunks.

But it doesn't make the tough decisions for me. It doesn’t tell me what I should prioritize. Only I can do that.

Is this something you've realized for yourself too? How are you dealing with being balanced and prioritizing the right sorts of things? I'd love to hear about your process!

Get Organized

Posted Under: Organizing, Productivity

8 Comments

Lynne McClure Says

Laura, we are such kindred spirits here. I don’t finish the things I want – even tho I have allowed that extra cushion I keep hearing about. It goes way beyond working harder. And you are right – your babies matter most right now.

Thanks for posting. I don’t feel so alone – and neither should you.

Natasha Ong Says

This is so true – I often find myself disappointed when I couldn’t finish what I have written down in my planner. I’m glad that you’ve written a post about this, it definitely tells me that I am not the only one 🙂

Tracey Says

Yes!! Another problem I have is that I like planning WAY better than actually doing!

LauraJane Says
Post author
I totally understand that! Planning is sometimes way more fun than actually doing. 🙂

Serene Says

I’ve always said that I was a better planner than executioner! ????

Nowadays I just have to force myself off social media and get stuff done. Coz the overwhelmed I feel the more I escape to social media. Dumb isn’t it? Talk about self-sabotaging!

Rhonda Rought Says

It is hard to be organized and thinking clearly when your world gets turned upside down. I found out a week ago that my last working day for the camp I work for will be October 21. It is still hard for me to get my head around the thought but I am working on it. I like to have a planner so I know what my family needs and my to do list is there…..it gives me a sense of who I am. Now I will need to use it more than before because of appointments and job hunting will need to be there for me to remember. Now it is list time and making sure I have things done before I go…………some won’t matter to anyone but me and others will help the person taking my place to know what to do………….so forward and onward…………here I go

Andria Jones Says

Yes! I’m definitely re-evaluating my planner use currently. I’ve been using a large Happy Planner for a while, but with the fall semester kicking my butt, I decided to try a daily view as well, and I lucked out by finding a Day Designer/Blue Sky planner at Target for $10. I’ve been using my week view to divide my to-dos into “projects,” and I keep the to-dos on my daily view to a minimum of what I think I can accomplish (I can always add more later). So far, it’s helping me to have both that big picture for each week, and also the daily view that keeps me from getting too overwhelmed.

Tisha Says

I try to prioritize different things on different days. So exercise and laundry are things I can do on certain days. There are some things that are daily like playing with my cat and cooking my own meals, and even cooking days aren’t always every day. Making cleaning tasks a daily thing that gets done in small 15min bursts has really helped. So much gets done over time even though it only takes up a little time each day.