Why Keeping A Planner Is Good For Your Mental Health
Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed with too many things on your plate and seemingly not enough time in the day? Do your weeks look like looming deadlines for work projects or homework, appointments and meetings to attend, and errands to be run?
Just typing those sentences out gave me secondhand stress.
The bottom line is this, though: life gets messy and can take a toll. Sometimes stress is within our control and sometimes it’s not. This is why it’s so important to take advantage of available tools to help reduce and manage the craziness of life.
This is also why something as simple as using a planner is so good for your mental health. So, why should you keep a planner?
1. Get Organized
Imagine walking into a grocery store and the produce section is a total free-for-all. Apples are with the potatoes and strawberries are mixed in with tomatoes. Sounds like total chaos, right? If you’re not organized, all the tasks and engagements you have are probably just as mixed up.
Don’t exhaust yourself with the chaos, and instead, organize your life day-by-day, week-by-week, with a planner. By getting your To-Do list out of your head and onto paper, you’ll be less likely to forget important dates and details, and your tasks will become more manageable.
2. Boost Productivity
To get anything done, you have to start somewhere, and you can’t start something if you don’t know what you need to do in the first place. Using a planner helps you keep track of your tasks and holds you accountable for what you accomplish.
According to an article by Forbes, studies show that you’re more likely to achieve goals and remember information when you write things down. So, boost your productivity with a planner and get things checked off your list.
3. Improve Time Management
Along with general organization, a planner helps you prioritize what needs to get done when. By jotting down important deadlines and dates ahead of time, you’ll be able to physically see if one day is going to be open or jam-packed. Then, it’ll be easier to prioritize your tasks and plan accordingly.
You can also try scheduling out your day, giving you a plan of action to really get things done and not procrastinate. With just a little planning, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration, instead, giving you more time for fun plans and creative hobbies.
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4. Reduce Overall Stress
No one likes feeling like their mind is racing a million miles a minute. Moments like these can worsen anxiety and send you into a spiral. In addition, you can’t expect yourself to always be able to keep track of every little thing; that’s just not realistic.
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A planner takes away some of that burden and gives you breathing room. It keeps track of things so you don’t have to. This way, you can stop focusing on all that needs to be done and start actually getting things done, giving you a sense of control.
Bonus Tips To Up Your Planner Game:
1. Color Coding
If you’re someone who enjoys personalizing the little things, this could be a helpful method for keeping different tasks organized. Try breaking things into different color groupings based on the type of task or event at hand.
2. Bullet points are your friend
I love a good To-Do list. Jot down what you need to get done each day with bullet points. Then get the satisfaction of crossing them off.
3. Prioritization
Some tasks are just more pressing than others. So, create a system for prioritizing the important things. Doodle a star by certain tasks or highlight it in a fun color. If something’s really important, I like to write in all caps. Because, why not?
4. Find a planner you really love
One of the biggest things that kept me from consistently using a planner throughout college was that I could never find a planner I really loved. Luckily, there are SO many styles and types of planners on the market. I recommend hitting up your local bookstore or stationery shop to find one that works for you.
5. Stick with it
They say it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. So, try out a planner for at least that long, and use that time to get a feel for what works best for you. By the end of that month, you’ll likely have a system you know and can rely on to get things done and feel more at ease.
Take Care of Yourself…
We’re only human. As much as we try to control and manage every aspect of our lives, sometimes we need a little help along the way, and that’s okay. A planner is like a daily vitamin, you might not need it, but it’ll probably help you out in the long run.
Now, go buy yourself a planner you love and take a deep breath because those little pages have got you covered. And while you’re at it, take yourself out on a coffee date!
Related:
5 Reasons Why College Students Should Take a Mental Health Day
3 Ways To Determine If An Employer Supports Mental Health At Work
Meet The Writer!
Hello! My name is Lea Rose and I am an avid writer with a love for all things international. I recently graduated from UNC Charlotte with degrees in Communication Studies as well as Dance Performance and hope to be a full time travel writer one day. My writing primarily focuses on the ways places and experience shape us as individuals. Please feel free to check out my blog or connect with me through LinkedIn or Instagram @writtenworldblog.
