My Dedication Planner Archives

6 Ways to Use Your Day Planner to Become a Better You

February 14, 2021

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Let’s be honest, In a world where technology is part of our everyday thing, a paper planner can be such a breath of fresh air and also give our eyes a break from the computer screen. I have been wearing prescription glasses for the past fifteen years, and as a Registered Nurse myself, I regularly sit in front of the computer for 12-13 hours which doesn’t help; so believe me when I tell you that writing things down in my planner is such a happy moment. Now that you know one good reason to use a daily planner, how can you use it effectively to better yourself? In this post , I will explain 6 effective ways to use your Day Planner.

First thing first: Write down everything.

We may need to brain dump because you tend to forget a lot of things, important things . For me, taking the time to write down all of my appointments, and goals is worth every minute. The act of writing is like zen for your busy mind, and research has shown that people are more likely to remember the things you write out. So, the next time you scrambling to remember what needs to be done, you simply pull out your planner.

Many people take a day out of the week to plan, such as Sunday which is great; but I also recommend that you take a few minutes each night before bed to see your plan for the next day. Why is it important? As much as we plan, your to-do list sometimes needs to be flexible. Check to see if there’s thing that need to be moved around and also aware of what the day will be like.

Does your planner has a To-do list. I suggest you pick a planner that has one.

It is crucial to have a to-do list and plenty of note in your planner. I am a very detailed oriented and last year when I launched my planner, I quickly noticed a lot of things needed to be updated. And one of them was the to-do list pages. So, I hired someone to deliver something more effective so that my customers can better breakdown their days. Guess what? There’s even a mood tracker.

Create monthly goals.

We usually have New Year Resolutions by the beginning of the year, then we stop thinking about them within the first two months. Whyyy? I tell you why. Even though our new year resolutions are valid, you have to break them down into small pieces which makes them more realistic. You can’t even plan your daily activities without having a monthly goal in mind. The stuff you plan weekly/daily is a reflection of what you want to accomplish by the end of the month. Let just say, you want to pay 10,000 credit card loan for the month. You will calculate that and see how much you need to set aside weekly, then by the end of the month you can always go back and reflect on what you did to accomplish that goal.

Your planner should be a source of inspiration.

We are not robots, we should not be. That’s why your planner should not be just a place to check things off and see what time you have an appointment.

Have you ever written down the stuff that creates happiness in your life? Pick a word, a phrase, a picture; something that will inspire you all month long. Affirmations are great, they keep you going and create positivity. Write down everything that makes you happy, things you want to say no or yes to each month; be it mentally, physically or financially . Then go back and reflect on how you can make it better the following month.

Set time to work on your business. Even if it’s 2 hours a week.

Having a 9-5 job for many of us can be hectic while managing our business on the side. Therefore, scheduling and prioritizing your to-do list is very important because it is very hard to work on your business while you on somebody else’s clock. It is necessary to sit down with no distraction for a period of time dedicated to your business in order to address what needs to be addressed; either you’re a full time or part time entrepreneur. Also, if you need help seek help. That is one area that I am still working on because I feel like I’m some kind of super human and can’t seek help. It shouldn’t be like that.

This ladies and gentlemen is my favorite part. Incorporate self-care into your planner.

I don’t care what you do but Self-care has to be a priority for you as an individual or business owner. You are the brain and the force behind your life and business; therefore, when you become exhausted with lack of mental clarity; all these plans and goals mean nothing. You will not be able to maintain anything if you’re suffering mentality and physically.
This is why I felt the need to incorporate a Resource Page in “My Dedication Planner” to help you with mental health and personal development. I have been there , done that!!! When the body takes rest from you instead of you doing it, it will be hard before you can get back on your feet.

That being said, to help you with self care, our monthly self care reflection is also dedicated to help you understand the things that no longer serve you, and focus on the things that make you thrive.
Simply take some time to answer the questions monthly and carve out time in your planner for rest, hobbies , family activities and exercise.

In 2021 we have to normalize being successful amd take control of our mental health at the same time. There’s no other way.

Don’t hold back. Write it all out and create your best life.
Love,

Presiii.

Happy Planning Darlings

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Buying A Planner? Is it worth it?

January 14, 2021

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admin

Is it really worth it to buy planners let alone to be crazy about them?

Theres is vast majority of planners that can range anywhere between $15 to $80 . Yeah that much money for a planner but it all depends on the Brand, the fancy material or the contents of this planner. So, the question is:How much money you’re willing to spend on a planner? Is that $100 seems too much or will that $15 planner from Walmart do the work? At the end of the day you have to decide because you’re gonna use this planner for at least 3 months if it is a 90 days planner or whole year.

A yearly planner such as Erin Condren is $75 and one from Smythson can cost as much as $155 but it doesn’t mean they contains the same features, pages as a $15 planner or better.

As a planner freak myself and someone that loves planner so much to even create her own I’ve heard these questions. Honestly, it doesn’t hurt giving my opinion, not as a business owner but as a consumer.

My very closest friends and family will refer me as frugal or sometimes cheap which I know not. At least not the cheap part (LOL). The answer is, I budget consciously and if I am going to buy something I need to know if it’s going to impact my life in one way or another and that includes a planner too.
To answer the “is it worth it” question, you need to know how useful that planner will be. Is it something that you are excited to use every morning, something you write all the fun and important things and assignment in, do you love the layout, the color or is it even your style?

Your planner should be something that makes you feel less stressed while you are tackling your every day to-do list, track budgets, and help you remember important milestones of your family. Therefore, it has to be something that you’re willing to invest in that won’t feel like a waste of money.

Sometimes, you buy the planner and you don’t even use it. Not saying every day of your planner should be filled but even if you buy the most expensive planner at $155 that will be 41 cents per day. That is still not bad after all.

My advice to you is that when choosing a planner, make sure that you are buying a planner that reflects you as an individual, the features that matters to you, the cover, the colors, saving and debt tracker, does this planner only focus on your to-do list, the mental health aspect or both? Is it something you can carry on the go, book bag or do you prefer something more like a pocket book?

That being said. If a $20 planner is useful to you , by all means you buy it and if you want something that cost $100, however has more features to help tackle certain and specific things, then you get it. Having a planner is a good investment because it is a tool that help you beat procrastination, stay on top your to-do list and even help you practice self care.

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My Dedication Planner

Set Up Your Planner and Watch Yourself Get Productive

January 14, 2021

By

admin

After you have purchased your planner or calendar, the first thing you need to do is set it up. But the way you set your planner can either make you productive or still procrastinate. Now, where do you start? What should you write in it? How will you organize it so that it can be useful and easy to yo use?

Listen, everybody has a New Year resolution if not resolutions! Which is great but It is easy to become so overwhelmed by all the tasks of everyday life, especially if you don’t have a system in place to organize it all. You now find yourself being late for a major meeting because you forgot where you wrote that note, or the important steps to an assignment. Stop being overwhelmed!!! Fortunately, there’s a way to organize all that clutter with an actual planner!

Planner that already has a calendar or daily focus such as Dedication Planner is somehow easier to set up. All you need is pen , marker and you can start using your planner to keep track of whatever you want.

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES: Gather them all

Aside from your planner or any printable pages you are adding to it, you will need something to write with. This is why I felt the need to add this fancy gold pen along side to your planner; but heyyy if you have already purchased another planner, this post can still be useful to you.

Some of the things you’ll need are:

Stickers (make your planner stand out!)
Highlighters (for color coding)
Schedules/appointments/routines (to update your planner accordingly)
Printables and Hole punch for printed pages (if setting up your own).

DECIDE WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND WHAT NOT .

Now that you gather all your bills, Doctor’s appointments, X , Y and Z you have to do for the year; next is for you to decide what is important to track in your planner. For instance you know you already have a set work schedule Monday to Friday, there’s no need to add it compared to someone who works random days of the week.
Here’s a list on how to classify them :

Home/Family: birthdays, anniversaries, kids projects , holiday planning, organizing & decluttering
Calendar/schedule: appointments, events, spouse’s schedule, school schedules, vacations
Financial Goals: income, budget, spending, bills, wish lists , debt & saving tracker, to do lists, actions, projects timeline
Health/Fitness: exercise tracker, meal planner, grocery lists, mood tracker, period/fertility Tracker, therapy tracker etc…
Personal: Mental self care reflection, morning/evening routines, habits, gratitude, affirmations, bucket lists, books read and family activities
Work/Business: brainstorming ideas/lists, business income/expense tracker, stats/analytics and passwords

Now, for you to always review these goals, you need to an overview in the front page, then proceed to add you breakdown your weekly or monthly goals.

Based on how your planner is set up, here’s how you can fill the pages by category.

Weekly – week on a page with task lists
- Focus (To Do List/Weekly Brain Dump)
Calendar (yearly and monthly calendars)
- Tracker – annual or monthly trackers for mood and productivity and income
- Habits – monthly habit tracker
Weekly – more like a track list
- Daily Focus with To Do List
Finances
- Bills – yearly bills, monthly bills lists
- Expenses – online orders, spending trackers, budgets
- Saving: saving tracker

Some people may choose to have multiple planners; however, I think it’s very good practice to have just one. It will be easier to manage and you don’t have to schedule yourself twice at same with different people.

MAKE A LIST OF ATTAINABLE GOAL AND TASKS

Think about what you’d like to accomplish within the next 3-6 months and write this list down in your planner. Please don’t try to add 15 tasks in your To-do list when you know you get home at 5pm and have to pick the kids up, then now you’re mad because you feel like a failure. You probably did well but if you have added 3-4 things to do, you would find more joy doing them and would be less harder on yourself.

Last but not least. Planners are great tools to help you manage your hectic days but always remember these two: Family and Self Care. As you are planning try your mental health and family time. We at Presiii saw the need and added a resource page to our Dedication Planner to help you with Mental Health and Personal Productivity.

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Inspiration, Lifestyle, My Dedication Planner

Mental Health & Mimosa / Vision Board Party

January 31, 2020

By

admin

Our First Mental Health & Mimosa Event was a huge success.

Where do I begin? I met Anim, Licensed Mental Health Therapist over Facebook couple months ago while we were both planning our moves to Atlanta. We are part of different Facebook groups together and somehow share similar interests.

We were hesitant at first because we were both new to Atlanta but we made it happen. We connected, chatted, exchanged numbers, and planned our first event.

For the very first time, we met in person the day of the event and it felt like we’ve known each other for a very long time. Anyways, we could not be more thankful to everyone that came out to support us.

We hosted “Mental Health & Mimosa” while working on our vision board because we cannot imagine a good year without focusing on our MENTAL WELL-BEING.
Setting our intentions allow us to focus on who we are and what to do next; however, setting our intentions while we’re in a positive state of mind will raise both our emotional and physical energy. It gives us zest, motivation, and more reason to get up in the morning.

Special thanks to Cindy from shotsbypriiincesss for covering this event. You’re loved.

Until next time…💛 Xoxo

Stay in the loop and subscribe to Presiii.com for next event, sales,b posts and love letters.

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Lifestyle, My Dedication Planner

The Joy of Planning Ahead.

November 22, 2019

By

admin

Why planning ahead helps.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it is to plan”. Eleanor Roosevelt.
Planning ahead is something important that we all can agree on. It could be a business, job, school, project; we would be very confused to complete any task if we wait the very last minutes.

Planning gives us a clear perspective on what needs to be done, what goals are to be achieved and what amount of time will be spent on completing the said goals. It is safe to say that time management has a lot to do with proper planning as it encourages the planner to set aside a reasonable time for a specific task before moving ahead to the next.

These self imposed deadlines is a great form of motivation.
By planning ahead, the amount of stress and frustration that can be avoided is huge. Let’s take a quick example from the time you were in school, waited last minute to get a project; although, you may be smart enough to pull it off, you would probably have anxiety completing it.

Even in terms of budgeting, one can rest assure that their finances are well tracked to prevent any overspending; but planning ahead will allow proper spending and saving of one’s money and achieving one’s short and long term financial goals. Yes, there will be raining days or last minute emergencies to deviate your plan but if you have planned ahead , the stress would be way less.

How and where to begin?
One can start by putting pen into paper on what goals you want to achieve this new month or upcoming year. Then, break it down and start planning how you are going to achieve the goals you have set out for yourself. I use this cute planner to help me prioritize life goals by planning weekly goals and to-do list. It also help me practice self care at the same time which keeps me sane whenever I feel overwhelmed.

Remember planning is bringing the future into the present; therefore part of having a plan is that it is able to accommodate such variables and reduce the amount of stress that you may experience compared to when there is no plan in place.

Start planning for 2021 Here

HAPPY PLANNING & GOOD LUCK!

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My Dedication Planner

6 Ways to Use Your Day Planner to Become a Better You

First thing first: Write down everything.

Does your planner has a To-do list. I suggest you pick a planner that has one.

Create monthly goals.

Your planner should be a source of inspiration.

Set time to work on your business. Even if it’s 2 hours a week.

This ladies and gentlemen is my favorite part. Incorporate self-care into your planner.

Buying A Planner? Is it worth it?