Panda Planner Part 3

This is the third post in a series on my journey with the Panda Planner.  In the last two, I talked about the features of the planner and how to use it.  This time, I'm focusing on how I have been putting the Panda Planner to use and some of the benefits I am deriving from it.  See the video below for my insights:

One of the first time/task management principles I ever learned was to set up the next days schedule the night before.  I've continued to do this, but it was burdensome because of having my calendar and other sheets to carry around. Obviously, I could use a tool like Google or Outlook, but, although I am pretty tech savvy, I still prefer paper and pencil for some things.  With the Panda Planner, I have space for my schedule, tasks, and major priorities in front of me and it is easier to plan my next day's activities.  Then, in the morning, I focus on prepping for the day by reflecting on what I am thankful for, excited about, and what I want to focus on for that day. Once I have gotten my mind moving in a positive direction, I then spend the next few minutes reviewing my schedule and priorities before heading out the door.

At the end of each day, before I start on the next day's schedule, I spend time reflecting on and listing the days's wins and ways I'll improve.  This act alone puts me in positive mode again and then gets my brain prepped to look for how I'll change myself the next day to make it better.   Both the planning and reflecting are becoming habits for me and helping me focus on my priorities each day.

One area that I did not do well was longer term planning.  With the Panda Planner, I now have a tool for weekly and monthly planning and reflection.  Every Sunday night, I take time to review all of my pages from the previous week.  I then reflect on the wins and areas I can improve during the coming week.  I then plan my week out, focusing specifically on the important projects and goals.  I refer to this page all week long to keep myself on the right track.

Monthly planning requires me to focus on my major goals for the month and distractions to avoid in order to meet them.  It also lets me decide on a focus for the month and habits I'm trying to develop.  Being able to mark off each day that I do my future habit is a real motivator.  At the end of the month, I can look back and reflect on how I did in meeting my goals and what I learned along the way.

As I've stated before, all of this could be done with other planning tools, but this is the first I've found where it is all together and simple to use.  For me, the simplicity and the reflective piece have made all the difference.