I spotted a meme on Instagram recently stating something like “my 2020 planner was the biggest waste of money“. I stared at it for a few seconds while clutching my Filofax and 2020 diary, feeling entirely unable to relate. Even in the depths of lockdown my planner was always by my side, and I definitely credit a good diary/Filofax with helping me to be productive and feel like I’ve achieved something each day.

Since the start of lockdown, I’ve not had a formal work or teaching schedule so planning my days and weeks has been so important to find that balance between doing nothing and taking on too much and becoming overwhelmed. This post is based on a chat I had with a friend via Instagram DMs and voice-notes about being organised, and how I plan my days.

This may seem a little full-on (I am a true Virgo, after all) but for me it really helps me to manage my own expectations of how much I can realistically get done in one day, and eases my anxiety about forgetting an appointment or a birthday or to renew something vitally important for adult life. It really doesn’t take long to plan my days in this way and it’s a really nice end-of-the-day ritual to close off the current day, and prepare for the next one.

How I Use My Filofax and Diary

My boyfriend, who seems to never write anything down, is somewhat bemused by the fact that I have two planners but this is how I use them.

→ My Filofax is for appointments, yoga classes, online workshops, coffee meetings with friends and time-sensitive to-do list items e.g. ordering a birthday gift for a friend a week before their birthday

→ My 2020 diary is something I use more as a memory log/journal. I write a short entry at the end of each day and use the notes pages to record significant events and to note down and check-in with my monthly goals. I also use this for my (very loose) blog and Instagram posting schedule, and a general to-do list of non-time sensitive items.

The Night Before

Each evening I schedule my Zoom yoga classes for the next day, adding each Zoom meeting to my phone’s calendar (I just use the calendar app which came on my Samsung Galaxy phone but I know that some of you may prefer iCal or Google Calendar). The classes are already noted in my Filofax but sending out the Zoom links acts as a reminder for my students and means that I also get calendar reminders on my phone.

I’ll also check the schedules of my favourite yoga teachers to see if I can fit in a class. As a general rule, I teach a maximum of four classes each day and take a class of my own each day too (although this is sometimes a YouTube class, Instagram live or just a self-practice session on my mat if I’m already teaching four classes). Any Zoom classes or meetings I have also go into my phone Calendar which notifies me 30 minutes beforehand.

I’ll then grab a paper notebook (a cute one helps) and start a new page for the following day. There are so many apps out there for doing a similar task but for me nothing beats pen and paper and it also means less screen time and the satisfaction of crossing items off. I divide the page into two columns.

→ In the left I’ll note down all my scheduled commitments (classes I’m teaching, taking, Zoom catch-ups etc.) to help me visualise my day and see when I have breaks, or when my classes are close together and I have to remind myself not to chat too much and overrun!

→ For the right-hand column, I’ll add all the non-scheduled things I need to do, e.g. order more cat food, buy a friend’s birthday gift, write a blog post. I’ll then slot these items in between my scheduled items. Some may be super quick and others more time consuming so I’ll try to group more admin-y things together that I can blast through in one sitting, but give myself time for more creative tasks (preparing and posting on Instagram always takes me far longer than I think it will). I add a little star* to the items which I really need to get done that day so that I prioritise these, knowing that some tasks probably will need to be carried over to the next day.

During The Day

Each morning usually starts with me teaching an 8am class. After the class I’ll check my notebook and start working through the items, adding any new points as they arise, like following up with a student to book in their next class, or reminding myself to send a payment to my own yoga teacher.

By the end of the day my neat notebook page is usually a bit of a mess or crossings out and scribbles! I’ll inevitably not have done a few of the items in the right-hand column but these can just get carried over to the next day.

How do you organise your days? Do you write to-do lists? Do use an app? Let me know in the comments! 

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