At the beginning of every school year, I fall into the same trap: I buy a cute academic planner, use it for about two weeks, and then abandon it completely. I always end up switching to some sort of digital version because it feels easier and more efficient at the moment. I never felt like buying a ton of pens and Post-its, only to take out my planner and spend even more time writing everything out; lazy, I know. But I always felt unsatisfied with my digital planner and like I wasn’t as on top of my assignments as I wanted to be. So this semester, I bought a new paper planner for the hundredth time. I knew there was a high likelihood it would end up collecting dust in my backpack, but I still wanted to give it an honest try. Well, here I am four months later, proud to say I’m still using my paper planner every week – and I think I’ve finally cracked the code to make the habit stick: romanticizing the process.
Why Writing It Out Actually Works
Color-coding was arguably one of the biggest missing puzzle pieces for me. I picked five pen colors, one for each class, and wrote them down on a Post-it at the front of my planner so I wouldn’t forget the associations. This small change of using different colors instead of a single black pen made my week not only look organized, but, dare I say, pretty?! It’s such a minor detail, but it made me actually want to open my planner, write in it, and look at it every day.
There’s also something really satisfying about actually putting pen to paper and checking off a task. In fact, it is proven that checking things off on a to-do list makes you feel good. When you check something off, your brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, motivation, and reward. It gives you a sense of satisfaction that motivates you to keep tackling tasks on your to-do list. With that being said, clicking a button to check something off on an app truly doesn’t compare.
Writing everything down, especially the things that are really stressing me out, feels therapeutic. It turns the chaos in my brain into something that is manageable. Specifically, time-blocking assignments to take one thing at a time and writing that timing in my journal showed me that what I’m stressing about and convincing myself that I don’t have enough time to do is, in fact, doable. Without a planner, I would be left with loads of cognitive clutter that would make me unable to focus. So writing out all of this mental noise in my planner frees up my brain to actually think about things that matter.
As I said earlier, the real game-changer was romanticizing the routine itself. Every Sunday night, I sit down with my planner, play music, and fill in my schedule for the upcoming week. It’s become one of my favorite micro self-care rituals as it’s a calming reset before the week actually starts. Instead of dreading and stressing over the week, I start it off grounded and feeling on top of things. Now that I’ve finally figured out what makes the habit stick, here’s how I actually romanticize my planner routine—and how you can too.
- Create a good planning atmosphere.
Light a candle, play your favorite music, and make a snack bowl. The goal here is to make your planning session something you can enjoy and look forward to, not a chore.
- Make it aesthetic and functional.
Using color, stickers, quotes, or affirmations makes planning way more fun. Adding personality to something that can easily get boring makes all the difference; it starts to feel like you, not just another to-do list.Â
- Treat it like a journal.
Don’t feel confined to only writing what you have to do. Sometimes it’s nice to add what you are excited to do, what you learned, or what you are grateful for!
- Do a Sunday reset.
Like I mentioned earlier, use Sunday to write down your priorities for the week, review the last week, and reset/refocus.
- Keep it visible.
Leave your planner on your desk so you can’t ignore it. Make it a visual reminder to keep up with it!
Having a physical planner isn’t about just being organized; it’s also about staying grounded. Writing my tasks out slows me down and clears my head. Use your planner as a reminder that you are capable of balancing everything out, one colorful to-do list at a time!