Minimalist Planner Tips

Follow @filofancy on Instagram

You know you really mean business when you splurge on a fancy new Filofax planner...

Yep, I went ahead and did it. After much deliberation and guilt-induced delay, I decided to be totally crazy and purchase myself the DREAM Filofax planner. We all have a dream planner that haunts us until we give in to our self-indulgent desires. I could bear it no longer. So I just did it.

The Filofax I have chosen is an A5 Ebony Classic Croc Filofax, and it was a bit of a bargain on Ebay, so I don't feel toooooo bad. I wanted a large black planner for my business. I chose this one because it is both smart and stylish, which translates to minimalist and sexy, as opposed to business-like and boring. Its the kind of planner that makes me take myself seriously, but it also makes me feel kind of cool.

I won't go into too much detail about the planner itself, because I want to talk about my new minimalist approach to planning in this article. But if you would like me to write a product review on the A5 Ebony Classic Croc Filofax, with my initial observations and thoughts, let me know in the comments below!


What Is Minimalism To Me?

First off I just want to get one thing straight. I am not really a minimalist. At least not one of the hardcore extreme kinds of minimalists who have Youtube channels dedicated to their cult.

When we talk about being a minimalist, people often associate it with getting rid of everything you own and only living with the bare minimum of personal belongings.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay 

Perhaps we imagine a minimalist's wardrobe to be sparse and consisting of just black and white and a range of grey tones. A minimalist's house is probably free of clutter and they like to incorporate habits into their lives, such as meditation, mono-meals, and judging whether or not to donate belongings that don't "bring them joy" when they hold them close and contemplate them.

The truth is that minimalism to me is really just a state of mind and a set of habits that allow me to keep my mind as clear as possible so that I can focus on the things that are important to me. 

There are no set rules, but the general guide is to be mindful and intentional of what you own and how you choose to do things. Essentially the mantra is "Less is more".

So no, I am not an extreme "minimalist", my wardrobe says it all, but I do like to adopt minimalist values and methods in certain areas of my life, like work, because it helps to clear clutter and calm my mind. It makes me feel better, and it helps me to more clearly visualise my goals, and be more productive in order to achieve the things that make me happy.


Why Be A Minimalist Planner?

When it comes to planning our lives or our businesses all we are trying to do is focus on our goals and achieve them. It is easy to get distracted though, and one of the reasons that so many people find planning and planners to be overwhelming is that these awesome binders have the potential to create organisation systems that are far too complicated than they need to be. In fact, sometimes they can make us feel seriously disorganised! Know what I mean?

I am the kind of person who easily becomes overwhelmed with ideas, projects, tasks and life in general. This is because I am very creative and I have high expectations of myself, which is probably the case for so many other women. Often my creativity is on overdrive and my expectations are unrealistic. This is where a minimalist approach to planning really helps me.

Being a writer and an artist makes it difficult for me to escape clutter because I love to express myself. Unfortunately, my self-expression and creativity can get in the way of my productivity. I get carried away, ending far off the road I was meant to take with an idea, task or project. A minimalist approach to planning, however, is a bit like having someone to reign me back in and get me back on task.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay 

Are you a bit like me? Do you get carried away with all the possibilities, and the beauty, and the potential, until you find yourself wading in the middle of it all drowning? If you also feel like you could probably benefit from having your own personal assistant from time to time, keep reading for some minimalist planner tips from me. You can be your own awesome personal assistant.


Have A Planner Just For Work

This is a bit of a debate. To have just the one planner for everything, or to have a separate planner for everything - that is the question. You might think that a minimalist would choose to have just one planner for everything, wanting to own as few things as possible, and keep life as less complicated as possible. But I actually think the answer is to have a separate planner for work, school, or a bigger project.

The minimalist approach is linked very closely to mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about focusing your energy on one task at a time and tackling it with intention, even if all you are doing is making and eating your lunch. Enjoying the whole process of making and eating lunch should be an experience in itself so that you can fully appreciate it with all of your attention and senses.

The same can go for your work or projects. If you run your own business or have an ongoing home project that requires a lot of thought, planning, and execution, you will be more productive if you are able to separate it from other areas of your life.

Having a planner just for work or just for a project can help you to shut out all external noise and focus on your goals. For some people having a section in their main planner dedicated to that work or project is enough. But if you really want to focus on the growth of your business or the progress of a project, then having a separate planner can double as separate headspace.

Image by Jess Watters from Pixabay 

The Filofax planner that I have bought is going to be solely for my personal creative business ventures.  These are the ventures that I want to focus on developing so that one day they might take over and allow me to give up the freelance work I do for other people.

I want to keep my businesses separate from my main freelance writing work. Freelance writing is what brings in most of my income, but freelance writing isn't my main passion. I love to write, but what I really want to do is write my own content on the things that I feel passionate about.

I also want to keep my businesses separate from everyday life stuff, because being creative at heart means that I always have new interests and hobbies. It can get pretty confusing when the line between what is "business" and what is "pleasure" gets blurred. I often end up trying to make businesses out of my hobbies, and that's crazy, seeing as I am essentially a one-woman-band.

I chose an A5 planner because I knew that I wanted to have plenty of space for brainstorming ideas, designing content and products, and organising projects. I wanted a ring binder in which I would be able to keep everything together in one place at home.

If you have a business or project that you want to start taking more seriously and dedicating more time to, I highly recommend using a separate planner. It really does help to keep things separate in your head so that you don't become overwhelmed. Planner overwhelm is still something that you might encounter though, and we will discuss this in the next section.


Start Afresh To Avoid Planner Overwhelm

When I got my first A5 size Filofax (that was the A5 Aqua Chameleon that sparked the birth of the Filofancy Blog - Read more about that HERE), I was subdued and frustrated to find that I couldn't seem to "gel" with my planner. I didn't feel at home with it at all, and in the end, I was never able to use it effectively, no matter how many times I came back to it over the years.

I now know that becoming comfortable in a planner of any size is a process. You have to get to know yourself and the way you like to plan. Just because you have bought yourself a pretty Filofax, or another planner system, it doesn't mean that all of your organisational problems are solved. It's actually quite the opposite, and you are only at the beginning of your planner journey.

Now that I know this, I am taking a different approach with my new A5 Filofax in order to avoid planner overwhelm. Anyone who is not used to using ring binders to plan their work or everyday lives can become subject to planner overwhelm, and it is simply because you are not familiar enough with your setup to use it to your advantage.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

The first step you need to take in order to combat your planner overwhelm is to gut your planner. Most Filofaxes when bought new come with a range of inserts. If you have already been attempting to use a Filofax then you will have accumulated a few more inserts. No matter how long you have been using your planner, if you feel like you are not using it effectively, take everything out.

We are starting afresh.


Create A Dashboard

The first thing you see when you open your planner is very important. This first insert is going to set the tone for your whole planner, so you want to consider carefully what to place here.

We all use our planners for different things, and one of the best things about them is how they allow us to express our individuality. Even if you are aiming to go for a more minimalist approach to your planning, you can still express your personality in your planner. Remember, minimalism isn't about stripping you of character, it is about clearing unnecessary clutter so that you can see more clearly and function more easily. You get to decide what that clutter is though.

So if you feel that a picture of your beautiful family or dog is what is going to inspire you most when you open up your planner, go ahead and create a dashboard that allows you to attach a photo onto it.

As you can see from the main picture at the top of this post, I have chosen a very simple and plain dashboard. It is a white sheet of paper inside a clear envelope insert, with the word "INBOX" printed vertically on the right-hand-side. On top of it, I have used a rose gold mini binder clip to attach a plain white sheet of personal-sized Filofax paper, and it is here that I will write a list of things that I need to do or remember.

For me, my dashboard is a space where I can clip notes before I decide what I need to do with them. For example, I might write a few tasks and clip them there until I have more time to think about where I need to schedule those tasks into my week or month in the relevant diary section of my planner.

Image by bluebudgie from Pixabay 

A dashboard is like a pinboard where you can temporarily pin things and take action later on. There are other ways you can use a dashboard though. Some people prefer to have a dashboard that functions only as an attractive cover page. Others like to have a pockets insert where they can slip sticky notes or journal cards for prompts and inspiration. Maybe you would like to use yours as a vision board for your project that will shift you into the right mindset when you open your planner do get to work.

Essentially your dashboard is your starting point. So take some time to think about what will work best for you. Getting your first page right will help you to feel more connected to your planner.


Design Your Planner System As You Go

The next thing I did with my Filofax was to fill it with plain white paper and a "Today" Filofax ruler/page marker. Because we are taking a minimalist approach to planning, we are doing things one step at a time. There is no need to get ahead of ourselves. We don't need to fill the planner with dividers and printed inserts yet, because that is quickly going to lead to planner overwhelm, and you will be back where you started. At this stage, we are still getting to know each other, and I don't yet know what inserts are going to be useful for my work.

If you already know that you are going to need a calendar, a monthly or weekly diary insert, or contact lists, then go ahead and pop those in next. I have filled mine with blank paper because I know that I am going to want to design and make my own inserts as and when I need them. I have already decided that I want to have a way of scheduling in blog posts to be published on my three separate blogs, and so I am now thinking carefully as to what is the best way of achieving this. I am contemplating a calendar on one or two pages, but first I want to make sure that I design one that will serve all of my needs. If I don't get it right, it will annoy me, and ultimately distract me from my goals. This is going to take some research first.

Image by Miesha Moriniere from Pixabay 

When you want to develop a connection with your Filofax and build a planning system that really works well for you, take your time, and get to know your needs before filling your planner up with pretty things. Because if you don't think it through properly, then you risk choosing inserts that won't work well for you, and that can be very frustrating. there is nothing worse than having a planner that isn't functional for you.


Find Inspiration From Other Planners But Don't Just Copy

I really enjoy reading blogs and watching videos to find out what works for other people. It is so satisfying to find little tips and tricks that will inspire you to create a planner system that you love. But it is very easy to get carried away and try to make your Filofax look and function just like your favourite blogger's or vlogger's planner. You will end up adding lots of very pretty but useless accessories that only function to distract you from your goals.

The trick, when adding something new to your planner, in order to keep your planner minimal and functional, is to always ask yourself - how will I use this in my planner? There is no point in being seduced by cute sticky notes if you don't really have a functional use for them in your planner. Not everybody uses sticky notes after all.

Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay 

Maybe you don't even need to use standard dividers in your planner? A standard set of 6 tabbed dividers can add too much pressure if you are not ready to commit to having 6 sections in your planner that you will legitimately put to good use. If this is the case, you could try only keeping in two or three, and adding the rest as, when, and if you need them.

It is also important to stay true to yourself. You will never bond with your planner if it doesn't feel like "you". I have done this so many times in the past, and I have ended up with a Filofax that just doesn't feel right. It might be down to the colours, the fonts, the accessories, and sometimes even the planner cover itself. Always try to be honest with yourself about whether or not your planner is really speaking to you, or whether you liked the ideas better when you were admiring them in someone else's planner online.

It is easy to lose yourself when there is so much creativity out there to inspire you. Minimalist planning is about cutting out the clutter and getting to the bones of what YOU need and want. Create a planner that is going to help you realise and reach your goals, and not one that is just going to look attractive but distract you from your true desires.


My Top 3 Rules Of Planner Minimalism

1. Start with a blank canvas and only add functional things you love, when you need them
2. Declutter so that you can see your goals more clearly
3. Don't try to be somebody else. You are the best version of yourself.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, and taken a few tips away with you. Please feel free to leave your comments below as it always makes me happy to read and reply to them!

Have you seen my Journaling Tips for Filofax and Ring Planner Users?

Subscribe in the sidebar

for updates