By Holly Sosa
The new 2017-2018 Erin Condren Life Planner features a handy monthly notes page at the beginning of every month. When I first received my new planner, I was unsure of how to best use this space. It wasn’t long before I realized how having this monthly snapshot would help me in my goal getting. I’ve shared before how my planner is actually my goal planner and not just somewhere I keep track of appointments. Once I remembered my planner was my goal planner, it became obvious that the monthly notes were the best place to track my yearly goals and break them down into smaller steps to help me achieve them.
For instance, one of my goals for 2017 is to have 100,000 monthly views here on Our Holly Days. Setting attainable monthly goals will help me to take smaller steps towards my overall goal. For the month of September, one of my goals is to have 50,000 monthly views (halfway to my goal for the year!). I use the left column to write out all of my goals and major monthly events like a baby shower I hosted or the first day back to school. Everything goes in that left column from work to personal to family goals. It’s a great reference for me to check on my progress throughout the month and helps me to stay on track for my larger yearlong goals.
Since my planner is also a media journal of sorts, I use the right column to track the little things happening currently. What I’m reading, watching, and even eating. I also believe everyone should have something to look forward to every month, so I add a little about what I’m excited about. At the small area at the bottom of the monthly notes page is where I like to write about my favorite memory for the month. I’ve only been doing this for a few months and it’s one of my favorite parts about my planner.
At the top of the monthly notes page are four circles and I put those to use for my goal planning by helping me to celebrate goals I attacked and achieved along with highlights from the month. For August, I had set a goal of 17,000 unique monthly views on Our Holly Days and I kicked that goal’s rear end with an end of month number of 31,000 unique monthly views. I use the circles at the top to shout my achievements to myself and help motivate me for the upcoming month. The circles are also a great place to jot down monthly highlights. For me, August was a big month since my youngest started preschool. We also hosted the big fight in our home and it was such a fun time for us with our friends.
I know many in the planner community have struggled with how to best utilize this space. I know I did, at first. But since I figured out how to make it work for me, it’s actually my favorite part of my planner. It’s been helpful for tracking my goals, keeping me on task, and letting me celebrate when I kick butt!
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