Which planner personality are you?
There are all sorts of people in this great big world. We love this diversity, because it means that we get to be whoever we want.
We do not all plan in the same way, and we do not all live at the same pace with or with the same daily schedules.
That is why it makes sense that there are different types of planners out there to accommodate the specific needs of our individualism.
When shopping for your ideal planner, you need to find one that matches who you are.
That is why it is important to know some specifics about the different types of planners available to maximize your personal productivity.
The Different Types of Planners
Let’s get started.
1. Basic Planners (Minimalist or Entry Level)
Who else remembers those yearly trips to the stationery shop or local supermarket.
You could feel the excitement in the air. It was the best part of starting school again. The fact that you could reinvent yourself every year with your fancy new planner to keep you organized and on top of the world.
These planners are very basic or minimalistic. Often a basic or minimalist planner will not be planned out very well, and have limited space.
These planners represent a simpler time. They feature little blocks for every day and have very few interesting extras.
The great news is that the simplicity of it does make it easy to use and does not require that you spend a lot of money on one. They are mostly reserved for beginner planners and students.
They are often plain and not very pretty, but they are a great place to start being organized and productive. You can find them at most stores from grocery to high end department stores.
It can be really nice to start out creating a planner organization habit with either a basic planner or a bullet journal (which will be discussed next).
Planning may seem easy and it is, but there is a lot that you need to learn to maximize the benefits. If you start out with a more advanced planner, you may feel overwhelmed and miss out on a lot positive features.
2. Bullet Journals (Minimalist or Entry Level)
The idea behind the bullet journal is that you use bullet points to plan your schedule. You can plan ahead for tasks of events by simply making bullet points of all the main headings.
Bullet journals do not go into too much detail but are great for creative individuals or those that love to color outside of the lines.
The only drawbacks are that you have to create your own spreads. This can be very time consuming and can get old quickly if you do not have the patience for it. The great news is that they are flexible and cheap. You can also let your creativity loose and create a bullet journal that works for you.
Bullet journals are for those of you who are extremely picky about their planning, and like the flexibility of designing their own spreads.
They are also for beginners who would like to plan their days through more of a list style than calendars, but need a little practice.
3. Technology Planners
These are often touted as the planners of the modern era. Examples of these types of planners include Google Calendar or iCal. These are amazing planners with all the technological advancement available to us.
Besides the main planners, there are hundreds of apps out there that are specifically designed to tackle each part of the planning process. They feature syncing, reminders, alarms, habit trackers and much more.
These apps are portable and can be shared with others. Most of them are free, and if you do not like one, then you can always move on and try another.
But they are not perfect. Electronic devices are not allowed everywhere, such as in classrooms. This can limit a student a lot. Electronic devices also have limited battery lives. You could lose your entire schedule just because you forgot to charge your phone last night.
And the final blow, these electronic devices are reliant on the internet. If your connection is interrupted, or you are stranded without a connection, you are also stranded without your planner.
You also must deal with random glitches that cannot be explained.
These issues are why many people prefer paper planners. With a paper planner, you do not have to worry about any of that. Sure, technology planners have a lot of amazing features, but there are some serious drawbacks that to consider as well based on how you choose to use it.
4. Designer Planners
These planners have themed sections and an insane number of extras which may not sound like anything to the uninitiated.
These planners are designed by specialty companies made up of teams of people who also live for organization.
They have special sections for notes, mind maps, thoughts, ideas. They have special quotes, colorful dividers and pages for days, weeks and months.
They even have special places for you to put your goals, and where you can reflect on the past month/week/day.
These planners can sometimes be bulky and heavy, they also tend to cost a more than other planners. That is why these planners are not for beginners or people who just kind of want to keep things straight in their head.
These planners are reserved for the people who will plan everything in advance and who will likely conquer the world someday.
These planners are for the dedicated planners who know exactly which planners they are going to buy and from whom.
Final Words
Just as there are many different types of people, there are many types of planners. We have just looked at the basic variants of planners, but you will realize that there are more categories.
In the meantime, you need to decide which type of planner you want to buy.
Are you a beginner who just wants somewhere to jot down their appointments?
Are you technologically savvy and willing to take a chance? Are you a goal oriented person who gets to the point?
Or are you a creative thinker who needs to know which day is national donut day? There is a planner for you!
