Already given up on your new planner?

If you know me even a little, you know how fascinated I am with planners and journals. I’m literally obsessed. I don’t even know how it started, but I clearly remember being that person who planned everything from days to events to occasions on paper, days before they actually happened.

Once I started using branded planners, there was honestly no going back.

In the beginning, I struggled a lot with how to use them and how to stay consistent every single day. But over the years, through a lot of trial and error, I’ve tried, tested, tweaked, and finally found what truly works for me.

My chosen planner for 2026 is the Alicia Souza Planner. It’s very girly, artistic, and has this cute, fun vibe that I absolutely love. At the same time, it’s extremely functional and flexible, which is honestly the best combination for me.

Here’s how I use it every day to make my life a little less overwhelming:

Unlike most people, I’m still trying hard to sit with my planner as soon as I wake up. (Being a toddler mom, I need to wake up early to get this chaos-free time; iykyk!)

Right now, I usually take my planner out after sending my toddler to school, when I finally have the space and mental bandwidth to actually think and plan my day.

Here’s exactly what I do:

1. The Vision Board

The first thing I do is take a complete look at my vision board and visualize for about 5 minutes the life I want to create for myself. No fancy meditation. No closing my eyes. I just look at the pictures, mentally place myself in that dream life, and imagine everything on that board getting manifested.

2. Monthly Intentions & Priorities

At the beginning of every month, there’s space for setting intentions, creating a priority list, and writing a quote. This really helps me sum up the month and get a clear picture of what I should be focusing on.

3. The Monthly Spread

I use this to mark events, appointments, and scheduled calls. Every day, I glance through it to see if there’s anything I need to attend or prepare for.

4. The Daily Spread

This is where my daily to-dos live. I split the page into two. One side for personal tasks and the other for work-related to-dos. I keep this section very precise: not more than 3-4 personal and 3-4 work tasks( that in itself seems too much to tick off in a day :P). This helps me focus only on what truly matters and makes my day feel much more manageable.

5. The Meal Planner Section

Yes, I actually use this and it’s such a game changer. If you’re a mom, you know how exhausting it is to decide what to cook every day. Planning the week’s meals in advance means I just look at it and cook whatever I’ve already decided. Simple, no mental load.

6. Habit Tracking

I track my most important habits for the month here. The planner allows space for only 3 habits, and honestly, I love that. Keeping the number minimal makes it easier to stay consistent and actually build a routine.

Apart from all these sections, there’s a lot of free space in the planner that can be used for literally anything.

Example, I use the gridded page at the end of the month to track my finances.

Since the planner itself is very artistic and I’m not really an artistic person :P, I don’t do anything fancy. I simply use it to make my life easier and more organized.

Using planners can feel very fancy when you try to copy others. But when you use a planner with intention and for your reasons, it becomes a completely different experience.

If you’re new to planners, don’t copy someone else’s system blindly. Of course, take ideas and inspiration, but create your own way.

Do what genuinely makes life easier for you.

Because no two people are the same.