On Tuesday, I talked about how I set goals and how my ADHD‑friendly planner system works. Today is all about the practical lessons I learned this year--and the changes I’m making for 2027.
1. I Do Not Need a Pocket Planner
I thought I’d use a pocket planner for appointments, but I always ended up checking my phone instead. The real lesson was that I need to update my phone’s calendar immediately and consistently.
For 2027: No pocket planner. Just my main planner and my phone.
2. My Writing Planner Needed Simplification
The writing planner I created for 2026 wasn’t used the way I imagined. I didn’t do monthly previews, reviews, or any of the extra sections. What did matter was:
coloring circles (dopamine)
tracking daily word counts
tracking weekly word counts
For 2027: I’m re‑dating a monthly Erin Condren planner I already own. I’m decorating it with sticker art--clumsy, imperfect, joyful sticker art--because even though I’m bad at art, I enjoy it. In future years, I might switch to a bullet journal or stick with another monthly EC.
(Not affiliated with Erin Condren; just using what I have.)
3. I Found a Nearly Perfect Planner
I finally found a planner that works for me better than anything else ever has. The weekly dashboard is perfect, and when I need more space, I tip in extra pages (Tomoe River Paper from a 2025 planner I abandoned).
The A5 size gives me room to decorate and still have space for lists.
For 2027: I’m buying this planner again. I may experiment with others, but this one is my foundation.
4. Daily To‑Do Categories Need Space
Midway through the year, I started dividing my daily to‑do list into categories. I loved it, but adding tasks later became a problem because the categories were stacked vertically.
For 2027: I’m splitting the page into quadrants. Top quadrants = categories that don’t change (Exercise, Writing). Bottom quadrants = categories that do change (Life). This gives me room for additions without crowding.
5. Journaling Needs a Smaller Space
I didn’t need the B6 size this year. I’m a little burnt out on journaling, and between my five‑year diary and my journal, things feel redundant.
For 2027: I’m re‑dating a discounted A6 planner to use as my journal. Smaller space, less pressure.
6. My Gratitude + Currently Journal Is Perfect
I experimented with sizes--Standard TN, B6, A5--and A5 won. It has the height of a Standard with the width I need. The only drawback is stamping out each month because I’m terrible with ink, but I love having these monthly records of:
what I read
what I listened to
what I wrote
what I was grateful for
No changes needed.
I'll always experiment with planning systems the same way I experiment with new pens, but this is the first year where I really felt as if I had a good handle on my life. The systems as they stand are working and it's a relief.
