Many of us have at least one planner to keep us in check day-to-day. But when you enjoy planners creatively it’s very easy for the planner collection to grow. And maybe keep growing! Who doesn’t have an extra planner or two?

For example, there’s been such a buzz about the new Happy Planners. Did you give in to temptation? Or do you already have an extra planner and you’re not sure what to do with it? In this post I’ll share 10 uses for an extra planner.

I hope you find something new to try.

1. Home management

There are many ways to put together a home management planner and this one is definitely on my list! This could include:

Schedules for chores or tracking when these were last completed

Meal planning

A section to house important information you might need to reference. For example, how to claim on insurance policies or who to contact in an emergency

Bill suppliers and when contracts are due for renewal

Pet information

Car maintenance information

Packing lists for trips

Home improvement tasks or projects

Wish lists for things to buy or do

2. Content management

Do you have a blog, youtube or instagram account and find it hard to keep on track with managing them? With 2 blogs, 2 instagrams and a youtube channel I definitely do! A content management planner could help you with:

Planning what and when to post

Tracking analytics

Keeping track of new ideas

Planning posts or videos

A place to house research

Keep information for reference (eg colour codes or sizing for images)

Remember your favourite suppliers

3. Planning a special event

Do you have a special event coming up? I was lucky enough to receive a wedding planner as a gift when I got engaged and it was really useful in my planning, and also made a great souvenir! In a special event planner you could keep:

A vision board for inspiration

A timeline running up to the event with key dates

A schedule for the event itself

Tasks to be completed

Research

Guest lists

Budgets

Contact details for suppliers

Copies of contracts

4. Memory keeping

There are so many options for memory keeping. It can make a good hobby, as well as a gift for someone else. For example, you might chronicle your child’s life and give them the planner as a gift when they are older. Here are some ideas of things to include:

Journal or diary entries

Photos

Souvenirs

Favourites from the time, such as music, food, films or toys

Things you are grateful for

Drawings

Things said by other people

Important events happening in the world

5. Health and wellness

I have a health and wellness planner which has been so useful for my wellbeing. I am also considering setting up a separate planner for a particular health treatment. You might use this type of planner for:

Dates of appointments and notes from these

Appointment letters

Reflection – try the daily reflection challenge

Journalling

Information about health conditions

New things trialled and any feedback

Track items such as water and food intake, sleep, exercise, weight, and mood

Exercise plans

Medication and prescription orders

6. Project management

Do you have a big project that will take a lot of planning? This could be home-or work-related. It might be a house purchase or renovation. Perhaps you’re planning a trip. What you keep in this planner will depend on the specific project, but you could keep:

Images for inspiration

Budget

Timeline

Research

A breakdown of tasks to be completed

Things to buy

Key information (such as dimensions of rooms for a home project, or flight times for a trip)

7. Goals

Goal setting has been important for me since I completed the My Life Reboot method. Now I have come up with achievable goals for myself, I need to make sure I am working towards them. A goal planner might include:

Breaking down large goals into manageable steps

Key deadlines

Scheduling daily, weekly and monthly tasks

Images or text that will motivate you and remind you why you set these goals in the first place

Reviewing your progress

Reviewing your goals and considering whether you want to make changes

8. Learning

Are you completing a course? Do you want to learn something new? Are you improving a skill? Or perhaps you just want to keep track of things you’re learning day-to-day? You could use a learning planner for:

Recording what you have learned, eg making notes from books or other sources

A place for practicing things that use writing or drawing (eg maths, lettering)

Setting goals for yourself

Planning how, when and what you will learn

Tracking learning completed

Ideas of future things to learn or try

Noting your achievements

9. Recipes

This is also on my list of to-dos! Why not use a planner to house all of your favourite recipes so that they’re easily available for reference? You could keep:

Recipes you have created or ones from other places

Grocery lists

Meal planners

Quick meals

A list of ingredient substitutes (eg if someone has an allergy or follows a specific diet)

Ideas for healthy snacks

Take-away menus for emergencies!

10. On-the-go planner

I am setting this one up for myself at the moment. My idea is to use a smaller planner that I can easily move around the house with me and take with me wherever I go. Mine will include:

An inbox – eg incoming items such as mail or messages that need to be dealt with

A place to capture notes and ideas when away from my other planners

A quick-check calendar

A space for receipts

Errand lists

A gratitude diary

Final thoughts

I hope this gives you some ideas of ways to use an extra planner. Do you have any other ideas? Please leave them in the comments below.