Planning can be as elaborate or as simple as you make it. However you do it, starting slowly and building on it over time can be less overwhelming and will make it more likely to stick. That goes for many things in life, right? Today on the blog, I’m sharing with you how to start planning for beginners by laying out some key building blocks of planning. I’ll also be sharing a free printable daily task list that you can use to get you started.

Start by slow and simple planning to….start planning.

If you google planning ideas, you may get hit with a lot of fancy planners or designs and then get overwhelmed. I know I did. Starting slow and simple is a lot more doable for most people than jumping in and getting overwhelmed.

Practice using a consistent daily to do list.

Practice using a consistent daily to do list in one place (a notebook, digital note, whiteboard, etc). Wherever that is for you. You can read about my daily planning method here. Don’t be like me and have sticky notes all over the place that kept getting lost over and over. You can find what I currently use (or similar in my Amazon shops – US shop and Canadian shop).

A picture of a planner and pen.

Pick your top 3 daily to do list tasks.

If you’re like me, you may tend to want to write down too much. By sticking to a doable number, it becomes, well, more doable. Learn to simplify your daily to do list. Read about simplifying the to do list on one of my blogs here.

Take it a step further when you’re ready.

For instance, I take it a step further to do my top 3 to do lists in a few categories: home/homeschool, personal, and work.

And. Try braindumping.

Take all your tasks floating around in your brain and dump it in one spot.

Brain Dumping is a step above a coping skill. It is a technique. It involves removing the “over thinking” thoughts from your mind and placing them somewhere else. This can help you live more freely throughout each day as the things that are troubling you are being resolved.

Practice prioritizing daily.

Pull from your braindump too. But essentially, learn how to prioritize better over time with your daily to do list. When it feels like it is too much, it likely is. Bump your tasks ahead or plop onto your braindump for the future.

Keep going until you’ve got a groove!

Simple, good planning doesn’t come overnight. It does take practice, but slow and steady wins the race and soon you’ll be reaping the benefits of daily planning (see my post from Monday on Instagram to read about some of these benefits).

I hope you enjoyed my blog on how to start planning for beginners. Take it slow, learn as you go, and enjoy the process. Writing down a daily to do list, learning how to prioritize, and being consistent are all great ways to become better at planning.

Other blogs of mine you may like:

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE DAILY PLANNER SHEET: a gift for you!

PS if you’d like to get started on daily planning or step up your planning game, I created a free printable daily planner sheet for you that you can use. You can find it here. You can also find all of my printable planners in my shop HERE.A picture of my daily planner sheet.

Hi, I’m Kelly! I’m a mother of four children - three boys, one toddler girl - and our family lives on the beautiful east coast of Canada. I’m a past elementary teacher, turned stay at home, work at home mom eight years ago after I had my second child. I’ve found that the busier I’ve become and as my children age, that it’s become even more important to figure out what is most important to me and us as a family. Living a simpler lifestyle has helped us in so many ways in our home life - from better routines to faster tidying up times. It has been through my children that I have been inspired to learn how to effectively manage my time and to simplify in all areas of my home and life. I enjoy helping busy moms simplify home life by teaching flexible planning methods and skills. Enjoyed this blog and think it would be helpful to others? I'd love if you shared it. Thank you!