My Secret to an Organized Life: Why I Swear by My Planner

I have always characterized myself as a highly organized person. I like to pride myself on attempting to have it all together and not “forgetting”. I also am someone who lives and dies by my personal planner. It’s where I keep track of everything important and the first place I turn to when making any major decisions. I joke often about how devastated I would be if I ever lost my planner.  

From high school to college, and now almost 10 years into the corporate world, my planner and the way I organize my life have definitely evolved. Depending on what’s going on in my life, I might rely on it more or less, but one thing’s for sure: it’s always up-to-date. Over the years, I’ve also added some digital tools into the mix to help keep everything running smoothly. 

At this point, I’ve really nailed down a system that works for me, and I thought it’d be fun to share the details. Whether you’re looking for some tips to get your life organized, want to take your planner game to the next level, or just love hearing how other people stay on top of things (like I do), I hope you’ll find this helpful! 

The Planner 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve asked for the Erin Condren LifePlanner every Christmas—it’s the planner I’ve built my entire organization system around. When I walk you through how I organize and detail everything, this is the planner I’ll be referring to. Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but honestly, it’s worth every penny considering how much I use it. Plus, it’s super durable and easily lasts the whole year. 

My favorite thing about this planner is how customizable it is. Over the years, I’ve had so many different covers, which makes each new year feel fresh and exciting—even though the inside layout stays the same. I also love that you can add your name or initials to the cover, so there’s no mistaking it’s yours. Lately, I’ve been on a streak of ordering their Vegan Leather covers in different colors—I think they’re simple, beautiful, and have such a polished, sophisticated look. 

The Coiled LifePlanner comes with so many great features: weekly and monthly views, a year-at-a-glance spread, inspirational quotes at the start of each month, notes and productivity pages, and even extra lined pages in the back. If you’re curious about following my exact system, I always customize my planner with horizontal weekly pages. When you build your planner, you can also personalize the cover, pick an interior design theme, choose your coil color, and even add extras if you want.  

Monthly Calendar  

The monthly calendar is where a lot of my organization happens. It’s where I jot down trips (whether family, work, or my husband’s work travel), major work events, appointments, and weekend plans. This calendar gives me a big-picture view of the month, so I can quickly see what’s going on and figure out how much availability I have. If friends ask us to meet for dinner, or my parents want to plan a visit, the first thing I do is check my monthly calendar. There have even been plenty of times when I’ve been away from my planner and had to ask my husband to check a specific date and let me know what’s on the schedule. To keep it updated, I simply add events as I find out about them. I also use different colored markers to make it look more fun (but I don’t follow a strict color-coded system). 

Aside from trips and appointments, I also make sure to go through at the beginning of the year and add all my loved ones’ birthdays to the calendar, so I never forget. I include work holidays, events at the kids’ daycare, bill due dates, and even reminders for things like giving the dogs their heartworm medication. Basically, if it’s important, it’s in here. 

I love having this at-a-glance view—it helps me instantly spot busy weeks versus the ones where we’re free to add more activities. Some people look at my monthly calendar and feel overwhelmed by how much is packed in, but honestly, I think most people’s lives are just as busy if they took the time to lay it all out on paper like this. 

So, what don’t I include? I leave off specific work meetings or daily to-dos—they’d just clutter the page. My job often involves a full day of appointments and meetings, so I don’t feel the need to add those here. I also skip things like buying gifts, running errands, or daily habits like working out, or weekly ones like watering the plants. However, I do include big work deadlines (like manager evaluations) and work trips. 

I’ll go into more detail later about how I use my Outlook/work calendar, but not everything on my work calendar ends up in my planner. My planner is personal, and that’s the rule I use to decide what goes on the monthly calendar. I also love keeping all my old planners—it’s so fun to look back and see what I was up to. So do I want to know if I went to a concert or interviewed for a job, yes? Include it! Do I want to know if I had my weekly team call or had to make a return at Target, no? Then I leave it off of this page. 

Planner Pages

My daily planner pages are less about scheduling events and more about managing my to-do list. On these pages, I’ll jot down any personal appointments or major work activities (like a big meeting or travel) in the right margin of each day. The main section, though, is reserved for my daily to-dos—everything I need to work on or complete that day. 

The way I approach this is pretty straightforward: I make sure to write out my to-dos ahead of time, before the day actually begins. For example, if I’m on a call with a customer who asks me to follow up next week, as soon as the call ends, I’ll flip to the appropriate day in my planner and write “follow up with customer” in the text section. I do this constantly throughout my day. If I realize I need to submit expenses after a trip, I’ll immediately note that down on the day I return. This process has become second nature to me—I’m always “scheduling” my to-dos as I think of them. If I notice that one day is already packed, I’ll move something like a training or a less urgent task to a day with more breathing room. 

This system works so well for me because, by the time I get to any given day, I already know exactly what needs to get done. I rarely forget follow-ups or tasks because I’ve already written them down and planned them out. 

When the day arrives, I use my planner’s to-dos to create a master to-do list in a notebook. I prioritize everything I’ve outlined for that day, starting with quick, simple tasks like sending emails or making phone calls. Once those are done, I tackle the more time-consuming or challenging tasks. Of course, I have to juggle these to-dos with my pre-scheduled meetings, but those are all managed in my digital calendar. 

This system is the reason I often say my planner is my lifeline. Without it, I’d be completely lost when it comes to remembering what I need to do and when. The best part? Once I write something down in my planner, I don’t have to keep it in my head anymore. It frees up my brain, helps me stay clear-headed, and keeps me focused on the tasks at hand. 

Digital Planner (Outlook) 

As someone working in corporate America, relying solely on my physical planner for scheduling just wouldn’t be practical—or efficient. My company uses Outlook for email and meetings, and the calendar feature is where I track how my day will flow. Meetings and appointments are all scheduled in Outlook, so I use the open time between them to tackle the actions I’ve listed in my physical planner for the day. 

One of my favorite features in Outlook is the ability to categorize meetings by color. I use this to visually organize my schedule—offsite meetings, team meetings, 1-on-1s, and personal appointments all have their own color. It’s super helpful to see at a glance what types of meetings I have lined up for the day or week. 

Outlook also plays a big role in coordinating life with my husband. We share invites for kids’ activities, travel plans, or anything else that requires both of us to be on the same page. Since my physical planner is personal and doesn’t sync with anyone else, this is how I keep my husband in the loop and make sure we’re aligned on schedules. It’s a great way to balance work and family life while still relying on my planner for the personal side of things. 

Since I’m so particular about planning, I always love hearing how other people organize their lives, and I hope you enjoyed learning more about my process! If you’re curious or want to dive deeper, feel free to reach out to my directly on my contact page—I’d be happy to answer any questions or even share some videos. 

Thank you so much for being here and taking the time to read—I truly appreciate it. Until next time, XXX McKenzie