March Planner Flip Through: Simple Systems That Actually Work

Are you tired of setting up a new planner only to abandon it a few weeks later? I completely understand. Today I am flipping through my messy, lived-in planners to show you exactly what worked for me in March, what didn’t, and how I use simple tools to keep my mind clear.

What Is A Functional Planner?

A functional planner prioritizes utility over aesthetics. Instead of striving for perfectly decorated pages, a functional planner uses simple tools, lists, and movable sticky notes to reduce your mental load so you can manage your home and life without the pressure of perfection.

Lessons From My March Setup

This past month, I relied on 3 different books to keep my mind quiet: my Erin Condren Monthly Planner for daily life, my Daily Duo for work processing, and my scripture notebook for Bible study. Here is what actually worked to keep things simple:

• Customize Your Printed Pages: If a printed page in your planner confuses your brain, cover it up! I dislike Sunday-start calendars, so I covered the “Year at a Glance” pages in my Erin Condren planner with full-size PlannerKate stickers. Do not let printed pages box you in; make that space work for you.
• Rely on the Functional Weekly Grid: I draw a simple grid on half of my weekly page strictly for my daily priorities. This leaves the other half completely open for messy brain dumps and movable sticky notes. Seeing my waking hours broken into small, manageable blocks prevents me from feeling like a failure. Grab your free guide to walk you through the measurements.
• Give Yourself Grace with Sticky Notes: I used to hate rewriting my household tasks every single week. Now, I use a printable sticky note for my cleaning checklist. If I miss a chore, I just move the sticky note to the next week without guilt. It is a simple swap that instantly relieves the pressure.
• Use the Margins for Scripture Study: In my Genesis Bible study notebook, I started writing my chapter headers in the margins instead of across the top of the page. This quick hack saves space and leaves so much more room for actual study notes!
• Give Yourself Scratch Paper: I realized I needed a place to scribble, test pens, and process content schedules without messing up my main planner. My Daily Duo became my messy, dated scratch pad, keeping my main monthly planner clean and calm.

The Tool Kit

You do not need a lot of supplies to get organized. Here are the specific tools I relied on this month:

• Monthly Checklist & Cleaning Schedule Printable Sticky Notes Pack
• Mini Monthly Calendars Printable Sticky Notes
• Monthly Notes Printable Sticky Notes (moveable checklists)
• Erin Condren Monthly Planner (the catchall, can’t live without it planner)
• Erin Condren Daily Duo (glorified dated to do list)
• Erin Condren Notebook (scripture notebook)
• PlannerKate Stickers (Use code KK20 for 20% off)
• Grabie Erasable Gel Pens (Use code KRISTANKREMER15 for 15% off)

If you could only use 1 tool in your planner for the rest of the year, what would it be? Let me know in the comments below!