Permission to Keep It Simple

A Look Inside My Functional (and Messy) Planner

Welcome to a gentle reminder to just keep it simple.

If you’re part of the planner community, you know how easy it is to scroll through social media and see perfectly decorated planner spreads. The flawless handwriting, the intricate sticker kits, the color-coordinated everything—it’s beautiful, but it can also be incredibly intimidating. It can make you feel like if your planner isn’t a work of art, you’re somehow failing.

I’m here to tell you that’s not true. A planner is a tool, not a masterpiece. Its true purpose is to bring a sense of calm and control to your real, and sometimes very messy, life. This past week was a perfect example of that for me.

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When Real Life Happens to Your Planner

In my latest Plan with Me video, I walked through a week that did not go according to the beautiful plan I had laid out. It started with my son’s doctor’s appointment getting scheduled on a different day than I thought, which shifted my entire work schedule. Then, my car broke down while I was picking him up from tennis practice. To top it all off, our internet went out for a full day, which is a big deal when your entire job is online!

It was one of those weeks that could have sent me into a spiral. But because my planning system is built for function, not perfection, it was easy to adapt.

My Simple System for a Functional Dashboard

When life gets chaotic, I need my planner to be the simplest thing I have. I’m currently using the new Erin Condren Dashboard Layout, and here are the simple rules I follow to make it work for me:

• Define Your Spaces: I don’t try to reinvent the wheel each week. I have a set system for the layout. As I explained in the video, the way I like to use these lines is kind of like the morning, afternoon, evening setup you might find in a vertical planner (3 boxes). The space near the date is reserved for icons for recurring tasks or big events, like birthdays. This consistency means I don’t have to think about how to plan; I can just get straight to what I’m planning.
• Prioritize the Most Important Thing: My daily columns are not a brain dump for every little to-do. Instead, I just want to have the most important thing on the actual day. By only writing down the main priority for the morning, afternoon, and evening, I can see my key tasks at a glance and not get bogged down in a long, overwhelming list.
• Use Tools That Forgive: Plans change, and that’s okay! I build that flexibility right into my planner. For my monthly view, I love using removable stickers from PlannerKate (use code KK20 to save 20%), because when plans change, I can just take them off. For my weekly plans, I almost always use an erasable pen lately. There’s no fear in writing down an appointment when you know you can easily erase it if things change.

A Lesson from My Wardrobe: Function Over Form

While I was filming the video, something funny happened that perfectly illustrates this entire philosophy. I kept hearing this annoying clicking sound and realized it was the buttons on my shirt hitting the desk. That’s what I get for trying to \be cute instead of just wearing my bum sweatshirt!

It made me realize that’s what we sometimes do with our planners. We try so hard to make them “cute” that we forget their primary job is to be comfortable and functional—like your favorite sweatshirt. Your planner should be a tool that feels easy and supportive, not a fussy outfit you’re afraid to mess up.

So, if your week was less than perfect, I hope this serves as your permission slip to have a messy, functional planner. One that has scribbles, changed plans, and empty spaces. Because that’s the sign of a life being lived, and a planner being used well.

If you want to see the full, chaotic story of my week and how I set up my planner, you can watch the full video on YouTube.

How do you keep your planning simple when life gets messy? Let me know in the comments below.