Top 10 Planner Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Whether you are a planning pro or a planning novice, there are some major planner mistakes that you should avoid when building a productive and successful planner. These seemingly simple planning mistakes can actually completely deter you from using your planner.

I think we have all been guilty once or twice of buying a planner and giving up on it too soon… that is likely because you were making mistakes when planning that you didn’t even realize. After years of planning and building the perfect planner routine, I use my daily planner multiple times every day… I couldn’t live without it!

If you are looking to up your planning skills, you are going to want to stay away from these top 10 planner mistakes.

Top 10 Planner Mistakes

(and how to avoid making them!)

Mistake #1: Using the WRONG Planner

Did you know that there are a bajillion different planners out there? Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration but, really, there’s a LOT!

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that there are tons of options for you to choose the perfect planner for you. The bad part is that it can be really easy to fall into the WRONG planner.

When using the wrong planner, you may fall into these thoughts:

“Planning just isn’t for me.“

“I can’t find a planner that works for what I need.“

Sound familiar? I was stuck in that mindset for a LONG time. But in reality, I was just choosing all the WRONG planners. Once you know what you need in a planner, you can determine how to choose the right planner for you.

For example, some non-negotiables for me are:

• monthly tabs
• monthly overview pages
• goal setting boxes
• daily break-downs
• weekly spreads

These may be different for you and your needs (they probably are!). This is where you can have some fun with planner shopping. Erin Condren has some of my favorite planners of all time (and so many different options). You can also find a TON of choices on Amazon (the Happy Planner is one of the most popular).

Bottom line here: don’t make the common planner mistake of buying a planner just because it’s “pretty” or inexpensive. Do your research to find the perfect planner for you… even if it takes some trial and error!

{RELATED POST: Sugar Paper Planner Review}

Mistake #2: Not Customizing Your Planner for YOU

There are tons of posts online about planner tips and advice for planning (heck, I even have a few myself)… but the reality is, these people are NOT YOU.

Planner advice can be super helpful, but you shouldn’t follow it like it is the ultimate planner guide. What works for someone else may not work for you.

This is one of the biggest planner mistakes I see people make. 

It is essential that you customize your planner for your own individual needs. Take inspiration from planner advice, sure. But you do not have to follow everything to a T.

{RELATED POST: Life-Saving Productive Planner Tips for Beginners}

Mistake #3: Planning Too Much Too Fast

Ugh! I know I said mistake #2 was the biggest planner mistake I see… but this is a close second. Even I am guilty of thing planning error.

Sometimes it can feel so exciting to sit down with your planner and your favorite pen and plan every little thing. The problem with this is that sometimes if you get too plan-happy, you will end up with a ton of inaccurate, canceled, or changed plans cluttering your planner.

I prefer to wait a bit until I know a plan feels really solid before I write it. That said, there are some definite things you can enter into your planner from the get-go.

• birthdays
• holidays
• solid work deadlines
• vacations
• confirmed appointments
• school start/end dates
• etc.

are all great examples of things you can put into your planner right away! They are not likely to change so you should be good to go!

Mistake #4: Planner Perfectionism

This ties in perfectly with planner mistake #3. Even if you wait to plan until you are fairly confident in the event, there is no doubt that there will be some changed plans or mistakes made. Planner mistakes are unavoidable in this way.

I cannot tell you how many times I have had a plan change or have made a mistake when writing down a plan in my planner and I would just FREAK OUT. It was in pen and so I felt like I had ruined my whole planner if I had to cross it out.

This is just crazy. It actually made me hate planning which is definitely NOT the goal here. Instead, I have learned to embrace mistakes. My planner is filled with crossed-out plans and arrows moving events to a new date. Life happens!

However, if you struggle to accept the scribbles and you want to minimize these planner eyesores, you have a couple of options. I have erasable pens AND planner stickers that really help when I make a mistake in my planner!

These tools make it super easy to erase or cover up a planner oopsie!

Mistake #5: Not Color-Coding Your Planner

You may notice that the erasable pens I mentioned are multi-colored. This is because I am a FIRM believer in color-coding your planner. If you have read any of my past planner posts, I mention this in nearly every single one. Color-coding is essential for keeping an organized and readable planner.

Not color-coding is a planner mistake that I made for YEARS. But once I started, I haven’t looked back. I have a specific color for all categories of my life.

For example, some of my categories are:

• work
• fun/family
• school
  • each class has a different color
• appointments/important reminders
• blog
• home

These color-coded categories make it really easy for me to look at my planner spread and see exactly what I am needing to be working on. To do this, I have colored pens and related colored highlighters. That way I can highlight major important dates in the category (deadlines, reminders, etc.) and write everything else (less urgent) in the corresponding pen color!

You 100% need to add color-coding to your planning routine if you don’t do it already.

Mistake #6: Not Planning FUN Things in Your Planner

This is a total planner game-changer. Before I did this, my planner started to feel like one big to-do list. It felt like responsibility after responsibility and I got overwhelmed just looking at it.

But now, I plan FUN things just as much as I do the less fun “to-do” things. Even things that seem super minor and technically don’t need to be planned… I plan them if they bring me joy!

For example, in my planner I have notes for:

• “Bachelor” nights
• Chick-fil-A nights (I get it every Monday… don’t judge!)
• sister dates
• shopping trips
• “This Is Us” nights
• etc.

These fun things in my planner remind me that I have things to look forward to. It makes my planner feel like way less of a to-do list and more of a life overview. Definitely start incorporating fun things into your planner if you are feeling like it drags you down.

Mistake #7: Not Planning Times to Use Your Planner

Time for some real talk here: if you don’t make a plan to use your planner, you won’t. 

Now, this doesn’t have to be super rigid or strict. This doesn’t mean “at 8 a.m. on the dot I am going to sit down and plan for 15 minutes.”

No, no, no. This simply means that you need to make it a HABIT to plan. Make it part of your routine. For me personally, planning has become part of my morning routine AND night routine. Just a few minutes at the beginning and end of my day are dedicated to planning and getting organized.

This may be a bit difficult at the beginning. Forming a habit takes work (and about 21 days according to professionals). So, when you first start out, you may require a bit more structure with this. Make it your intention to use your planner at least once a day. Get caught up and enter new things. Actually using your planner is essential for being successful with your planner (shocking, I know 😉 ).

{RELATED POST: 8 Must-Know Tips for Planning Your Day for Success}

Mistake #8: Not Referring Back to Your Planner

Another HUGE planner mistake: not referring back to it! Ah!

This seems like a no-brainer… but it is so unbelievably common. You start out motivated, writing everything down in your planner. You feel like you are doing GREAT! But… you never actually go back to refer to your planner.

You’re missing deadlines and important events even though you wrote them down… you take this to mean that planning just doesn’t work.

Well, spoiler alert: planning only works if you actually remember to check your planner. Haha!

Writing something down only to forget it later doesn’t do much for you. Make sure you keep your planner in plain sight. Mine is always sitting open on my desk. If I am going somewhere (work, school, etc.), I TAKE MY PLANNER WITH ME. Keeping your planner nearby and easy to refer to is a planning essential.

Mistake #9: Not Using the “Notes” Pages in Your Planner

Oh my gosh… this is one of the biggest planner mistakes too! I was guilty of this myself until a few months ago. This is changed the game for me.

You know those blank pages in between months or in the back of your planner… yup, you’re going to want to use those!

I used to just flip by them without a second thought… BIG MISTAKE. I now use them to make lists, keep track of my blogging stats, plan meals, set reminders, etc.

{RELATED POST: 80 Fun Lists to Make}

Those pages are 100% YOURS to use how YOU need to use them. Take advantage of the freedom of the blank page. Use this to benefit you in whatever way feels most helpful!

Mistake #10: Not Taking Advantage of Planner Accessories

Okay, I know I keep saying it… but this is another one of the biggest planner mistakes I see!

We are so lucky to have an abundance of planner accessories and tools. I swear, every time I go to a stationery store (I live for Staples, OfficeDepot, etc.), there are new planner accessories available! How exciting is that?!

{RELATED POST: Top Planner Essentials | Everything You Need to Plan}

It is a big mistake to not take advantage of these tools. Stickers, bookmarks, pens, note pads, etc… you name it, they have it! Planner accessories can REALLY up your planning game. Definitely make sure you are in the know about what planner tools are available to you and how you can best utilize them!

There you have the TOP 10 planner mistakes and how you can avoid making them!

Planning can feel overwhelming. It is totally normal to make planner mistakes. There’s a lot to learn and, to be honest, it takes time to develop a really solid planner strategy that works for YOU. Be patient with yourself!

That said, now that you KNOW these top 10 most common planner mistakes, you can be sure to avoid them… you are getting a headstart in perfecting your planner! Woohoo!

Happy Planning!