I’ve been struggling with personal planners for ages.  I started with this mammoth leather planner that I now use as a portfolio for unfinished soft pastel paintings.  Then I moved on to various computer calendar programs like Outlook.  I even moved on to internet services like Yahoo!.  But this past October, I found myself simply using a cheap five dollar planner and have been using it every day since.

I keep frequently used lists organized with these plastic blue lined tabs.  One of the tabs features my weekly goals, which include health, relationships, financial, spiritual, art, and the mundane for items such as laundry.  I also have a slim black calendar and a separate black notebook for career goals.  Maybe one day I’ll slowly merge together, but for now they work good separately.

The inside snapshot of my planner features my current workout, Get Lean and Sculpted in 4 Weeks Flat!,  that was originally published in Fitness Magazine.  It totals six pages and designed with a lot of thought so do check it out!  

I’m on the second day and already feeling the positive benefits.  But then again, I’ve been exercising every day with activities as diverse as dancing to Irish music to going on a walk with Brian in our neighborhood in the moon light.  I guess I should take a day off, but I’ve been on a roll and feeling great!

I also came across this article over at lifehack today that discusses 12 Ways to Upgrade Your Weekly Review, and it’s not talking about a weekly blog post.  It’s a list of ideas to think about during your weekly review of your goals and to-do lists.  The list helps provide structure so your weekly review is really a productive use of your time. 

Some of the ideas mentioned by the author, Scott Young, are things that I used to only have time to think about on a monthly basis, but with my help of Brian, we’ve been more on a regular basis.  So check it out and leave Scott a comment if you find the tips useful.