Before Your Month Is Taken Over

A new month can look wonderfully open at first.

There are blank spaces in the calendar and days that haven't yet filled with everything that needs our attention.

Then, somehow, the month begins to fill.

Often the first things we add to our planner are the things we have to remember. They deserve their place, of course, but they don't have to be the only things we plan for.

Before your month is taken over, it can be worth asking one simple question:

What do I want to make sure I leave room for?

Planning for more than what needs to be done

A planner is incredibly useful for keeping track of our responsibilities, but it can hold so much more than that.

Perhaps there's somewhere you've been meaning to visit or someone you'd really like to spend time with. Maybe there's a project you've wanted to enjoy, or you'd simply like an afternoon without somewhere else you need to be.

These are often the things we leave until there's time.

And sometimes, there simply isn't.

Making room doesn't mean everything enjoyable suddenly needs to become another task in your planner. It's about noticing what matters to you before everything else claims the available space.

Leave room in your planner

This is also something I love about a discbound planner.

The pages aren't fixed. You can add what you need, move things around and let your planner change as your month does.

But that flexibility isn't only useful for fitting more in.

It can also help you make space for what you don't want to lose amongst everything else.

As you look through the month ahead, notice the empty spaces as well as what's already written there. Think about what you would like those spaces to make possible.

You don't have to fill every one.

Planning isn't only about finding enough room for everything that needs to be done. It can also be about protecting some room for the things that make the month feel like yours.

So, before September gets too busy:

What are you making sure you leave room for this month?