5 Reasons Why You Need a 2021 Planner

Posted by Guest Contributor on September 29, 2020

To say that 2020 wasn’t what any of us expected is, quite frankly, the understatement of the year. From cancelled plans, extended lockdowns to working from home, it’s hard to believe that we only have just over 3 months left until the end of the year. 

As the new year fast approaches, it’s actually a great time to start thinking about what you’d like to achieve in 2021. That said, thinking about your goals is one thing, but writing it out, breaking it down into actionable daily tasks and reflecting on it each month takes goal setting to a whole other level.

That’s where a 2021 planner comes in. Lucky for you, fellow Goal Digger, we have you covered. But if you’re still unsure about the benefits of using a 2021 planner, read on below.

1. Planners hold you accountable for your progress

Has the following scenario ever happened to you? You’ve set your mind on achieving a certain goal, but then life - work, family, other commitments - simply got in the way. Trust us, we’ve been there before. It’s completely normal too.

Using a 2021 planner will hold you accountable for your actions and progress. For example, our Goal Digger Planner helps you to think, act and reflect. These are the key pillars to efficiently getting shit done.

The best planners are like a personal self-development coach - it reminds you of the bigger picture, encouraging you to create daily habits that get you a tiny bit closer to your goals everyday. At the end of every month, it also invites you to reflect on your progress so you can understand what you need to improve. 

2. They optimise your time management skills

Because everything was effectively cancelled or delayed this year, 2021 is going to be jam-packed with new plans and commitments. Indeed, it’s exciting to build out a list of things you want to achieve next year, but you might be wondering if there’s enough time to actually tick them off.

The answer is: yes, there is enough time. You just have to be smart about it. 

This is where a 2021 planner really shines. Instead of going from one thing to another, without thinking about the bigger goal, planners allow you to schedule each appointment, task, reminder and errand to prepare you prior so you don’t run out of time. Getting specific on important dates, deadlines and timelines helps you stay on track and focused, so that once the task is done you have extra time for your family and yourself. 

3. Planners boost your mental health

A good planner helps you track your daily tasks and commitments for the day. But a great planner digs deeper than that - it also helps you reflect on your mood, celebrate your wins and track your overall progress. In our 2021 Goal Digger Planners, we added similar prompts like:

• How do you want to feel this week? 
• What are you grateful for
• Top 3 wins
• Rate your week

More often than not, our tasks and how well we accomplish them correlates to our mood during that particular day or week. Planners keep you organised, reducing hectic schedules into smaller bite-sized tasks. That in itself reduces stress and anxiety. Meanwhile, the reminders of your moods and wins every week act as the little nudges to keep you motivated and moving in the right direction. 

4. They help you create daily positive habits and improve negative ones

When using a 2021 planner, you’ll begin to notice consistent, maybe even odd, habits that you do which may prevent you from achieving your goals. 

Notice you never complete your daily to-do list? Shorten the quantity to make it more achievable. Notice you’re inconsistent with waking up in the morning? Perhaps set a daily alarm (or 3). Feeling deflated at the end of every week? Consider blocking out a generous amount of time to reflect or meditate before kick starting the week ahead. 

By identifying your habits with a planner, you can then make active changes to the ones that don’t serve you positively. Once you do this, tasks and goals you thought were unattainable suddenly become very  possible. 

5. Planners help you join the dots

In other words, they help you get from Point A to Point B by connecting all the smaller tasks so you can see a nice smooth track to your end destination. 

We’ve all been in situations where we have a goal in mind, but it comes with a million arrows and tasks flying in random directions with no connection whatsoever. When it’s like this, goal setting is completely overwhelming. 

If you want to tackle 2021 efficiently, using a goal planning journal or a weekly planner to break everything down is key to getting shit done.

Break down your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) into long term goals. Break down long term goals into smaller goals. Break down smaller goals into daily tasks and habits. You get the picture. 

When you’ve broken everything down into digestible pieces, you’ll see each one naturally connect together in a seamless line that leads to your ultimate goal. Not only will it be easier to track, it’ll make managing your tasks, commitments and priorities that much more efficient and fun. 

Are you ready for 2021?

If you’re wanting to make the best out of next year, our 2021 Goal Digger Planner is here to help. As your cheerleader and personal self-development coach, it helps you every step of the way. From long term to short term goal planning, generous space to write your notes, monthly reviews and more. 

Check it out here. And if you sign up to our newsletter, you’ll get 10% off your first order too! 

By Aleczander Gamboa