How I’m Using My 2023 Planner To Learn More About Myself

Yes, I did it, I bought a planner for 2023. I haven’t successfully filled one of these week-by-week agendas since 2015, and haven’t even bothered getting one since 2020 (thanks, pandemic). But I bit the bullet and made it happen this year, supporting a Black-owned business in the process.

But, Vi, you say. What is different about this year? Did you just spend good money on a new way to feel guilty about failing to commit to something?

Perhaps. Perhaps this planner is destined to languish untouched on the corner of my office desk, haunting me with its blank pages, reminding me that no matter how much coffee and L-theanine I inhale, I will always fall prey to my own executive dysfunction.

Or perhaps not.

Not only have I already done some big work confronting my perfectionism as I crafted this year’s resolutions (you can read more about how to do that here), I have also decided to use this planner in an unorthodox way.

You see, I have a plan. And by that I mean I have no plan. That’s how I’m going to succeed.

Step 1: Change My New Year’s Mindset

I wish I were someone who could sit down, plan out exactly what they were going to do when, and then stick to that plan. The truth is, I’m very much not that person. But I still love planners. So what do I do?

In the past, I tried to use a planner the way I’d seen others do it: set up a daily routine, schedule meetings with friends or colleagues, and set goals with reminders, check-ins, and milestones. Every single time, I’d end up failing or forgetting to keep those routines, and by March the planner would end up shoved into a box somewhere. Out of sight, out of mind, out of guilt. Maybe next year…

But what if the goal was not self-improvement but rather self-reflection?

Since this year my plan is to get more in touch with my own patterns, the ebbs and flows of my weird brain, and start unlearning toxic productivity. Before I can embark on a quest of bettering myself, I need to know a lot more about what I’m actually doing right now. What is and isn’t working for me before I start trying to change everything?

Step 2: Use The Planner As A Tracker

Instead of writing out what I want to do, I am using this week-by-week planner as a bullet journal: to write out what I’ve already done. It’s a much lower-stress commitment, doesn’t require as much brain power, and is (pleasantly) much more color coding-friendly (my favorite thing).

I am tracking everything that I have questions about:

• How often do I actually write every week? What about reading?
• Do I really drink coffee every day? How about lunch, do I eat that?
• How often do I talk to friends, and which friends?
• Is my mood generally better in the morning or at night?
• Can my bedtime really be as sporadic as I feel like it is?
• Am I truly spending frivolously? What am I spending money on?

If I can write out with semi-regularity, I will be able to create a big enough bulk of data that I’ll be ready for Step 3. And because of the sheer amount of data I’ll collect throughout the year, it doesn’t matter if missed days (or even the odd missed week) happens. I’ll still be able to make accurate assessments about my habits.

Already I’m seeing some surprising things (and it’s only been a week)! I read and write more than I thought I did. I don’t drink coffee every day. I tend to naturally go to bed within the same hour every night. And I am pretty consistently rating my moods higher in the evenings, which gives me an overall positive outlook even on days when I wake up grumpy.

Step 3: Set Goals Based On The Data I Collect

The third and final step for getting the most out of my 2023 is going to be using the data I collect for self-reflection and more realistic and manageable goal setting. (A great use for a 2024 planner!)

“Get up at 6 a.m. every morning,” might be a tough goal to meet with consistency if I’ve been rising and shining at 8 a.m. But saying “Get up half an hour earlier than normal” might be very doable!

I might beat myself up for reading too little, but if I find out that I actually read most days of the week… that’s an entire self-improvement goal I don’t even need to worry about.

And if I find out that I’m making five random impulse purchases every month, that is going to provide me with a great budgeting goal to implement. Instead of “create a monthly budget and track every purchase,” it might look more like “Say no to three impulse purchases every month.”

Ultimately, this project is going to be about getting to know myself, doing away with unnecessary guilt or shame, and conserving energy for things I actually have a chance at completing. All while getting to fill out and color code a brand new planner to my heart’s content.