A DIY planner allows a person to create a system for organization that he or she needs without anything that he or she does not need. When a person makes a planner or calendar himself, he chooses a size that works for him and a color that he likes. The person designing the planner should decide if he wants a daily, weekly, or a monthly planner. Unless the person making the planner is artistically inclined, he may find it easiest to download templates or use templates included with office software. The best way to make sure that a person actually uses the DIY planner is by adding personal touches to it.
A person should begin by choosing a size for the DIY planner that works for her lifestyle. For example, if she has a lot of things on her plate each day or needs to keep the schedules of multiple people, such as her children or partner, a large binder may work best. A smaller planner that can be slipped into a purse or backpack may be a better choice if a person needs to take her calendar with her.
The beauty of a DIY planner is that its maker is not limited to basic colors such as black or gray. Instead, he can choose a binder or notebook in a color that he enjoys or that complements the rest of his office or school supplies. The designer can also cover a basic binder with paint, fabric, or cut-out pieces of paper to spruce up the appearance of the binder.
A person making her own planner should choose the best format for her. If she needs to plan her life out a month at a time, a monthly planner will let her put all meetings and events on a single page so that she can see them all at a glance. A weekly planner may be ideal if a person in school or has children in school, as she will be able to see homework and other assignments due in the week.
Downloading templates that can be printed on paper that fits in the DIY planner is a good idea. If a person is using a non-traditional size, he may need to scale the templates down to fit on the paper or cut the paper to the right size after he prints them out. The best templates are those that let a person fill in the date so that he can use the same templates month after month and year after year.
It is important for a designer to personalize the planner so that she will want to use it. Some ideas include adding pictures of family to the front cover or tucking them in sleeves on the inside of the planner. Finding an inspiring quote and writing it in on the cover or inside of the planner may also help its user to stay motivated.