Hi, my loves! Pre-planning my schedule and tasks helps me keep track of all of my appointments and tasks for the upcoming week. I call it my weekly Brain Dump and it’s helped me so much that I wanted to show you how I create a pretty and functional one using a blank notes page.
I’m currently using an Erin Condren Perpetual Notebook but I have used A5 notebooks and even notepads for this process. This is why I am forever in love with using PlannerKate stickers; to get it all organized quickly and easily and it will work in any notebook. My favorite sheets to use are:
Notes companion page. Both full kit (KIT) and mini-kit (MK) designs have note companion pages available. They really give me flexibility while allowing me to quickly create structure in any notebook when I’m creating my pre-planning page. This is a must-have for me!
Perpetual Calendar Headers. These headers fit perfectly in a 7x9 or A5 notebook and give me a uniform way of adding the dates of the corresponding week while saving space.
Transparent Dot Stickers. The mini size dots fit perfectly over the dates on the perpetual headers.
Journaling Sheets. I usually have both sheets 1 and 2 handy because it helps me fill in gaps and section off content further. Also, they’re so cute!
How I pull a Brain Dump Page Together Quickly and Easily
First step, always, is to close out the previous week! I find a place to jot down the incomplete tasks I’ll be carrying over from the previous week along with appointments and tasks I want to get done for the week coming up. I make sure to check my monthly spread, my digital lists and calendars, year at a glance at the front of my hourly, and any other goal setting pages or planners I'm using. This is the information I use to set up my Brain Dump page.
The perpetual calendar notebook header goes at the top, of course, then I highlight the dates with transparent dot stickers.
I usually categorize my list into groups to make it easier to plan time to get them done throughout the week. This week, I’m listing out project tasks, home (family) tasks, and a couple specific cleaning tasks I want to tackle.
I always title my page then lay out my categories. My appointments go down first because those are the items I want to add to my hourly planner before anything else.
I create “tabs” with my titles because I like having as much horizontal writing space as possible but it’s just as easy to make columns or a grid with these stickers on a blank page.
I love that not only does the Notes Companion page come with category labels to help me out, it also has blank stickers so I can write my own. I wrote in my appointment tab but the other categories I needed were already there.
The next step is just to get it all down in the correct section. The right side of the page sometimes becomes a sidebar where I can add things that pop up before I’m able to get into my hourly planner, or things I need to remember that don't fall into any of the categories. I'll take the extra step to avoid writing at the very bottom of the page. I didn’t need to do that for this week but I’ve included some examples below.
Now, would I really be a planner girl if I didn’t take the opportunity to use some journaling deco to add a little flair? I love using it to create additional structure and make the page feel 'complete'. I often end up adding even more bits of information I will need to reference later - like confirmation numbers or a quick phone number if I'll need to bring it to an appointment or meeting.
You really get more than enough stickers to pre-plan multiple weeks with just these sheets. Having a weekly sampler kit handy doesn't hurt either! Take a look below at some of my past pre-planning pages:
With this list I can hop in my hourly and focus on being creative and having fun without worrying that I missed something. I have gotten so much more done since I added pre-planning into my weekly routine and Kate’s sticker sheets make turning any notebook into a helpful planning sidekick a breeze.
I’d love to see the note pages you create and, more importantly, if it helps you feel more on top of your to-do lists like it has for me. You can connect with me on Instagram and YouTube: @honeystylejoy and we can do it together!
Happy planning!
