Are you struggling to get things done? Do you have a planner but “forget” to open it? Have you spent half your paycheck on color-coordinated planner stickers, brush pens, and washi tape? These are crazy common planning mistakes that just destroy your productivity. And sometimes your spirit. Let’s explore 7 crazy common planning mistakes and the simple solutions to make each one easily fixable.

7 Crazy Common Planning Mistakes That Are Actually Easily Fixable

Planning is super important to make sure we arrive at our dentist visit on the right day and time, don’t forget our anniversary, and get the kiddos to soccer practice. Planning is also important to keep a clean and orderly home, get healthy food on the table, and make progress toward our goals.

Do you feel in charge of your day? Do you have a planner but “forget” to open it? Do you struggle to know WHAT to put on your planner? Do you feel frustrated or inferior when you see super creative and colorful planners on Instagram?

The good news is those are really common planning problems, and they are actually easily fixable!

Planning Mistake #1: Not planning at all, i.e., I'll wing it!

This is the planning equivalent of your 7-year-old-self putting her hands over her ears and shouting in a sing-song voice "la la la, I can't hear you."

Pretending you don't have shit to do, doesn't mean you don't have shit to do.

Ignoring important things in your life only hurts YOU. And makes you more rushed, frazzled, and stressed when you actually have to do the things..

Like Christmas, for example. You can refuse to grab a notebook and write out a holiday shopping list because "you don't want to deal with it." (And TRUST ME, I've made this mistake!) But December 25th WILL arrive, and your kids WILL expect presents under the tree. Better to face a tiny bit of planning discomfort now than being disowned as a parent by your grouchy pre-teens.

Easiest way to fix this planning mistake? Start small. Make sure every single appointment/ event/ holiday/ birthday is written down in one place. A plain ol’ free calendar from your local bank will do. Or use the calendar app on your phone. You may not be ready to plan laundry day, a month’s worth of healthy meals, or cleaning and organizing the garage, but having all the critical life events in one place is a really good (and relatively painless) start.

Planning Mistake #2: Searching for the PERFECT planner.

It's all about the planner, right? When we find the PERFECT planner, all our organizational problems will be solved and we’ll be productivity princesses.

So we spend time searching the web, browsing Pinterest and Etsy, watch super fun YouTube videos, and looking in the planner aisle at Hobby Lobby in the quest for the holy grail of planners.

I'm here to bust your balloon, so to speak. A perfect planner does not exist.

Sure some planners are better suited to your personality, design aesthetic, and interests. Some people like pretty, colorful planners and other are minimalists. I like a week-at-a-glance and that's why I designed a planner that works really well for me.

The truth is you can plan your life in a blank notebook. That’s what a bullet journal is, after all!

You don't need a fancy planner. There is no planner, or planning software that is perfect, so don't waste time (and money) seeking it out. Ultimately successful planning is just about getting the important things done in your life with as little drama as possible.

Simple fix for this planning mistake? Use the planner you have. If you don’t already have one, limit the time you spend looking for a planner and then make a decision. Go with the one you choose, no regrets. You can always try a new one next year.

Planning Mistake #3: Believing planning means buying colored pens, stickers, and washi tape.

You've seen the Instagram pics, right? Beautiful weekly planning spreads with "laundry day" purple floral stickers. Everything beautifully color-coordinated. And handwriting that looks like calligraphy.

I love seeing artistic, creative planners because, well, they're beautiful.

I like the look of beautiful planners with artistic spreads, but there's no way I'm spending four hours of my life and $37 on stickers and washi tape to decorate the month of November in my planner.

You don't have to do it either.

Maybe it’s the cynic in me, but I see fancy planner layouts and wonder what happens when the kids' carpool gets rescheduled? Or if you decide to clean the bathroom on Thursday instead of Friday but you don't have any more "clean bathroom" kawaii stickers in that amazing shade of robin’s egg blue to match the rest of your layout??

Planning means you schedule time to get important things done. It doesn't mean you need an art degree, unlimited funds, and a set of 72 brush pen markers . It's a mistake to believe planning has to involve art supplies OR to compare your planning layouts to Instagram influencers.

Easy solution to this planning mistake? A simple mindset shift. Don’t fall for the the myth you need an artistic planner. (Unless you’re into that and it makes you happy.) But for most of us, a working ballpoint pen and simple planner is just fine.

Planning Mistake #4: Not Planning Your Self-Care

It's so cliche to say that planning self-care is a must, like putting your oxygen mask on before you assist others on a plane.

It's kinda true, though.

Taking care of your mind, body, and spirit is super important. It makes you feel good, keeps you healthy and balanced, and it's your right as a human, dammit.

It's not selfish or egotistical to take care of yourself.

How to fix this planning mistake? Plan your self care every day. You’re worth it.

Here are some self-care ideas:

exercise
planning healthy meals
getting a massage
taking a bubble bath
having coffee with friends
learning a new skill or hobby
reading
watching your favorite TV show uninterrupted
meditating
sexy time, with or without a partner
moisturizing your face and body, or using skin creams or serums
journaling
treating yourself to a manicure or pedicure
taking a nap
calling your mom, your sister, or a friend
listen to music
write in your gratitude journal

7 Crazy Common Planning Mistakes That Are Actually Easily Fixable

Planning Mistake #5: Not Planning Meals or Making Meal Planning Super Complicated and Scary

I've been a meal planner since waaaaaay back, so meal planning is not scary or hard or complicated for me.

It shouldn't be for you either.

Meal planning just means taking a few minutes to think about what you and your family will eat this week. Sometimes that means a restaurant meal or take-out. That's totally cool. Often it means cooking at home, and that's cool too.

It’s a planning mistake to think meal planning means spending hours salivating over recipes on Pinterest. Or spending an entire Sunday meal-prepping and cooking all of your meals in advance. And it sure doesn't have to mean spending big bucks at the grocery store and a shopping cart of exotic ingredients. (Unless that’s your thing.)

If you're not a meal planner, start simple. Ask yourself "What do I want to eat this week?" Then write down the answers. And, if you tend to over-complicate things, set a timer on your phone. 15 minutes for meal planning, tops.

Here's a simple meal plan that took me literally three minutes to create:

Monday - spaghetti and meatballs, salad
Tuesday - burgers with cheddar, pickled onions, and mushrooms, and oven-roasted potatoes
Wednesday - chicken thighs in the air fryer, rice, and broccoli
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - do your own thing (also called a pantry pillage or freezer forage in our house, lol)
Saturday - out to eat
Sunday - take out
Breakfasts - coffee, eggs & veggies
Lunches: Amy's meals, leftovers, salad
Snacks: cheddar & macadamia nuts, sprouted corn tortillas with pico de gallo

It’s not a gourmet meal plan by any means, but - for me - it is perfect and simple. I’ll bet you can create a super simple meal plan in three minutes too. (That’s a challenge, ladies!)

All I need to do now is throw together a quick shopping list. Ask the hubs if he wants anything special to eat. Also ask the hubs if he wants to do the shopping, if I’m smart.

Simple solution to the scary or complicated meal planning problem?

Challenge yourself to create super simple meal plans. Think of it like a game.

Remember meal planning doesn't have to involve complicated recipes or expensive ingredients.

And save your meal plans each week. It makes them even easier to create in the future.

Planning Mistake #6: Not Creating Daily and Weekly Planning Routines

Planning is useless if you don't ever look at your planner, right?

It's a mistake not to create daily and weekly planning routines to REMIND you to plan (and get things done).

Daily Planning Routine

At a minimum, look at your planner twice a day. In the morning to see what you have scheduled, and at night to make sure you got everything done.

Ideally you'll have your planner open (whether it's a paper planner or digital one) and refer to it throughout the day.

If you don't remember, set an alarm on your phone.

Here’s my morning planning routine:

open planner
check appointments for the day
check my meal plan to see what’s for dinner
if there were things I didn’t get done from yesterday, I’ll add them to today or another day this week
look at today’s to do list
start DOING the things

My nighttime planning routine is similar:

open planner
cross off everything I’ve done today
if something doesn’t get done, move it to tomorrow or another day
fill in my habit tracker (I track things like exercise, journaling, meditation, etc.)
fill in my water tracker
look at tomorrow’s appointments and events
be proud and happy I’m trying to intentionally create a life I love

Weekly Planning Routine

This is where you look at the week ahead and plan out the next 7 days. Schedule a specific day and time to do your weekly planning. I like to do it on Sunday afternoons. Make your weekly planning enjoyable.... grab a coffee, light a candle, listen to music.

My weekly planning routine:

I do my weekly planning on Saturday or Sunday for the week ahead.
I look at the past week and check off anything I haven’t already.
If tasks weren’t done I ask if they really need to be done? If so, I’ll schedule them this week.
I review my monthly calendar to see what events or holidays are coming up. Add any tasks related to these events or holidays to my planner.
I check my monthly calendar for any appointments, and write them under the appropriate day of the week.
If there are any tasks that absolutely must happen on a certain day of the week (like pay my Visa bill on the 15th) I’ll add them to the correct day.
I make a super simple meal plan.
I think about my current goals and priorities. I add tasks and to do’s that focus on my goals to the week ahead.
I have an ongoing list of weekly tasks I do around the house, like laundry, sweeping the kitchen, or dusting. I generally don’t assign them a specific day but will fit them in when I have free time during the week.
I keep a running list of to do's that don't have to be done on a certain day and aren't critical, but I kinda sorta wanna do them. I plug them in my planner when I have time.

Planning Mistake #7: Not Following Your Plan

This planning mistake is probably the most common, and it's my biggest struggle too. Sometimes life happens and we get extra busy, or we are stressed or bored, or for whatever reason we don't feel like doing what is on our plan.

I get this way whenever I see "clean bathrooms" in my planner. It doesn't matter if it's in my messy handwriting or on a bright pink sticker with a smiling toilet brush on it. I hate cleaning the bathroom. Didn't I just do that last week?

Good excuse or not, sometimes we don't follow our plans.

There is no reason to beat yourself up about not following your plan, or feeling guilty. Unless you blew off your mom's 60th birthday party. Then a tiny bit of guilt is probably in order.

Here are some common reasons we don't follow our plans, and tips to get things done.

Your weekly plan has waaaay too much on it.

Sometimes we schedule too much. If so, create more "white space" or free time in your planner next week. Not everything is urgent or important.

Ask yourself (and be really honest about your answers):

Does this absolutely have to get done?
Does it have to be done this week?
Do I personally have to do it?
Can I delegate or hire someone to do it?

Maybe you can clean the bathroom every other week. Maybe you can carpool with other parents so you don't have to drive your kiddo to basketball practice three times every week. Try to think outside of the box. The world probably won’t come to an end if you decide not to send Christmas cards, or host the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.

Sometimes things take longer than we think they will. I notice this all the time. I am sure I can run to the grocery store and be back in an hour. Never happens. I need to figure in driving time to and from, shopping for food, talking to THAT PERSON I always run into when I’m wearing sweats, no makeup, and am shopping. Also browsing at random things, and spending 8 minutes talking myself out of buying the fresh-baked cinnamon rolls.

Pay attention to how long things take. Or make a guess and add extra time.

Your "to do" is really a project.

Sometimes we put things in our planner that aren't simple to do's like "empty the dishwasher."

“Clean out the basement” is an example of a project which is actually lots and lots of little (mostly unpleasant) tasks. Think about it. Cleaning the basement might mean:

plan a time to clean the basement

force, bribe or otherwise cajole your significant other to help
buy trash bags
get boxes to put donations in
buy cleaning supplies, including rubber gloves JUST IN CASE there are spiders
arrange for a big trash pick up, or rent a dumpster (if you question this, you obviously haven't seen MY basement)
declutter the Christmas decorations area - this is also a mini project, because it might include:
- throw away old, yucky ornaments
- organize the decorations you want to keep into plastic totes
- label the totes!
- put remaining decorations in a box
- take that box to Goodwill
etc., etc.

Point is, some things have lots of steps and you need to break them down and put the tiny little steps inside your planner, rather than an overwhelming "remodel bathroom." I've made that mistake, lol.

You’re tired, stressed, have more exciting things to do, or you just don't want to do "the thing."

Sometimes we put things in our planner that we choose not to do. And that's ok.

Maybe you planned to mop the kitchen floor Monday night but would rather watch Dancing With the Stars. No worries.

The only time not doing what’s on your planner is a problem is if you’re missing important appointments or events, you’re not doing things you really, really want to (like train for that bucket list 5k), or you’re afraid the Hoarders film crew might show up at your door.

How to fix this planning mistake?? If you have something you consistently put off, or if you're never in the mood to follow your plan, you need to consult an expert. That expert is YOU.

Ask yourself why you're not doing things on your plan, and answer honestly. (I do my best problem solving on paper - try it!)

Listen to your answer, without judging.

Then ask "how can I solve this?"

Maybe the answer is as simple as you’re trying to do too much at the wrong time of day. I am super productive early in the day, but start "forgetting" to look at my planner come about 4pm. My solution is to do the important things early in the day.

Maybe the things you’re planning aren’t truly important to you.

I wish I could say “this is EXACTLY how to solve the problem of not doing what you’ve planned” but it’s not that easy. We are all different. You know what motivates you best. You know your own goals and dreams and hopes.

One thing I can tell you for certain, is that pink “laundry day” stickers aren’t going to make you love doing the laundry. A $75 planner won’t make you an organizational goddess. Only you can decide what goes on your planner. And only you can make yourself do what you’ve written.

I hope you’ve found these 7 crazy common planning mistakes (and how to fix them) helpful in your planning and productivity journey. You can check out some of the planners I use right here in the Plan a Healthy Life Planner Shop!

I am currently using my digital 12 month planner and do all my planning on my iPad. You can check it out here: Undated 12 Month Peach Digital Planner

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

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