20 WAYS AUTHORS CAN USE A PLANNER TO STAY ORGANIZED

Juggling multiple tasks and projects can be overwhelming - especially when you're creating various worlds and characters in addition to surviving in this world. An author planner is a remarkable tool that can help you stay organized, inspired, and productive.

If you know me well, you know I am a die-hard planner. Seriously, 9-year-old me was rocking her drugstore planner with her Trapper Keeper (yes, I am that old). I've always been a planner, and I am thrilled to see so many more people have jumped on the bandwagon. If you're not a planner, then I can guarantee this post will at least make you think about becoming one. And if you are—welcome...LOL.

Needless to say, I'm a planner advocate!

Whether you're working on a novel, short stories, or blog posts, an author planner can streamline your writing process. Here’s how to make the most out of it - but...

1. Define Your Writing Goals: Use your planner to set measurable writing goals. The big one that comes to mind is something like hitting a daily word count, having defined goals will keep you motivated and on track. Break them down into manageable tasks and record them in your planner.

2. Set Up Daily or Weekly To-Do Lists Using: This one is pretty typical but important. Indie writers especially wear a lot of hats, so keeping a running list of tasks and to-dos will help keep you on track. Plus, checking things off is soooo satisfying!

3. Create a Writing Schedule: Another fairly typical one—but hey, consistency is key. Scheduling dedicated time to write is important. You can even block off time to edit, brainstorm ideas, or journal. Writing is very flexible, and you can schedule time just to immerse yourself in your craft to keep up the momentum!

 

4. Track Your Progress: Keep track of your word counts, chapters, and milestones in your planner. If you're artsy, you can create charts or graphs to visualize your progress. Digital planning offers great options for visuals too. Plus, tools like NaNoWriMo's word count tracker can be integrated into your planning routine year-round.

5. Brainstorm Ideas: Set aside sections of your planner for brainstorming sessions. Essentially- a brain dump section is what I'm pitching here. Scribble down plot ideas, character sketches, and those genius plot twists that hit you out of nowhere. This way, you’ll never lose track of those brilliant, spontaneous ideas. 

6. Outlines and Plot Mapping: Dedicate a section of your planner to plot mapping. Outline the major events in your story, track subplots, and make sure everything ties together nicely. This visual tool helps you see the big picture and keep your narrative on track. It’s also a great way to get things moving when your characters aren’t cooperating.

7. Map Out Series Planning: This is basically the same idea as plot mapping but applied to a series. If you're working on a series, save a section of your planner to map out the overall arc, individual book plots, and character development across the series. This will help keep everything consistent and cohesive.

8. Character Development: Use your planner to keep detailed notes on your characters. Jot down their traits, backgrounds, and development arcs. Capture interesting character ideas or snippets of dialogue whenever they pop into your head. This will help you keep your characters consistent and well-developed.

9. Organize Your Notes and Research: When I was writing actively, I kept a section with blank paper to jot down notes and stick my numerous sticky notes. At the end of the day (or the next day), I'd rewrite more organized and clearer notes in that same section—right behind the chaos. That was my notes section. I also kept clean notes on my research findings. Having everything in one place will make your life easier.

10. Plan Revisions and Edits: Editing—not my favorite, but it’s part of the process. Use your planner to schedule revision sessions. Break down editing into stages—structural edits, line edits, and proofreading—and set deadlines for each. Include time for feedback from beta readers and editors to stay organized and thorough.

11. Manage Multiple Pen Names: For those who write under multiple pen names, your planner can help you keep track of projects, deadlines, and marketing strategies for each identity.

12. Social Media Planning: Plan out your social media posts in your planner. Create a content calendar, brainstorm post ideas, and track engagement. This helps you (all of y'all lol) stay organized with your online presence.

13. Plan Launch Campaigns: A successful book launch requires a lot of steps. Your planner is the perfect spot to plan out your campaigns. Detailed schedules, timelines, deadlines, and all your promo activities can be organized in one place.

14. Plan Giveaways and Marketing Strategies: This one is pretty self-explanatory, but it's important to track things like giveaways, contests, and cover reveals—especially when you plan ahead. You can also track their progress, outcomes, and lessons learned.

15. Conventions and Appearances: Keep track of scheduled appearances, conventions, book signings, podcasts, or guest blog posts. You never want to miss an opportunity to connect with your readers. You can also use your planner to note events you might want to attend in the future and things you need to do beforehand (like print merch, etc.). 

16. Track Sales: Track your book sales and other revenue streams in your planner. This gives you a clear picture of your financial progress and helps you set realistic sales goals. And if you're lazy like me, you could just set a reminder to check your sales reports routinely (because I didn't write anything down that I could print).

17. Create an Inspiration Board: Create an inspiration board in your planner. Include quotes, images, and anything else that fuels your creativity. Revisiting these pages can keep your motivation high and remind you why you love to write. Full disclosure—I never did this, but I got inspired to try it from Pinterest. 

18. Jot Down Cover Ideas:  All right, clearly, I do this 🙃... but jot down cover design ideas in your planner. Sketch out concepts or note down elements you want to include. This should help facilitate a good dialog with your designer to establish a solid design direction and make the design process smoother when the time comes.

19. Future Ideas & Reference Notes: Keep a section for future ideas and reference notes. Note down interesting concepts, potential projects, or snippets of dialogue that come to mind. You never know when they might fit perfectly into your next project.

20. Research Planning Keep your research organized by creating dedicated pages or sections in your planner. Note down references, sources, and key information. This will make it easier to find essential details when you're deep into your writing.

There are countless ways to use a planner to elevate your productivity and become the most organized creative ever. If nothing else, I remain optimistic.

I've always been a fan of paper planners and have finally found 'planner peace' with my current setup. Having tried almost everything out there, I'll list a few things I've tried, purchased, didn’t hate, and continue to use.

Note: I am not affiliated with these companies, nor is this article sponsored. The links provided are just because I like them and think they could be helpful.

Here are some suggestions for digital and paper planners:

Digital Planners

• Scrivener: IYKYK - This is just gold for authors.

• Google Calendar:  The syncing is the best part of this for me.

• Trello: I'm visual so I like this to manage projects with boards, lists, and cards.

• Notion: This is pretty customizable and perfect for organizing notes, tasks, and projects.

• Evernote: Excellent for taking and organizing notes, clipping web content, and setting reminders. (I used this for a while back in the day).

Paper Planners

• Audrey Hughey's Author Planner: Specifically designed for authors. I gave this as a gift to someone and they loved it!

• Ambition Planner: Gorgeous cover options and great for goal setting.

• Cloth & Paper Inserts: These people basically take all my money - cause I have an affinity for sticky notes - but they have cool inserts for task management too.

• Plum Paper Planner:  I’ve been using this planner for the past six or seven years, and I love how I can customize it. You can add tons of extras like social media, brainstorming, and financial tools. They even have blog post and direct sale trackers. I use a disc-bound system, which lets me tailor my planner even more.

• Bullet Journals: Literally any notebook will do here, and you can completely tailor this to your needs and your liking. 

• Poi and Hun: I love their inserts - especially their social media planner and task admin. Clean and simple designs - just perfect for those of us minimalist planners.
  

Honorable Mention: Etsy is a great place to find printable and digital writing sheets, especially for authors. There are tons of creative and useful options available.

There are so many ways to customize planners, digital and paper, to your own specific needs. I hope you explore ways to use one if you don't already. It can make a significant difference in your writing process. 

A planner helps you stay organized, keeps you accountable, and ensures steady progress toward your writing goals.

To help you along, I've created a few quick sheets that you may find helpful. They're pretty basic but functional, and best of all, free.

Happy planning and even happier writing! And if you have any tips, thoughts, or experiences with planners, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to drop a comment below and share your insights!