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How to Build a Custom Planner with Printables

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Are traditional planners not working for you? Find out How to create a custom planner using printouts Build a system that fits your life.

How to create a custom planner using Printables

While it’s nice to have ready-made planners, many people prefer to create their own planners that better suit their needs. In this article, I’ll show you how to make your own planner using printables.

Are planners effective?

Planners are only effective if they help you get things done. But having a planner that’s fun to use can help you get more done, be more productive, and can be very effective at keeping things from going unnoticed.

Why Create Your Own Planner

Creating your own planner allows you to manage the contents of the planner. No more unnecessary unused pages. If you like a particular planner page, you can print more and add them to your planner.

Create a home management plan that works for you

You can also add pages other than planner pages to the planner. For example, if you take notes at a meeting, just add them to the planner.

It doesn’t have to be match match. It should be functional.

Using the printable planner

Habit tracker closeup from a productivity print

If you’re new to the world of creating your own planner, you can get started with a few simple steps.

  1. Download the printables to use in the planner. If this is all new to you, try finding some sort of calendar. Daily planner page.
  2. Arrange them in an easy-to-understand order. Please rest assured. You can always change it later if you want.
  3. add them to the binder (or whatever you’re using to store your plan pages)

Your own printable planner

It may seem strange, but Which planner is best for me?

If you’re new to planning, or have used off-the-shelf planners in the past (and abandoned them after a week or so), the best way to determine which kind of planner is best is is to test. things.

Try it out, eliminate what doesn’t work, keep what you like, and find what works for you!

Experiment with different layouts, fonts, etc.

Be your own personal planner!

Printable Planner page types

Productivity printouts laid out on blue background

There are many different types of PDFs that can be put into Planner. Here are some ideas to get you started.

  • daily planner – Having a page that you can use over and over again to make your daily plans will help you get used to the routine of using the planner every day. Here is the daily routine sheet set I use.
  • Weekly planner – Planning a week in advance will help you be more efficient and use your time wisely. Getting into the habit of making a weekly plan will greatly increase your productivity and reduce your stress significantly. Go here to get your Weekly Planning Bundle.
  • monthly calendar – Having a monthly calendar page helps you keep track of appointments, birthdays, and plan for the coming months. There are many free printable calendars online. Productivity print set.
  • bullet journal page – If you want to dabble in bullet journaling, you can add pages to the planner that you can use as needed. When inspiration strikes, head over to your bullet journal page and start creating.
  • meal plan printout – Meal planning and eating at home is a huge challenge for most of us. Using our meal plan printouts helps us stay organized and remember old meal plans that worked so well! That way you don’t have to constantly reinvent the wheel or create new plans.
  • habit tracker – Lots of amazing habit tracker prints! Choose your favorite and start creating new habits.
  • to do list – Sometimes you need to write out a to-do list. There are plenty of printable to-do lists, but if you have a flexible custom planner, you can use whatever you have on hand, such as notebook paper.
  • journal – Want to keep a diary with all your plans? No one will stop you from doing it.

Which planner should I get?

mom organization productivity print planning print (text) image of print on white background

If you’re not sure which planner print to start with, check out our Productivity print set.

We have different types of planning sheets that you can use to test out different styles and see what works for you.

And with so much in the set, you can always find fresh new printables if you need a spark of motivation.

If you need a planner with a cover, Productivity print set Comes with a printable cover!

Organize in a binder

Productivity prints plan sheet on white table in blue binder

Once you know what you want to start with in the planner, organize all your printouts in a binder.

You can use what you already have to create a planner binder, or treat yourself with a new binder when needed.

It’s also helpful to have a 3-hole punch handy so you can easily add pages as needed.

Place your prints in the binder in any order you like.

Your planner binder setup doesn’t have to be perfect.

Things change when you experiment with the planner.

Binder alternative

Don’t want to use your binder as a planner?

No need to use a binder. In fact, you can use the printables separately and staple or clip them together as needed. It’s probably hard to keep track of things, but if that’s what you like, go for it!

Another way is to use a disk-bound planner.

The Discbound Planner makes it easy to add and remove pages without opening and closing binder rings.

If you go the discbound planner route, I recommend getting a hard cover for the planner and investing in a hole punch designed for discbound planners.

If you know you won’t be changing anything about your planner setup, you can try Spiral Bound Planner.

i am mine printable goal planner spiral bound office depot (AFF LINK) Because we know you’ll keep your printable planner sheets in the same order from quarter to quarter.

What size paper?

The size planner you use depends on the size of the binder you’re using and the size of the print you’re using.

Planners come in a variety of sizes, but most printables are 8.5″ x 11″.

We recommend using the 8.5″ x 11″ size. This is simply because more printing options are available and you don’t have to buy expensive paper.

If you live outside the US, this may not apply. Use the most common paper size in your area.

print options

If you have a printer, you can use it to print your own prints.

However, if you find yourself using a lot of ink, we recommend taking the print-ready file to your local print shop.

I always have my quarterly planner printed at office depotI send them to the store via their website and pick them up while I run errands.

I use my home printer for most of my other printed material. I have an HP printer. HP Instant Ink SubscriptionSo when your computer is low on ink, it will automatically send you new cartridges.

planner accessories

Once you’re comfortable with using your new planner, you can use planner accessories to help your organization and make using the planner even easier (or more fun). Here are some planner accessories you might want to try.

  • planner inserts or dividers. You can use them to color code sections of your planner and hold loose paper. Dividers with pockets or slash pockets in my binder planner.
  • pens, highlighters, etc. Using your favorite pen can make a big difference.i am part Pilot G-2 07 pen with blue inkSharpie gel pens are also very good.
  • stickers. You can find planner stickers at craft stores, big box stores, and of course Amazon.
  • Japanese paper tape. use washi tape Decorate your planner and create boxes and sections on your pages.
  • mechanical pencil. You may also want to clear it. I like to use a mechanical pencil for fine lines.

How many planners do you need?

organizer binder

There is no correct answer to this question!

Once you start using the printable planner, we recommend creating separate planners for each activity.

I always have my work and personal planners together, Use a different printable set for special occasions like Christmas.

I keep my Christmas printouts in a separate binder, but you can easily add them to your daily planner.

Are binders better than notebooks?

A printable planner page gives you more flexibility than a notebook.

However, for some purposes, a notebook is a better choice.

Learn how to use notes to organize your ideas.

Other planning resources

How to create a custom planner using printouts (text on a blue background) Image of printouts and binders laid out on a table

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