You know the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, this month I decided to completely ignore that advice and try something new in my planning: daily pages. After seeing so many people’s daily pages with everything (meals! must/should dos! appointments! exercise!) planned out so wonderfully, I decided I should give it a shot – and so far, so good!
I’m using repurposed inserts from 2015. When I bought my Malden, it came with 2016 inserts. But, since it was November, Coleman’s had kindly included an entire 2015 calendar with my purchase, which (while a nice touch) I didn’t need. But waste not, want not, right? (I’m trying to see how many expressions I can get into one blog post…)
These inserts are week on two pages, and the days of the week make for easy divisions into the three sections I’m using in my daily plan: to-dos, schedule, and notes. I use washi tape to cover up the date. Since I use a little washi on my weekly pages to make them more colorful, I use the same washi on these pages so I can easily match the daily pages to their corresponding week.
Every night when I finish work, I go over the daily page. I highlight anything that I haven’t done, then move it to the next daily page. Then I look at my weekly page and copy over any necessary information or to-dos. I haven’t been forward planning on the daily pages because I prefer to do that in the weekly and monthly sections, so I have a record of everything (I only keep the current week of dailies in my Malden; the rest are being stored in my Saffiano).
Speaking of which, my Saffiano is currently serving as a holding binder for inserts. I have all of the old calendar pages in it, which I draw from to make each week’s dailies. Then I put the used dailies in so that they are easily accessible if I need to go back and reference something (even though theoretically it should also be on my weekly pages!). I saw the suggestion of using extra binders as “holding” binders on Philofaxy once, and while this tip is a major enabler for buying more planners, it’s also really helpful! 😉
So, that’s the update – for me it’s going well, and I feel more productive knowing exactly what I should be working on every day (without being distracted by the other hovering to-dos). Plus, it’s fun to repurpose old inserts!
Organizedly yours,
L.
The Organizeaholic 
I am constantly breaking that particular rule. Since I print my own inserts, I get to sample different layouts. For example, I have a foldout month grid, and a 2 page spread. Only by trying new layouts, can I figure out what works and what doesn’t work for me. I now have a nice file of favored layouts. So when I get bored with the current , I can easily print out a week or two, and switch with not much fuss.
I love your idea of re-purposing old W2P to a daily page with sections.
I love making new layouts when I have time, too! And you’re right, it’s a good way to keep yourself interested in looking at your planner when you get bored with a particular layout…something new makes you always want to open your planner and look at it!
I do like how you repurposed the pages. I have a ton of that format – which I don’t like for weekly planning – but love the setup for daily use.
Exactly – it works so well and makes me feel better about not wasting paper!