You know how meaningful it is to write things down on paper.
Whether it’s checking off tasks from your to-do list, recording meaningful dates and deadlines, or tracking the progress of your goals, you recognize that a goal planner is more than just a calendar or to-do list, it’s a supportive tool that helps you realize your dreams.
And another thing we love about planners? They give us the opportunity to get creative! Whether it’s stickers, washi tape, and cheerful gel pens, planner accessories add a personal touch to our goal setting systems. Plus, they give us an excuse to relive our childhood years, when we’d get a thrill from decorating our trapper keepers and journals.
In a way, customizing your planner can help you form a deeper connection to your goals. Your goals are no longer some abstract target that you’re trying to reach. They become more personal to you. The simple act of tracking your progress with your favorite pens or blocking off your schedule with colorful washi tape signals to yourself that you value your time and your work.
When we can form a more personal connection to our goals, we’ll have an easier time honoring them.
So in the spirit of celebrating our planners and our goals, we’ve rounded up our favorite planner accessories to help you customize your goal planner and stay organized and productive.
Planner tabs
Our Ink+Volt Planner Tabs are bestsellers and for good reason. They come in 4 soothing color options and a sleek matte finish--so they’re actually easy to stick and un-stick!
How to use them
These planner tabs would be perfect for organizing your bullet journal or goal planner. You can categorize your pages by month, task, and priority.
Monthly tabs: Organize your work by month so that you always know what’s coming up and you can stay on top of your work and goals
Organization tabs: Instead of sifting through your planner, you can label key pages and easily identify your goals, tasks, plans, and meetings.
Priority tabs: If you’re struggling to balance multiple projects, make it easier on yourself by prioritizing tasks and marking their status by using the labels Now, Later, and Complete. You’ll instantly know the timeline of a project and can easily move on to the next task at hand.
Washi tape
Not only is washi tape pretty and pleasing to look at, but it has tons of functional uses that can help you crush your goals.
Plus, washi tape is particularly helpful if you're’ a bullet journaler. Devotees of the bullet journal love it for its flexibility: you can use it for goal setting, meal planning, fitness journaling--and keep all of this diverse content in the same notebook. The trick to keeping it all organized and manageable is to use washi tape.
How to use it
Here are some of the many ways that you can use washi tape, whether it’s for your planner or bullet journal.
Habit tracker: If you’re using your planner or bullet journal to keep track of new habits like meditating or writing, you can use washi tape to help you monitor those different habits. Plus, washi tape can serve as that little “gold star” you used to get in elementary school. The more washi tape you add, the more excited you’ll be to maintain your positive habits.
Time management: Use washi tape to cordon off days or weeks for your work or projects. You’ll see this visual reminder whenever you glance at the page, and this will help you sharpen your focus and manage your time. When you see the long blocks of tape, you’ll immediately know that you have a busy period coming up. The washi tape ensures that you avoid overbooking yourself, allowing you to focus on the project instead.
Celebrate: A key difference between a paper and digital planner, is that with paper planners, you can really go wild and unleash your creativity. Use washi tape to add fun and festive elements to your planner. Maybe you want to create a little banner to celebrate the beginning of a new project. Or add some washi tape over a specific day to celebrate a goal milestone. Or add a strip to block off the weekend and get excited for some well-earned time off.
Planner dashboard
Planner fans love to add a dashboard to their goal planner or bullet journal because it’s both fun and functional. You can add your personality to it while also using it as a central hub for information.
How to use it
This is all about you! Your dashboard is the support system for your daily habits, goals, and to-do's; customize your system to match your days.
Map/Legend: Use your planner dashboard as a map or legend so that you can easily refer to your symbols and color-coding. This is particularly helpful if you’re color-coding habits or using Bullet Journal symbols to monitor the status of projects.
Goal Setting: Let your planner dashboard serve as your north star for your goals. Write down your top goals for the year and keep it at the front of your planner so that you always know what you’re working towards.
Inspiration: Whether it’s your favorite quote or mantra or an image that speaks to you, a planner dashboard can be a source of inspiration and help ground you during challenges and setbacks. You can also add fun stickers for a pop of color and decoration.
Planner pockets
Add additional storage to your planner to keep track of your most important extras.
How to use it
Store mementos, receipts, stickers, post-its and planner accessories like washi tape and planner tabs. You can use a clear plastic pocket for easy retrieval or choose a decorative pocket to add personality to your planner.
Writing tools
Whether it’s recording your goals or adding colorful reminders to your planner or illustrating meeting notes, your writing tools can take your planner pages to the next level.
How to use them
Humans are visual creatures - you might be surprised what an impact investing in the visual presence of your planner could have!
Color coding: Use bright gel pens to help you distinguish between important and urgent tasks or to log your habits.
Draw attention to a specific day or task: Use a highlighter to emphasize a specific task or day of the week so that your eye is drawn to this area, which will remind you to act on a goal or task.
These are just some of the ways that you can personalize your planner with planner accessories. Drop us a line and let us know your favorite ways to customize and organize your planner!
