The Studio Milligram Planner's calmer approach

So much of the talk around organising your life focuses on smashing goals, maximising every moment – lots of high-intensity thinking that some people thrive on. But for lots of us, that attitude can make planning a stressful affair, putting extra pressure on our day-to-day lives that can get in the way of other priorities like self-care and unstructured time with friends. Studio Milligram's Planner Sets take a calmer approach to organising, which informs every aspect from the colour scheme to the page layout. To help you manage your time and keep a cool head, we've put together a guide with some simple ways you can use your Planner that make the most of its effective, soothing design. Break your tasks down As tempting as it is to add "Write report" to your to-do list, keeping each entry smaller and more manageable saves you from feeling overwhelmed, and gives you more chances to tick things off so you feel like you're achieving something. So rather than "Write report", break the task down – you might add "Research competition for report" on Tuesday, "Go over report figures" on Thursday, and so on until you've got a brief ready to take into the office next week. It's easy to make the ultra-flexible Weekly layout your own The Weekly Planner helps you spread out your tasks with a flexible layout that combines plain and dot grid space for each day, giving you room to plot out your projects over a few days and see where you are with each step. If you like planning every little detail and ticking off your jobs for the day, though, the Daily Planner layout gives you some dedicated room for your To Do list, with satisfying circles to help you mark off the things you've taken care of. The Daily layout also features that same plain/dot grid pairing for you to plan your report-writing (or present-buying, or scrapbooking, or film-making) the way you like to. Plan your schedule, jot some notes, mark off your to-dos – it's all there in the Daily layout Think outside the box Your Planner is more than just a schedule-keeper. Each Set is full of possibilities for you to explore, starting with the 96 notebook pages in a versatile range of layouts that you can use any way you like. Ruled pages could be a home for your next short story, or a recipe journal to pair with your meal-planning; plain pages are a freeform space for a moment of visual creativity, even if it's just doodling through a dull Zoom call; and the dot grid layout's gentle structure loves everything from design sketches to bullet journaling. Even the dividers can be a space for you to experiment. The Planner Set includes colour-coordinated tabbed dividers to help you flip smoothly to the page you need, but they're more than just place markers – with a little creative thinking, each divider can be a destination of its own. You can them as a home to park your post-it note reminders, turn them into mini-photo albums to keep your loved ones close, show off your calligraphy skills, or find any number of ways to customise them to make your Planner uniquely you. Keep it close Your Planner is only effective when you use it, and choosing a reliable home makes it more likely that you'll keep it up-to-date. Whether you keep it in your bag, or at your desk, or somewhere else is entirely up to you, but wherever it lives, choose the Planner that fits your needs. If you like to organise on the go, the B6 Planner Set is a compact option that has plenty of room for planning without taking up extra space in your bag, and the vegan leather cover will keep things neat even when your bag gets crowded. The A5 Planner Set features the same vegan leather cover, with extra space on each page that's perfect for when your schedule gets crowded. The larger size makes the A5 Planner an ideal desk companion, in a size that's still flexible enough to go with you when you head out of the office. Wherever you're Planner lives, make sure it's close to hand so you can make a quick change or check an appointment time at a moment's notice – the more you use your Planner, the more helpful it will be. Plus, it's got storage to spare, with a pocket in the front, one in the back, and another divider pocket, making your Planner a fun way to keep your essentials on hand. Pockets for days Stick with it Using a Planner won't change your life in an instant – it's a gradual process of finding the approach that works for you, and building your Planner into your everyday life. Be patient, give it time, and be prepared to experiment with your planning until you find what's right for you. And sometimes things might change! You may start with a Weekly Planner, only to find that your weeks get busier and busier to the point that you need a dedicated space for each day. With the refillable design of Studio Milligram's Planner, you can easily switch to a Daily refill, making it easy to adapt your planner to your needs instead of the other way around. The other advantage of a refillable Planner is that it can be a part of your life for as long as you like. You can top it up as needed with new schedule and notebook pages, archiving the old ones and keeping your Planner fresh for ages. We develop a close relationship with our planners and diaries, so it makes sense to keep that bond alive year after year. Planning shouldn't be stressful. A good planner is designed to make your life easier, and the soothing feel of Studio Milligram's Planner Sets helps smooth the rough parts of your life with calm, clear organisation. Take a look at Studio Milligram's Planners here.

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