LIFE

You know the vibe: With fall comes fresh school supplies, locker decor and a whole host of new classes/extracurriculars/practices/rehearsals/you name it. The best way to keep it all balanced? Definitely a crisp planner.

Blank pages just waiting to be written on, squad hangouts just waiting to be penciled in...we love how an empty cal represents all the ~possibility~ of a new beginning. Not sure where to start? We've got all the deets on how to set up your planner for a successful school year.

Step 1: Materials

@waavmakers

First things first: You'll need a planner. We recommend hitting up your local bookstore—they'll likely stock tons of cute patterns and color combos. Extra points if you can grab some adorbs sticky notes to go with (which will be great for penning reminders and staying organized)! 

Then, grab your writing utensils. Whether you're a classic black-ink girlie or need a minute to snag every shade of felt tip you can find, gathering your fave pens is a v. important step in your planning journey. 

Step 2: Goal setting

One of the best parts about a planner is that it's a journal/calendar hybrid. Focusing on the journaling aspect, take some time to reflect on your summer and the school year ahead. If you set big-picture goals at an earlier point in the year, how are you keeping up with those? What are you looking forward to heading into a new month? A new school year? This deep thinking is a great exercise to get you feeling grounded before the semester starts.

Step 3: Overview

At the start of each year, most schools will release a calendar of things to come (think: dates for all of your breaks, parent-teacher conferences and other campus events). If you're feeling ambitious, you can mark out all of the dates from now until June. If that seems overwhelming, do a few months at a time—just be sure to keep track of that cal so you can add more dates throughout the year. 

Step 4: Things to look forward to

Don't forget to add fun dates, too! This includes birthdays, vacays and Eras Tour concerts (just manifest with us, OK?). Adding in these special dates—and decorating their spots on the calendar with cute doodles and stickers—will bring you joy every time you open your planner. As a fun challenge, try to find at least one day every month to look forward to. 

Step 5: Keep it up

Now that you've got all your big-picture dates and V.I.D.s (very important dates) written in, it's up to you to continue adding things to your calendar. Make it a Sunday ritual: Add your daily and weekly tasks, homework and tests and any other things that may come up (soccer games, doctor appointments, stuff like that). Hopefully, an aesthetic and organized layout will make your planning habit more of a hobby and less of a chore. Bc sorting out your life? That's self-care, bb!

We think you'll love these other GL posts:
📌 How to host the cutest spa day sleepover
📌 The ultimate back-to-school bucket list for every grade
📌 What you should read next, based on your favorite book

We want to see your aesthetic planner layouts. 
Tag us on Instagram @girlslifemag for a chance to be featured!

Slider and top image: @waavmakers

by Riley Yates | 9/1/2024