A Working Writers Daily Planner: Fill & Download for Free

Surprisingly there are planners for artist types.Who knew?Some of these planning systems are created by people who are artists themselves. I cannot say they qualify as "the best" because I haven't used them so I have no experience, and it is such a rarefied type of daily planners ( "Hey, planners just for artists!") that the choices are slim. But that there actually is such a creature as a calendar planner system created to work with artists and creative types is pretty amazing.1. The Muse PlannerCreated by writer, musician, and artist Dosia McKay: The Muse Planner for Artists and CreativesHer website has a good video which walks through her system, with the thought processes behind the design.2. Creative Flourishings PlannersThey offer two types, the Project Planner and Action Planner. The difference is one is designed around time and deadlines and one is designed around managing projects, and is not so focused on the deadline: http://www.productiveflourishing.com/premium-planners/#buynow3. The Arc System ( offered through Staples)Not specific to artists, but one artist has some insight into how they customized this system to manage their art projects and production: My Obsession Finding the Perfect Daily Planner4. The Passion PlannerThis got it's start as a Kickstarter campaign and has received a good amount of press and buzz: Passion Planner, Pay it Forward! It's creator, Angelia Trinidad, had experienced her own problems with fear and analysis paralysis and so this calendar tool is the result of her search for help with that. She did a TEDtalk on the process, and at the 2 minute mark you see the overall planner design, but the focus of her planner is an exercise to help you uncover your dreams, goals, and focus on what you really want to make as your goals:An idea worth mentioning that relates to daily planning and scheduling is put forth beautifully by business guru Jim Collins. He speaks about the "Not To Do" list. The idea being that we may have to eliminate some activities as part of daily and weekly planning. There are only so many hours in the day, so some activities we speed time doing might need to be tossed aside in a triage type approach to daily planning to make more room for productive and creative work: Best New Year's Resolution?

Think about WHY you want to do the things you're doing. Chances are if you're undertaking certain activities solely to boost your resumé/make you seem more impressive, you'll quickly lose enthusiasm. I'd recommend coming up with at least 3 valid reasons.Get a daily planner. Meticulously divide your day into half-hour segments. Don't devote several hours to a particular activity at one stretch. Instead, try using the POMODORO technique: Productivity 101: A Primer to The Pomodoro TechniqueAsk for help. Ask someone to help keep you on track. Nagging parent, henpecking friend; could be absolutely anyone you continuously reminds you to finish what you started, be it working out or learning how to code.Join specialised groups for the activity you have in mind. Working with a large number of individuals and seeing them make progress often inspired me to action. Ever since I can remember, I've been meaning to write. However, beyond 50 words, my brain inexplicably seemed to clog. After joining an online community of writers, I was suddenly spurred to creativity.Accept that you aren't going to enjoy doing everything you plan. And that's perfectly okay. I'd recommend reading this article by Jamie Varon- To Anyone Who Thinks They're Falling Behind In Life.Hope this was helpful.

Since Samuel Pepys’ famous journal was called a ‘diary’ back in 17th century England, it’s not surprising that, in Britain and every other English-speaking nation, people still use the word to describe the daily notes we make about our own lives.Some people grandly call their diaries a journal, but most of us tend to associate journals with accountants, book-keepers, statesmen, sea-captains, and intrepid explorers. For common folk like me, a plain old diary works just fine.The daily ‘planners’ used in business and professional offices would also be referred to as ‘calendars’ by many people in Canada and Britain.There are many firms that specialize in the printing and binding of diaries, but one of the oldest is Letts of London. For more than 200 years, the famous stationer has been printing diaries, calendars, planners, registers, ledgers and logbooks for the mighty and the lowly alike.John Letts, the company’s founder began printing a sort of diary for keeping track of bills as early as 1816. By the time his son, Thomas Letts took over the business, the firm was printing diaries in all shapes and sizes. The novelist William Makepeace Thackeray preferred the ‘Letts No.12’ but almost everyone carried a small pocket diary.Since they always included such things as gazetteers, almanacs and tables of weights and measures, they were a handy reference as well as a calendar of upcoming appointments and special events.Letts’ customers included many other 19th-century celebrities and writers. Like many other English children, even my own Christmas stocking usually contained a Letts diary for the coming year. When I grew up, I continued to buy my own Letts pocket diaries for years. I’ve never found a better alternative.Sadly, the explosion in personal computing has rendered them as obsolete as slide rules.