Functional Weekly Planning: Simple Tweaks for a Flexible System

Planning is a personal journey, and it's all about finding what works best for you.

Inspired by tweaks and ideas from the planner community, I recently updated my weekly planning system, and I have a feeling these changes will make a big difference.

Here are my top tips and insights for a more functional, flexible weekly setup.

p.s. you can watch the video that inspired this article on YouTube.

At the moment I’m loving my month-on-one page on the lefthand side, then my inbox for brain dumping the in and out going to-dos on the righthand side.

1. Start with a Monthly Overview

• Each month begins with an "inbox" where I jot down incoming tasks, reminders, and notes. This serves as a brain dump that can be referenced when planning weekly spreads.

• I recently switched back to a one-page layout for my monthly at a glance insert. I prefer a month-on-one page as it’s easy to pop-out and place to one side for reference while weekly planning.

• What I love about this month-on-one page insert are the two formats for use: the calendar grid on the top half where I use mini icon stickers for a visual breakdown, and a Bullet Journal style running list underneath for getting a bit more granular.

This month-on-one page gives me a birds eye of my commitments for the month.

2. Incorporate Flexibility with Page Flags

• Inspired by another planner enthusiast, Sam Plans, I now use sticky page flags for workouts and other intentions. This allows for easy adjustments when life doesn’t go as planned—whether it’s low energy or a change in priorities. These flags also double as a trigger list for goals I aim to achieve each week, I stick them on my “this week” page marker and reuse each week when I sit down to plan.

My weekly spread, featuring sticky page flags for things that don’t need to be set in stone and can move if my energy levels aren’t great. You can also see the grid sticky note that I used to list out the things I’d like to do on my day off.

3. Use Sticky Notes for Stress-Free Planning

• Sticky notes are perfect for jotting down tasks without assigning rigid time slots. For example, on an up-coming day off, I chose to list things I’d like to achieve on a sticky note that I stuck over my time block for that day. This allows me to focus on what matters most rather than sticking to a strict itinerary.

4. Visually Track Progress and Trends

• Instead of pre-scheduling workouts or video recordings on my monthly insert, I log activities after completing them. This gives me a snapshot of my habits over the month, and by using color-coded highlights or small stickers I can quickly see where I’m doing more or less of a particular activity.

5. Experiment with Fold-Out Layouts

• I’d like to test a fold-out monthly insert for February - yet to be fully designed beyond my sketched-out prototype. This is combining a month-on-one-page, a place to set a goal or intention, and an end of month review into one handy insert. The aim of this setup is to keep my aspirations front and centre while planning weekly tasks. Watch the video below to see what I mean.

6. Embrace Imperfection

• Planning isn’t a competition. It’s okay to combine systems, adapt methods, or make changes as you go. As one commenter on this video reminded me, "We can’t cheat our systems."

Supplies That's Make It Work

Page flags and sticky notes

These transparent sticky tabs are almost the same as the ones I found (pictured above, on Amazon) which are sadly now unavailable 🥹 (affiliate link *)

Brown paper grid sticky notes - also found on Amazon (pictured above, affiliate link *)

Mini icon stickers for visual clarity

Functional mini icon and shape stickers from Papertarie on Etsy (not pictured above but seen on my monthly)

Aesthetic highlighter (though I’ve had some trouble with durability)

Aesthetic Highlighters - another Amazon find (pictured above, affiliate link *)

Monthly, Weekly and Inbox Inserts

Inserts are my own creation some are currently available and linked, the rest are coming soon. Join the wait list to find out when they're available from my side-hustle business Keshinomi.

And that’s it Planner Friend, my current weekly planning method.

Cheering you on as always
Chloe x

p.p.s. * I’ll earn a small commission if you buy something from my affiliate links.