Set Up Your 2019 Planner

Have you set up your 2019 planner yet? Don’t worry if you haven’t, there’s plenty of time and I’ve got a bunch of planner printables to share with you that will help make setting it up a breeze.

Use the printables in this post to set up your 2019 planner.

We had a very strange start to the new year this year. Due to my husband’s work schedule, we didn’t celebrate our family Christmas until January. It was rather bizarre to be starting the new year while still being in Christmas mode. But that didn’t stop me from creating planner pages to match our 2019 calendars, which I’m calling the Tropical Paradise collection.

I do hope you will enjoy using them this year.

All You Need for Your 2019 Planner

Whenever I’m setting up a new planner I always include a few key pages or sections. First up is a dated monthly calendar. Having a monthly calendar helps plan ahead and keep appointments and special events all in one place so nothing gets forgotten.

If you haven’t checked out our 2019 calendars yet, you can follow the links below to check them out.

• 2 Page Per Month Dated 2019 Calendars
• Single Page Per Month 2019 Calendars
• 2019 Year on a Page Calendars

Next, I always find it helpful to have some form of yearly overview or yearly planner. Even if it’s just a section for noting our family’s special dates, having a yearly reference of some sort helps me plan ahead for various things.

You can find the yearly planner pages that match the 2019 calendars by follow the link below.

• Yearly Planner Printables

Then we get to the hard-working sections of the planner. These are the pages that get referenced and used on a regular basis.

For me, they include a monthly planning page for each month, a weekly planner, and I usually include a few daily pages as well just in case I have some crazy busy days that need a more detailed plan than I can fit on my weekly pages.

Below you’ll find the printables I made to go into each of these sections.

Monthly Planner Pages

These monthly planner pages have become a staple in almost all of my planners and they were one of the most requested pages for the 2019 planner collection.

On each monthly planner page you will find space dedicated to

• setting your top three priorities for each month
• choosing a monthly focus
• noting special dates
• creating a monthly to do list
• planning your goals for the month
• notes section for customizing as you need

• Full Size Monthly Planner
• Half-Size Monthly Planner

Weekly Planner Pages

Weekly planner pages are what I consider the guts of my planner. They’re the pages that get the most use and help me structure my time so that I can stay on track.

There are so many different layouts to choose from, but for this post, I opted for the two most popular ones, a two page per week planner and a single page per week.

If there is a layout you’d like to see that I don’t offer, drop me a line in the comments down below and I’ll see about adding them to the collection.

Two Pages Per Week

The two page per week planners are the most popular ones here on the blog. It’s not hard to see why. They offer plenty of planning room for busy schedules without the need for a daily planner.

This year’s two page planner feature :

• space for picking your top three priorities for the week
• notes column
• checklist section on each day that are great for to-do lists or shopping lists
• lined section on each day for scheduling
• a weekly overview section that could be used for meal planning, noting special reminders for each day, tracking fitness, or whatever else you might want to use it for.
• a habit tracker
• Your choice of Monday or Sunday Start days

Monday Start

• Full-Size Two Pages Per Week Monday Start
• Half-Size Two Pages Per Week Monday Start

Sunday Start

• Full-Size Two Pages Per Week Sunday Start
• Half-Size Two Pages Per Week Sunday Start

Week Per Page

One week per page planner are so versatile.

They’re great for those not so busy weeks.

They work well as a weekly overview and pair nicely with daily planners.

The ones I’m sharing below have been our most popular week on a page printables in years past, so I knew they needed to be included in this collection.

They’re very simple with three habit trackers the top of the page followed by seven horizontal boxes for each day of the week. This minimal layout allows you to use stickers or stamps to customize them to fit your needs, or just use them as is.

As with the two page ones above, you have your choice of a Monday or Sunday start day.

Monday Start

• Full-Size Single Page Per Week Monday Start
• Half-Size Single Page Per Week Monday Start

Sunday Start

• Full-Size Single Page Per Week Sunday Start
• Half-Size Single Page Per Week Sunday Start

Daily Planner Pages

Whether you have a schedule that doesn’t fit a weekly planner, prefer a daily planner over a weekly, or do like I do and just keep a few in your planner just in case, daily planner pages can be a very useful addition to consider when you set up your 2019 planner.

Below you’ll find two different options to choose from for your daily planning needs.

Day Per Page

These day per page planners are great for so many different things. They’re packed with structure to help you plan your day so you tackle the things that really matter to you. They can help you time block your day so you stay on track, and so much more.

The features on these planner pages include:

• a space for the date
• reminders
• top three priorities
• task list
• water tracker
• meal planner
• notes
• schedule
• reminders for another day

• Full-Size Day Per Page
• Half-Size Day Per Page

Two Days Per Page

These next daily planner pages are a simplified version of the ones above.

Like the ones above they have a space for the date, things not to forget, and setting your top three priorities for the day. They also have a checklist section and a schedule section that have boxes for you to write in the times as you need them.

• Full-Size Two Days Per Page
• Half-Size Two Days Per Page

Tips for Setting Up Your Planner

Creating your own planner offers a versatility that many pre-made planners can’t. You can add anything you want or need to your planner. The sky, or the space afforded by your rings, strings, or discs, is the limit.

On the other hand it can sometimes feel overwhelming having so many options. To help combat planner option overwhelm, follow the tips below.

Start With the Basics

A dated monthly calendar and weekly or daily pages are all you need to get started. There is a reason most pre-made planners have limited options – simple is sometimes best. Most of pages in this post could be considered basic pages.

Print Only a Few Months at a Time

Putting together your own planner means you’re not locked in to one set up for the whole year. Unless you need a whole year’s worth of weekly or daily pages at one time, try only printing a month or two ahead of time.

Use your monthly calendars for planning ahead and your weekly or dailies for the more detailed plans that keep things running smoothly for you.

In addition to not filling your planner right away, printing only a few months at a time makes it easier to customize and change things as the year goes on, without feeling like you wasted a ton of paper and ink.

Make Use of Note Paper

If you’re not sure what you need or want to include in your planner, use note paper to create pages or sections to test drive.

If you find you’re always making the same kind of notes, for example, a meal plan, then you know that adding in a section or printable just for that will benefit you.

Embrace the Fun in Functional

A planner should be, first and foremost, a tool to help you make a plan for how you’re using your time. That doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with it.

Whether you get really crafty with dividers, use stickers to add some decoration, or add in sections for things that you love (book lists, movie lists, tv show trackers) have some fun with your planner. You’ll be using it every day, so make it something that speaks to you and your personality.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the printables in the Tropical Paradise collection. Are there enough to choose from? What other pages would you like to see? Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know.

Until Next Time,

Happy Planning!