For the last few years, I have provided my super-amazing subscribers with a free printable planner each year. I love design and colour so I always create it with pretty patterns and colour palettes. However, sometimes this isn't very practical when printing at home!
This year, for the first time I am releasing a minimalist ink-saving printable planner pdf. When I say minimalist, it's just a fancy way of calling it black and white (with a touch of grey). If you're more of a colour organiser, you can check out my current colour printable planner.
I'll walk you through an overview below however if you just want to grab the free printable now, scroll to the base of this post where you'll find a big green button with the download link.
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Overview of the planning printables included
Provided in a pdf format, the document has 13 different pages. However, plenty of people sell more humble planners, duplicating the pages to allow for the entire year. If I were to do that, this would be a planner of at least 170 pages. When utilized to its full capacity throughout the year, you would have in excess of 500 pages. That's all dependent on the way you plan and organise.
But, who wants all of those duplicate pages in their download?! We all have our own way of organising and planning so I provide this template for you to print as you need. You might find that you don't really use the daily planner pages much but love the to-do list and shopping lists. Perhaps you set three goals per year or three per month? Use this planner in a way that helps you.
Included are the following ink-saving planner pages:
- Goal planning, yearly goals and habit tracker
- Newly revised 2023 calendar with Birthday list
- Daily planner, weekly schedule and monthly planner
- To-do list, grocery list and a section for notes
My article Crush Goals with a Free Yearly Planner and Goal Guide will walk you through further suggestions on how to use this template and make planning less overwhelming. Even if you already have a planner, the article is still a good read for tips on planning and organising for the coming year.
For many people, it is much easier to start planning with the larger things and work your way backwards through the planner, down to the daily lists.
Page 2: Goal Planning
Your free printable planner comes with a cute “Get it Done!” cover page (page 1). Once we turn the page you will see the Goal Planner sheet (page 2). On this sheet, you need to identify your goal and how you're going to achieve it. At the base of the page think of the Steps to Take list as micro-goals that will attribute to the success of your main goal. You can also list any additional notes on this page.
Page 3: Annual Goals Summary
Some people may prefer to complete this page as step one. I personally use this as more of an at-a-glance page. In order to summarise these goals I need to first work them out and how I'm going to achieve them. Hence the reason for making this the second step rather than the first above. Enter your overall goals into your Yearly Goals sheet (page 3).
Page 4: Birthday + Anniversary List
The Birthday List (page 4) helps to give you an overview of your yearly planner. I also include anniversaries on this page. Overall this page is not a necessity. However, I find it helps me to plan for the costs of birthday gifts and parties. Being able to glance at important dates throughout the year helps you to keep on top of things.
Page 5-6: Yearly Planner Calendar
Enter any additional important dates onto your Calendar (pages 5-6). This could include vacations, children's schedules, appointments etc. These are quite small so I often colour code, highlight and use stickers on these pages.
Page 7: Monthly Planner
Now that you have all of the information above, it will make it easier to organize your monthly, weekly, and daily tasks. As well as implementing the larger goals you have set for the year. For each month print out the Monthly Planner (page 7). Note the month at the top of the sheet. Now organize your tasks into days of each week. Some days you may not have any plans or tasks here.
Page 8: Weekly Schedule
For all of the tasks you set in the Monthly Planner, use the Weekly Schedule (page 8) to create micro tasks under each day of the week. You can check them off as you complete them. There is a space at the top of the sheet to write the dates that you are working on.
You can print 52 pages at this point if you like. I personally prefer to print a month at a time and fill them out for the month. Another reason to do this is that it can become increasingly difficult to pinpoint many of these tasks months in advance. Because well, life happens and things change. I know that can be hard for us planners to hear!
Page 9: Daily Planner
I complete the daily planner lists at the start of every week, for each day of the week. Your printable Daily Planner (page 9) has a space to enter the date at the top. You can list all of the things you need to do and check them off as you complete them. Take a moment to reflect on what you are grateful for and add it to the base. I love looking back on these moments of gratitude at a later date.
Page 10: To-Do List
I personally like to keep a long-running list of things to do within the To Do List (page 10). There is a space at the top of the page in case you want to enter a date range or month. However, I typically leave this blank. Go into more detail by identifying your task, adding a due date, and including a priority/status against each task. Once your to-do tasks are complete you can then check them off (oh the satisfaction one gets from ticking a task off!).
Page 11: Habit Tracker for your Goals
Habit-orientated goals are constant and never-ending. However, incorporating these habits into your life will contribute to the success of your overall goals. Many new habits can often take several months to become second nature. Print off the Habit Tracker (page 11) to keep track of habits you would like to implement such as meditating, running, reading, family time and so many other things.
Page 12: Grocery List Planning
Whilst a grocery list won't help you plan your year out, I've included it as it makes life so much easier! Print off as many of the Grocery List (page 12) as you need. Or just print a few when you're looking at your monthly planning. The list is divided into supermarket categories to make it easier to cross things off as you go through the shop. Creating an organised grocery list helps to reduce unnecessary spending and of course, saves you time.
Page 13: Note Paper for Ideas
At the end of your download, you will find Note Paper (page 13) for any additional thoughts, ideas, or planning that you would like to include. You can print as many as you need and write to your heart's content!
Jazz up your ink-saving planner
Sometimes printing black and white ink-saving planners and printables is a necessity. Other times it's just a great way to add your own personalisation and colours. Particularly if you can't find a patterned/coloured planner to suit your personal style.
Some ways to add some personality to an ink saving planner would be to include journalling and doodling pictures; or adding elements such as Washi tape or stickers; Oftentimes simply using highlighters and coloured pens is not only a great way to add colour but colour coding your planner will also make it easier to follow.
Remember that if you want to dive a little deeper into planning, have a read of this article that goes into more detail on where to start and how to implement tasks in your planner.
I always love hearing organizing and planner tips. I'd love to know how you personalise your planner. Comment below to let me know!
Free printable planner and goal guide below:
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