5 Ways to Use Sticky Notes for Intentional Planning

We love a good sticky note in this community!

Sticky notes are truly the backbone of planning. Typically, they are smaller in size so they don’t take up much space in your planner and can be used in smaller planner sizes (like the CP Petite or the HP mini). They’re also versatile. You can use them as needed and move them throughout your planner. Did you get a new meeting invite after your weekly planning session? No worries! Grab a sticky note, write down the meeting information, and stick it in your planner. They’re also versatile in another sense: there are sticky notes with lines, dot grid, calendar layouts, checklists, and more. Even better, sticky notes tend to be some of the least expensive planner accessories out there.

(Can you tell how much I love sticky notes? Ha!)

I’m a huge advocate for using sticky notes in your planner routine (whether you’re a paper or digital planner lover). Sticky notes are a great way to ensure that your plans are written down while also recognizing that life changes and things happen, no matter how well we plan in advance.

Here are five ways to use sticky notes for intentional planning:

Affirmations

Sticky notes are a great (and inexpensive) way to incorporate affirmations and other forms of written self-care into your planner.

Life gets hard. I love “planning” for my future self by writing down an affirmation that speaks to me now and could speak to me in the future (when I really need it).

Don’t stop at affirmations, either! You can write inspiring quotes, religious text, and more on sticky notes. The key here is to write down a phrase, sentence, or quote that touches on one of the 3 E’s: empowerment, encouragement, or evoking emotions.

Remember your word or phrase of the year? You can also use a sticky note to write your word or phrase of the year and move it to your current planner spread as a reminder and/or motivation.

Lists

Imagine this: you sat down on Saturday or Sunday afternoon and wrote down your plans on your favorite weekly planner spread. You used your favorite highlighter (Team Beige by Mildliner) and your favorite planner stickers.

All of a sudden, it’s Tuesday and you realize that you need more space to write a to-do list.

Plans can change in the blink of an eye. Sometimes you need a little more space to write down whatever pops up in the middle of the week, whether it’s a meeting, a doctor’s appointment, or a last-minute grocery store trip.

Sticky notes are great because you can accommodate the last-minute plans while also adding additional real estate to your planner. If you’re a paper planner, when you’re done with your sticky note you can simply recycle it!

Plan Your Day

Of course, you can also use a sticky note to plan your day, no matter the layout!

This hourly layout is great for time-blocking your day. If you’re studying all day, you may not need a daily layout with endless lines for a long to-do list. Instead, you may need an hourly breakdown to schedule what subjects or topics you’ll study during the different study blocks.

This layout is also a great option if you’re a “list” planner like me. I love my weekly vertical layout from Cloth & Paper because it’s nothing but lines (and y’all know I love lines).

But sometimes, it’s hard to visualize the day. Using sticky notes like this one (or re-creating it yourself on a blank sticky note) can help you SEE your day in a different format.

This layout and planning style is also great for work planning! If you have tons of work meetings, this layout is a great way to visualize those meetings without having to take up other planner space that could be used for a to-do list or meeting notes.

Habit Tracker

If you look at this sticky note, the first thing you may think of is using this layout as a calendar. I can’t blame you, I do too! It’s a sticky note so you can move the monthly layout throughout your planner.

However, this is also a great way to track your self-care habits. Sometimes, we can’t achieve our goals because we aren’t intentional about tracking them. Without a habit tracker, you may think you’re skipping your reading goal once or twice a week. A habit tracker can help you visualize that those days you skip add up!

If you’re tracking a few habits, use a sticky note to highlight your most important goal at the moment. Let’s say you completed a self-care audit and realized that you want to focus on three goals: taking daily vitamins, reading 30 minutes every day, and texting a family member/friend each day. Out of the three self-care goals, taking your daily vitamins is the most important to you. Of course, you can use a habit tracker to track all of your self-care habits, but you can use the sticky note to track your vitamins so that you stay motivated!

Reminders/Messages

Like we said earlier, life happens and plans change.

It’s impossible to remember everything you need to know or plan for in a given month or even a week.

That’s why sticky notes are a great way to remind yourself of any important tasks, meetings, or appointments. I like this sticky note because it allows you to choose the importance of your note. (Yes, my nail designs are important! Don’t judge me!)

Although I use this sticky note as a reminder, it’s a great way to write a quick message for yourself too. For example, I am on a planning committee for an upcoming gala. When I take quick phone calls, I’ll grab this sticky note to take notes during the call or to write a message for my future self.

In other words, a blank sticky note can be your greatest planning tool because there are so many ways to use the sticky note in your planning!

Happy Planning!

That’s it! Those are five different ways you can use sticky notes for intentional planning. Let me know below which option resonates with you!