How I set up my HELLO TIME Planner
This isn’t a complicated system, there’s no colour-coding mandate, no ‘perfect planner’ vibe here. We don’t tell you how to manage your time, we just give you the space to do it to support that ever-increasing mental clutter.
This is simply how I set up my HELLO TIME Planner each year, in a way that feels calm, considered, and supportive. And before I rush into a new year full of goals, plans and fresh-start energy, I always do one thing first:
I look back.
Not because I’m trying to be deep or meaningful but because I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t pause, I don’t really know what worked, what didn’t, or what I want to change.
So, I start right at the back of my planner, on the LAST YEAR REVIEW page.
The page I designed to slow you down, reset your brain, and help you plan with intention, not overwhelm.
If you are reading this blog, it’s most likely you are new to HELLO TIME. Firstly, welcome and thank you for choosing us to help you organise your time. You’ll probably want to keep the year review page in your planner for reviewing the year you are going in to. So, I would suggest jotting the questions down in step 1, in a notebook and starting there.
HERE’S THE 6 STEPS I TAKE WHEN A NEW PLANNER ARRIVES ON MY DESK:
1. Start with reflection (the calm before the planning)
At the back of the HELLO TIME Planner, you’ll find the reflection page.
This is where I gently look back over the past year and notice patterns, wins, and lessons, the things that are easy to miss when you’re busy living your life.
It’s not about being overly sentimental, it’s about awareness and the best bit?
There are just four simple prompts.
I ask myself questions like:
- What worked?
- What didn’t?
- What drained me?
- What lit me up?
- What do I want more of?
You don’t need to write a novel, (although you can if you want!) just enough to zoom out and go,
“Ah… that’s what was going on.”
2. Capture your ‘next year’ ideas (so nothing gets forgotten)
The page opposite the reflection page is one of my favourites, because it gives your ideas a home.
This is where I jot down anything I might want to explore next year. Maybe it’s a product idea that popped up mid-year, a creative spark or a ‘not now, but maybe later’ thought.
Just because you don’t have time to act on something yet doesn’t mean it isn’t worth keeping. So I write it down.
Then, when it’s time to plan the year ahead, I come back to this page and decide what still feels relevant.
Some ideas will still sparkle.
Some won’t.
That’s normal.
But nothing is forgotten.
3. Date your planner in one go (future you will thank you)
Whether you handwrite your dates or use our date dots and month label stickers, I always date my planner in one session.
Because once it’s done — it’s done.
No mental load hanging over you.
No annoying admin later.
And forward planning suddenly feels much easier.
A little note from me to you:
Make it a moment. Put some music on. Light a candle. Get a cuppa or a glass of wine and have an hour of Me Time.
TOP TIP
Because our planners are undated, each month includes five weeks. Some months only need four, so if you’re wondering what to do with the extra spread, you’re not alone. There’s a simple hack so everything flows naturally - check the tip in this video.
4. Add the important stuff first (before the big goals)
This is how I stop forgetting the important stuff.
Once my planner is dated, I can start to add in the important stuff.
Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, work things, that 6-month dentist appointment, things I already know about.
Doing this first creates a gentle structure for the year ahead before you start adding in deadlines, planning the new year and getting overwhelmed.
TOP TIP
Not spotted the ‘Next Year’s Dates’ page yet? It’s a gamechanger.
At the back of your planner is a space for future dates. Perfect for weddings, appointments, invites for the following year. When your new planner arrives, you bring them with you. This is the time to add those dates, so they don’t get forgotten when you file your old planner away.
5. The Master To-Do List (getting it out of your head)
My brain stops spinning, not by doing more. By getting it out of my head.
When everything lives in your mind, it all feels urgent.
Important things. Unimportant things.
Big life stuff. Small admin stuff.
All shouting at once.
So, this is where I start:
One long, messy, unfiltered to-do list. No organising.
No prioritising.
No judging.
Just dumping everything that’s been floating around.
Because the moment it’s written down, my shoulders drop.
I breathe easier knowing my brain knows doesn’t have to hold it all anymore.
TOP TIP
If a task isn’t urgent or actionable this week, it still deserves a home.
Write it down anyway.
You don’t have to solve it today for it to stop taking up space.
6. Goal Setting (Without pressure or perfection)
For years, I didn’t set goals at all. I honestly thought there was no point.
My plan was: earn money doing what I love. Done.
But about seven years ago, someone persuaded me to look at it differently. They asked me to get more specific.
It turns out that clarity matters. When you know what you’re aiming for, you’re far more likely to get there.
Every January, I set goals using My Goals Template in my planner, but in a way that feels supportive, not suffocating.
Here are my 3 easy and quick tips
ONE: I give the year a theme
Whatever feels right in my gut, that theme becomes my compass for the year. Those small decisions, made again and again, quietly add up, and before I know it, things start to shift.
TWO: I spread my goals across my whole life
I used to only set work goals, which meant work grew… and I didn’t.
Now I divide my goals into five areas:
- Wellbeing
- Financial
- Personal
- Work
- Home / Family
THREE: This is the important bit
Once I’ve worked on them in my planner, I print my goals out and stick them on my wall, right by where I work. They’re there every time I sit down, not judging me, just to remind me.
Because they’re visual, I’m always subtly working towards them, even when I’m not consciously trying to, it’s like magic!
Some years I smash my goals. Some years I change direction halfway through. Some years life throws a curveball and nothing goes to plan. And all of that is okay.
When a new year comes around, I check in.
Do these still matter?
Do I want to carry them over… or let them go?
This reflection makes setting new goals for the year ahead so much easier and once you’ve built the habit, it stops being a big, heavy thing.
And that’s it!
This isn’t about being perfect or becoming a ‘new you or filling every page beautifully with your best handwriting.
It’s about creating calm; some space for your life to live.
Your planner is a place to reflect.
To plan.
To capture ideas.
And to stop your brain going 24/7.
Now over to you – have the best year and message me if you have any questions.
