How Stickers & Accessories Can LEVEL UP Your Planning Routine

When it comes to planning, organizing & just overall getting your ‘ISH’ together … There are tons of different ways to go about it.

Some people prefer to use digital tools, while others, like myself, really enjoy the tactile experience of a physical planner. Just something about opening up a FRESH planner, turning the pages, being able to flip through and see the journey as it’s unfolding, as well as look back at the progress, is just SO satisfying to me!! And for those of us who love that physical aspect of pen to paper, I know now through experience that one thing is for certain: using stickers and other accessories in your planner can totally LEVEL UP your entire planning routine.

I know it might sound trivial or childish to some, but hear me out!! These are some of the benefits that I’ve found with incorporating stickers, highlighters & other accessories rather than just a basic old black pen or pencil:

Visual Appeal

Honestly … I’m such a creative individual, that if something isn’t aesthetically pleasing, it really doesn’t interest me. Seriously!! So obviously, one of the clear benefits of using stickers and accessories in your planner is the visual appeal. By adding stickers, pretty colored (& GOOD quality) pens & highlighters, washi tape, or other embellishments, you can make your planner more colorful, interesting, and exciting to look at. This can help to motivate you to use your planner regularly and to stay on top of your tasks and goals.

I’ve also spoken with so many people who perhaps aren’t as ‘naturally’ creative (or so they think), so while they may not be able to draw or doodle as well as others, they have found that having the option of some cute stickers to jazz up their planner has really inspired them to dig deeper into their creativity!! 

Organization

Stickers and accessories can also help you to organize your planner more effectively. For example, the types of stickers that I have found the most ‘functional’ are my weekly, monthly & daily sticker kits. The stickers fit PERFECTLY into each box it’s designed for out of my Daily Grind Planner, which I personally find so helpful & just makes my planner heart happy to see that everything has a place (The ones who get it, get it. Lol), but I can also use some fun, decorative stickers to make it my own!! You could use a variety of stickers & highlighters to categorize your tasks by type (e.g. work, personal, social), priority (e.g. high, medium, low), or due date… whatever works for you. You could also use accessories like tab dividers or bookmarks to separate different sections of your planner, such as your monthly & weekly spreads, keep track of your daily pages by noting which day you’re on, as well as your notes section.

Stickers and colorful pens / highlighters can all definitely play a similar role, it really just depends on what fits your preference and planning style best!

Memory Keeping

Using stickers and accessories in your planner can also help you to document your special life moments, goals and create a memory keeping tool. Using stickers and accessories in your planner is a simple and fun way to incorporate logging these special moments into your daily routine and adds a bit of sentiment to your process!

By using stickers, you can add a touch of creativity and personality to your planner pages, while also documenting important events and milestones. For example, you can use stickers to mark special occasions like loved ones birthdays, holidays, vacations or any other special events! You can also use stickers, highlighters & whatnot to track your progress towards goals, whether that's fitness goals, financial goals, or personal growth goals.

In addition to stickers, you can also use other embellishments like washi tape, even further personalize your planner pages. Washi tape is honestly starting to take the planner world by storm!! For instance you can use it to create borders or frames around those larger blank pages to make it feel festive or use it to further highlight important events & add some color to your pages. 

Photos are also a great way to incorporate memory keeping into your planner & adds a bit of a scrapbooking element which is kind of fun & different! You can print out your favorite photos and use adhesive to attach them to your planner pages. This way, you can look back on those memories whenever you flip through your planner.

Customization

Another benefit of using stickers and accessories in your planner is that it allows you to customize your planner to fit your personal style and preferences. You can choose stickers and accessories that reflect your favorite colors, themes, or hobbies, or that are designed specifically for your planner brand or size. I love having a variety of functional, decorative as well as seasonal & holiday themed stickers to really get my creative juices flowing and get me excited for each season & fun events to come!! This can make using your planner SO more enjoyable and help you to feel more connected to your planner, the planning process…. plus it really helps you feel like a kid again which can honestly be so therapeutic!! Keeping it fun like this reminds me of how much I loved sticker books & coloring books as a kid ... except NOW they’re helping me achieve my DREAMS!

Inspiration

Finally, using stickers and accessories in your planner can provide a ton of inspiration and motivation. You can use motivational stickers with mantras or quotes to help you keep the positive vibes going and stay focused on your goals, or use themed stickers to get into the spirit of a particular holiday or season, like I mentioned before! Any other Halloween fanatics here?!

You could even use your next set of stickers or a bundle of different accessories as a reward for yourself for the next time you crush a challenge or goal you’ve been working towards. Also, I don’t know about you, but I find it so cathartic to set my space up with a yummy smelling candle, my coffee, my stickers, highlighters & pens and make it somewhat of an event to set up my planner for the day & decorate it to match my energy. It really helps me to look forward to the process!

Overall, using stickers and accessories in your planner can be a fun and useful way to level up your planning routine. Whether you're looking to add some visual appeal, get more organized, document your memories, customize your planner, or find inspiration, stickers and accessories can help you achieve your goals and truly enjoy the planning process.