7 - Get crafty and creative!

One of my favorite things that the Passion Planner does for me is it provides an outlet for my creative, scrapbooking obsession. My plan is to have each year's planner be a journal of how I spent my time and things that were important to me. Maybe someday my kids will enjoy looking at what my world was like when they were little.

What do I use?

• Washi Tape - Thin rolls of tape, that you can find pretty much anywhere, that allow you to easily create straight lines and decorate areas that you want to bring attention to or just make pretty.

• Stickers - the possibilities are endless. I started with a pack that had birthday and holiday stickers and branched out from there.

• Colored pens and Highlighters - I've recently gotten comfortable with doodling instead of using stickers. Cheaper too!

What to do with the pages in the back?

• Notes 
• Doodling space
• Grocery list; go-to meal list
• Scrapbook of movie tickets, concerts, etc.
• Memory pages of what your kids are into at the moment
• Glue in adult coloring pages for times when you need a stress release

You can find a ton of great ideas at the Passion Planner site!

6 - Routine for Weekly Planning

You've successfully setup your planner, completed your Passion Roadmap, and made your first Passion Plan! Now what?

Now is when you really get into a routine and start really getting organized. Choose a day (I like either Saturday or Sunday) that you set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour preparing for the week ahead.

• Input all of your mandatory appointments in your calendar including classes, work, doctor's appointments, kids' activities, etc. If you're like me, you'll probably already have some of these put in ahead of time. Honestly, as soon as I know a date and time for something, it goes right into my weekly spread. You could also use your monthly spread to put future dates and then use that to transfer into your weekly spread on your planning days.

• I like to block out the time and color code things. I use an old shopper's card to draw straight lines to block out time-frames. Here are some examples of how you can color code, but the sky is the limit or you can just use pencil - whatever makes you happy!
• Weekends - Highlight in pink
• Work hours - Highlight in yellow
• My time - Purple
• Son's activities - Red
• Daughter's activities - Pink
• Family activities - Green

• Then, you can finish by planning other things, like Personal/Work To-Dos for the week, Daily Focus, or even block out dinner time and what you're planning for dinner that night.