Because keeping up with teaching classes, taking classes, and working on my thesis while also juggling my personal life and an online job seems like it might get overwhelming.

Never have I ever in my entire life used a planner and idk where to start when it arrives in the mail. So, HP planner users, please help! 

I thought I needed one, bought one, used it for a month, and then forgot about it. So I would be of no help, but I am bumping this for you so more people will see it and maybe you can get some good advice.

I used one 2019 when things where hectic.

I carried it everywhere with me and I bought a pen to stay with it (a multi pen with different colours) so Red was used for photography appointments (example I schedule a shoot for 15 May, I had a note in one week prior to ensure they were still ok to go ahead, another note 2 days prior to remind me to check weather forecast and 4 weeks is max I want them to have their images back so I put a note in 3 weeks after shoot to say I have one week left to get images to them).  Each client had 4 notes in my planner.

I used a different colour for personal items so if me or my horses had an appointment that went in purple. 

Every Monday I looked at the coming week so I knew where I had to be and what needed doing. 

I blocked out time to work on my website/admin on business so for instance you can work out how many hours you need to spend on thesis and try to block them out in your planner.  (When doing Uni work I found closing emails, facebook and any distractions helped me when working on my dissertation).

I also blocked out time for my ponies so that I had some downtime each week.

I had never used a planner before and I found it amazing.  My life was so busy and I had everything written down and organised so I could tell people no I couldn't do x instead of being a people pleaser and saying yes to everything.  

That's some great advice! I'll definitely look at color coding, that seems like an easy way to separate out things.

Have you used it for managing your household too? Like bills, grocery lists, home maintenance/car maintenance type stuff? I have two cars and a motorcycle and I'm wondering if tracking what I spend on them and when to do stuff like change oil might be kept up with better if it's in a planner -thinks-

I keep a very basic planner just to help with reminders, work schedule, and HP items. xD But many of my coworkers are hardcore planner-keepers and do the whole color code thing. Depending on your planner, they can come with grocery lists, budgeting trackers, etc.

Rob's vehicle belongs to the company he work for so they deal with that.  I only have a car and other than a reminder for September for it's MOT and a service I don't tend to put anything about it in (I don't do a lot of miles and a car is there to get me from A to B. I know NOTHING about it).

Our house is rented so the landlord takes care of anything that breaks.

Due to my health Rob took over all our grocery shopping etc so he has those lists but I could easily have kept them on there - the planner I got had a list for each week that could be torn out. 

I started to put what I spent on the ponies in it but I don't actually spend all that much on them now they have everything they need but you could put your vehicle expenses in. 

I'm lost without my planner, it'll help you a lot! I haven't been using one for awhile and it shows, haha. I use a bullet journal style planner so I'm not sure how much help I'll be for a traditional planner. But use it for everything!

I am OBSESSED! I have been out of school for going on 2-3 years now, and I still use a planner for daily life. I write down everything!! 
I have a weekly/monthly planner from B.ando that I am using this year. Last year I had the Erin Condrin Life Planner (expensive- wasn't worth it to me. But, I've heard it's got great layouts for teachers!). Next year I am probably going to go back to the jumbo Lilly Pulitzer planner though. 

Anyways! I use the monthly spread for all of my bills, paychecks, etc. Anything that involves tracking money... I put on the monthly layout because then I can glance at it quickly and use the note section on the side to layout my budget and savings plan. 

During the week, I literally jot down everything! Appointments, TV Series/times they come on, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, HP notes, lists for "chores" and things to do at home.. If I need to remember it, there it goes! 

FInally, I use all the notes sections in the back to write down log ins for things, grocery lists, travel planning, etc. 


EDIT * - When I was in school, I also used to color code for subjects , highlight tests/paper/quiz due dates, and write down homework. 

These are all great! Thanks so much! So far I've gotten all my bills on the monthly spread and when I should be keeping up with cleaning critter cages. I also have the academic calendar on there. But I have my lessons already done so I don't really need to track that and I'm pretty much only working on my thesis this semester. I don't have a timeline for that yet, but I do have a conference date written down!

Woohoo! Yay for organization!