Undated planners might seem counterintuitive to people who bill time in seven-minute increments, but a blank planner could make you more productive than a dated one. Not because you\u2019re a crazy hippie weirdo, but because you\u2019re already doing minute-by-minute scheduling in Outlook with 900 other lawyers and clients. Undated planners aren\u2019t about that. Undated planners are about talking to yourself.<\/p>\n I get that. It feels redundant, and it would be if you were just repeating the schedule you\u2019ve already created in Outlook.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t just accept a meeting with Carol from acquisitions to go over interdepartmental audits, and then show up with your hands in your pockets. You have to prepare. You have to sketch outflow charts. You have to write \u201cI AM NOT THE ENEMY, CAROL\u201d in the margins. It\u2019s thinking on paper. However, this thinking thing can get weird.<\/p>\n Not everyone thinks in a straight line, and not everyone sees time the same way. While your computer keeps your calendar tidy, you still have to develop ideas and list materials before your meetings and work in that temporal space, and maybe the way you do that is \u2026 unnatural.<\/p>\n An undated planner is like the Swiss Army knife of the planning world. Unlike traditional planners that bind you to a specific start date, an undated planner gives you the freedom to start planning whenever you darn well please. Whether you\u2019re embarking on a new job in March or deciding to get your life together in October, an undated planner is ready when you are. This flexibility means you can plan at your own pace, without the pressure of pre-printed dates staring you down. It\u2019s perfect for those who want to create a personalized planning system that fits their unique needs, allowing you to jot down your goals and to-do lists and progress without any constraints. So, if you\u2019re someone who likes to march to the beat of your own drum, an undated planner might just be your new best friend.<\/p>\n Using a new planner can help you organize thoughts and tasks more effectively and help you take back control of your schedule.<\/p>\n Undated planners come with a host of benefits that make them a favorite among planning aficionados. First and foremost, they offer unparalleled flexibility. You can start planning at any time of the year, which is a godsend for those of us who tend to procrastinate or have unpredictable schedules. No more wasted pages or feeling guilty about skipping a week (or three).<\/p>\n Another standout feature is customization. With an undated planner, you can tailor your planning experience to suit your needs. Want to focus on goal setting one week and self-care the next? Go for it. These planners often come with blank pages, allowing you to create your own layouts and designs. Add stickers, washi tape, or even doodles to make it truly yours.<\/p>\n Quality paper is another hallmark of a good undated planner. Look for planners with thick, high-quality paper that can handle your favorite pens and markers without bleeding through. This ensures that your notes, to-do lists, and plans stay neat and legible.<\/p>\n Lastly, undated planners are great for tracking your progress. Without the constraints of pre-printed dates, you can easily see how far you\u2019ve come and adjust your plans as needed. It\u2019s a dynamic way to stay organized and focused on your goals.<\/p>\n It\u2019s called calendar synesthesia. (If you are one of these people, Marvel comics would like a word because superheroes are a commodity.) When people with this phenomenon think of a year, they see the entire year in their mind\u2019s eye. It is not like a cloudy, amorphous concept of a calendar, but an actual detailed calendar floating in the middle of the room. An article from New Scientist<\/a> explains it perfectly:<\/p>\n Heidi, another calendar synaesthete, sees the year as a backwards C hovering before her, with January at one end of the horseshoe and December at the other. When she thinks of a date she feels herself travel along the calendar to the right spot. She has a separate, hoop-shaped calendar for days of the week. Both have been part of her life for as long as she can remember.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We are to time what Roseanne Barre is to the national anthem. I am one of these people, and let me tell you, it can be a problem in an industry that runs on concrete deadlines. I don\u2019t conceptualize time the way other people do. In my mind, the period between the beginning of a month-long task and the last day is the same, every day, until the last day. Then, I use the overwhelming power of pure panic to produce in six hours what I had eight weeks to accomplish. (I sure hope my editors don\u2019t see this.)<\/p>\n If you have a mind that Disney would animate as a meth-addled squirrel, your planner notes probably tend toward the creative end of the spectrum. Still, the squirrel needs wrangling. You might think to yourself, \u201cWell, yeah, a structured day planner is perfect for that.\u201d And you might be right. But in my experience, it is far more productive to work with the squirrel than against it.<\/p>\n For years, I tried to manage my time by using one of those expensive, pre-formatted seven-ring daytimers. I loved that thing. It was luxurious. It was bound in embossed leather, had easy-to-read light green print, was designed by angels, and even had a plastic shuttle with a pre-formatted card I moved forward, day by day.<\/p>\n This planner held the promise of order. It came with a book and classes and a philosophy, and it was amazing. Or it would have been if I\u2019d used the damn thing right.<\/p>\n Instead, I would linger on Tuesday\u2019s page all the way to the following Monday, and I still wouldn\u2019t have everything done. By Tuesday morning, the page would be covered in doodles, phone numbers, and notes to myself like \u201cSend Fred proofs\/don\u2019t yell.\u201d<\/p>\n Your planner isn\u2019t your work. It\u2019s your brain talking about your work. It turns out that some people organize better with ranged pages instead of dated pages, so spending $100 on a Franklin Covey system is a waste of money.<\/p>\n Creative professionals \u2014 not just people creating art, but professionals who work creatively<\/em> \u2014 love creating planning structures. I can nerd out on AirTable or Excel, building a content calendar with remarkable automation, interconnectivity and reach, and then \u2026 forget to use it.<\/p>\n I keep coming back to my cheap legal pads<\/a> and undated planners because nobody makes a daytimer called \u201cThe Bull Garlington Time Blindness-Based Mostly Doodling<\/a> Planner and Coloring Book\u2122.\u201d<\/p>\n Maybe detailed time management tools are your jam. Maybe you have a three-tiered system of apps and an executive daily planner as thick as a dictionary. Maybe you use highlighters and index cards and page points and a running footer. Maybe you\u2019re the most organized person who\u2019s ever very purposefully strode across this verdant sphere.<\/p>\n Allow me a moment to applaud.<\/p>\n Allow me another moment to suggest you might need to mentally detach from the bracken of your project priorities tree and let your brain spin its wheels for a minute.<\/p>\n Using an undated planner to fan your thoughts out on a page like you\u2019re playing bridge will free you to shuffle and reprioritize without breaking the rigid cage of your other systems. <\/strong><\/p>\n Monthly planners can also help you stay organized and effectively track your goals and tasks over time, offering both undated and dated options for customization and accessibility. It\u2019s a little freedom in your day \u2014 the blank space that makes the music better.<\/p>\n Selecting the perfect undated weekly planner can feel like finding a needle in a haystack, but fear not! Here are some tips to help you choose a planner that fits your unique needs:<\/p>\n By keeping these factors in mind, you can find an undated weekly planner that helps you stay organized, focused, and ready to tackle whatever comes your way. Happy planning!<\/p>\n![\"undated](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/undated-planners.jpeg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Table of contents<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
You May Wonder Why Any Lawyer Needs an Undated Planner<\/h2>\n
An undated planner isn\u2019t so much about ordering your schedule as ordering your thoughts.<\/h3>\n
What Is an Undated Planner?<\/h2>\n
Benefits and Features of Undated Planners<\/h2>\n
Understanding the basics and purpose of undated planners.<\/h3>\n
Some People Can \u201cSee\u201d Time<\/h2>\n
\n
And Some of Us Have \u201cTime Blindness\u201d<\/h2>\n
This Is Where Blank Planners Help<\/h2>\n
The squirrel will not be tamed.<\/h3>\n
Which is fine. Your planner is personal. It\u2019s not your work.<\/h3>\n
We All Work Differently<\/h2>\n
Choosing the Right Undated Weekly Planner<\/h2>\n
Tips for selecting a planner that suits your unique needs.<\/h3>\n
\n
Some of the Best Undated Planners<\/h2>\n
![\"undated](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/best-undated-planner-leu.png?resize=1080%2C1335&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/undated-planner-moleskin.gif?resize=250%2C307&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n![\"Stalology](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/stalology.png?resize=628%2C866&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n![\"NotePro\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/planner-pro.png?resize=772%2C924&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n![\"undated](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/perfect.png?resize=1080%2C1411&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AttorneyatWork-Logo-%C2%AE-2021-1.jpg?resize=372%2C106&ssl=1\" "\\"\\""){kind=logo}
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