Monthly planner
The month's deadlines on a calendar. Hours stay on the weekly page.
Monthly planner
Sample layout
| Date | Item | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | Rent | Home |
| Sep 12 | Midterm | Class |
| Sep 28 | Draft due | Work |
Sample deadlines for one month. Hours belong on the weekly page.
What a monthly planner is for
A monthly planner is the list of dates you cannot move: bills, exams, trips, and deadlines. Searches for monthly planner, monthly planner template, and monthly planning format want that overview. It is a poor place for hourly blocks. Those belong on the weekly planner.
In Notion, use the same task database if you already have one, with a calendar view set to month and a filter that hides done items. A separate monthly database only helps when the rows are events, not tasks, such as the bill scheduler.
A format that stays readable
Show the day number and a short name. Do not write the plan for the day inside the cell. If a day has four deadlines, that fact should be visible as four rows, which is the signal to move work earlier. A goal tracker can link here when a goal has a date inside the month.
How to set it up
- List immovable dates first. Rent, exams, travel, filing deadlines. Add flexible work after those are on the calendar.
- Use a month calendar view. Filter status is not done.
- Review on Sunday. Move anything that no longer fits into the next week or the next month. Delete tasks you will not do.
Questions
- What is the difference between a monthly planner and a weekly planner?
- Monthly shows deadlines across the month. Weekly shows the hours and the tasks for seven days. Use both views of one database if the rows are the same kind of item.