Key Tools for Intuitive Planning
By MK Emerson
To tie along with the blogs How to Plan With Intuition and Signs It’s Time for Intuitive Planning, I wanted to offer you more help with getting started.
If you’re new to intuitive planning, or if you are letting go of strict planning methods and being an A-type like I was, there are just a few tools and mindset shifts you’ll need.
And here they are…
Your Usual Calendar or Planner
It might feel strange to hear that you can keep using your current planner or calendar. The trick is to view it as a guide rather than your daily to-do list. By storing upcoming events, obligations, and reminders in this single place, you can ease your worries about forgetting something important.This step removes the need to create detailed plans for every day of your week, which is often the source of tension and stress. You will be surprised how freeing it feels to open your planner and see only the big picture instead of a mile-long list. You still get to hold on to the comfort of having everything noted in one spot, but without the pressure that comes from seeing it all at once.
You see, your favorite planner is storage, like a Google Drive. It holds all of the important pieces of data but you access it only to get what you need here and now.
A Daily Notepad or Journal
The next tool is the one you turn to for managing each individual day. This can be a single sheet, a sticky note, a small journal, or anything else you prefer. Think of it like a grocery list. The main difference is that this new space becomes your actual to-do list, separate from the clutter of the entire week or month we have in our “storage” planner.Instead of pulling out your storage planner and viewing a week of responsibilities in one go, you use this smaller page to decide what tasks truly matter for the day. By focusing only on today’s goals, you allow yourself more room to breathe and avoid the panic that sets in when you see everything lined up for days to come. This tool supports a day-by-day approach, helping you stay tuned in to your current energy levels and capacity.
What you’ll do is, in the morning, open up your storage planner and turn to today’s tasks. Transfer them to your journal or sheet in the order you feel most energized to do them.
Just the important, must-do’s, though. Why? I explain that with Tool #3.
Leaving White Space
This is more of an energetic rule than a tool. You’ll commit to leaving gaps in your daily plan. This means you do not fill every available slot with chores, self-care, or leisure tasks. Instead, you give yourself time to rest, reflect, or welcome a surprise invitation.Don’t schedule chores or self-care rituals in advance, except in moments when you must absolutely prepare ahead, like getting ready for an important event where you may need your hair washed, nails done, or a big dinner cooked for company coming over. For your everyday downtime, allow it to stay open-ended. That way, you can spontaneously decide to read a few pages of a book or enjoy a calming bath if the mood strikes.
The same goes for leisure time. That can wait until you see how your day flows. You don’t need to plan that you want to build your garden beds or binge watch a show. You have no idea if you’re going to be completely tired from work or if you suddenly get a burst of energy. By leaving yourself little pockets of time, you gain a renewed sense of freedom, and you keep your sense of adventure alive.
Commitment to a Blank Start
The last tool is also energetic. It is the willingness to look at your daily planner or notepad every morning and see a clean slate. You resist the urge to fill it in ahead of time, which can trigger old habits of fearing something might slip through the cracks.A blank start, although unfamiliar at first, gives you a chance to check in with your mind and body to see what feels possible for the day. You might worry about missing important tasks if you do not plan in advance, but remember that you still have your storage planner for anything on the horizon. This fresh space is reserved only for what your intuition nudges you to do today. It is the entire point of intuitive planning. By trusting this, you can avoid the burnout that comes from overbooking yourself based on future guesses about your energy.
Intuitive planning does not ask you to forget your old methods. It encourages you to use them in a more mindful way. Whether you prefer a digital calendar or a paper planner (like me), treat it as a resource instead of a taskmaster. Turn to it when you need to double-check a meeting date or confirm an upcoming trip. But…
Keep a separate daily list so you can focus only on what needs attention at the moment.
Approach each day with a blank slate, trusting your inner voice to guide your choices. Leave those pockets of free time open for anything that might lift your spirit.
And at the end of the day, look at what wasn’t completed and add it into your storage planner if it still fits, it may not. If not, let it go. If it still fits, find a place you feel it works best. Then tomorrow morning, start back with a blank slate. Rinse and repeat.
Little by little, you will see how much simpler life becomes when you work with your energy instead of against it. There is relief in not having every second planned out, and at the same time, there is a little structure that keeps you on track. One day at a time.
If you ever feel unsure about letting go of packed schedules, remember that you still have your storage planner to remind you of important dates and tasks. You are not losing control. You are simply reclaiming how you want to spend your day and how you choose to protect your peace.
That is the power of trusting your intuition to lead the way.
If you want to learn more about intuitive planning, read the blog What is Intuitive Planning? or contact me for more information.
Happy to help!
MK
This blog was written to inform readers of what is needed to practice intuitive planning. It is not to be consider as professional advice, it is merely an opinion and experience practiced by the author. Take what you want from it and grow, or toss it away and move forward. We’re here for fun!