Within the pages of a future log lies the potential to shape not just your days, but your weeks and years ahead. It’s where dreams find their beginnings, aspirations gain clarity, and goals transform into actionable plans.
In this blog post, I’m going to explore the various ways you can make the most out of a future log and highlight why it’s a crucial element of your planner. Based on my research, I’d even recommend dedicating a whole section in your planner, marked as ‘future,’ for a tool that will help you navigate your upcoming plans effectively.
Read Future Planning by Giftie Etcetera
Most of what I know about Future Pages comes from reading Giftie’s blog. Her posts are packed with useful information! The main concept is pretty straightforward: if your planner can’t hold all twelve months of the year, a future log comes in handy. For instance, if you only have pages for January to March in your planner, but you need to plan something for September, you can jot it down in your future log. Then, when you get the new months, you transfer that info. I thought this was a really clever idea, so I incorporated it into my planner, and it’s been a game-changer.
After looking into things and finding out more, I came up with new ways to use the pages meant for the future. This got me thinking about adding a whole new section called “future” in my planner. At first, I was mainly thinking about upcoming dates on this page, but now I want to include even more. Here are some extra ideas I’m thinking about, and it’s important to note that some of these layouts might need their own special look.
- Yearly Goals Overview: This is like making a plan for the whole year! You write down the big things you want to achieve in the next 365 days. It could be things like doing well in school, getting better at a learning a language, or even getting healthier.
- Financial Planning: Create a section for financial goals, budgeting, savings targets, and any major expenses you anticipate. For instance, if you want to save for a new phone, set a monthly saving goal.
- Special Occasions and Events: This is like having a special calendar just for important days! You write down things like birthdays, anniversaries (like when your parents got married), and holidays (like Christmas or Thanksgiving). This helps you remember and plan for these special times.
- Travel Plans: Create a special space to dream about and plan trips! You write down places you want to go, when you might want to go there, where you might stay, and what fun things you want to do when you’re there.
- Health and Wellness: This is like setting goals to be healthy and feel good! You can write down things like how you want to stay active, what foods you want to eat, and any health milestones you want to reach (like being able to run a certain distance).
- Bucket List: Write down experiences, places, or achievements you aspire to accomplish in the coming years. For example, if you’ve always wanted to try skydiving, add it to your bucket list.
- Professional Development: Outline your career aspirations, courses or certifications you want to pursue, and any skills you aim to develop. For example, if you want to become a graphic designer, note down the courses you need to take.
- Home Improvement Projects: Record ideas for home renovations, decorating plans, or organization projects you intend to undertake. For instance, if you want to repaint your room, include it in your future log.
- Hobbies and Interests: List hobbies or activities you want to try, art projects you’d like to complete, or skills you want to develop. For example, if you want to learn to play the guitar, write it down in your future log.
- Financial Investments: Document your plans for investing money, whether it’s in stocks, bonds, or a savings account with a particular interest rate.
- Language Learning: Note down the languages you want to learn and set milestones for yourself. For example, you can aim to hold a basic conversation in French.
- Cooking and Recipes: Keep a section for trying out new recipes or mastering cooking techniques. You can plan to bake a new type of cake each month.
- Creative Writing: If you enjoy writing stories or poems, set aside space for creative writing ideas and goals. You can aim to write a short story every two weeks.
- Digital Detox: Plan periods where you’ll limit screen time or engage in offline activities like hiking or board games.
- Social Impact: Document ideas for community service or projects that aim to make a positive difference in your local area.
While some of these ideas were previously stored in my planner under the ‘lists’ section, this research has motivated me to review and organize them. Informational items will remain in the ‘lists’ section, while others, like the ‘Bucket List,’ will find a new home in the ‘Future’ section.”
Do you use a Future Log? Tell us about it in the comments.