Around ten years ago, some of my friends were sarcastic when they saw me planning for the upcoming year in my bullet journal. I was seeking the path to becoming an entrepreneur. Hence, my daily planner was something I never let go of. I’d have a business idea and rush to write it there. Most would think that over-planning is not good for you. Yet, after ten years in entrepreneurship, here’s my advice: everyone needs an entrepreneur daily planner.
I started with a piece of paper, then moved on with time and technology and tried out different planning methods to enhance my productivity.
Here’s what I tried and what worked.
Paper
The mother of all planners. There’s nothing like the feeling of a pencil touching a white piece of paper. I’ve come up with many entrepreneurial ideas on paper (I still do sometimes.)
Yet, in our age of speed (and environmental awareness), paper is not the most optimum. I’ve lost many important thoughts because of a misplaced paper. So, if you’re an entrepreneur who loves to plan, use paper sometimes, but not every single time.
iPad Air and Apple Pencil For An Entrepreneur
I went to the other extreme. I invested around $1000 to get the 2020 iPad Air and Apple Pencil and replace my paper-planning routine. This ended up in me selling that iPad after a month of usage. The truth is, it’s not a replacement for paper. It’s a tablet that I didn’t need. It won’t replace my computer, and it does not have the same feel as paper. Hence, it was a bad investment.
Google Sheets & Excel Entrepreneur Daily Planner
I personally designed a google sheet daily planner that transformed me as a human being over three years of my life. It was quite simple, but it evolved over time. First, I started by creating a few columns and rows that are with common variables like working hours, athletics, nutrition, money earned, etc…
I used to program each and every element. I would share this with you, but it would probably not prove helpful. It was extremely tailored to what I wanted.
On second thoughts, it might be helpful if you tailor it the way you want to. I’ll put comments, but please, review it and modify it according to what you deem right.
Then after three years, I decided to move on. I used note-taking apps as they were the fastest and provided the same efficiency that I was looking for.
Google Keep For Notes
This lasted around a year, during which I was sure this was not the most efficient way. The fact that it was a Google product made the sync quite good. But it wasn’t perfect in terms of planning. I had to return to paper and pencil on numerous occasions. Then after ten years, I went on to choose an app, and I couldn’t have been happier with the results.
Notion – the ultimate entrepreneur daily planner.
I was writing an article about this app, Notion. So I thought I would give it a shot. Ever since then, I have been confident that I will be using it for a very long time. It makes me sleep easily, knowing what I have to do the next day as an entrepreneur.
For a template, I recommend this one. Yet, similar to google sheets and excel, I have modified it to be tailored to what I need. Hence, I advise you to do the same.
My entrepreneurial recommendation
Finally, to put things in wraps, my recommendation is to test either Google sheets or Notion for at least six months. If you figured out that it improved your producitivity as an entrepreneur, then continue working with it. If not, then switch and test the other. The beauty of those two options is that their derivatives are unlimited.
What should you write in your entrepreneur daily planner?
Do not limit yourself by thinking of this question. Write project ideas and growth concepts. If you’re thinking of new projections of a product that you haven’t launched yet, go for it. If you want to draw a new product you believe will disrupt an industry, do it!
Any moment spent doing that is not a waste as it promotes a healthy creative space in your mind. That’s what any entrepreneur truly needs.
Wishing you the best!
Meet The Author Of This Article
I’m Al Anany, founder of Albusi GmbH in Switzerland.
Every great idea started with a letter or a number. Write yours when you feel that you’re ready. There’s no rush.
