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3 Quick Tips to Get the most out of your planner

self care menu

Consider this your personal self-care directory.

Categorising these activities makes it easier for you to choose an activity based on your current needs and how much time you want to dedicate on any given day.

It also alleviates decision fatigue when you’re unsure of the best way to recharge in ten minutes.

Naturally, there will be activities that fall into all three categories. To avoid duplication, consider how each ritual makes you feel. What part of your wellbeing does the activity contribute to most? 

For example, yoga is celebrated for its many mind, body and spiritual benefits. However, the mental health benefits may be of greater significance to you, so you would add that to the mind section. 

Completing this exercise is a great way to reflect on what self-care means to you. It can help you feel more confident about integrating self-care activities into your daily life.

Start by brainstorming practical self-care rituals that you can complete in:

10 minutes or less: These are quick and simple activities that can be done anywhere, at any time.  

30 minutes or less: These activities require a little more time investment and may need to be pre-planned and scheduled into your day. Some of these activities can be done during your lunch break or form part of your morning ritual. 

60 minutes or more: These activities require the most time investment and generally need to be pre-planned and scheduled into your week. 

  • Include activities, rituals and routines that have yielded positive benefits in the past. Having a reliable set of habits and routines in your planner reduces decision fatigue, allowing you to focus on elevating your mood and overall wellbeing.
  • Use the Notes section of the Self-Care Menu to list resources, such as your go-to YouTube channel for workouts, or your favourite apps for guided meditation. This is your “bookmark” for listing online and offline resources. Alternatively, you can use the Notes section to list quotes, mantras and affirmations that resonate with you—words of wisdom you can lean on throughout the year. 
  • Leave room for activities that resonate with you later in the year. You don’t need to fill it all in at once. You can slowly add to it over time, based on your experiences throughout the year. 
  • Ask your partner or your loved ones if they can recall specific self-care activities that put you in a more relaxed or energised state. Sometimes, we just need a little reminder of what works. 

BUCKET LIST

Use this space to map out the adventures, experiences and activities you want to try in 2024. 

Consider the following categories: travel, adventure, education, entertainment, contribution, creativity, health, family and relationships. 

A traditional bucket list typically features once in a lifetime, travel-related experiences. However, we recommend expanding your definition.

Expand your definition to include things you've always wanted to try at home, like pottery, or things you've always wanted to do but never had time for, like learning how to drive a manual car or Marie Kondo-ing your house. 

Keep it fun, satisfying and realistic. 

There are two ways to use the date column.

You can use it to mark in tentative dates or actual dates of completion. The former gives you a timeline to work towards. The latter provides a record of your bucket list experiences. 

  • Keep it realistic by assessing the time and financial investment involved.
  • Personalise your list and keep it relevant to your interests, goals and values.
  • Include a combination of small, medium and large bucket list experiences and adventures.
  • Share your list with others to keep you socially accountable.
  • Think about whether you want to fly solo or do it with someone else.

2024 intentions

We’ve introduced this feature to fill in the gaps of the Mission Statement framework. The Mission Statement framework is perfect for concrete goals but not always helpful for the more abstract, less tangible intentions you might have.

This section encourages you to look beyond those concrete goals and contemplate how you want to spend your year.

How do you want to live each day? What do you want to focus on? How do you want to feel? What are your intentions?

For example, you might want to become a better listener, improve your relationship with your partner or be kind to yourself and let go of the incredibly high expectations you impose on yourself.

This exercise is perfect for those who want to step into the year with a bit more clarity and purpose. It can serve as a precursor to goal setting or it can simply be space for you to journal and explore how you feel about the year ahead.

You might use the lined space on the left to journal your intentions or you might use it to brain dump anything that comes to mind.

The four boxes on the right are for refining and categorising your list of intentions. When you flip back to this section, you won’t need to read over your scribbled thoughts. You can cast your eyes over these four boxes that clearly state your intentions and the areas you want to focus on in the coming year.

Here are some examples of categories you might use: family, career, hobbies, fitness, personal development, mental health, relationships, parenting, education.

You will probably have intentions that spread across more than four categories but having those four boxes encourages you to focus on a few core areas.

  • Give yourself time and space to quietly reflect on the prompts provided. You might like to burn a candle or incense and make yourself a cup of a tea to set the mood.
  • Write what comes to mind without judgment. Dig deep, be honest, and allow your answers to flow.
  • If you’re itching for more than four categories to categorise your intentions, you can halve each box and use each box for two categories. 

mission statement

Use this space in your planner to map out your goals for 2024 and beyond.  

1. REVIEW AND DEFINE

Decide what you really want to achieve in 2024. Start by reviewing the following areas of your life: health, personal growth, career, family, relationships.

Then, use the Mission Statement section to write down your goals and intentions for the year ahead. A study has shown that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals simply by writing it down. 

Tip: set SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Example: Run the Melbourne Marathon in October 2024

2. DIG DEEPER

Think about why you want to pursue each goal. Dig deep to uncover your true motivations. When in doubt, you can flip back to this section of your planner and remember why you started.

Tip: revisit this list and add to it throughout the year. There might be “reasons” that you haven’t yet thought about or consciously admitted. 

Example: Run the Melbourne Marathon in October 2024

"It gives me more incentive to be active throughout the week. I really want to improve my fitness and stamina. I want to make new friends in the neighbourhood and this will be the perfect opportunity to join local running groups. I want to raise awareness for mental health. My confidence will improve when I start to see progress. That amazing feeling of accomplishment I’ll feel when I cross the finish line. A sense of pride."

3. DEBUNK YOUR FEARS

Identify the fears that are causing some level of self-doubt. Also consider the fears that have emerged in the past.

The “worst case scenario” exercise allows you to transform your fear of the unknown into something clearly defined and manageable. Once you rationally analyse these scenarios, it becomes clear that there are many things you can do to prevent or repair the potential damage. It allows you to also see other viable pathways to your goal. 

Taking the time to evaluate the cost of inaction can be a powerful source of motivation. It can reveal the emotional, physical and financial impact of abandoning your mission. 

Tip: journal about it and talk to your inner circle as they may be able to lend a different perspective.  

Example: Run the Melbourne Marathon in October 2024

Worst case scenarios: knee/ankle injury

Practical steps to prevent these outcomes: invest in the best runners on the market, stretch before and after runs, pace myself and listen to my body—if there are any pains/minor injuries, get it treated immediately. 

Practical steps to repair the damage: see the required specialists, rehab. I’ve also got health insurance which will cover most of it. 

All the ways in which your life will improve once you start working towards this goal: I'll have a fitness routine. I'll feel fitter, stronger more energised. I'll make new friends through local running groups. 

4. BREAK IT DOWN

Determine the primary steps you need to take in order to complete your mission. This can be relatively broad steps or more specific to-dos. Setting realistic target dates will also help you prioritise and focus on what is most important, allowing you to better manage your time throughout the year. 

Tip: use the Mission in Progress section located on each Pre-Week Planner to break down the larger steps into smaller tasks you can complete each week.  

Example: Run the Melbourne Marathon in October 2024

The first few steps might include the following:

Register for the marathon

Research beginners training plan

Research best foods to eat before, during and after running

Invest in proper running gear

5. SET MILESTONES

Set realistic milestones. This allows you to break down your mission into smaller goals. Reaching each milestone is an indication of significant progress which should be acknowledged and celebrated. It builds confidence and bridges the gap between where you are now and the end goal. 

Tip: use your Curation sticker set to mark your progress in your weekly spread.

Example: Run the Melbourne Marathon in October 2024

Milestone #1 Running 10km 

Milestone #2 Running 20km 

Milestone #3 Running 30km 

Milestone #4 Completing the Melbourne Marathon 

6. CELEBRATE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT

This is space for you to write down how you want to celebrate accomplishing your mission! Maybe it’s going out for dinner at your favourite restaurant, maybe it’s treating yourself to a spa day. Maybe it’s bigger, like taking a holiday. You might also choose to include rewards for arriving at each milestone. 

Lastly, we’ve included a progress bar because having a visual display of your progress can be highly motivating. Even the act of shading in the progress bar will be so rewarding and satisfying! 

  • Seek out people who have already done what you want to do and learn from them.
  • Stay open minded and flexible in your approach. Be prepared to modify and adapt your plan of action. Your mission may change as you grow and that’s okay. 

habit curator

Use this space to workshop your habits and establish a game plan for building habits that stick.  

1. REVIEW AND DEFINE 

Define the habit you want to build. Consider the duration of the habit and what days your habit applies to. Is it a daily habit or are you just doing it on Mondays and Thursdays? Be specific in your definition. 

You may also choose to include rules like holiday and sick day exceptions.

Tip: Make a plan for exactly when and where you will complete your new habit to alleviate decision fatigue. This formula can be helpful: [habit] at [time] in [location].

Example: Meditate daily for 10 minutes at 7am in my bedroom

2. DIG DEEPER

Elaborate on why each habit is important to you and why it deserves your time and energy. Be 100% honest. This list is just for you. The reasons listed will help keep you motivated and determined.

Tip: Educate yourself on the short and long-term benefits and consider the negative consequences of not adopting this habit. You can also revisit this list and add to it throughout the year. 

Example: Meditate daily for 10 minutes at 7am in my bedroom
This will be my daily reminder to slow down and check in with my mind and body. This will help me listen to my body and my needs. If I don’t build this habit, I will continue feeling stressed, tense and unable to tune into the needs of my body. 

3. IDENTIFY YOUR CUES

Cues are internal or external prompts that the brain strongly associates with a particular habit, like an object, pre-existing routine, specific time, location, emotional state or another person. What are some cues you can put in place to remind you to take action? Can you set up automatic reminders or leave certain objects around to remind you. 

Tip: choose cues that are specific, consistent, automatic and unavoidable. Your cues need to be there on the days that you intend of completing your habit. 

Example: Meditate daily for 10 minutes at 7am in my bedroom
Cue: recurring alarm that goes off at 7am

4. BREAK IT DOWN

Think about the steps required to complete your habit on any given day. How can you simplify or minimise the number of steps involved?

Tip: eliminate “in the moment” decision making by making decisions ahead of time

Example: Meditate daily for 10 minutes at 7am in my bedroom

Steps: grab phone > search for app > open app > choose meditation > press play > meditate 

You can eliminate “searching for app” by positioning it on the front screen and you can also choose your meditation in advance if you want to keep this habit as streamlined as possible. 

5. CHOOSE YOUR REWARD

What will be your immediate reward for completing your habit on any given day? Think about all the everyday activities that you actually enjoy and which ones you could repurpose into rewards to reinforce your habit. It might be jumping on social media or watching Netflix. 

Tip: when choosing rewards, make sure it’s consistent with the person you want to be. Completing your gym routine and rewarding yourself with a pack of chips and a can of coke might not be ideal if you’re striving to be the healthiest version of yourself. 

a) Meditate daily for 10 minutes at 7am in my bedroom
Reward: checking Instagram 

What actions do you need to take before you can effectively build this habit. This might include investing in certain tools, doing some research or purchasing a membership. Just make sure your preparation doesn’t turn into procrastination. 

a) Meditate daily for 10 minutes at 7am in my bedroom
Prep: research the best meditation apps, download/purchase subscription, set recurring alarm. 

b) Run 5km at 7am around Albert Park 3 times a week
Prep: buy a good pair of runners and create running playlist

c) Practise 1 hour of yoga 3 times a week at Wonder Yoga
Prep: research yoga studios, sign up for a membership, buy appropriate activewear for yoga

Lastly, use the Habit Tracker on each Weekly Spread to track and record your progress. 

  • Announce your intentions to family and friends to keep you accountable and enlist their support.
  • Start small. The idea is to make your habit so easy in the beginning that you can’t say no. 

savings curator

The Savings Curator is designed to help you spend and save more mindfully throughout the year. 

1. SET YOURSELF A SAVINGS GOAL FOR THE YEAR

Write down your primary reason (s) for saving. There's also space to set a deadline. A deadline will help you work backwards to map out a realistic savings plan.  

Here are some examples:

I want to save $10k by 6/6/2024 for a new car.

I want to save $20k by 12/12/2024 for a house deposit.

2. BRAINSTORM WAYS TO SAVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Brainstorm practical things you can do to increase your income and reduce your expenses. You can see here that we’ve carved out space for you to do that. You can list ideas and do some quick sums in the blank space to add up how much you could make. 

Some examples might be selling clothes on eBay, selling furniture you no longer use on Facebook marketplace, picking up more shifts, freelancing. In terms of reducing your expenses, you might cancel subscriptions you don’t use and place a limit on non-essential expenses.

When brainstorming ideas, stay realistic. For example, picking up more shifts might sound good in theory but just consider the roll-on effect before committing to each idea. You definitely don’t want to burn out or compromise your wellbeing in the process. 

3. SET MONTHLY TARGETS

If you turn to the next few pages, you’ll see that we’ve included income and expense trackers for January–December. Your monthly target and your reasons for saving may be the same each month but setting the intention and writing it down at the beginning of each month can encourage more mindful spending. You’re more inclined to think twice about certain expenses if your saving goal is top of mind.

4. LOG YOUR MONTHLY INCOME AND EXPENSES

Log your income and expenses as they occur each month. For larger expenses like car registrations and rent, you might like to log them immediately. For expenses like groceries and petrol and eating out, you might prefer to wait until the end of each month and then go through your statements to log those expenses. 

You might also like to categorise your expenses. For example, one category could be beauty and that could be getting your nails done, getting your hair done.

5. CALCULATE YOUR MONTHLY TOTAL

Calculate your monthly total by subtracting total monthly expenses from total monthly income. This is how much ($) you have saved this month. 

For example, if your total monthly expenses work out to be $3000 and your total monthly income is $5000, then you have saved $2000. 

6. COMPARE YOUR MONTHLY TOTAL AND MONTHLY TARGET

Subtract your monthly savings goal from your actual savings. This will tell you if you have achieved, exceeded or fallen short of this month’s target. 

For example, you might have saved $2000 but your target was $2500. This means you are $500 short of your savings goal. In this scenario, you would log –500 at the bottom of your monthly tracker. 

7. REFLECT AND ASSESS

Saving $2000 is still an awesome effort, but it’s worth reflecting on whether 

  1. your target was unrealistic or
  2. You could have increased your income and/or reduced certain expenses.

If you have fallen short of your monthly savings goal and you believe you could have increased your income and /or reduced certain expenses, turn to page 27. Use the prompts provided to brainstorm new ways to increase your income and/or reduce your expenses next month.The prompts are a great exercise to kick off your savings plan but it’s also a great exercise to come back to when you find yourself falling short of your monthly savings goal. 

8. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

You might like to divide your annual goal by 10 so you can easily track and shade in your progress. The visual display of your progress will add an extra layer of motivation and keep you on track to achieving your 2024 savings goal. Highly recommend using a coloured pencil to shade in your progress bar. 

Use the Savings Curator to provide an overview of your current financial situation and create a practical and realistic savings plan. 

1. SET YOURSELF A TARGET AND DEADLINE

A deadline will help you work backwards to map out a realistic savings plan.  

 

2. ASSESS YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL ACTIVITY 

Review your bank/credit card transactions and input your monthly income and expenses. 

Tip: Use a grey lead pencil and categorise your expenses into categories so that you don’t end up using all the space for one expense category.

 

3. CALCULATE YOUR MONTHLY SURPLUS

To calculate your monthly surplus, subtract your total monthly expenses from your total monthly income. This is how much ($) you have leftover without making any changes. 

 

4. OPTIMISE YOUR BUDGET

Analyse your monthly expenditure and search for expenses you can realistically reduce or eliminate each month. For example, if your average monthly takeaway expense is $100 and you decide to reduce it to $70, you can add $70 in the Desired column next to Takeaway.

 

5. CALCULATE YOUR DESIRED MONTHLY SURPLUS

Once you add your revised expenses to the ‘desired’ column, calculate your desired monthly surplus. This is how much ($) you would have left over if you committed to the changes identified in step 4. 

 

6. WORK OUT YOUR GAME PLAN

List the actions you intend on taking to reach your desired monthly surplus. For example, bringing lunch to work instead of eating out may save you an average of $140 per month and cycling to work instead of catching an Uber may save you $160 per month. 

 

7. COMMIT TO YOUR SAVINGS PLAN

Decide how much ($) you are willing to contribute each month. 

 

8. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Take note of your monthly deposits and visually track your progress using the progress bar provided. The act of shading in the progress bar can serve as a healthy source of motivation and help you stay on track with your goal, especially since the finish line is visible. If you are struggling to adhere to your desired budget, you may need to revise this accordingly. 

Tip: Set up scheduled transfers or reminders in Curation once you decide how much you are willing to contribute each month. 

monthly planner

pre-week planner

*The Pre-Week Planner is included in Curation 2024 Planner and Curation Large. It is not included in Curation Mini. 

Use this space to reflect on the previous week and mentally prepare for the next seven days. It’s a great opportunity to identify your priorities and allocate your time strategically.

End and start the week on a high note by writing down at least three things you’re grateful for or three wins from the last seven days. 

  1. Got some positive feedback from my manager
  2. Family time 
  3. Exercising every morning this week! 

*For Curation Mini users, this feature can be found on your weekly spread.  

The drawing board is extra planning space. 

The dot grid strikes the perfect balance between structure and flexibility. The dots provide more structure than a blank space which means you can write more neatly but it also provides a framework for mind mapping, doodling and sketching concepts, so it can be customised according to your needs.

Whenever you need a piece of paper, use the Drawing Board instead. 

Other ideas:

  • Weekly journal entry 
  • Shopping list
  • Meeting notes
  • Affirmations or favourite quotes
  • Weekly budget
  • Ideas that come up during the week
  • Poems
  • To-do list
  • Gifts I need to purchase
  • Pros and cons list
  • Sketches
  • Wish lists
  • Book, podcast or restaurant recommendations

Want to see how other Curation users are using the Dot Grid? Check out real life examples here.

Jump out of your comfort zone and try something new each week with Your Cue (your weekly challenge/mindfulness prompt). It may challenge your current routines, habits, rituals and way of thinking, but it’s an opportunity to grow, broaden your perspective and possibly add to your knowledge bank. 

Tip: schedule it into your week and list the post-challenge benefits you are likely to experience. This can be your fuel for following through. You might also like to encourage your partner or a friend to do it with you for added accountability. 

Review the goals you’ve chosen to pursue this year. Are you on track? Do you need to modify your plan of action? 

Refer to the steps you’ve listed under each mission and identify the sub-tasks that you can realistically tackle in the coming week. Write them down in this section. These are your priorities/goals for the week. 

If you are not pursuing any goals at the time, you can use this section as a weekly priority list. Simply list your top 5 priorities for the week.

TIPS:

  • Consider the time investment required and schedule these tasks into your weekly spread to keep it top of mind.
  • Review your to-do list from the previous week to determine if there are any remaining tasks that still need to be ticked off. 
  • Prioritise tasks by asking yourself these 5 specific questions

This table was previously used as a weekly meal planner but thanks to your feedback, we’ve learnt that it can be used for so much more than that.

We’ve kept the days of the week on the side but removed the headings above the three columns so that you can customise this space to suit your needs.

Think of it as a multi-purpose space.

You might choose to use it as a weekly meal planner just as we previously had it. In previous editions, the three columns were labelled Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and the bottom row below Sunday was labelled Snacks. 

Alternatively, you could reserve one column to plan your dinners, another for workouts and another for scheduling study for a course you might be taking. 

You could also use it as a daily food tracker or a mood tracker. 

Remember, you have the option to change what you use this space for as you move through the year.

More ideas:

Uni assessments

Online tutorials/lectures

Work appointments

Partner's work schedule

Sleep tracker

Social media planner

Study schedule

Workout/fitness plan

Movement tracker

Symptom tracker

Joy tracker (what gave me joy today)

Step tracker

  • Turn this into a weekly ritual. For example, you could plan your meals every Sunday morning as you eat your breakfast or sip on a cup of tea.
  • Use your weekly meal plan to generate a shopping list. 
  • Consider using leftovers from dinner for lunch. 
  • Prepare a list of your favourite breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas that you can use as a reference to avoid starting from scratch each week. You can create this list under the Notes section of Curation. 
  • Be aware of the preparation and cook time. Consider your daily agenda and choose your recipes accordingly. For example, if Tuesday is going to be particularly busy, try choosing a recipe that doesn’t require a long preparation and cook time. 

 

Curation A4 includes a full page dot grid as well as a blank Drawing Board on each Pre-Week Planner. 

weekly spread

Use the Weekly Spread to organise personal, family and social commitments, tasks, events and reminders. 

TIPS:

  • Use the left side to log social events, meetings and appointments, and the right side for your daily to-do list. 
  • Create custom headings above each column to complement your planning style. 
  • Use your Curation Sticker Set to log weekly commitments, events and milestones. These visual cues help make the weekly spreads in your planner more meaningful at a glance. 
  • Prioritise tasks by asking yourself these 5 specific questions

Strategically positioned at the very top of your to-do list, the heart symbol is your reminder to schedule in a daily self-care activity that focuses on nourishing your mind and body. 

This feature is your prompt to check in with your body and honour your needs. 

TIPS:

This space can be used for reminders, like paying your vehicle registration or picking up your dry cleaning.

Alternatively, you can use this space for weekly mantras or motivational words of wisdom. 

The Habit Tracker provides a visual display of your progress and draws awareness to the habits that require a bit more attention. Checking off your habits is not only rewarding, it can be a daily source of motivation. It can also work as a "reminder" to follow through with your intentions. 

It’s up to you how you want to “tick off” your habits. You could use a tick or shade in the circle to indicate that you’ve completed a habit.

TIPS:

  • Highlight the days that are relevant to your habits.
  • Assign each habit a number or letter so that you don’t need to rewrite your habits on each weekly spread. Alternatively, shorten the description, so “meditating for 10 minutes daily” is just “meditate” on your Habit Tracker. 

At the end of each month, you’ll find a link at the bottom of the weekly spread, directing you to five monthly reflection prompts. 

A monthly reflection can help you develop more self awareness around the choices you’re making, how you’re spending your time, what’s working and what isn’t. What you uncover will help you plan and live more mindfully, in alignment with your values and intentions. 

It’s a chance for you to:

  • Slow down, pause, reset 
  • Review your goals and habits
  • Review the lessons you’ve learned
  • Celebrate your progress
  • Check in with how you’re feeling
  • Modify your plans based on the above
  • Set new intentions
  • Identify priorities for the month ahead

You can use your planner or a blank notebook to complete your monthly reflection. 

*This Week's Priorities replaces the Pre-Week Planner in Curation Mini. 

This Week's Priorities can be used for prioritising and managing everyday tasks alongside long-term goals.

It encourages you to proactively identify your top three priorities/most important tasks for the week, so that you can be more mindful with how you allocate your time each day. 

It gives you a birds eye view of the week, helping you mentally prepare for the next seven days. 

You can also use this feature as a prompt to review your goals/missions for the year and identify goal-related tasks you can realistically tackle during the week. 

TIPS:

  • Make this a weekly ritual.
  • Identify the best day/time to complete this section every week. You might decide to make Sunday morning your weekly planning time. Turning this into a weekly habit will help you begin your week with a strong sense of purpose.  

Memory bank

This is your mini journal of highlights. There are 27 spaces to hold your favourite memories from 2024.

Simply record the date on the left and your special moment on the line next to it. If 27 spaces isn’t enough, you can continue this keepsake on the next few lined pages. 

The date tracker is located at the back of the planner after Memory Bank.

Simply record the date on the left and whatever you're logging or tracking on the line next to it. 

It was originally designed to list important dates for 2025 but we decided to remove the heading so that you can adapt it to your own needs.

You can use this space to continue the Memory Bank feature, track books that you’re reading or restaurants that you’ve dined at. You can use it to list and track uni assignments or medical-related appointments.

If you struggle to remember exactly when your last dental appointment was or when you had a skin check, chiro adjustment or physio appointment, you could record all your medical-related appointments in this space so that you have a clear record of it all without having to flip through your weekly spreads. 

As you can see, there are so many ways you could use this new feature.

2024 reflection

Reflect on the year that’s been using the journaling prompts provided. This exercise will provide a new wave of clarity which will help you establish priorities for the year ahead. 

TIPS:

  • Don’t rush it. Invest an hour or two, free from distraction, to complete this section of your planner. 
  • Be 100% honest with yourself. This can be a private exercise.