“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done”- Bruce Lee

The day has come: Your Simple Self planner has arrived. You are excited, (we hope!), but it’s possible you could feel intimidated by this new journey of self-care. This is understandable but we’ve got some tips to help you jump in.

Take the First Step into Self-Care

Before utilizing the monthly, weekly, and daily pages in your new Simple Self planner, we recommend taking the time to complete your Self-Care Plan. In this first part of the planner, you will assess where you are now with your self-care, and then identify your goals and the habits and routines you want to start incorporating in your life to get you there.

This might seem overwhelming at first, and if you were doing it without guidance, it might be! The great news is that The Self-Care Planner structures the steps for you and even gives your examples and a cheat sheet. All you need to do is give yourself permission to take the time to focus on yourself and your needs.

Plan a Date with your Self-Care Planner

Schedule an hour of time with yourself and honor it as you would any other important commitments in your life, such as a client meeting at work, your child’s recital, or a commitment to a dear friend or partner. Remember taking time for yourself isn’t selfish. Taking time for your self-care allows you to be the best version of you - and that means everyone and everything in your life benefits.

Find a time where you can be free of outside distractions such as texts, emails, and calls. Put on your favorite playlist, pour a mug of tea or your favorite glass of red wine, and settle into a cozy spot with your planner. Enjoy your ‘you time'.

Self-Care is About the Process, not Perfection

This is your self-care planner, and while we take pride in the *aesthetic* of our products we want you to ‘mess them up’! It doesn’t matter if your handwriting is perfect, if you don’t fill in every water icon for the day, or if you have to cross out goals and write in new, more realistic ones.

Remember this isn’t a test so there are no wrong answers. Your self-care planner is a judgement-free zone where you can track your habits and identify how those things are affecting your mood and personal goals. No pressure, just progress.

There is No Wrong Way Start Your Self-Care Journey

While we do provide instructions on how to use your planner, we want you to use it in the way that works best for you. Your name is the one that belongs on the front page and we want you to make it your own.

Maybe you track your habits for a month before completing the assessment so you have a better handle on your current habits or maybe you choose to use the exercise box as a creative outlet and put a little doodle in there every other day. We invite you to break the rules and use this as a tool to best serve you, no matter what that looks like.

We hope you enjoy diving into your self-care journey with our planner. We would love to hear your tips for getting started in the comments below!

Looking for More? Check out our How to Plan a Morning Routine for Personal Success blog for more self-care tips and tricks.