When I tried a monthly spread instead of weekly, it completely backfired

I decided to switch to a single monthly spread for April, thinking it would save me time. But by the third week, I had run out of space for all the little tasks and notes that kept piling up. I ended up using sticky notes all over the page, which looked messy and made it hard to find anything. What I learned is that the weekly layout gives me just enough room to breathe without feeling overwhelmed. Has anyone else tried a monthly only approach and had it work out?

3 comments

3 Comments

wilson.olivia6d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on this one. I tried a monthly spread once and ended up with such a sticky note disaster that I couldn't even close my planner. It's funny how we think bigger will help but sometimes smaller weekly spaces just keep things manageable.

troychen6d ago

That thing you said about bigger not always being better really got me thinking. I noticed the same pattern at my grocery store where they started putting out those huge carts and now everyone just fills them with stuff they don't need. Same thing happens with to-do lists where people write down 15 things thinking they're being ambitious but then just get overwhelmed and do nothing. It's like our brains have a comfort zone that's actually pretty small and manageable. Somehow we keep fighting against that natural limit instead of working with it. The sticky note tower is just a physical version of that same trap we all fall into...

stella226d ago

Oh come on now, I've got to disagree a little bit here. @wilson.olivia I respect your sticky note struggle but I think the monthly spread just needs a different approach, not a total write-off. I use a monthly layout as my main planning space and I keep each day to just 3 or 4 lines for the big stuff like deadlines and appointments. The little random tasks and notes I save for a separate scratch pad page next to it. That way the monthly stays clean and I don't end up with that sticky note explosion you're talking about.