When I Let Go of Instagram-Worthy Planning
There was a time when I desperately wanted my planner to look like the ones I saw online.
You know the ones —
🌈 Colour-coded.
✍️ Impeccable handwriting.
📸 Aesthetic spreads that looked like they belonged in a magazine.
I’d scroll through beautifully styled planners on Instagram and Pinterest, convinced that mine had to look like that too. That somehow, if it looked good, I’d feel more productive — more put together.
So I bought the pens.
Tried different layouts.
Even spent time practicing headers and experimenting with fonts.
But here’s what actually happened:
👉 I started dreading planning.
👉 I fell behind if I didn’t have time to “make it look nice.”
👉 And worst of all — I began to associate my planner with failure.
Some weeks I didn’t open it at all.
Not because I didn’t want structure — but because the pressure to perform in my planner became overwhelming.
The very tool that was supposed to support me… was stressing me out.
So I simplified everything.
I stripped my planner back to what I actually needed: space to think, reflect, and calmly map my week.
I chose a clean layout.
I picked one font I liked (no more changing it every week).
I gave myself full permission to scribble, cross out, start again — and not make it beautiful.
And I’ve never felt better about it.
My planner now feels like a place to land, not another thing I need to “do right.”
“Planning is your pause button, not the performance”
The Calm Coach
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone.
Letting go of the pressure to plan perfectly was one of the best decisions I made for my productivity — and my peace of mind.
Now when I sit down to plan, I focus on what really matters:
Planning with purpose
Prioritising with clarity
Performing with calm intention
No frills. No font stress. No guilt.
Just a quiet corner of my week where I get to feel grounded, not judged.
✨
With calm and clarity,
The Calm Coach