5-Minute Planner Check-Ins: 60 Planner Prompts to Inspire You
New to planning, in a rut, or just need fresh ideas? No matter where you are in your planning journey, we all need a little extra inspiration and motivation along the way. That’s why our planning experts thoughtfully crafted this collection of five-minute planner check-ins consisting of 60 planner prompts (that’s two months of daily content to spark your creativity, whenever you need it).
The best part? The planner prompts below are designed for year-round use, offering guidance from setting up your planner (even before its start date) to everyday planning ideas for ongoing organization inspiration. So, bookmark this page and visit it as often as needed to enjoy the many benefits of planning, all year long.
60 Planner Prompts to Inspire + Motivate Your Planning Journey
While the following prompts are ideal for quick, five-minute planner check-ins using any LifePlanner™ (or our limited-time LifePlanner™ Sampler Pack), they are designed to work with any paper planner. And when your creativity is ignited, feel free to expand those prompts beyond five minutes!
Evergreen and not arranged in any particular order, use the prompts you need whenever you need them. Skip around, tweak them, experiment with new planning techniques, and make these prompts your own so you get the most out of your personalized planning experience. Ready? Grab your planner and let’s do this!
- Start your day with a gratitude reflection: List three things you're grateful for today.
- Prioritize your top three tasks for the day and assign them time slots in your schedule.
- Incorporate a "brain dump" section to jot down any thoughts or ideas crowding your mind.
- Schedule short breaks throughout the day for movement or mindfulness exercises.
- Reflect on your energy levels throughout the day and adjust your tasks accordingly to maximize productivity and well-being.
- Identify one thing you've been putting off but really want checked off your list, and write down three action steps to take this week to get it done.
- Designate space for reflection on memorable moments or highlights from each week.
- Create a section for tracking habits related to personal or professional development.
- Write prompts throughout your planner for celebrating personal growth or accomplishments.
- Set aside space for tracking professional goals and accomplishments.
- Designate a space for tracking self-care activities and routines.
- Dedicate space for meal planning and grocery lists to streamline meal preparation.
- Sprinkle mindfulness practices throughout your daily and/or weekly to-dos.
- Include prompts for scheduling regular check-ins with friends or loved ones.
- Designate a section for tracking acts of kindness or random acts of generosity.
- Block off time in your schedule for digital detox or screen-free time to promote mindfulness and reduce screen time.
- Create a dedicated section for tracking water intake and daily hydration goals.
- Designate space for tracking fitness goals and workouts.
- Use one of your planner note pages to create a weekly reflection section to evaluate achievements and lessons learned.
- Create space for reflecting on daily successes and areas for improvement.
- Create a habit tracker for cultivating new habits or breaking old ones.
- Create space for setting monthly intentions or themes.
- Create a daily priorities section on your planning pages.
- Reflect on your current organizational systems and brainstorm creative ideas for improvement.
- List your top three priorities for today/this week and jot down doable action items to stay on task.
- Think about your relationship with time management. Write down three things you can do differently to save more time.
- Spend five minutes or more each day creating your professional and/or personal vision board using your 12-box goal-setting spread.
- Journal for five minutes in your planner's note pages about what you want your ideal life to look like and what you want to do about it.
- Reflect on a recent challenge or setback in your planning journey and jot down in your planner's note pages any lessons you've learned for growth.
- Write about a recent success or accomplishment in your planning journey and how to duplicate it.
- On a quote page or note page in your planner, jot down three things you can do today/every week to invest in your well-being and happiness.
- Reflect on the progress made in the last 12 months and transfer learnings to the new planner.
- Carve out space in your planner to create a books-to-read log.
- Set a weekly intention for practicing mindfulness or meditation to cultivate inner peace and mental clarity.
- Plan a weekly adventure or exploration activity to break out of routine and discover something new.
- Create a mood tracker in your planner to track emotional well-being and cultivate balance.
- Jot down five funny things you've heard, said, seen, or thought lately, one on a different page in your planner to surprise yourself with laughter later. Humor heals!
- Pre-schedule time in your calendar to do something you’ve always wanted to do.
- Make more room for joy in your schedule (schedule an activity you enjoy, time to curl up with a book, whatever brings you joy)!
- Schedule regular check-ins with friends or loved ones.
- Write about your ideal daily routine or schedule, and set up habits and to-dos in your planner to make it happen.
- Reflect on your energy level. Jot down reminders, habits, and/or things you can do (or NOT do) to prevent burnout.
- Set a daily/weekly intention or theme to guide your focus and actions.
- Jot down one thing you've learned today and one thing you can do to apply it tomorrow.
- Set aside time to plan ahead for tomorrow + set a time and day each week to plan the week ahead.
- Reflect on your current habits and identify one positive habit to cultivate and one negative habit to break.
- Dedicate a page in your planner for jotting down reflections or insights gained from reading or personal development activities.
- Pick random pages in your planner to sprinkle 5 different things about yourself that you love/are proud of.
- Write down one thing you're grateful for each day, big or small.
- Create a list of fun activities or experiences you want to enjoy in the upcoming week or month and schedule them in your planner.
- Allocate time each week for personal growth activities, such as learning a new skill or hobby.
- Use your planner stickers for marking important deadlines or appointments.
- Reflect on your daily productivity. Jot down what's working, what's not, and one thing you can do to improve it tomorrow.
- Set a weekly goal for decluttering or organizing a specific area of your home or workspace.
- Dedicate time each week to review and update your budget or financial goals.
- Incorporate daily affirmations or positive quotes into your planner to inspire and motivate you throughout the week.
- Designate a space in your planner for jotting down spontaneous ideas or inspirations that come to mind throughout the week.
- Schedule time on the weekend to review and reflect on how your week went, and jot down your goals and intentions for the next week.
- Incorporate a section in your planner for tracking progress on personal projects or hobbies.
- How much sleep do you really need to feel and perform at your best? Protect your sleep time by scheduling and tracking it in your planner.
Don’t forget to bookmark this page so you can snag quick inspo anytime to keep you tapped into the joy of organization (planner therapy is real). You may also like these popular planning guides, full of expert tips, prompts, and productivity hacks for living your best, most organized life:
- How to Plan in a Vertical Vs. Compact Vertical Weekly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
- How to Plan in an Hourly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
- Daily LifePlanner™ vs. Weekly LifePlanner™: Which One Is Better for You?
- How to Plan in a Horizontal Weekly LifePlanner™ + 10 Creative Planner Prompts
- How to Start Planning
- How to Do a Goals Check-In and Stay on Track All Year Long
- Best Planners of the Year