What's your Planning Stack?
Planning for you looks different than it does for me. And usually, none of us plan solely in one way.
When thinking about the STACK or the ecosystem, we're thinking long-term vs short-term. Broad planning vs detailed planning. Digital vs analogue. Planning for yourself or to bring others on board. Planning for work vs planning for home. Project planning vs everyday planning.
The truth is: there's no single "right" way to plan. What works for someone running a business with kids won't work for a freelancer living alone. What works in January might not work in July. The goal isn't to copy someone else's system - it's to understand the layers of planning and build one that fits your actual life.
What we do know - FOR A FACT - is that planning in principle is crucial to helping people live the life they desire, not just the life that happens. Planning is being intentional about the shape of your days, weeks, months, years - your life.
I'm going to share the planning ecosystem I've built. But more importantly, I'm going to show you how to build yours.
Layer 1: Big Picture Planning - The Annual Wall Planner
I always have an annual calendar on the go at home. This is my big picture planner - school holidays, events, trips. I look at this on the weekends when I'm planning for fun (and childcare around said fun).
Why this works: when you can see the whole year at a glance, you stop being caught off guard. You spot patterns. You see where the crunch points are.
How to build yours: Pick a calendar format that appeals to you. It could be a traditional wall calendar, a large grid planner, or even a printed annual view. The format matters less than whether you'll actually look at it. If you hate looking at it, you won't use it.
Layer 2: Life Weekly Plan - The Shared Planning Moment
Every Sunday, Angus and I sit down together and download all our plans onto a weekly planner pad. We divide the week's childcare and cooking. We build in exercise, kids' stuff, social plans (date night when we can) and anything else. Without this, weeks become chaos.
Why this works: a weekly sync keeps everyone on the same page. It forces you to look at what's actually coming and adjust proactively instead of reactively.
How to build yours: If you live alone, this might be a Sunday ritual with yourself - 15 minutes to map out the week. If you share space with others, it's a conversation. Either way, the point is the same: look ahead, make choices, communicate.
Layer 3: Fridge Magnet Weekly Planner (A3)
On this, we have our weekly meal plan and who's cooking. It helps us build our shopping list, so we don't end up with food waste.
Why this works: the fridge planner is visible. You walk past it constantly. It keeps information you use daily in your line of sight, not hidden in a notebook.
How to build yours: What's something you reference multiple times a day? Meals? Team responsibilities? Client deadlines? Put that visible planner where you naturally look.
Layer 4: Appointments Calendar - Google Calendar
Meetings, appointments, events - it all goes into my Google Calendar. All my appointments have reminders, so I don't miss meetings. My days are so booked out that this calendar could make someone faint just looking at it. The reminders are a lifesaver.
Why this works: when your commitments live in one place with alerts, you stop double-booking and scrambling at the last minute.
How to build yours: Choose a digital calendar tool you already use (Google, Outlook, Apple - it doesn't matter). The key is discipline: if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't exist. And set reminders for things that matter.
Layer 5: Work Weekly Overview - Keyboard Pad
Even though I have it all in my Google Cal, I also jot down my key appointments on my keyboard desk pad, so I have them there at a glance. I find this helpful to know what I need to prepare for upcoming meetings without having to pop into Google all the time. Also, writing them down seems to embed it better into my brain.
Why this works: The act of writing reinforces memory. And a physical list at arm's reach beats opening an app.
How to build yours: If a digital calendar feels too abstract, keep a small paper reference at your desk. It doesn't need to be fancy - a sticky note or index card works.
Layer 6: Daily Planning - Notebook or Daily Planner Pad
My notebook goes with me everywhere. I make a list every day. I make all sorts of lists - lists organised by team members, by topic, or just a great big to-do.
I cannot work without dumping everything out of my brain.
Recently, I've started using a triple list planner pad, which I love. It lets me capture thoughts, priorities, and notes without having to decide on one format.
Why this works: the daily capture point is where chaos stops becoming chaos. You externalise the mental load. You see what actually matters.
How to build yours: You don't need a fancy planner. A notebook and a pen work. Start by brain-dumping every morning or evening. Then mark the 2–3 things that actually move the needle. The rest is optional.
The Supporting Cast: Birthdays and Team Planning
And of course we have a birthday calendar which hangs by the loo, so it's easy to see what cards need writing. This was the format this company started with - the Dutch birthday calendar, it's perpetual, so no rewriting birthdays every year.
Planning at work is a whole story in itself - it lives between Trello (internal comms), spreadsheets, planner pads, a monthly calendar for tea rounds, and an office wall calendar for the full year view.
How to Build Your Stack
So here's the meta-planning: you don't need to implement all six layers tomorrow. You need to figure out which layers matter for your life right now.
Start with one. Which layer would save you the most chaos this week? Annual planning? Weekly? Daily? Start there. See what sticks. Add another layer when the first one feels solid.
Your stack will evolve. Mine has taken years to evolve, and it keeps changing as my life does. That's not a failure, that's how it works.
What About You?
Start with one layer, the one that would save you the most chaos this week. Experiment. See what works. And if you build something that works, I'd genuinely love to hear how you set it up. What's your planning ecosystem? Share it in the comments or tag us; let's all learn from each other.
Because the real thought leadership in planning isn't about having the "right" system. It's about building one that's real for you, and then adjusting it as life changes.