For Ansell, it all comes down to pen to paper. “I’m someone who’s fairly scatterbrained, and I think grounding myself and actually writing is super helpful for me,” Ansell says.
“I find these physical planners to be specifically wonderful, and I like the layer of depth that they each get into.”
“These planners I found at a shop in Greenwich Village. I think it’s called Goods for the Study, actually,” Ansell says. “It’s a store that’s very elevated deskware.
“There’s the daily planner and then kind of a weekly planner. And I think as a pair they work super well together.
“The way I use the weekly overview is, I’ll put in meetings that I have and I’ll put in maybe appointments or whatnot, just organizing my life on a more bird’s-eye view for the week.”
Think of the weekly planner as the wide-angle lens: your starting place for shaping the week before the day to day details take over.
“On a Sunday or Monday, I’ll go in and really detail it out. Maybe a few things need to be adjusted or changed based on meetings that week. I try to keep it as a weekly ritual that I do.”
“A lot of times we’ll overbook ourselves, and as long as we hit these three things, we can push things to the next day,” Ansell says.
“And then the daily planner is really when I get into that nitty-gritty. I have it right by my side at my desk and I’ll write things as they pop into my head throughout the day.
“I found that combination to be super helpful because you don’t get overwhelmed by running out of space. You can really see an overview and then take the other one out and get a deeper dive into it.”
Minimalist with a purpose
“It’s very minimalist, which I appreciate because I’m more of a maximalist, and I think minimalism is helpful when you’re really trying to get focused in the zone,” Ansell says.
That design makes it easier to organize without feeling overstimulated. There’s enough structure to keep you on track, but not so much that the page starts yelling at you.
The best part about the daily planner, though? It’s polished enough to sit on your desk for an “elevated desk wear” moment, but still light and durable enough to travel with you on the go.
Ansell says, “the weight of it is light enough where you can bring it places.”
“I think sometimes for people who work remotely or work for themselves, they’re trying out a new coffee shop or going places to do work, it’s something that you can easily throw in your bag,” she says.
