Rātaka or Mahere ā Wiki- Daily or Weekly Planner?

As a stationery business owner, I am fortunate to have a whole stock room of items to choose from and use for different purposes. There are a lot of benefits to using a daily or weekly planner, and I use both day to day. I use my weekly to see my whole week in review and plan, but I also love my daily planner for extra writing space, and often note taking in various meetings I attend each day.  But if you must choose – which one is best for you?

Well, there's no one-size-fits-all answer for that question. And that's because we all have different needs and wants from our planners. Some people like to keep their daily schedules and appointments separate from their monthly goals and long-term plans; others prefer to have everything in one place.

The reality is, there are benefits to using either one, so it comes down to personal preference and habits, although I have seen many people buy our planners purely based on size and cover colour – so hey there really is a lot to be said for personal aesthetic choices!  But let’s delve into some benefits and differences of our daily & weekly planners.

Rātaka - Tuhi Daily Planners:

• They're great for people who like to plan out their day in detail, or who like to just keep track of activities to reflect on later and can be a good reminder of when things got done.
• Our daily planners have scheduled slots from 5am – 9pm (because seriously any earlier or later and you should be in bed!) so you can also use them to track time it takes to complete activities.
• Our daily planners include space to list your daily priorities, plus a handy to do list if you have any errands or small jobs you don’t want to forget to do. Remember to jot down all big and important events (birthdays/ anniversaries etc) in your monthly layout each month, then populate onto the days so you don’t forget
• Space to either journal or take notes. We have a large space next to the scheduler in our daily planners that can either be free space, journaling or note taking.  I often will record meeting notes in this space.
• Some unique features of our daily planners – is that we have a moon image on each page so if you like to follow the lunar calendar, or Maramataka, you can include the phase each day is in and be mindful of the energies of that day. We also have an energy question on each page, plus space to record daily gratitude.  Do I need to explain how important daily gratitude is? Didn’t think so – it really does help to record this daily!
• Lastly size matters – we have limited stock in the 3 size options of A4, B5 and A5 - with majority of our daily planners being B5 sized. If you have a specific size preference for what you like to carry around, or how much notes you like to put into your daily planner, then size choice matters!

 Mahere ā wiki - Tuhi Weekly Planners:

• A weekly planner helps you manage your time more effectively by giving you an overview of what's happening over the next seven days. This means that you'll know when important deadlines are approaching, which makes it easier to schedule other things around them.
• Weekly planners are better for people who like to have time blocks instead of detailed schedules. They give you space to write down what needs to get done without worrying about timing - just put everything into its own block on your calendar!
• Our weekly planners also have a “planning section” on the left side of our layouts, and more of a “review and reflection” on the right side. Our left side has space to restate your goals, your focus for the week, things to do, and things not to forget.  On the right side – we then have space to consider – how was this week? What were the highlights? Learnings? And of course, what were you grateful for over the week? These prompts help you to really see your week in totality, so you go into it with a clear focus and plan on what you want to achieve, and then end it with some insight and reflection into how it went – even if your gratitude section just states that you are glad that week is over!
• Even though many people like to time block (our time blocks go from 5am – 8pm in our weekly planners) we also have free space for reminders of what to get done and note to self. I have seen people use this space to record their wellness goals and progress, fill with stickers, doodles, or just big writing reminding themselves – I’m awesome, or I’ve got this! However you like to fill up that free space – the choice is yours!
• For those who love lots of space – our weekly planners are A4 sized (with a limited range in B5 size)– they are big, so lots of space to really plan out your month & week and smash all those goals you have set yourself!

 Last words

There are pros and cons to either a Rātaka or Mahere ā Wiki - daily or weekly planner. The most important thing is that you find a planner that works for your life—and that makes it easier for you to get stuff done. Then once you have decided - go with it, customise it, make it your own, make it more then a ‘business tool’ and it will become that essential thing in your bag, or on your desk, that you can’t do without!