3 Ways to Use Sticky Notes in Your Planner + How to Store Them

Sticky notes. We all have them as part of our office/craft/planner supplies, and often times we just can’t use them all up. Even more so when you find the ones with different shapes and designs on them. Maybe you just keep collecting the little cuties, but don’t really know (or want) to use them all up.

Sticky notes are by far my most hoarded planner supply in my entire stash, and one of my most favorite to use when I can’t commit to pen or sticker. I. have. so. many. So, I am here to help give you my top 3 ways to use sticky notes in your planner, plus a great DIY sticky note storage hack at the end!

Pre-Planning / Planning Ahead

Some of the most common questions I get asked are: How do you know what you have planned throughout the week before you start decorating? What if I have an appointment that needs to be scheduled in future weeks? How do I plan around a pre-planned event?

The answer is simple – sticky notes.

Using sticky notes to pre-plan or plan ahead in your planner is a great way to jot down important dates, future appointments or upcoming events without worrying about it disrupting the decoration of a future weekly spread.

Pick up any collection of sticky notes in the planner aisle of your local craft store, and you will be sure to find a sticky note that will work for any occasion! Store punched sticky note sets inside your planner so that you have them in a pinch (like when standing at the counter at the doctor’s office trying to schedule your next appointment!).

Planning Out a New Weekly Layout

Want to try something new in your planner, but aren’t quite sure how you want to lay everything out? A pad of stickies and a pair of scissors will get you a long way!

I recently did this for my Wellness Planner and Fitness Planner. I was wanting to track some new things in the weekly pages, but I wanted to map it all out first, before committing with pen and stickers. Enter the trusty sticky note pad, you know, the ones you can buy from just about anywhere. Plus, a pair of scissors.

Basically, I sat down, snipped the squares into little pieces, labeled each and arranged them as needed on my empty planner pages. Once I was happy with the setup, I swapped each sticky note for a corresponding sticker. BOOM. You can see it in action here or here.

I loved using this method so that I could thoughtfully plan out an entire week before adding any decorations. Give it a try sometime, it really helps!

Creating a Full Weekly Spread

Usually when we sit down to decorate our weekly pages, most of us will gravitate towards our favorite planner stickers or kit accessories. What if I told you that you can make an entire weekly spread out of STICKY NOTES? I’m not crazy, I promise!

I had a friend once say, “Those sticky notes are so cute! Why don’t you just use them as is in your planner?” This got me thinking that I should try doing just that. So, I created an ENTIRE SPREAD using solely sticky notes! You can see how it turned out in the photo below.

To make it easier, find a coordinating set of sticky notes, and challenge yourself to only use those in your weekly layout. Feel free to add some matching washi tape to tie it all together, but NO STICKERS! It’s actually easier than you think!

A Quick & Easy Way to Store Your Sticky Notes

So you have all the sticky notes, but how do you store them all? The answer: Create a sticky note booklet! It’s super easy and quick to assemble. It also gives you a single location to go sticky note hunting!

Here’s what you will need:

2 dashboards / covers
A set of discs (enough for the size you are making)
Sticky notes
Planner punch
Extra sturdy card stock / package inserts**

Here’s how to put it all together:

Add your dashboards to the rings
Add in your pre-punched sticky notes
Keep the thin card stock/ sturdy pieces that come in planner supplies to adhere to the backs of sticky note sets that are not pre-punched. Leave a little space on the side to give them a quick punch with the Happy Planner punch (or any other planner punch), and they are good to go into the DIY booklet (or planner)!**
You just created a quick, easy DIY sticky note storage solution.

BONUS: You can add your favorite sticky note pads to the insides of the cover/dashboards if you so wish, or create additional sticky note dashboards to later put into your planner for on the go pre-planning!