How To Use Your Planner: Introduction & Annual Overview Pages [Planner Pages Series]

by Shiv O'Neill

Welcome back to the Planner Pages Series! If you’re new here, this series walks through the core spreads inside Plans by Just Scribble and breaks down the intent behind each page, why I designed it the way I did, and creative ideas for using every section. Even if you aren’t using my planner, many of these ideas can be applied to other planners or even a bullet journal.

Today we’re starting with two foundational spreads you’ll find at the front of each volume:

  1. The Introductory Page (with Key Section)

  2. The Annual Overview + Future Log Spread

Let’s dive into what these pages were designed for — and lots of ways you can customize them to work for your planning style.

1. The Introductory Page: Giving a Purpose to an “Ignored” Spread

In most planners, the very first page—the one attached to the endpapers—is often overlooked. Many people glue it down, cover it with stickers, or simply skip it. When designing Plans by Just Scribble, I wanted this page to have true function, so I added a dedicated Key section at the bottom.

This page is the same in:

  • Volume 1 (January–June): “The One With My Plans”

  • Volume 2 (July–December): “The One With More of My Plans”

  • Every size (A5, A6, etc.)

  • Every layout (horizontal or vertical)

Option 1: Create a Symbol-Based Planning Key

If you follow systems like the Bullet Journal method, Franklin Covey, or simply prefer symbolic shorthand, this space is perfect for your icon key.
Example symbols you might include:

  • ✔️ Completed

  • ✖️ Canceled

  • • Notes

  • / Started

  • ➜ Migrated

  • $ Expense

  • ★ Important

  • ♥ Memory

  • △ Appointment

  • 🕒 Due Date

Using symbols keeps your weekly and daily pages clean while still giving you clarity.

Option 2: Create a Color-Coding Key

Many planners love color-coding their schedules, habits, or categories. Example scheme:

  • Teal — Kiddo

  • Yellow — School

  • Brown — Dogs

  • Peach — Finance

  • Pink — Me

  • Gray — Husband

If you use mildliners, dot markers, or pens for color coding, this page becomes the perfect quick-reference tool.

Option 3: Repurpose the Page Entirely

If you don’t need a key, you can still make this page functional:

  • Cover with a decorative dashboard

  • Add your name or contact info

  • Glue it to the endpaper

  • Use it as a vision board

  • Add stickers or a mood collage

The goal: give the page a purpose that supports your planning style.

2. The Annual Overview: A Clean, Legible Year at a Glance

The next spread includes a full-page Annual Overview. Many planners include multiple years (previous, current, and next two), but I personally never use those. They take up valuable space and often end up covered by stickers.

So in Plans by Just Scribble, the focus is on one clear, easy-to-read year — in this case, 2025.

How to Use the Annual Overview

✓ 1. For Quick Reference

Need to know what day a date falls on? This is your go-to.

✓ 2. Track Work & School Schedules

A favorite method in our household:

  • One color for your work holidays

  • One color for your child’s school holidays

  • A third color or symbol (like a red X) for your personal vacation days

Dot markers work beautifully here — Zig, Ohuhu, Shuttle Art, etc.

✓ 3. Symptom Tracking

Assign a color to each symptom you want to track:

  • Period

  • Headaches

  • Illness

  • Mood

  • Pain flare-ups

Mark each day accordingly for a year-long health snapshot.

✓ 4. 30-Day Challenges

Perfect for:

  • Fitness streaks

  • Savings challenges

  • Reading goals

  • Decluttering projects

  • No/low-spend months

Most months have a full empty bottom row, ideal for writing the challenge theme.

✓ 5. No-Spend / Low-Spend Tracker

Create visual patterns of your spending habits throughout the year with color-coding.

✓ 6. Month-Completion Stickers

Just for fun — add a sticker at the end of each month:

  • Florals

  • Emojis

  • Foiled icons

  • Mood trackers

A cute way to use up sticker stash while tracking your progress through the year.

3. The Future Log: Your Bridge Between Volumes

The right side of this spread is where the planner becomes highly functional.

Unlike many planners that include multi-year mini-calendars that rarely get used, this space is a true Future Log — a place to write down anything scheduled beyond the current volume.

How It Works

  • Volume 1 (Jan–Jun) includes future log sections for July–October.

  • Volume 2 (Jul–Dec) includes log sections for January–April 2026.

This lets you record anything that gets scheduled after your current book ends — without carrying both volumes with you.

Ways to Use the Future Log

✔ Simple List Style

Just write the date and the event:

  • Holidays

  • Birthdays

  • Travel dates

  • Appointments

  • School events

  • Deadlines

Perfect for quick jotting.

✔ Color-Coded + Highlighted Layout

Use highlighters or dot markers for categories:

  • Holidays

  • Vacations

  • Birthdays

  • Important reminders

Write details on the dashed lines and add visual markers on the mini-months.

✔ Repurpose the Page Completely

If you don’t need a future log:

  • Cover with a selfie-a-month layout

  • Add a reading bookshelf tracker

  • Use free perpetual calendar printables

  • Create a year-at-a-glance birthday tracker

  • Make a vision board

  • Glue pages together for a clean start

This page is intentionally flexible so you can make it your own.

Final Thoughts

These first pages in Plans by Just Scribble are designed to balance structure with freedom. Whether you use them as intended or transform them completely, the goal is to give you a planner that supports your life, not the other way around.

If you have unique ways you use these pages, I’d love to hear them — your creativity often gives others great inspiration!

Stay tuned for the next post in the Planner Pages Series, where we’ll dive into the Calendex spread and explore smart, functional ways to use it.

And as always… don’t forget to just scribble.

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