Tabs, tabs tabs.. who doesn’t love tabs in their planners?! Tabbed dividers and removable page tabs allow us to organize our planners and get to the information we are looking for easily. Personally, I believe they are an important part in a paper planning system because without them, a lot can get lost in the countless pages filling a planner.
I think over the years one of the most asked questions I have received has been about my side tabbed dividers in my planners, specifically, many people asking me if I would ever consider selling them in my planner insert shop (PlanWithBeeLLC on Etsy). I have always made my own tabbed dividers for just my planners but honestly it warms my heart that so many fellow planners out there love them so much that they are asking me if they can purchase them! It’s a question I receive so often that I wanted to do something about it, but I will not be listing them for sale in my shop, instead I will be giving the side tabbed divider digital PDF files as a FREEBIE to you all! 🙂
So in today’s post I want to go over how I personally use tabbed dividers, removable tabs and more in my planner to organize it AND give you all access to my printable side tabbed dividers for FREE so you can organize your planner similarly if you’d like! I will also share with you different ways to use the printable side tabbed dividers to get various looks so you can find one that suits your planner the best!
In my planners, I like to have tabbed dividers that focus on my main sections. Sometimes these change during different seasons of my life and what I need in my planner in that moment, but there will always be main sections. For example, some of my main sections include an inbox where I can brain dump, an agenda section for all my calendar and scheduling needs, projects section for big things I am working on, etc.- there are many more, but you get the gist. All these bigger main sections are what I personally use my side tabbed dividers for. They help create an organized flow to my planner by keeping like information together in a section so I can easily find it.
Since these main sections are actual dividers with tabs, that also allows me to use the divider itself to hold sticky notes + additional information that I might need to transfer into that section. As someone who plans life on sticky notes quite often, it is crucial in my planning system to have that designated place in the correct main sections to dump the sticky notes to until I can get the time to sort that information. It’s also a nice spot to add adhesive pockets to or little mementos + photos to personalize your planner!
We will get back to the main tabbed sections shortly along with the freebie files, but first I want to talk about all the removable page tabs and page markers I use that act almost as a subsection or a bookmark to specific pages. These items allow me to jump to certain places within my main sections that I need to access most often, which is extremely helpful! I use a mix of items for my page tabs and bookmarked spots, but my most used and favorites include my holographic custom “currently” and “moon stamp” page markers from the wonderful SimplyCreateDoodles shop as well as several items I get from Amazon such as my Stalogy removable page tabs and Avery page tabs, my moterm “today” page marker, many other adhesive page tabs, etc. All of my favorite planning supplies I use that I get from Amazon are always linked in my Amazon Storefront if you ever want to browse those items. (I also always like to mention that if you purchase any Amazon items through my links I may receive a small commission- at no extra cost to you- which I appreciate you using, thank you!)
I love to also use my label maker to label these removable page tabs I layer in my planner as well. You’ll see in my photos that I like to label some with project numbers so I can easily get to the projects I am currently working on in my main projects section. I like to have one labeled for my book section within my “fun stuff” main section so I can quickly log books I have read. I like to have ones that pertain to my daughter’s school and extra curriculars schedules so I can open up to that quickly, etc., wherever I need them. Sometimes I also like to use adhesive monthly page tabs as well on my monthly inserts. And you’ll notice I also DIY cute sticker as page tabs to mark areas and add some fun, but I have an entire separate post about that you can check out here. Having the adhesive page tabs and page markers just really help me get to those specific pages within my main sections easily, so my planner has many throughout and it has always helped me stay organized. It also gives a very layered tabbed look that you see so often in my planner photos on my instagram @_planwithbee_ .
Now steering back to the conversation of the main sections of the planner. I feel like having solid main sections within a planning system really helps to set your planner up for success. Once you have your main sections set up that suit your planning needs and apply to your life, you know exactly where to store the inserts you need and can add page tabs here and there on the pages you need to access the most, creating that layered tabbed look, but most importantly, organizing your planner.
So, to help everyone with their planning system organization, as mentioned above, I am giving you all access to my printable side tabbed dividers just like I use in my own planning systems, for FREE, if you wish to use them! There are 12 side tabbed dividers total in the PDF file and have the headers: the inbox, the agenda, take a note, projects, trackers + logs, the fun stuff, home + family, health + wellness, personal, work stuff, finances, and reference. You don’t have to use all 12 but they are there in the files so you can take whatever applies to your planner, and with so many, you’re sure to find ones to use in your system. I have also included blank tabbed dividers as the last 3 pages in the PDF files if you wish to jot something specific on them for your planner. Print instructions and ideas for paper you can use to print these dividers on is all listed below!
If you’re new to planning or just looking to rework your existing planner system and are in need of planner inserts, I offer tons of innovative, printable planner inserts in my Etsy Shop: PlanWithBeeLLC for purchase. There are many inserts that go perfectly within these main planner sections (you can see lots of inspo + samples on my instagram @_planwithbee_ and watch flips on my YouTube channel!). I want to thank you all for any purchases, I truly appreciate anyone that shops my Etsy! In addition to that, I also have loads of free printables I offer on my freebies page on planwithbee.com! So you’re sure to find something that can help in your planning systems!
Below I have a PRINT + CUT GUIDE for you to follow when you print these side tabbed dividers as well as breakdowns + looks at various PAPER TYPE IDEAS you can use when printing! For paper you can use standard copy paper, card stock; both plain or patterned, vellum, laminate, etc. so be sure to check out each breakdown so you can see the look and decide what you prefer! Please also keep in mind not all printers can handle all the paper choices I am mentioning so be sure you know what your printer can handle before printing on speciality paper and always do a tester 🙂
Various supplies you will need in order to print these side tabbed dividers include: a printer (I currently use the Canon G3270 ink tank printer which I love, I have also used the Epson EcoTank printer in the past and really loved that one, too. But any printer you have should do as long as it can print on the paper you choose to use!), paper you are choosing to use (ideas below), paper trimmer + scissors (I use my beloved Fiskars paper trimmer, scissors can also work but they will not be nearly as precise), laminator and laminate sheets (I use the Scotch laminator, this is optional all dependent on what type of paper you print on but laminate adds durability and makes these last longer so it is highly recommended if you are printing on thinner paper or vellum), and a hole puncher (I love my adjustable hole punch so I can use the same hole punch for any planner insert size!).
As you can see from my samples above, you can get pretty creative with these! You can keep them very minimal and simple on plain paper or you can use patterned paper/card stock to add a pop to your planner. I also love the look of the translucent and transparent style dividers if you print on vellum before laminating them- there are truly several great paper options you can choose to print on.
As always, if you are using this freebie (or any of my freebies or shop items), I would love for you to tag me on INSTAGRAM @_planwithbee_ so I can check out your planners! I love seeing how everyone uses everything and I think it’ll be especially fun to see how you decide to print the dividers! I hope you enjoy this freebie is you decide to print them! 🙂
-B
