dekakeru mae ni, tetyou wo kakuninsuru you ni site imasu.

With 前に, Japanese normally uses the verb’s plain non-past form:

出かける前に = before going out

The logic is that, from the point of view of the main action, the going-out has not happened yet.

A useful pattern is:

Verb (dictionary form) + 前に = before doing
Verb (た-form) + 後で = after doing

So:

• 出かける前に = before going out
• 出かけた後で = after going out

前 literally means front or before. Here it is being used as a time word: before.

The に marks the time point at which the main action happens. So 出かける前に is literally something like at the time before going out.

For learners, it is safest to remember this as a set pattern:

V-plain + 前に = before doing V

Because verbs can directly modify nouns in Japanese.

Here, 前 is a noun, and 出かける modifies it directly:

出かける前 = the before of going out / before going out

You use の after a noun, not after a verb in this pattern:

• 出かける前に
• 食事の前に = before the meal

So:

• verb + 前
• noun + の前

〜ようにしている is a very common pattern that means:

• make a point of doing
• try to do regularly
• keep up the habit of doing

So this sentence is not just saying that the speaker checks the planner. It shows a conscious habit or effort.

Compare:

• 確認します = I check / I will check
• 確認するようにしています = I make a point of checking / I try to check

That extra part adds the nuance of a personal rule or habit.

They are close, but the nuance is different.

確認しています

• can mean I am checking
• or, depending on context, I check
• it is more neutral

確認するようにしています

• means the speaker has a habit, policy, or conscious effort
• sounds like I make sure to check or I try to check

So 〜ようにしている adds the idea of intention and regular practice.

Because 〜ようにしている describes an ongoing state of keeping that habit.

Compare:

• 確認するようにします
  = I will try to check / I’ll make it a habit to check
  (often sounds like a decision from now on)

• 確認するようにしています
  = I am in the habit of checking / I make a point of checking
  (describes the current ongoing habit)

So しています is very natural here because the sentence is about a continuing routine.

Yes. In this grammar, ようにする is a fixed pattern.

So you say:

• 確認するようにする
• 確認するようにしている

Not:

• 確認するようする

Here, ように connects the verb before it with する, and together they form the expression meaning make an effort to do or make it a habit to do.

Because the pattern is:

Verb (dictionary form) + ようにする
or
Verb (ない-form) + ようにする

Examples:

• 早く寝るようにしている = I try to go to bed early
• 忘れないようにしている = I try not to forget

So 確認するようにしています follows the standard grammar exactly.

Because 確認する takes a direct object, and the direct object is marked by を.

So:

• 手帳を確認する = check the planner
• 予定を確認する = check the schedule
• 時間を確認する = check the time

This is a normal object-marker use of を.

Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is clear from context.

Here, because the sentence ends with しています, it naturally sounds like the speaker is talking about their own habit, so the subject is understood as I.

You could say:

私は出かける前に、手帳を確認するようにしています。

But in natural Japanese, 私は is often omitted unless it is needed for contrast or clarity.

It describes a general habit.

The pattern 〜ようにしている strongly suggests something the speaker does regularly or tries to do regularly.

If you wanted to talk about one specific occasion, you would use something like:

• 出かける前に、手帳を確認しました。 = I checked my planner before going out.
• 出かける前に、手帳を確認します。 = I’ll check my planner before going out.

So the original sentence is about routine, not a single event.

No, it is not strictly necessary, but it is very natural.

Japanese punctuation is flexible, and a comma is often used after a long phrase at the beginning of a sentence to make it easier to read:

出かける前に、手帳を確認するようにしています。

Without the comma, the sentence is still correct:

出かける前に手帳を確認するようにしています。

The comma just adds a small pause.

Sometimes yes, but 前に is the safer and more standard form for learners.

You may see or hear:

• 出かける前に
• 出かける前

Both can be natural depending on style and context, but 前に is very common and clear, especially in standard textbook Japanese.

Those spaces are just for readability for learners. Normal Japanese writing does not use spaces like this.

Natural writing would be:

出かける前に、手帳を確認するようにしています。

So the spaces are not part of the grammar. They are only a teaching aid.