Something that only a few people know about me is I am a planner junkie. I love a good paper planner and always have. Every year, I have trouble figuring out which one I want to use. More often than not, I wind up using one for a couple of months and then finding things I don't like about it and trying something else. But, I have found a few I like more than others. So if you're looking for a new planner (just in time for a new school year), check this out and see if it helps! These are all planners I have tried so it is an honest review.
1. Erin Condren
Many people have probably heard of Erin Condren. She has designed what she calls a Life Planner. There are a few layouts to choose from - vertical or horizontal. With the vertical layouts, you can decide whether you'd like to have an hourly layout or not. Each month also has a monthly view spread on two pages.
What I like: This planner is very colorful and has lots of things you can add on to make it your own. You can choose from a huge variety of covers and personalize them with your name, the year, etc. She also includes a few sheets of stickers to mark special occasions, doctors appointments, vacations, and some blank stickers to make them work for you. It is a really good option to make it work exactly how you want.
What I don't like: My biggest pet peeve about it is that it's a spiral notebook. I will say, the spiral is sturdy. But for me, my planner is constantly in and out of my bag and I find spirals don't hold up well, which annoys me after spending so much money on a planner.
Price: $50+ depending on how many add-ons you choose. There are also metallic colors to choose from, which bumps the price up pretty quickly.
2. Day Designer
This planner is appropriately named. It is set up to view one day at a time. Each day has an hourly layout from 7 to 7 (not specified a.m./p.m., so you can use that as you wish), a to-do list, meal plan, bills/dollars spent, and important things you don't want to forget.
What I like: It has so much room to include every little thing that crosses your mind during the day. Personally, I really enjoy a planner with timestamps on it already because it is helpful to keep track of appointments and meetings for my day job. The cover is hard which makes it pretty durable.
What I don't like: Spiral notebook. I also found the lining on the inside of the cover tore and got beat up much easier than they made it seem on their website and in other reviews. I found my personal preference is to view one week at a time - flipping through 6-ish pages to find the next week was too much to keep up with for me.
Price: $59+
**Note: Day Designer did team up with Target and they have a few options for a much lower price at your local Target and there are options between the daily layout or a weekly spread.
3. Gallery Leather
This planner is available at Barnes and Noble. There are a few options to choose from - academic, family, monthly. I prefer the family planner option because each day is a vertical layout with the time stamps and a space for a to-do list at the bottom of each day.
What I like: It is a book-bound planner (yes! No more spiral notebook!), with a ribbon attached to use as a bookmark each week.
What I don't like: There's no monthly spread and it's not very colorful.
Price: Anywhere from $6-$20.
4. Simplified Planner
This year, I will be using the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley. There are a few options to choose from. Similar to the Day Designer, you can choose a daily spread. Overall, that option is very similar to the Day Designer - hard, spiral bound book, times and to-do's, etc. However, I chose a weekly spread (pictured above). That comes in a horizontal design and it is book-bound rather than spiral-bound. It doesn't start until August, so I'm not sure what I will like/not like yet. But stay tuned!
I hope all of this helps as you start looking for your perfect planner for next year!
