How to Pick Your Perfect Planner
How to pick your perfect planner so you can start getting organized!
How to Pick Your Perfect Planner
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As a self-proclaimed planner addict, I’ll be the first to admit that finding the perfect planner is no easy feat!
Also, I have to acknowledge up front that probably none of the planners on the market are actually going to be “perfect.”
In my own experience, I’ll often find one aspect that I love about a certain planner, but then there are other things about it that aren’t just right.
Or, I’ll use a planner for awhile and love it, but then my life changes, requiring a different type of planner.
Through the years I’ve tried many different types of planners. From a Franklin-Covey style that I found at Walmart, to printed pages in a 3-ring binder, to a gorgeous Erin Condren LifePlanner—I’ve tried many!
It all comes down to figuring out what your own personal planner needs are.
Also, it helps to evaluate your personal planning style. For example, do you like to see the week at a glance, or would you prefer to have a full page per day?
If you’re a mom, check out these best planners for moms here.
Planners Listed by Type
I thought it might be helpful to compile a list of some of the most popular planners out there, and divide them up by their main features. That way, you can easily find what you’re looking for.
Daily Chore Checklist with Weekly Spread
This planner is my personal favorite. It has a daily chore checklist and a weekly spread to write down weekly to-do lists and goals.
1. Passionate Penny Pincher Home Planner
This is the planner I’ve used the past few years. I can’t say enough about how helpful all the daily, weekly, and monthly checklists are! You can read my detailed review of it here.
Here’s a rundown of the main home planner features:
- 2 sheets of stickers
- Ruler placeholder
- Monthly calendar
- Weekly checklists
- Daily checklists
- Personal and family pages
- Goals page
- Seasonal checklists
- Notes pages
- Budgeting pages
- Bible verses on the monthly tab pages
- Bible reading plan included
- Space for meal plan on daily sheets
The weekly checklists in this planner are the most amazing. There are little checkboxes at the start of each week (pictured above) to help you stay on track with all of those daily chores that keep your home cleaner.
A Page Per Day
The Day Designer planner gives you a page per day. I used a planner like this for a couple of years, and it can be really useful.
Week-at-a-Glance
These planners have a two-page spread with the whole week listed on those two pages.
1. Bloom Planner
I haven’t personally used the Bloom Daily Planner, but these planners come very highly rated.
You can check out a detailed description of the Bloom Daily Planners here.
2. The Living Well Planner
This is another planner I’ve personally used, and it is AMAZING! It helps you set goals, break down your goals into smaller, bite-sized pieces to help you achieve them, and it also includes a monthly budget! I did a full review of it here.
Click here to learn more about the Living Well Planner.
3. The Erin Condren LifePlanner
Ever since I took the leap and ordered the Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner (which I’m using for our homeschool—you can read my review here), I’ve loved their products.
Several years ago, I ordered an Erin Condren Life Planner (read my review here), and fell in love with it! Erin Condren makes beautiful planners with a variety of layout styles and options to choose from.
P.S. You can get $10 off your first Erin Condren purchase when you create a new account here!
Goal-Setting Planner
The Powersheets Intentional Goal Planner
This isn’t an everyday planner, but I had to include it because it’s so helpful for living more intentionally. I got Lara’s book and used some of her goal-setting ideas last year, but the PowerSheets sold out before I could get some! This year I didn’t wait until the last minute, and I’m soooo thankful for this planner!
First of all, it’s absolutely beautiful, and second, it’s such a great tool for setting intentional goals. I took a little mini-retreat this past Saturday and started going through the process. It’s so, so good. Check out the PowerSheets Intentional Goal Planner here.
The Planners I’m Using
Yes, I did say “planners,” plural! 🙂 In fact, I’m going to be using three. (If you count my homeschool planner.)
Here are my planner choices:
Everyday Daily Life Planner: The Passionate Penny Pincher Home Planner
Intentional Goal Planner: The PowerSheets Planner
Homeschool Planner: The Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner
I’m hoping this will be a very well-planned year! Even if things don’t go as planned, at least I’ll know I tried.
And, I love having a basic plan in place to hopefully get the most important things done.
I’ve been having fun setting up my new planners, re-visiting our family mission statement with my husband, and setting goals for the coming year.
I’d love to know, have you tried any of the planners I mentioned in this post?
More Planner Help Here:
I love ur ideas n im really need to do a planner bc I hate being so unorganized…
So glad it was helpful! I love using a planner to help stay organized!
I have another planner for you to check out , I don’t think you have talked about this one. https://intheleafytreetops.com/planners/ the mom on the go is the one I bought for my personal planner this year. I bought it on sale for $10 I received it in April. I really like it. I may be hooked enough to pay the full price next year. or just use some washi tape and cover up dates and use the months I didn’t get to use at the beginning of the month , I think you will like it has budget sheets for every month. it has lots of spaces to make your own which i like so I don’t have to try to make it work. The holiday planner sheets are really nice, and the big section to plan Christmas is wonderful. But you may not like that the pages are all pretty and not white. It may not feel like enough room to write your daily stuff. But the little check list at the top of each week spread takes away some of the stuff I do everyday so I don’t have to write that in my spaces. In the three boxes on the weekly spread I first tried morning afternoon and evening but that really did not work for me so I now use it the top is reg daily stuff so the stuff we do the same on that day , the second box I write extra stuff so anything that is unusual for that day. and the last box is home stuff so anything out of my daily routine that i use the check box for that I need to do at home that day. But it is all blank so you can divide it up however you want. So for a few weeks I tried one way and that didn’t work well so I changed it up. I am sure by Dec. I will have it all figured out.
Thanks so much for sharing that one, Carla! I’ve never seen it before! I’ll have to check that out. And thanks for sharing how you use yours, that’s very helpful!
I’ve been using a Plum Paper planner for several months. I like that it can be customized (including budget pages). I would like more space for daily tasks, but I really like it.
I’ve heard of that planner, but it’s one of the few I haven’t looked into yet! (So many planners, so little time! 🙂 ) That’s wonderful that it has budget pages! Thanks so much for sharing, Tanya!
Picking the perfect planner is so important! If you don’t, you end up not using it. I am trying out the Brilliant Life Planer this year, I’m anxiously awaiting it’s arrival!
So true, Ana! Oh, I saw that planner and was so tempted by it! It looks lovely! I hope it’s a success for you this year! 🙂
I am definitely a planner girl. Always have been! 🙂 I have used many different kinds including the EC (which I like) however, I have found bullet journaling to be my favorite! For a long time I used the A5 size….but then I wanted something more portable…so I use my personal size filofax with bullet journaling pages inside. I like that I can have them tabbed and move the pages if I need to (rather than using the bound-style bullet journals). I also like that I can make the pages to look and be used *just* how I Like since I Have never found a pre-made planner to have everything *just* how I want it. 🙂
I love to make lists and check things off as I Get them done…such a great feeling of accomplishment!
Have a great day Joy!!! 🙂
I loved the planner videos you did recently Katy! Thanks for sharing! I feel the same way about making lists and checking them off—I find that sooo motivating! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you also have a great day! 🙂
The only advice I have to offer on planner picking is that if there’s lots of room to write things, I tend to over-schedule. I scaled back to a size that will fit into the front pocket on my purse a few years ago so that when the lines are filled up, I can say NO to something without even feeling guilty.
Thanks for sharing your planner advice, Michele!
Geaux Michele! Your advice ROCKS! I totally agree about over-scheduling! I tend to WAY over schedule. Its a real problem! Thanks for the tip. I was able to pick the perfect planner. I went with the EC compact A5 which IMO has the right amount of space (for me ) which isn’t enough for some people but works for me because its vertical (Im not into horizontal )