Best Planners to Organize Your Life: How to Pick one

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The most essential thing that you must do to be productive and organized in your life is planning. I live by planning and find it as a skill that can improve your life. And having the right planner to serve your planning needs is a game changer. With many planner options to choose it can be overwhelming to find the right one. We all have different preferences and needs for a planner. In this post, I am sharing with you some best pick planners that will serve the needs of all planning styles.

Let’s find the right planner for you.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

Why do you need a Planner?

A planner can be a valuable tool for both personal and professional purposes for several reasons:

• Organization: A planner helps you organize your tasks, appointments, and commitments. It provides a structured way to keep track of what you need to do and when.
• Time Management: It helps you allocate your time effectively. By scheduling tasks and setting priorities, you can make better use of your time and avoid procrastination.
• Goal Setting: A planner can assist in setting and tracking goals. You can break down larger goals into smaller, actionable steps and allocate time for each.
• Memory Aid: Planners serve as external memory aids. Instead of relying on your memory to remember everything, you can jot down important information and refer back to it when needed.
• Reducing Stress: Knowing what you need to do and when can reduce stress and anxiety. You have a clear plan, which can make you feel more in control of your life.
• Task Prioritization: Planners help you prioritize tasks. You can focus on high-priority items and avoid getting sidetracked by less important activities.
• Meeting Deadlines: By scheduling tasks and deadlines, you’re less likely to miss important dates and commitments.
• Increased Productivity: A planner can boost productivity by providing a structured approach to your work and personal life.
• Record Keeping: It serves as a record of what you’ve done in the past. This can be helpful for tracking progress, reviewing accomplishments, or for reference in the future.
• Customization: Planners can be tailored to suit your individual needs and preferences. Whether you prefer a digital calendar, a physical paper planner, or a combination of both, you can adapt your planner to work for you.

How to choose the right planner for me?

Choosing the right planner can be a personal and subjective decision, as it depends on individual preferences, needs, and lifestyles. Here are some steps to help you choose the right planner for yourself or anyone:

1. Identify Your Needs:
   • Consider your specific needs. Are you primarily using the planner for work, personal life, or a combination of both?
   • Think about the types of tasks you need to manage, whether it’s appointments, to-do lists, goal setting, or project planning.
2. Format:
   • Decide on the format that suits you best. Planners come in various formats, including daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly layouts. Choose one that aligns with your planning style and the level of detail you require.
3. Digital or Physical:
   • Decide if you prefer a physical paper planner, a digital planner app, or a combination of both. Some people prefer the tactile feel of a paper planner, while others like the convenience and syncing capabilities of digital tools.
4. Size and Portability:
   • Consider the size and portability of the planner. A compact planner may be more suitable if you’re often on the go, while a larger one may provide more space for detailed notes.
5. Design and Aesthetics:
   • Choose a planner with a design and layout that you find visually appealing. Some people prefer minimalist designs, while others like colorful and decorative layouts.
6. Customization:
   • Look for a planner that allows you to customize and adapt it to your needs. This might include sections for notes, goal tracking, habit tracking, or extra pages for your specific requirements.
7. Durability:
   • Consider the durability of the planner, especially if you plan to carry it around daily. Quality materials can ensure it withstands wear and tear.
8. Budget:
   • Set a budget for your planner. Planners come in a wide price range, from affordable options to high-end, luxury ones. Make sure you find one that fits your budget.

Best Planners for 2024

Here are some of the planners that I have picked and have used a few in the past.

1: Pocket size planner

Having a pocket-size planner comes in handy for planning needs. Pocket planners are small and lightweight, making them easy to carry in a purse, pocket, or bag. They are ideal for individuals on the go. With a pocket planner, you can quickly access your schedule, to-do lists, and important information whenever and wherever you need it. Their small size allows discreet use.

Pocket planners are perfect for business professionals who need to manage appointments, deadlines, and tasks while attending meetings and traveling between appointments. Creatives people to capture creative expression and idea generation on the go.

Even if you use a you use detailed planner you should have a small notebook in your purse to take notes, appointments, or ideas as you may not necessarily carry your routine planner everywhere. Below is a pocket planner for you to consider

2: Weekly Monthly Layout Planners

Here are some benefits of a Weekly Monthly Layout Planner that you must consider

• Comprehensive Planning: Weekly and monthly layout planners provide a comprehensive view of your schedule. You can see both the big picture (monthly view) and the details (weekly view) in one place.
• Effective Time Management: They help you allocate time wisely by allowing you to plan tasks and events over the course of a week or month, helping you balance priorities.
• Long-Term Planning: Monthly layouts are ideal for long-term planning, making them suitable for setting and tracking goals, project deadlines, and major events.
• Weekly To-Do Lists: These planners often include space for weekly to-do lists, enabling you to break down your monthly goals into actionable steps.
• Reduced Overwhelm: By breaking down your tasks and appointments into manageable weekly and monthly chunks, you can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed and stay organized.
• Clear Visuals: They provide a clear visual representation of how your time is allocated, making it easy to spot potential scheduling conflicts or free time slots.
• Flexibility: You have the flexibility to adapt your plans as needed because you can see your schedule in the context of both a week and a month.
• Goal Tracking: Monthly layouts are excellent for tracking progress towards goals, as you can review accomplishments at the end of each month and adjust your plans accordingly.
• Meeting Deadlines: By using the weekly and monthly layout, you can better manage project deadlines, work commitments, and personal obligations, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Reflection and Analysis: Regular use of these planners encourages reflection and analysis of your time management, helping you make improvements and become more efficient.
• Enhanced Organization: They provide a structured way to organize and consolidate your schedule, making it easier to stay on top of your responsibilities and commitments.
• Time Blocking: You can effectively practice time blocking, allocating specific time slots for various tasks, which enhances productivity.

Weekly and monthly layout planners are versatile tools that offer a balanced approach to time management. They are ideal for individuals who want to plan and manage both short-term and long-term tasks, set and track goals, and have a clear visual representation of their schedule to make the most of their time.

3: Medium Size-A5- Complete Undated Planner

If you are looking for a planner that is perfect for all planning needs and yet convenient to carry, you must go with an A5 size planner from Wordsworth. Some people do not use a planner on a daily basis or have uncommon work schedules like working on weekends and not on weekdays or working for 4 days a week. For such situations, an undated planner is most suitable. It offers:

Flexibility: As an undated planner, it provides the freedom to begin planning whenever you choose, making it a versatile option for individuals who don’t want to be bound by a traditional yearly calendar.

Versatile Use: The undated format and customizable features make it suitable for a wide range of users, from students and professionals to artists and creative thinkers.

One place for all planning: You can plan a schedule, make a to-do list, take notes, and do goal planning in one place to keep your life organized.

4: Full-size Planner

If you are someone who doesn’t carry their planners and keep them at the office or home office then a full-size planner is the best option. I like to use a full-size planner it gives enough space to write everything and has well-organized sections to capture different details of work and life be it to-do lists, appointments, notes, etc.

Here are some of the benefits of full size planners:

• Improved organization: A full-size planner provides ample space to record appointments, tasks, and important dates. This can help you keep track of your commitments and ensure that nothing is overlooked.
• Time management: Planning your day, week, or month in advance can help you allocate your time more effectively. This can lead to better time management and increased productivity.
• Goal setting and tracking: Full-size planners often have sections for setting and tracking goals. This can help you break down your long-term objectives into manageable steps and monitor your progress.
• Prioritization: Using a planner allows you to prioritize tasks and activities, ensuring that you focus on the most important and urgent items first.

Here is a full size planner that is very effective to use

If you are someone who does not like colored flower planners and is looking for something more formal and functional you should go with the planner below from RETTACY

5: Bullet journal notebooks

If you are someone who does not find the conventional planner layout up to your needs. And like to make planning creative and fun you should definitely go for bullet journaling. It gives you flexibility to make your planner as per your liking and not get trapped in using the layout provided by the planner.

Here are some of the benefits of bullet journaling over other planners:

• Customization: One of the most significant advantages of bullet journaling is its high degree of customization. You create the format and structure of your journal, allowing you to tailor it to your specific needs, preferences, and goals.
• Flexibility: Bullet journals are not limited by pre-defined layouts or templates. You can adapt your journal to different purposes, whether it’s daily planning, goal tracking, habit tracking, or journaling.
• Creativity: Bullet journals encourage creativity through the use of colors, drawings, and various artistic elements. You can personalize your journal with artwork and designs that make the planning process enjoyable and inspiring.
• Rapid logging: The core concept of bullet journaling is “rapid logging,” which involves using a simple system of symbols and short notes to record tasks, events, and notes quickly. This can make it more efficient for some people than traditional planners.
• One notebook, all-in-one solution: Bullet journals can replace multiple planners or notebooks, as they can encompass various aspects of your life, from to-do lists and appointments to notes, habit tracking, and more.
• Improved organization: With the index and page numbering system common in bullet journals, it’s easy to find and reference past entries, making the organization more accessible and just for your needs and liking.

Here is a good bullet journal kit that will be best for you if you are starting out

6: Digital Planners

Over the past 10 years I have used different journals and planners and as my planning needs have changed my planners have too and finally I have settled to a digital spreadsheet-based planning system. If you find it difficult to make time for planning you should go for a digital planner as you spend less time and can access the planner anywhere without the need to carry it. Here are a few reasons why I love this Digital daily life planner:

• Complete Planner: All the planning needs from work to personal life can be planned in 1 planner.
• Time-saving: Need not write and duplicate the entries in different places, just type or copy-paste from your emails to make the task
• Daily Dashboard: the dashboard updates each day to just show you tasks, routines, and meals for the day so you exactly know what is to be done today. Easily visualize your daily work status
• Automatic graphs and calculation: Unlike physical planners or other digital planners this spreadsheet-based planner has an inbuilt formula to show you % completion of tasks, habits, goals, gives an automatic grocery list, etc. Graphical representation allows you to quickly visualize your work status.
• Easy to access: You just need your free Gmail account to access this planner, can use it to work during lunch breaks or commute. Can access it over the phone too.
• Reusable: Buy it once and use it forever
• Complete lifestyle improvement: This 1 planner has 10 planners that can take care of planning all your life needs, tasks, habits, cleaning, meals, budget, expense tracker, etc.

7: Daily schedule planner

If you like to use a planner just for tasks and appointments you should go for a daily schedule planner. It is more appropriate for entrepreneurs and managers who have busy schedules and need to keep better track of deadlines and appointments on a daily basis. Here is a daily schedule planner to organize your life.

8: Refillable planner

Refillable planners, also known as modular or reusable planners, offer several advantages over traditional single-use planners. These benefits make them a popular choice for individuals who want to reduce waste, maintain flexibility, and have long-term planning solutions. You can get a rugged binder and keep adding sheets to it based on your liking. Here are some of the benefits of using a refillable planner:

• Environmental sustainability: Refillable planners are more eco-friendly than disposable planners because you can use the same cover or binder for many years. This reduces the amount of paper waste and resources used in the production of new planners.
• Cost-effective: While the initial cost of a refillable planner may be higher due to the purchase of the cover or binder, it can save you money in the long run because you only need to purchase refills or inserts each year. This can be more economical than buying a new planner annually.
• Personalization: Refillable planners allow you to customize your planner with the inserts and pages that suit your needs. You can select the types of inserts, layouts, and designs that work best for you.
• Versatility: You can easily adapt your refillable planner to various purposes, such as daily planning, monthly calendars, goal tracking, habit tracking, journaling, or project management. This flexibility is especially useful for individuals with diverse planning needs.
• Long-term use: Refillable planners are designed to last for many years. You can continue using the same cover or binder while updating the content as needed, making them a durable and sustainable choice.
• Reduced clutter: Since you don’t need to accumulate multiple planners or notebooks, refillable planners help reduce clutter and simplify your organization.
• Easy replacement: If any part of your refillable planner gets damaged, you can replace only the affected components, such as the cover or inserts, without the need to purchase an entirely new planner.

9: Office Planner

If you are looking for a planner specific to your work needs you should use an office planner. Most time I find it appropriate to have separate planners for work and personal life. This ensures the privacy of your personal life and you need not carry your work planner back and forth and the same can be kept at the office. It is best to use an undated planner at work so you can use more than 1 page on days with more workload and waste no pages on holidays and weekends.

Also, if you attend many meetings at work I highly recommend using this meeting notebook it has a perfect meeting notes layout with an agenda, notes, action items, and due dates to follow up and easily keep track of meeting outcomes

10: Student planner

Staying organized and keeping track of numerous academic responsibilities can be quite challenging for students. This is where a student planner becomes an invaluable tool for achieving academic success. A student planner is essentially a scheduler that allows students to plan and prioritize their tasks, assignments, and deadlines efficiently. It not only helps students stay organized but also enhances their time management skills, enabling them to make the most of their study hours.

With a student planner, you can confidently map out their study sessions, schedule extracurricular activities, and allocate time for personal commitments, ensuring a well-balanced and productive academic journey. Moreover, utilizing a student planner allows students to set measurable goals and track their progress.

11: Self Care Planner

Apart from regular work and routine planners, you can also consider using a self-care planner. If you are struggling with taking care of yourself and want to practice a comprehensive approach to self-care to nurture your body, mind, and soul you should definitely have a self-care planner this year. With a dedicated self care planner you will be more likely to prioritize yourself and take action toward your self care goals.

Neglecting self care can result in burnout and reduce your productivity. With a self care planner just like tasks and appointments, you will be able to make self care routine, and plan activities that will nurture you. It allows you to constructively reflect on yourself and take the right steps for your wellness.

12: Gratitude Journal

If you want to introduce positivity and bring a positive mindset shift to your life you must definitely start with gratitude journaling. As easy as it may sound gratitude journaling may get challenging to start with but with a dedicated gratitude journal that includes well thoughtful prompts you can your positivity journey much easier. One of the best journals is The Five Minute Journal below. If you are looking for a cheaper option you can consider this gratitude journal.

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Conclusion

These are the 12 types of planners that you can use to organize your life and improve your productivity. There is no one fit for all planners. Each one of us has specific needs with planners and a unique style of planning. This post lists the most common planners and how to choose the one for you. So spend enough time to find the one that suits your planning needs.

Happy Planning.

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