I love a good paper planner. I always have. While I will pop stuff on Google calendar so Mr. Family Trip and I can stay in sync, keeping my weekly life, commitments, to-do lists, goals, menus, and notes all in one book that goes everywhere with me has been a part of my life for longer than I can count. A paper planner helps me organize my thoughts, be efficient, and feel like I understand all the pieces of my life and how they fit (or don’t).
Given my longterm love affair with a planner, I have tried nearly all of the popular ones over the years.
You can’t really go wrong with any of the planners I list below, it just depends on what season of life you are in and what you are looking for.
But as you head into the new year, may you find the most successful way to live the life you want!
Table of Contents
Bullet Journal
For the most flexibility, and if you are looking for a place to keep everything in your life, you will be well-served by a Bullet Journal.
A Bullet Journal is a blank notebook, and you create the page you need. While the Internet and Pinterest are full of awe-inspiring works of art when it comes to Bullet Journaling, I found I enjoyed keeping mine simple. It really was a wonderful system that helped me integrate my freelance life with my calendar.
Best for:Â all-around flexibility and storage of all notes, lists, and information.
Downside:Â it requires you to create the pages! I found that I had to sit down every week and create that week’s or month’s calendar, which made it harder to plan in advance if needed.
Read more about my thoughts on Bullet Journaling, as well as tips on how to be successful.
Golden Coil
This is currently what I am using and I love it. Golden Coil is a system where you design your pages and pick a preferred layout. Using an online builder, with templates for the daily and weekly calendars, as well as for monthly pages and checklists devoted to specific goals, what you create has an incredible amount of customization.
Best for: ultimate flexibility to create what you need, with many creative options for goal-setting.
Downside: I don’t love the paper quality. It is thick enough that it doesn’t bleed, but it’s not as pleasant a writing experience as some of the other planners I’ve used. Also, depending on what you build, a Golden Coil can get expensive.
Commit30
I used this in my health & fitness craze days. It really is the best calendar, as well, for block scheduling. The colors are muted, but I loved the different areas for organizing and tracking different parts of my life.
Best for: fitness and health tracking.
Downside: there isn’t a lot of space for lists or actual calendaring. Also, if you are drawn to colorful designs and patterns, you may find this one uninspired.
Looking for other tips on Starting the New Year?
Check out the following articles:
Passion Planner
I enjoyed the Passion Planner so much, I used it more than one year in a row! I loved the guided goal-setting at the beginning of the planner as well as the assessments each month. I really enjoyed the separation of to-do lists and the big open space, which I used differently every week. Also a nice addition: a prompt to write “Good Things That Happened.”
Best for:Â quick and easy organization, with space to capture other goals, lists, and ideas.
Downside:Â if you don’t like or need vertical hourly breakdowns each day, it can be inefficient.
Erin Condren
I know this is what so many people love, and I tried, but it doesn’t fit my life well. Erin Condren designs are cute, with wonderful colors and playful fonts. There are a few different layouts, as well, which is nice. But I found these planners lacked the space I needed to capture to-do lists or goal-setting checklists. There was too much white space that seemed unused. Also, they are heavy to tote around.
Best for:Â attractive designs and fun layouts.
Downside: these may not have enough space for your needs and can also become heavy to carry.
Erin Condren planners can be bought in a variety of stores, but see the full collection online.
Simplifed Planner by Emily Ley
I enjoy Emily Ley’s approach to simplified living and appreciate the renewed energy she brought to the planner business. The covers coming out of her shop are whimsical and classic all at the same time. The fonts and colors are basically trademarks now. However, I found these don’t work for me. There is so little space in each day, each week, and each month, I couldn’t keep information organized or even capture it on the pages due to space constraints. I like to occasionally track meal planning and workout routines. This is not the planner for goals such as that.
Best for: simple calendar at-a-glance tracking with topnotch design.
Downside:Â may be too simple to capture what you need and want to track.
Passionate Penny Pincher's Home Planner
This is a fascinating take on a planner. There are budget worksheets for each month, chores set out for each week and each day, and a place for meal planning and exercise tracking. This is a game changer if you don’t like doing all of the chores and housecleaning in one day but would rather do a little each day. There is so much home organization in here. However, I am an “upholder” and if there is a checklist in front of me, I feel a sense of failure if I don’t check every box. So this was completely overwhelming and frustrating for me. Some of the chores listed weren’t relevant nor did I want to do a chore every day. Instead of seeing it as a “to-do,” it could potentially be used more as a recommendation and a tracking list.
Best for: those who are interested in a system to organize home chores and budgets.
Downside:Â there are a lot of checklists and chores here! There isn’t much room in the weekly layouts for your own to-do list creation. Also, this is clearly Biblically based and recommends Bible verses for reading each day, which I enjoy but may not be for everyone.
Whatever planner you find, have fun with it! I usually have so many random notes and thoughts in my planners, that they become my life between two covers. About three years ago, I started adding my favorite moments and memories from the week to the pages, and these have become treasured keepsakes. Life is beautiful, even if it’s busy.