The Battle of the Planners…

Let’s just go ahead and get something out in the open, I am an office supply junkie.  It’s a problem.  I am the type of person that shops for my planner a 3 months before the new year begins.  I take my planners seriously people!  They are an essential part of my daily life and committing to ONE for an entire year?  Whoo, that is not an easy feat.  This is the time of year that companies start releasing their 2017/2018 planners so I am in the planner zone!  Not to mention, my job requires scheduling things very far in advance (2018, I’m looking at you).  I currently have all my 2017 dates in my iCal account.  This makes me nervous.  I’m worried that with one wrong click I could loose lots of needed information!

I tend to try a new planner each year; finding one that suits my needs for my current season of life (although I did go two years back-to-back with the same Lilly Pulitzer planner in high school).  I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little stuck on what to buy for next year.  That is why we are here today…it’s time for an epic battle. The battle of the planners.  Prepare yourself.

Here are a few things that are important to me in a planner:

• a front pocket to store notes, papers, and other various loose ends,
• laminated tabs for each month,
• both monthly views and close-up views of each week/day,
• a “notes” section for all the things I forget/random ideas that hit me,
• spiral bound so I can keep it open on my desk compactly,
• pretty colors 🙂

Additional perks for a planner would be:

• features to help with goal setting. This is something I had in my Day Designer a few years back and it was so helpful to keep me focused and on track throughout the year.
• To-Do list and hourly format (I know, I’m picky)

This year, I’m debating between using a daily planner or a weekly planner.  I have tried both, and I am torn.  At times, I’ve found daily planners overwhelming.  It can be challenging to not see your whole week at a glance.  In the last year, I have become a big fan of time blocking as a method for productivity.  I think a daily planner may cater to that nicely.  In addition, I frequently find my daily to-do list too long to fit in the “daily” section of a weekly planner.  But I love that weekly view…THE STRUGGLE.

I’ve rounded up my top 4 contenders for 2017.  Yes, believe it or not, there were even more on the original list.  Let’s go through them together, shall we?

The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

Oh how I love Emily Ley.  I love her, I love what her brand stands for, and I loooove her products.  For 2016 I chose her Weekly Planner and I am head over heels in love with it.  While it doesn’t have a “notes” or “goal setting” section, I am willing to make the sacrifice because it checks off literally every other item on my list!  I had fallen in planner love.  They recently updated their weekly calendar for the 2017 year.  While, I do love the changes they made, I don’t know that they are the best fit for my preferences, so I am on the hunt again.  I would love to stick within her company because I just love it so darn much! 

The pros: 

• Beautiful designs
• “simplified” sections of each day making it less overwhelming
• both hour-by-hour and list views of each day
• laminated tabs
• inside pocket
• notes section
• spiral bound
• you can monogram your cover…I mean come on, how do I say no to that?
• I’ve seen her test different pen options and verify that none leak through

The cons: 

• am I ready for a daily planner?  Am I emotionally stable enough for that people???  Who knows!!
• no goal setting worksheets (although her blog does provide lots of help in this area!)

 

The To Do List Planner by ShePlans

I have never tried a product by ShePlans but have heard great things from my friend Meggie over at Organized Life Design. I mean, she’s a professional organizer so I feel like I can trust her judgment! 😉

The pros:

• weekly edition
• notes section for each month (each MONTH!!!!)
• goal setting work sheets
• pocket
• laminated tabs
• spiral bound
• both weekly and monthly views
• 2018 year at a glance (super helpful while booking weddings)

The cons:

• not quite as colorful as other options (I figure since I wear all black I can incorporate happy colors to other areas of my life!)
• Days are divided up vertically rather than horizontally and I like having more space to write.

The Life Planner by Erin Condren

When I was in middle school my big sister Audrey got a cool job doing a creative thing in an office (…two of my dreams combined).  She needed a planner to organize it (…another dream) and *gasp* her employer even bought one for her (…I was fainting at this point).  She chose the Erin Condren planner.  I thought she was the coolest thing since sliced bread.  She used to leave it on our kitchen table and I would flip through it to see what she was up to, how cute her handwriting was on each colorful page, and how many goodies the planner had hidden inside it.  Is this getting stalker-ish?  I feel like it is.  Audrey, don’t be creeped out, just know my love for office supplies started young.  While my middle school self could not have imagined the beautiful planner getting any better, in recent years they actually have added even more variations that I love.  It may be the perfect fit for me this year.  Let’s hash it out.

The pros: 

• Totally customizable, you can choose from different page layouts, color schemes, and customize your cover
• spiral bound
• notes pocket
• zipper pouch for pens, sticky notes, etc.
• laminated tabs
• and included book mark to save your spot
• monthly views and weekly views
• notes sections

The Cons: 

• It is a little bulkier than the other planners
• no goal setting worksheets

I don’t mind saying, this video kinda has me sold!

Shop Ban.do Agenda

I have yet to see a product by Ban.do that I haven’t wanted to buy.  Bright colors, funny catch phrases, and adorable designs.  What’s not to love?  They (in my humble opinion) have done a huge thing right by not only selling a planner, but releasing a folio (adorably named “get it together”) to keep your planner, wallet, pen needs all in one case that zips closed.

The Pros:

• Like I said, bright colors, adorable quotes, and fun illustrations.
• both monthly and weekly views
• notes sections
• pocket
• laminated tabs
• spiral bound
• the folio is an option to add on

The cons: 

• seems less sturdy than the other options (though this is just from my assessment on the website, so I could be wrong)
• no goal setting sheets

 

If you have read this entire post, I want to be your best friend.  Clearly your love for planners will bring us together.  So what to do, what to do??  Writing this post has actually brought a lot of clarity and I’m thinking the Erin Condren life planner may be the planner for me!  That said, I’m still deliberating!  I would LOVE to hear what planner you use, what you like about it, and what planners you want to try!  Let’s chat in the comments or over on Instagram!  Planner lovers unite!