BEST PLANNERS FOR 2023
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE 2022 THE YEAR WHERE YOU GET MORE DONE, ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR FAMILY? LET ME HELP YOU GET YOUR TIME BACK WITH MY FREE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER!
If you’re new here, one thing you need to know about me is that I am OBSESSED with planners.
When I go to Target, I have to physically restrain myself from going down the planner aisle because I WILL end up with a new planner. Why? I have no idea. I just love them.
Ever since I was a little girl, I remember looking forward to Christmas time, not only for the gifts, but because I knew that Santa would be bringing me a brand new yearly calendar for me to put in my school schedule and all my friends’ and families’ birthdays.
So, it probably isn’t going to come as a surprise that I’ve used my fair share of planners. I am regularly being asked what my favorite planner is, and while I would love to recommend a specific one all the time, I know what planning, time management, and productivity is NOT one size fits all. A planner that works for me might not necessarily work for you. My season of life and business could look drastically different from yours - and even when my season does change, a different planner might actually be a better fit for me.
Instead of telling you the exact planner I use, I decided to put together a list of some of my favorites and include their benefits, as well as who they would be best for. These are all physical, paper planners, so if you’re a digital planner, you can check to see if they have digital pages for you too!
MAKSELIFE PLANNER
I’m starting with the one I regularly used in 2022. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this planner this year and it did NOT disappoint. I went for the Chevron 2022 Goal Setting and Weekly Planner but I have already purchased one of the 6-month undated planners to try out next year.
What I love about this planner:
It’s super flexible - there are no specific spots for you to put things in, so you can actually set up your week to look however you want it to look!
The focus on goal setting + daily action - I love setting goals but I know that the ACTION is really the important part, and this planner is designed to help you take action!
I absolutely LOVE the cover design on this one and can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2023.
Best for:
Weekly planning
If you want some flexibility in how you set up your week
DAY DESIGNER
This was my go-to planner up until this year! And even better news - you can find it at your local Target now!
Why I love this planner:
It’s BIG! This is your standard A5 (8.5x11.5) planner, so there is PLENTY of space to write in. (I think you can find the bigger sizes at Target only.)
Each week prioritizes your schedule and your top 3-5 tasks, which is how I roll!
It’s super affordable when you buy it at Target!
Best for:
Weekly planning
Quickly planning out your week (no additional setup needed)
UNSUNG HERO
I was sent this planner from the folks at Unsung Hero and I was really impressed by the quality and durability of this planner! This is a habit-based planner because they believe that “reaching your potential implies you have a peak.” They want to help you create simple habits to help you get better every single day!
Why I love this planner:
A lot of flexibility in how you set up your day! It’s a dot grid instead of lines, so it makes it fun to setup and be creative with each week.
Goal tracking - because this is a habit-based planner, it’s setup to help you achieve your goals through habits and actions each week
Best for:
Daily planning (I did not use the daily planner because that’s not the season of life I’m in right now)
Weekly planning
Creating and sustaining habits
FULL FOCUS PLANNER
This planner comes from the King of Productivity, Michael Hyatt. He is one of the gurus who helped me learn how to plan and ideal week, block my time, and truly be my most productive. I teach a lot of his strategies in Control Your Calendar and adapted them to fit into the mompreneur/business owner lifestyle.
Why I love this planner:
This is another habit/goal setting planner that really breaks down any goal to make it more achievable
The focus on your “Daily Big 3” - it’s hard to tackle that to-do list when it’s a mile long, and Hyatt teaches narrowing your focus down to 3 things each day
Best for:
Daily planning
Setting long-term goals
DRIVEN DAY PLANNER
First of all, if you’re not following Rivka on Instagram, you should be! She is a DELIGHT! Not only does she have an incredible planner, she’s a mom + runner too! I want to be her when I grow up! 😜 Rivka has sent me a package with her planning supplies a few times now and I am SO impressed with these planners!
Why I love this planner:
It covers ALL your bases! If you want to planner that gives you a space for everything that’s important in your day, this is it! There are spaces for gratitude, your schedule, your to-do list, your priorities, meal planning, and even a “Random” section for anything else you might want to write down during your day!
This is by far my favorite cover of ALL the planners! The one linked above is cork, but the one I originally received is like a tweed material. So so cool!
Best for:
Daily planning
If you need a space for everything important
ERIN CONDREN
I honestly have not used an Erin Condren planner in a long time, but I get asked if I use it all the time. The simple answer is yes. And I DID really enjoy it! It was actually my first teach planner my first year of teaching *cough* 10 years *cough* ago.
Why I love this planner:
The size alone wins me over every time on this one! I write big so I want lots of space to write, and that typically means an A5 planner (8.5x11).
It’s customizable! You can have this planner set up any way you want (but it is going to up the cost of the planner).
Best for:
Weekly planning
Daily planning
Having a planner setup a way YOU love
SIMPLIFIED PLANNER BY EMILY LEY
This is another one that I haven’t used in a while. It was the first planner I bought after I quit teaching because I needed something that would help me plan my days hour by hour.
Why I love this planner:
Like the name, it’s SIMPLE. A place for your schedule and a place for you to-do list - that’s really all you need!
Lots of different options to choose from: spiral or bound, lots of cover options, etc.
Best for:
Daily planning
Keeping planning simple
PLUM PAPER
After I used Erin Condren for a year when I was teaching, I switched to Plum Paper because I also then had a business I needed to keep track of. Now, they offer customizable planners as well!
Why I love this planner:
Totally customizable, from the size to the type of planner to how many additional pages you want so you can literally have EVERYTHING in one place
Super flexible, even if you don’t customize it!
Best for:
Daily planning
Weekly planning
Having a planner setup they way YOU love
OTHER PLANNERS I HAVE NOT TRIED BUT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
It’s true that I’ve tried A LOT of planners over the years, but I haven’t tried all of them. Here are a few that you might want to check out to see if they’re a good fit for you! Also, many of these planner websites (including the ones above) have free printable sheets to try out before you buy!
Commit30 (my life coach was a big fan of this one)
Passion Planner (really great for daily schedules if you have a lot of calls or meetings)
Guess what? You can download my Control Your Calendar Planner TODAY! These are undated monthly, weekly, and daily planners. Purchase it once and use it day after day for months or years to come!
