I confess. I’m a huge office-supply freak. I love new pens, notebooks- you name it. But perhaps my favorite item of all is a planner. I’m one of those gals that lives and breathes by her planner. No digital calendars or notes for me- I’m a fan of pen and paper. Needless to say, I always get excited as the calendar year starts wrapping up—it means I can start hunting around for a new planner!
Last year, I tried out the Erin Condren life planner for the first time (review here.) It was definitely an improvement over the planners I would get from Target. But there were a few things I realized I wasn’t digging about the life planner as the year went on: the detachable ruler wasn’t transparent so it would cover up a weekday in the weekly spread. I also noticed I wasn’t using the morning/day/night boxes (rather, just inputting things that could be done at anytime). And I wasn’t really using the monthly spread either—just got in the way for me. The $50+ price tag just didn’t seem worth it to me at that point.
So for 2015, I set out to find a new planner and stumbled upon Personal Planner. They offer a ton of customization options, and best yet- tax, shipping, accessories and customization is all included in the price! I thought I’d do a little Personal Planner review for you…let me know what you think!
The website is very straightforward, which helped me place my order quickly. I went with the A5 for $39.95 (you can see the sizing compared to my cell phone below—much more compact that my 2014 planner!) From there, you can edit the cover. There are tons of colors, designs and text that you can add, or you can upload a photo of your own! I went with one of their backgrounds and added my name and selected the color elastic closure I wanted and moved on:
Then, you can customize the weekly layout by selecting a design theme across the spread, and also add boxes for daily details and fill the writing space at the bottom. I went with blue polka dots on the spread, a daily workout log, and added boxes in the writing space for my top five “to-dos” for the week, as well as the week’s dinners.
You can even customize the layout of the week (vertical versus horizontal) and keep the space for each day as ruled, white space or a timetable! LOVE all the choices—really makes it personalized!
Next, you have the option to create an account and add personal dates. I took the time to input that versus handwriting them in like I typically do every year and it’s so much more convenient! Then, when I go to order next year, all the dates will be ready to go again! The dates are also picked up on the yearly spreads at the back of the planner for quick reference.
The back section of the planner also has three sections that you can customize. I went with yearly overview pages and blank lined pages for random notes, gift ideas, books I want to read, races I want to run, etc.
With over 50 blank pages, I also decided to add my blogging editorial calendar to my personal planner so I only had to carry one notebook around. SO much more convenient!
The blog calendar I use is a free printable courtesy of LifeYourWay.net.
The planner also includes a clear plastic ruler and a clear sleeve to hold loose items.
After I submitted my order, I had to wait a few weeks for it to be printed and shipped, but it didn’t take long! So happy to have my planner now and start filling things out *nerd alert!*
I think it’s going to be much more helpful to me when 2015 comes around! Get yours here. Happy planning :-)
What do you look for in a planner? Favorite brand?
Disclosure: I received a free Personal Planner in exchange for a blog review. All opinions are my own.
I lived and died by my pen and paper planner in college and now I mostly use my calendar on my phone to remember where I have to be when. I was using pen and paper for my blog stuff but I’ve been really lazy about that lately. Maybe I need a new planner to get me back on track :-)
I’m the type that if I don’t write it down, it really doesn’t happen or I forget completely. Blogging stuff especially- so many things to remember! I recall you said you used a calendar/planner setup for blogging and did a post about it a while back!?
After using an Erin Condren planner I can definitely see how a smaller one would be nicer! I miss the weekly layouts like you have, too! The morning, afternoon, night I just don’t use.
It’s a lot more compact and makes more sense now that I’m honed in on what I find useful in a planner!
Love this review! I am always SO excited for the new calender and day planner time of year, I’m glad I’m not alone. This one seems to have more options that I would like. I need a specific layout, being a creature of habit and finally know what I really need. Going to have to check it out!
It’s the best time of year when I get to select my new planner- eeee! After several years of planner practice, I feel like I finally honed in on what’s important to me, too. Glad there are so many options out there!
I never feel like planners have what I need, but the idea to create my own is incredible. Heading over to that site now!!
Let me know what you think– it’s pretty customizable!
You talked me into it! I had been debating a planner for awhile and read your review and still debated and debated…. ordered! Thanks for the review
Woo hoo! I think you’ll love it..so worth it when you can customize versus those other planners out there! Enjoy!
I already bought a Happy Planner for 2017 but I will definitely consider the Personal Planner for 2018. I like the fact that you can personalize it and that it will fit in my purse. A lot of planners are just too big and heavy and are a pain to tote around.