Timehop reminded me that three years ago this week was when I wished to be more organized after watching “Organized Jen’s” video on how she keeps a Filofax planner (she’s re-branded and now Called Pretty Neat Living). A few months later I had put together my first planner in order to try it out and to see if I would even need one or if I would even keep up with it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I both needed it and kept up with it, and also fell in love with the idea of planners. I became planner obsessed. I love looking at planners in stores or seeing how other people organize or decorate theirs on Youtube. There’s been quite a surge within the last year of “planner lovers” emerging and watching these niche videos. I work in a doctor’s office as an appointment coordinator, so I get to see all the different ways people plan and keep track of their schedules. I have even been known to ask them to show me the inside of their planner (a blank page, of course)! When you’re into planners like I am, you also do your own bit of research to see what’s out there. I’ve also heard that when it comes to choosing a planner, it can be overwhelming at the options. At the end of the day, it comes down to trial and error and figuring out what system works for you. That said, I’ve compiled some options to hopefully help you out in selecting your next planner, if this is you. If you’re just here for the planner photos – you’re welcome! 

The Pocket Calendar: This is a great one if you don’t have much going on but might want to keep track of events or appointments and be straightforward and simple with your agenda. “Dr. Whoever, 9:00″. It’s thin and portable so you can carry it anywhere with you in your purse. And there are always a variety of designs to choose from in various stores like Office Depot, Staples, Target, etc…

Month-At-A-Glance Planners: This is basically a bigger version of the pocket planner but with more space to write. There’s also a space on the right to keep track of monthly to-do’s.

The Time Slot Planner: If you find you’re a little bit more busy and like to have a bit more structure or you enjoy time management, you might like planners with time slots. Its a way to keep track of the day and at which hour your next task will take place. Inserts are available for six ring binder systems as well, if you like this set up, but may want something more customizable, which we’ll get into.

Academic Planner With Monthly and Weekly Views: There are a ton of planners out there of this format, so choosing one that fits your personality is so much fun. They are usually June – July of the following year. The month-at-a-glance is wonderful for jotting down basic info, while the week-at-a-glance pages lets you write many more details, and you might even make a short to-do list within these pages. See my review on this planner here and be sure enter the giveaway to win one of these Studio C planners pictures above at the end of this post!

Erin Condren Life Planner: If you plan (ha!) on becoming part of the planner community and get super serious about your planner venture, Erin Condren is a name to know, or EC for short. These planners have shot up in popularity as the planner community has grown over the last few years. Shown above, I found the horizontal version of the EC Life Planner at Staples, which I was excited to see it’s now being sold in stores (previously sold exclusively online, at least to my knowledge). This way, I could touch and feel it – you know, use all of my senses because that’s what women do when we shop – and see the quality this planner is. I have to say that when I finally got to hold one in my hands, I understood why people go crazy for these planners and spend the money just because of the pure quality it possesses. It’s a sturdy planner with colorful designs, colorful tabs, and great paper quality.This planner will cost you a pretty penny (ballpark of $50-75), but it’s also customizable when ordering online (such as changing font or adding a photo, for example), which may also determine your price you pay at the end.

The Erin Condren planner also comes with extras in the back, like label stickers, a few pockets, and scrap paper in the back. There’s also a vertical version, which is similar to the Plum Paper Planner below.

Plum Paper Planner: If you want the EC vertical Life Planner look without spending quite as much money, there’s the Plum Paper Planner, or PPP for short. The company is found on Etsy and the planner is very customizable. I recommend reading the “item details” to understand the ordering process fully, as it can be a little confusing to some. There are different layouts to choose from (such as Family Planner, Student Planner, Teacher Planner, and Regular Planners). In the Regular planner you can choose the “morning, afternoon, evening” layout of your weekly spread, as that is similar to the EC planner. Once you have your planner layouts picked out, you can add sections to your planner (such as “Home” that include financial, to-do lists, and bills sections), then choose to add your name or a quote to the front cover as well as your initials. You can also choose which month to start with, which is a unique feature. Since the planner is so customizable, it takes 4-6 weeks processing and delivery time.

If you’re interested in checking this planner out and trying it for yourself, Plum Planner has given my readers a one time use coupon code for 10% off your order!

coupon code: SELLERS10

Six Ring Binder Systems: This has been my personal system I’ve chosen over the last year and a half. I started with the Filofax then moved to the Kikki-K version. All of which were investments, so think about that when choosing your planner – what kind of investment do you want to make? There are, of course, cheaper versions of these, such as Day Timer or Franklin Covey, which you can find at Staples or Office Depot. When choosing your six ring binder, be aware that there are different sizes. In the Filofax world, A5 (size 4 in Day Timer) is the largest, followed by Personal (size 3 in the Day Timer), Compact, and Pocket. In the Kikki-K world, it’s Large (A5 version to Filofax), and Medium (Personal version to Filofax). So keep in mind how much space you’ll need. Sometimes it’s trial and error with starting out with the Personal size but realizing you need more room to write or more space to carry papers, so you upgrade to the A5. If you do find you invest in one of these planners and it doesn’t work for you, there’s a hot market for selling these in groups on Facebook or eBay.

Inserts For Your Six Ring Planner: When picking out inserts, it’s a personal decision in how you plan to use your planner. Filofax has a good range to choose from as well as Day Timer (note: Franklin Covey inserts do not match/fit into the Day Timer inserts). Philofaxy also has wonderful printable inserts as well if you’re not finding what you need and feeling crafty. Piaric are great paper quality inserts and you order through her Facebook page (here’s her website in case her order process has changed: piaric.com). Just do a google search or looking through Etsy and you’ll find a ton of different style and design options for your six ring planner.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Studio C has offered do a giveaway for my readers who will win one of their planners! Three winners will be chosen.

Giveaway Rules:

• be a subscriber to brandie-sellers.com
• comment on this post about what planner system you think will work for you. If you’re already using a planner, tell us what you’re using!

Extra Points:

• share this post
• follow my instagram dedicated to the love of paper goods: the_diary_library
• follow Studio C on instagram

This giveaway will run until September 1st. Thank you to Studio C for this giveaway and good luck to all who enter!