Happy last Friday of the year! I still can’t believe that this year went by as fast as it did! 2018 for me was for sure filled with so many things, thank God for my planner or I wouldn’t of been able to keep up! Picking out my planner every year is basically a big deal for me- I literally ponder over it for weeks before deciding.
The brand I go with depends on both a combination of what I have going on that year, as well as the types of goals I am setting for myself! For example, in 2017 I had a lot of daily things I wanted to accomplish so I went with the Day Designer because it has a really detailed daily schedule that I needed. For 2018- I switched to a Life Planner since I had more broad goals, and liked how I was able to break them into three buckets on a weekly basis. The planner that you choose (in my opinion) should be widely based on your goals that you are trying to accomplish the next months or so! Below, I’ve broken down all the things I loved & hated about some of the brand that I’ve used- as well as which one I went for with 2019 (You’ll be surprised!).
Day Designer Flagship Daily Planner Review:
To begin, I want to go over the Day Designer, which I used for 2017. This planner has so many great things about it, it’s a no brainer as to why it is so popular. Let me first start out by saying that if you are a super detailed person like I am & like having breakdowns of your work day by the hour- this planner is for you! I love how each day has a full page so you are really able to get down to the “knitty gritty” (LOL- don’t judge me) of your day.
Another thing I like about this planner is that the first couple of pages are really there as a blueprint to help you plan your year. It has a sort of “Big Picture” layout that is a good reference for the next 12 months as a reminder of what you are really trying to accomplish. Design wise- this planner is also very chic. There are not really customization options if you go with the coiled one, but there are definitely good choices for any style.
Price wise, this planner is also comparable to others. One thing that makes this planner even more affordable is that if you don’t want to go with the $59 plus shipping option, you can easily go to Target & get one for literally $14. I mean- even if you just want to try it out, you’re winning with that price.
Okay- now lets talk about cons. One thing I realized when I was using this planner was how much I like looking at my week on a 1 page spread. Yes- the schedule per day broken down as much as it is is great, but only if you need it. If you do, than no doubt this planner is for you. The customization part is a bit of a con only if you know what you actually want to customize. In 2017, I didn’t really have a need for things such as “extra pages” , etc. so this planner worked great for me. Now though, as I use my planner for Work + Life + Blog Stuff, customizations are a must.
Overall, the Day Designer is perfect for anyone who is on the go 24/7 & is looking for a planner that allows to have accessibility to a daily schedule as well as little details. And the fact that they’re super cute too is also a plus!
Erin Condren Life Planner Review
This previous year, 2018, I opted for the more customizable coiled Life Planner by Erin Condren. One thing I obviously really liked about is is that I was able to customize the cover. As minute as that sounds, I LOVED the fact that I was able to put my name on the cover of my planner. To me, it kind of felt like I was really taking ownership of my plan for the year so I was even more excited to use my planner on a regular basis. As silly as that is, ha- it worked!
I love this layout!
Another plus of this planner was all of the customizable space! There are two options to choose from- a vertical or horizontal layout. I got the vertical layout, so it literally was nothing but blank boxes for each day- which I loved. I decided to label each “row” of boxes on a weekly basis, based on what I had going on that week. It was great and allowed me to stay really organized. I also loved having my entire week on one page, so I could easily reference things I had done (or not done) the day before and make adjustments to my schedule or daily to do list if needed. I can say for sure that at this time in my life- I hands down prefer having an entire week layout on one spread.
There’s not many add ons with this planner, but I did get all the cute stickers and everything in the beginning of last year. I honestly kept forgetting about them (ha!), so I rarely used so next year I will take time to actually try to do so, LOL. There’s lots of other “planner accessories” you can buy too- like little bags, pens etc. The price of this planner is pretty comparable to the Day Designer, with added dollars for things as an “upgraded” coil color (I got gold!), and a personalized cover. All-in-all if you’re as obsessed with planners as I am- I think it’s totally worth it! I linked below the one I had this year, as well as some other ones.
So I guess you’re now wondering which one I went with?! I take my planning pretty seriously and spend weeks (I literally not kidding) deciding which style I want to go with each year. Surprisingly….I went with neither of the above for next year! I decided to step out of the box and get the Life Planner this year, due to it being similar to the Life Planner, but having more customization options! For this next year, I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish and like with this one how I am able to add on packages of things. For example, I got the 12 month edition, then added on the “Budget package” more pages and some other stuff. I also went with the vertical layout again, for even more customization. I’m excited to use it this year and see how it works out!
I hope this helped anyone who is serious about planning out their year right! I would love to know what planner you went with for 2019, be sure to let me know!
Until Next Time!
XOXO,
B
Ah! Picking a planner can be SO hard! I’m actually using one called Self Journal! It’s a 13 week journal that helps you break down goals, find your focus and achieve so much! These all look so awesome though!
That sounds great- I will have to check that out!
XOXO,
B