While there is no shortage of productivity tools these days—from online to-do lists to digital calendars and apps—seeing everything laid out right in front of you on paper still has real advantages. Our team has strong preferences as editors and writers about which stationery brands and paper planners best serve our workflows, so we crowd-sourced our team to create a list of planners that are versatile for a variety of personal organization preferences and task prioritizations.
Aside from the obvious boost in organization, writing down tasks is also proven to be more engaging for day-to-day tasks. “Putting a plan on paper can help you remember it more clearly since it’s less automatic than typing,” says Holly Chapman, head of global public relations for Papier. “It can also be a great space for self-reflection, plus ticking off a to-do list feels good, too.”
With expert advice from industry leaders and our team, we've researched (and tested a few) the best planners to keep your goals, tasks, and calendar in order.
Best Overall
Legend Planner
Inner pocket
Comprehensive planning pages
Comes with stickers and bookmarks
Heavy-duty paper
Not ideal for users wanting a custom layout
This comprehensive planner is an undated 12-month planner and is a versatile option for nearly everyone since it features both weekly and monthly spreads for both shorter- and longer-term planning. It comes in nearly 20 colors, so you’re sure to find one you like and it even has a pocket for storing important documents, as well as over 100 colorful stickers and ribbon bookmarks.
The Legend Planner is unique, in that it's designed for both concise daily planning and expansive life goals work. Its weekly planner pages are undated, so you can use it anytime, instead of just for one year. You can track habits over time, set weekly goals, and easily track to-do items. Plus, it has sections and checkmark boxes that actively encourage you to reward yourself and have a little fun along with your self-growth. There's even a section for writing out your dreams and mind-mapping them onto a set structure. However, if you prefer to bullet journal or create your calendar and weekly layouts, this planner may not be exactly what you're looking for.
In addition to all of its inner features, the Legend Planner has a faux leather binding and bleed-resistant, 120 grams per square meter (or GSM) paper, which is about as thick and durable as light cardstock. Ideal for both seasoned paper planner users and beginners, we love the versatility offered in this planner design.
Format: Weekly and monthly pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 8.30 x 5.50 x 0.94 inches
Best Budget
Blue Sky Weekly and Monthly Planner
Coated tabs
Monthly calendar view
Notes section
Flimsy cover
The Blue Sky 2024 Planner is spiral-bound, so it lays flat, and has coated tabs that make it a breeze to flip to the right spot. While the low price of this planner is a major convenience for anyone who's not super particular about aesthetics or who is just entering the habit of using a paper planner, the layout of this particular planner is also great. You get a large calendar view of each month followed by weekly pages that offer generous space for writing reminders, making a checklist, or planning out your days.
We particularly love the no-fuss design of this planner, which makes it easy to quickly flip through and pack in a work bag or even a purse. There's also a larger notes section at the back of the planner if you need more space for brainstorming. Our only real complaint about this planner is that its cover is pretty flimsy, so it could become bent if not kept flat within your bag. However, this is a very minor complaint, and the overall design outweighs any durability concerns, plus we haven't experienced any issues after using this planner for a year.
Format: Monthly and weekly pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 5 x 8 inches
Best Pocket
MochiThings MYO Slim Planner
Perfect for one-time projects
Can select daily, weekly, or monthly format
Can be used with MYO organizers and binders
Cover less than a year
The MochiThings MYO Slim Planner is 6.61 by 3.66 inches, with a tall and narrow format that could easily fit in a back pocket. We love the clean, compact aesthetic across the four format options: daily, weekly, monthly, and lined. These planners are only 40 pages long, because of their size, so anyone looking for a single, comprehensive planner may want to look elsewhere.
The MYO Slim Planners are tailored to limited time frames and specific uses. For example, the daily planner has space for hour-by-hour scheduling, plus little boxes to make note of the weather, exercise, and how you slept that night. However, it only covers 40 days of planning. The monthly planner has a calendar grid—enough for 19 months—while the weekly planner includes more space for writing out your day-to-day, plus a goal-tracking grid, but it only covers nine weeks.
The MYO Slim Planner can also be incorporated into a larger system of binders and organizers, such as the Slim Button Planner or the Slim Notepad & Planner Organizer. We love how this planner is particularly useful for anyone who has struggled to build a planner habit in the past since the easiest way to use a planner is to make sure it's on you and accessible at all times.
Format: Daily, monthly, weekly, and notepad editions | Pages: 40 | Dimensions: 6.61 x 3.66 x 0.12 inches
Best for Bullet Journaling
LEUCHTTURM 1917 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
Open-ended
Plenty of room for entries
Low-transparency paper
Not best for people who prefer a structured planner
Whether you’re well-versed in bullet journaling or just dipping your toes into the trend for the first time, this traditional faux leather-bound journal is a great option. The pages are dotted to guide your free-hand weekly or monthly calendar designs while still leaving the format entirely up to you.
Also nice: The bound notebook is about 5 x 8 inches with 203, which offers plenty of room for all kinds of calendars, lists, and logs, but is also small enough to tote with you. The pages are numbered, so you can also easily create a table of contents for different parts of the notebook. An elastic enclosure band, ribbon page markers, and a pocket in the back of the notebook also round out this design.
Format: Customizable | Pages: 203 | Dimensions: 5.75 x 8.25 x 0.8 inches
Best Monthly
Erin Condren Erin Condren Monthly Planner
Monthly productivity logs
Spiral-bound
Goal-setting pages
Thicker design
Erin Condren has a wide range of time-tested planners, including their popular Lifeplanner line. But anyone looking for month-by-month planning should check out the Metallic Monthly Planner, which covers the calendar year. Thanks to its plated aluminum spiral coil, the Erin Condren Monthly Planner lies flat, providing easy access to highly customizable layouts.
The planner features several ways to organize your goals, events, and plans, including monthly productivity pages, two-page calendars, deadline tracking, and pages with customizable boxes for your bullet points or lists. There are also 10 full pages for notes between each month, so you don't have to flip to the very back of your planner for extra space.
While this monthly planner is a fantastic way to organize your whole year, it is very thick compared to other compact options, so it will take up more room in a work tote or purse.
Format: Weekly and monthly pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 7 x 9 or 8.5 x 11 inches
Best Daily
Papier Time to Shine Foiled Daily Planner
Attractive
Pages are undated for flexibility
Space for journaling
Only 16 weeks
This daily planner spans 16 weeks. This format may be a downside for some users who are looking for a full year of space to track their work, but for major projects or busy periods in your life, this compact book is ideal to pull out and jot on. There’s plenty of space to write to-dos, shopping lists, and schedules; set personal goals; track habits; and reflect on your growth.
Moreover, there are nine extra lined pages for more detailed notes or journaling. For flexibility, pages are not dated—fill out the dates yourself. As important as the practicality, this planner is one you’ll want to look at every day, with its fun cover design accented with little metallic touches.
Format: Daily | Pages: 96 | Dimensions: 6 x 8.5 inches
Best Customizable
Golden Coil Planner
Can select a start date and end date
Can add an address book, a budget tracker, and more
Ability to upload from digital calendars
Can be overwhelming for beginners
If you can't find exactly what you're looking for in a planner, Golden Coil allows you to design your planner to meet your specific needs. With this service, you can customize everything from the cover to the pages inside. And the options go way beyond your standard planner.
You can have your entire address book printed inside, choose your own start and end dates, add events from digital calendars into calendar pages, and personalize the way all of your pages are laid out. Extra page options include things like budget trackers, reflections, and more. The only possible drawback of this planner is that it might be overwhelming for beginners who are new to using a paper planner and don't fully know what they want in page layouts or timelines.
Format: Customizable | Pages: Customizable | Dimensions: 7.25 x 0.88 - 1.25 x 9.75
Best for Goal Planning
Ink+Volt Ink+Volt Goal Planner
Monthly and weekly planning tools
Variety of colors
Two ribbon bookmarks
Lots of personal question prompts
While the Ink+Volt Goal Planner has all of the monthly and weekly calendar pages you'd expect from a planner, its greatest strength is goal planning, with a robust set of features designed to help you keep big plans on track.
The Goal Planner begins with ideation, incorporating pages that encourage you to describe a vision for the coming year, establish benchmarks, and even draw up a timeline of milestones. Then you can dive into the nitty gritty of achieving your goal, with pages for action plan tasks, analysis, a text box for words of encouragement, and even little progress bars you can fill out. There are also pages to outline a monthly "31-Day Challenge," weekly outlooks, and plenty of dot grid space for note-taking. There's even a page for logging and celebrating specific achievements made over the year.
The book cloth cover version of the Ink+Volt Goal Planner is available in 14 different colors, but there are also "soft touch" and "bookcloth" variant covers available with different textures entirely. You can also choose between dated and undated versions. Our only hesitancy with this planner is that some users may find a lot of the pages wasted, if they choose not to engage with all of the prompts available in the planner.
Format: Weekly, monthly, and goals-oriented planning pages | Pages: More than 277 | Dimensions: 6 x 8.5 inches
Best for College Students
Class Tracker Ultimate College Student Planner
Has goal-setting pages
Page for class schedule
Monthly, weekly, and daily spreads
Different options for different school ages
No tab dividers for each month
Every student needs the perfect planner to keep track of test dates, assignment deadlines, extracurricular meetings, and so much more. Send students off to high school or college with the Class Tracker planner to ensure they stay organized and on top of assignments. The academic planner tracks daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and events, with enough space for jotting notes during class.
The planner even has spots for students to write out their academic goals and the necessary steps to reach them. While we love this option for busy college students, the brand also has options for middle school and high school, and undated designs to use any day of the year. This sleek design comes in eight colors and is the perfect compact size to slip into a backpack for daily use.
Format: Daily, weekly, monthly, and goals-oriented planning pages | Pages: 130 | Dimensions: 7 x 8.5 inches
Best Financial Planner
GoGirl Budget Planner & Monthly Bill Organizer
Comes in two sizes
Has a special holiday budget section
Undated
May not appeal to all audiences
Take control of your finances in the new year with this budget planner from GoGirl. The detailed planner helps you track your expenses, organize monthly bills, set goals, and track your progress. There are plenty of pockets to keep all of your bills and receipts organized and in one place. The multiple spreads include a monthly calendar to track important dates, a monthly budget, a budget review, and a spending analysis.
You can even track your savings and your debt with helpful organizers. The end of the year even includes a holiday budget for extra spending during special occasions. All the months and days are undated, so you can start taking control of your finances any day of the year. There are even 190 included stickers to make financial planning a little more fun. Despite all of the details included in this planner, we recognize that the format and concept may not appeal to everyone. While the whole process may seem intimidating initially, the planner includes an easy-to-follow introduction guide to help you get started.
Format: Monthly calendar, monthly budget, bill trackers, reviews | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 8 x 11 or 5.3 x 8 inches
Final Verdict
Our best overall planner is the Legend Planner, because it’s both comprehensive and highly customizable, plus it has plenty of space for self-reflection to help with overall mood and productivity. We also recommend the Blue Sky Monthly Planner, our best budget option, for anyone who is new to using a paper planner. The coated tabs make it easy to find the section you are looking for, and the in-depth monthly views are great for long-term planning.
What to Look for in a Planner
Format
While most people may think paper planners are only available in set yearly formats, you can find a variety of options. The three main planner formats are monthly, weekly, or daily. However other planners are goal-oriented or arranged to follow the school year.
Selecting the right planner depends on your individual needs. When shopping, consider what you intend to use it for (scheduling, goal setting, note-taking, etc.) and other important factors like size, organization tabs, and pockets (or even stickers). Ultimately, the best planner for you will be one with the features that help you succeed.
We recommend browsing basic planner options—monthly, weekly, or daily—before venturing into highly customized formats like goal-setting or bullet journaling, especially if you're not sure what format you prefer. Once you know what you like to prioritize and write down on paper, it's easier to shop for a format you love or customize one, like our best customizable pick, the Golden Coil Monthly Planner.
Size
Planners come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small pocket-friendly versions to larger, more spacious editions. The best planner for you depends on where you’ll be keeping it, like in your purse, a briefcase, or at home on a desk.
When your planner is regularly in eyesight or within reach, you’re more likely to use it. “I keep mine on my desk or in my handbag, so I can add in upcoming plans, deadlines, or meetings while I’m on the go,” says Holly Chapman, head of global public relations for Papier.
In addition to where you'd like to keep your planner, you'll also want to keep in mind how much you will need to write in it. A larger planner will be more cumbersome to tote around, but a smaller version won’t give you much room to record your day-to-day activities.
Additional Features
If you want a simple, no-frills planner, you can easily find one that just has calendar pages and nothing else, like our best budget pick, the Blue Sky Monthly Planner. However, some paper planners come with fun extras, such as stickers, page markers, shopping lists, and more. Our best overall pick, the Legend Planner is undated, so you can choose to start it in the middle of the year and even stop using it for some time before returning to it. On top of that, it also comes with stickers and personal reflection prompts to keep you feeling productive and present in your goals.
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What’s the difference between a planner and a journal?
Typically, a planner is a space to plan out your day, week, or month. It features space to write tasks, so you can keep track of all of your to-dos. A journal, on the other hand, is more of a self-reflection tool, featuring space for writing out your thoughts and feelings. Hybrid options are also available.
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How do you maintain an organized planner?
The key to maintaining an organized planner is to use it regularly and complete regular audits. “I have a ritual on a Sunday where I go through my planner and check on my upcoming weeks and month to make sure I’m on top of things,” says Chapman. “I find it makes the start of the week less stressful.”
Why Trust The Spruce?
This roundup was researched and written by Brigitt Earley, who has written and edited hundreds of buying guides for various publications over the last 10 years. Not to mention, Earley knows a thing or two about scheduling and staying organized—she is a freelancer for more than a half-dozen publications, all while running a household of six (including four kids under the age of 4!). To make this list, Earley considered each planner's features, size, and design.
Our Experts:
- Holly Chapman, head of global public relations for Papier
- Grace Gallagher, writer and editor
- Emma Phelps, associate editor at The Spruce