Whether you are just getting started with choosing a planner or are now ready to checking out new models, this is the post for you!
There are many different things to consider when picking a planner! Things like timeframes, bindings and styles of journaling all effect which one will work best for you. Here are some things to consider when you are picking your planner!
Days of the Week
One thing that REALLY matters to me is how the days of the week are arranged. Some planners like the Erin Condren that I used in 2014-2015) start with Monday and have the weekend days at the end. Other planners work from Sunday through Saturday.
I was always a Sunday through Saturday gal when I was single since I really did work almost everyday anyways. Now that we have kids, I sort of like having the two weekend days together so I can plan out my work week and then the weekend all in one place!
When you are using an academic planner, usually the weekdays are larger and the weekend days are smaller.
Days Layout
One last thing to consider when looking at the days layout is whether it is oriented with the days up and down in columns or sideways across. I like the up and down layout because that matches how my online calendar is oriented but this is a personal preference kind of thing for sure!
Annual or School Year
Another variable is whether you like to track your years from January to December or by the school year, August or September to May or June. Most teacher calendars run from the start of the school year to the following year.
Additionally, some planner companies will allow you to have up to 18 months of planner time. Just remember that these extra months add heft and bulk to your planner and could make it a little unwieldy.
I am glad I only got one year of my planner as I will probably change over to a different brand next year.
Sizes of Planners
Speaking of size, there are as many different sizes of planners as there are kinds! Some of them include:
Midori Travel Planners – these are tall skinny planners that are bound in a book. If you are a big writer (like I am) the skinny size could be a problem for you!
Full Sized – many teachers like to have the writing and planning room that a full sized planner affords. Generally this about letter paper sized, although the covers can increase the dimensions.
Half Sized – While not actually half a letter piece of paper sized, these feel like they are much more manageable to me. This is the size that I use!
Tiny – Some people like to have a planner that they can pop into their pocketbook or bring along anywhere.
Daily, Weekly, Monthly
There are basically three different ways to plan your time. Daily, weekly or monthly. I am a weekly planner type of gal, being able to see what is going on all week works best for me.
That said, I know that many people use their monthly planner religiously to keep track of things like planning their blog post schedules, tracking kid's days off school and birthdays.
Daily calendar pages let you do things like having a daily to do list, record important appointments and schedule your time on an hourly basis.
Click here for a PDF version of the Monthly Planner Layout shown here!
Ring Binder, Coil or Booklet Style
There are a number of different ways that planners are “bound”. Here are just a few to consider!
Ring Bound – With a ring bound planner you have the most freedom to “hole punch” and include different sheets of paper in your planner. Filofax is the grand-daddy of these types of binders.
Coil Bound – I like a coil bound planner the best because it will lie completely flat on a table which is important to me. The drawback is that it is hard to add pages to this type of planner.
Booklet style – Another thing that I use for planning is a Moleskine type notebook that is stitched along the back and which also will lie flat.
Wrapup
Okay, that is a quick wrapup of some of the things to consider when choosing a planner. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below!
For more about Pretty Planners, click the link for a big review list of all the pretty planner types.
