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Ultimate Planner Comparison + FREE Comparison Chart

Having trouble deciding on the perfect planner to meet your needs? In this ultimate planner comparison, I’ve compared 28 planners from 11 of the most popular planner companies on the market to help you find which planner helps you organize your ideas and get things done.

Download this free printable planner comparison chart to help you pick the perfect planner for your lifestyle and budget. Comparison includes reviews and details of 28 planners from 11 of the most popular planner companies on the market. See if Erin Condren planners, Simplified Planner, Inkwell Planner, Happy Planner, Passion Planner and more is right for you! #planners #momssmallvictories #freeprintable

As moms, our minds are already overwhelmed with the millions of tasks we have to manage for our family, our home, our work, our blogs/businesses and our selves. So adding to it what planner will help us wrangle the chaos is just another overwhelming decision with the zillions of planners on the market. Being the planner addict that I am, I took it upon myself to compile this ultimate planner comparison of my favorite planners so I can help you decide which planner will bring more peace to your mind so you can focus on your most important goals.

You see, this planner obsession of mine, it comes out of absolute necessity. I expect a ton out of my planner. Juggling 3 boys (one dangerously close to heading to college),  a husband, an almost 20 year old house that we’re busting out of, a blog business I’m passionate about and an autoimmune disease that zaps my energy as unpredictably as the rolling in of clouds, you could say I have a lot going on. And I rely on my planner as my brain outside my body to tame the chaos. Otherwise, I really think I would forget everything. But I know that I’m not the only one afraid of dropping all those balls I’m juggling. Don’t you feel that way too?

The good news is that I’ve done the research for YOU and am taking you through my absolute favorite planner companies on the market today. In my personal quest to crush my goals while taming chaos, I’ve scoured Instagram, the internet, Michael’s, Staples, Office Depot, Target and any other store that might carry a planner in search of the ultimate planner that solves all my personal challenges. I swear I can’t walk through Target without going through the planner aisle first. It doesn’t change much from week to week but it’s my guilty pleasure and with 3 boys in the house, I’m at Target..a LOT!

And while I can’t promise that the planner you choose now will be the one you stick with for the rest of your life, I hope that my planner comparison will help you decide what planner works for you in THIS season of life to help you get closer to achieving YOUR DREAM LIFE.

Who says you have to wait till the beginning of the year to crush your goals? As Lara Casey of Powersheets encourages us, you can start wherever you are…RIGHT NOW! 

Please note that I originally wrote this post for 2018 and 2019 planners, and I’ve tried to note changes in descriptions for the 2020 planners as I continue to update this post and the chart. Please visit each store’s website for the most current, updated information. All these companies keep releasing new and great options worth checking out!

Ultimate Planner Comparison + Free Comparison Chart

To start things off, I’ll be walking you through the various planner companies I’m featuring, what I love about each one and what makes them unique in the planner market.

If you want more of the specifics on each planner, I’ve also compiled an Ultimate Planner Comparison file that you can download when you sign up for my newsletter. It includes a comparison chart so you can see:

  • available formats (ex. dated, undated, calendar year, academic year)
  • available binding (ex. spiral, book bound, binder inserts)
  • available sizes
  • cover material & binding
  • paper quality
  • monthly calendar format
  • monthly planning page types (ex. goalsetting, menu plan, reflection pages)
  • planner page format (ex. hourly schedule, top priorities, water or habit tracker, menu plan, gratitude, etc)
  • extra preprinted pages in the front or back (ex. routines, gift lists, travel lists, bucket lists)
  • # notes pages
  • who the planner is good for in my opinion (ex. busy moms, people who are inspired by minimalist design, people want everything in one planner, etc)
  • portability ranking in my opinion based on weight of planner from planner website.
  • and more!

I created this chart using statistics found on the planner companies’ websites and flipping through the planners I have to make it as complete as possible to help you make a decision on the planner that best fits your needs. The chart will help you narrow down which planners to check out further. You can hide columns and rows if you want to print off or view only the data that is relevant to your needs.

Download the complete Ultimate Planner Comparison chart here when you subscribe to my newsletter so you can continue to get productivity tips to crush your most important goals.

Subscribe to my Planning and Productivity Newsletter and get the FREE Ultimate Planner Comparison Chart so you can see a side-by-side comparison of 11 of the most popular life and goal planners to determine the best planner for your needs, lifestyle and planning type.

Note: This post contains affiliate links or referral links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission or discounts towards future purchases to me at no extra cost to you.Refer to my Full Privacy Policy and Disclaimers here.

The planners featured in this ultimate planner comparison include: The daily Simplified Planner by Emily Ley, the Powersheets goal planner by Cultivate What Matters, Erin Condren Life Planner, Plum Paper Planners, the Daily Day Designer, the weekly Inkwell Press Planner, the weekly Happy Planner, the Recollections goal planner, the Daily Purposeful Planner, and the weekly Passion Planner

 

What’s New for 2020!

Many of the planner companies introduced new lines since I first published this comparison on May 2018 (and the chart in June 2019) so I’m recapping them for you here as I continue to update this post and chart

  • Erin Condren* came out with the LifePlanner Binder system (a ring binder with either daily or weekly inserts and productivity notes pages), a petite journal line (similar to travelers notebooks), a softbound planner and a Focused Collection for undated, minimalist planners
  • Simplified Planner* came out with a new collaboration with At a Glance to provide weekly planners, an A5 binder system and lots of new accessories at a more affordable price (this collaboration available on Amazon*)
  • Day Designer* came out with a new signature line Weekly Planner, a new A5 binder system weekly planner on their collaboration with Blue Sky line (that is more budget friendly)
  • Inkwell Press* introduced a new disc bound 360 system and now sells both their horizontal and vertical planners on their site
  • Plum Paper* introduced a new daily planner option
  • Purposeful Planner now only offers one cover option (the white marble) in daily or weekly.
  • Passion Planner* now offers all 3 sizes, the small (formerly called the Compact), medium (formerly called the Pro), and large (formerly called the Classic) AND a daily planner!
  • Purple Trail Planners* are new-to-me and I got my first ring binder this year. They are totally customizable and I adore their paper quality. A fantastic option for people looking for amazing function at a great price.

Those are the new and exciting things coming, now let’s get to each company and what kind of planners they have that can help you.

Life Planner Comparison

First we’ll discuss the life planners because let’s face it, all of us need help organizing our busy lives and schedules.

Emily Ley Planners

Emily Ley is the creator of the first 3 planners in this planner comparison: the Daily Simplified Planner, the Weekly Simplified Planner, and the Dapperdesk (daily) Planner.

1. The Daily Simplified Planner

This is my second year using daily Simplified Planners* and I just love them. I have to get the newest ones for “research” purposes so I can tell you all about what changed and who this planner is best for. Did I mention how much I love what I do?

Every time, I open the packages for my daily Simplifed Planner, it kind of takes my breath away. The colors are vibrant and beautiful and the gold accents lend just a touch of class and sophistication without being flashy. I loved the Prep work pages and the Simplicity Challenge built into the prep work. When I did my Powersheets Prep Work, I determined that my Word of the Year was “Simplify” so the one-page Simplicity  Challenge was a welcome and comforting sight in the planner. I think I’m going to love playing in this planner and reporting to you how it can help you too.

What makes The Simplified Planner unique is that:

  • Looking Back and Looking Ahead Prep Work pages to help you determine lessons learned and your path forward
  • The Simplicity Challenge one-page checklist of ideas to tackle and simplify your life and home now
  • Simplicity video coaching and tips via email with purchase including tips from creator Emily Ley’s  latest book A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living* , a gorgeous book from inside Emily’s life and home to help you declutter your home and mind.
  • Calendar and Academic Year versions in both spiral dailies and bookbound hardcover weeklies.
  • Wide selection of gorgeous covers
  • A complete line of planners and coordinating home and kitchen organizational tools, notebooks, journals, baby keepsake albums, office decor and so many great gift ideas on the Simplified Planner website*.

 

Simplified Planner Review:

See my full review of the Daily Simplified Planner here with lots of pictures. Summary of the pros and cons of this planner here.

Pros:

  • great paper quality of coiled daily planners
  • smaller than other coiled daily planners so easier to carry
  • simple page design means you can customize what you track to suit your needs, even if that changes everyday!
  • works well with Powersheets goal planner
  • truly focused on simplifying your life: Simplicity Challange + Routine Worksheets + Monthly Simplicity tip reminders

Cons:

  • If you like a dedicated space to track water, health, menu, expenses, then you’d need to customize a lot
  • There are not many notes pages so you might need a coordinating separate journal or mini-notebook* or Powersheets if you make longer-term master task or project lists
  • Weekends share a page
  • Preprinted weekly tasks on Sunday might be a con for some users who would rather have that space to write

Get $10 off your first order through my referral link.*

2. The Weekly Simplified Planner

For my first time getting a Weekly Simplified Planner, I found it really small. For someone with bad hands and big handwriting and doesn’t need to carry the planner with me, I didn’t think it would work for me. But I was pleasantly surprised. The compact size allowed me to make this my next actions planner for the Getting Things Done system and helps me think through breaking down my monthly goals into weekly and then daily tasks.

But I do think if you need a portable planner that you want to help you simplify your life and schedule, then this Weekly Simplified Planner is it. I love that it comes with a ton of notes pages so it can easily keep up with the bullet journaling/collection keeping I like to do in my planners.

You can read my full review of the Weekly Simplified Planner here. And get $10 off your first order through my referral link.*

3. Dapperdesk Daily Planner

Dapperdesk Planner Review 2020. The Sky Blue Dapperdesk planner by Emily Ley is a gorgeous, classic, elegant and professional looking planner. It's simple, minimalist, and purely functional style makes it the best planner for working moms.

The Dapperdesk planner is the most professional and minimalist planner in Emily Ley’s line. A bookbound vegan leather daily planner, the Dapperdesk has full planning pages for Saturday AND Sunday making this the best planner for working moms (and dads) and those with busy weekends.

There is no color on the inside and it just has monthly layouts, a page per day for the calendar year and notes pages. It’s straight forward and to the point, no frills so you can customize it how you like. Because it has no coil, it is more portable and easy to fit in your purse or work bag.

You can read my full review of the Dapperdesk Planner here. And get $10 off your first order through my referral link.*

 4. The Day Designer

The Day Designer comes in a wide variety of daily, weekly and monthly planners. The daily planner has ample space for your schedule and to do list. See how the Day Designer stacks up against 10 other popular planners on the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

I used the Day Designer* in 2016-2017, when I started Elite Blog Academy* and decided to take my blog to the professional level. It was my first daily planner and I loved having enough room finally to keep track of all the things running through my head and space for my schedule to track how I spend my time (I find that time tracking really helps me boost my productivity because honestly, no one wants to write down “slacking off” in their planner).

I love big, chunky books and I admit I love big, chunky planners too. They are great memory keepers and fabulous for seeing your progress towards achieving your goals. In these daily planners, I make sure to do a little more journaling or tracking of my small victories and the Day Designer was the one that helped me do that, a practice I still cherish doing today.

And the more you look at the Day Designer site, the more you’ll find that they truly offer an option for every planner style and budget!

What makes The Day Designer unique is that:

  • the goal setting pages are the best in the daily planners I have seen that walk you through identifying your biggest goals and breaking them down into manageable pieces.
  • Daily pages have space for gratitude, notes, expenses and a don’t forget section for most important priorities.
  • Gorgeous and wide selection of covers, spiral and bookbound options
  • Wide variety of options between daily, weekly and monthly planners
  • Professional Ring Binder with A5 inserts to customize and build your ideal planner, if I ever head back to a full-time outside the home job, I’m getting one of these beauties!
  • Both a higher quality Flagship and mini line available on the Day Designer website* and a more budget-friendly Day Designer for Blue Sky line available on their website,  Amazon* and Target
  • Ideal month and ideal week routine worksheets
  • Variety of free, supplemental printables like an entertaining checklist, food and exercise log, weekly menu plan, cleaning schedule, books to read/movies to watch and many more on the Day Designer website*
  • The minimalist design makes this great for people who want this to be a functional planner as well as creatives who like a blank canvas to make it their own.

The Day Designer Review:

Check out my full review of the 2016-2017 Day Designer with lots more pictures of the daily and monthly pages inside that have remained the same and but the goalsetting pages may have changed.

The Signature Day Designer now comes in a  weekly version too! I haven’t ordered one yet but I hope to soon so I can tell you all about it!

Erin Condren Planners

5. Erin Condren Weekly LifePlanner

The Erin Condren comes in a wide variety of beautiful planners for moms, creatives, teachers and brides to be. The planners come with a variety of covers and layouts to choose from so you can build the planner you need . See how the Erin Condren stacks up against 10 other popular planners on the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

Ahhh, the planner that started the obsession and my ultimate planner comparison wouldn’t be complete without it. I have always been a planner girl but until I met the Erin Condren line of planners* in 2015, my planners were always the basic black or the ones I’d get in school and use black or blue pen. Nothing pretty or fancy but functional.

I opened that first beautiful box with my vibrant, colorful, happy little planner inside and marveled at it’s beauty. You couldn’t help but be joyful just looking at it, and that’s still how I feel when I opened the box to see my newest 2018 Erin Condren planner (and one lucky winner’s too).

For a noncreative person, I felt like the planner sparked some creativity in me. Like it was just begging me to use colored pens to categorize my tasks or find a way to make my lists pretty. And by getting down my notes, thoughts and lists, my mind felt like a burden had been lifted.

What makes the Erin Condren planners unique:

  • They are just. so. beautiful – the inspiring handlettered quotes, the vibrant colors, it all works seamlessly together
  • Available in bold, colorful, vibrant color scheme or a classic, elegant neutral color scheme
  • Perfect for creating memorable keepsakes like a memory, dream, Bible or gratitude journal
  • A wide variety of interchangeable snap in-covers
  • Available in hardcover bookbound and coil-bound weekly planners
  • Hardcover bookbound planners have gold or rose gold edged pages
  • Available in life planners, academic planners, teacher planners and wedding planners
  • Four coloring pages in the back
  • Perpetual calendar booklet can be moved from year to year to hold your recurring events like birthdays and anniversaries
  • Laminated back cover can be a dry-erase dashboard for lists or quote
  • Wide variety of coordinating desk supplies, lunch and laptop totes, note cards, journals, apparel and home decor available on the Erin Condren website*
  • Seasonal surprise boxes containing mystery and exclusive items available on the Erin Condren website*

Erin Condren Planner Review:

I don’t have a standalone review for this one yet so I’ll summarize the pros and cons of this planner here.

Pros:

  • Hourly, horizontal or vertical weekly layouts to suit your needs
  • Unsurpassed beauty, perfect for keepsake journals or to stimulate your planner creativity
  • Customizations available like personalized cover, layout and variety of add-on dashboards
  • Good paper quality, works best with their line of pens*
  • Annual and monthly dashboards can be customized for your goals, important events, menu plan or notes
  • Coordinating stickers to highlight important events and to dos
  • Future planning in the coming year calendar

Cons:

  • Only 6 note pages. If you’re an avid list maker, you’ll need a coordinating separate journal* to keep your master task lists, project plans or bullet journal style collections in.

Get a $10 off coupon when you register for Erin Condren’s Insider program.


6. Erin Condren LifePlanner Binder

I’m way excited about the new Erin Condren Life Planner Binder too, it’s an 18 month gorgeous system and you can check out my complete Erin Condren Life Planner Binder Review here. The inside planning pages are just beautiful and inspiring. I have the neutral color scheme which I find calming but they also have a colorful color scheme for planners who prefer something more vibrant.

The Erin Condren Life Planner Binder is a big planner and especially with all 18 months worth of planning pages in it, it would be cumbersome to carry everyday. BUT it’s a fantastic option for a desk planner.

Erin Condren just came out with daily insert pages, monthly insert pages and more notes pages for the binder so now we can really customize our planning. I’ll be reviewing these for you soon!

Get a $10 off coupon when you register for Erin Condren’s Insider program.

 

7. Erin Condren Daily Petite Planners

Erin Condren introduced new lines of petite planners* which are different categories of travelers notebook/journal style notebooks to build the planner you want. You can choose from goalsetting, daily planning, monthly calendars, gratitude journals, meal planning, travel and baby planning. The individual notebooks fit into a gorgeous folio cover (that fits 4 notebooks) to make it portable. A great option for people who want to customize their Erin Condren planners, change the books throughout the year and carry it in their purse.

Erin Condren sent me the daily 2020 petite planners for review and they are beautiful! See?

The Erin Condren Daily Petite Planners come in a set of 4 quarterly volumes or you can buy each volume separately.

I only have the daily planners because that’s what I prefer but they do have a monthly planner book too.

But here’s a glimpse at some of the other petite planners/journals I have. I’m obsessed with them and keep buying the new ones. I like that they are focused on each topic which helps ME stay focused on the task/topic at hand. For an easily distracted person, focus is hard but these planners help!

Erin Condren Goal Setting Petite Journal

erin condren goal setting journal and orange black blue dual tip markers
EC Goalsetting Petite Journal and Dual Tip Markers in Classic colors

Erin Condren Budget Journal

Erin Condren Daily Planner Review and an inside peek at my Erin Condren On the Go Folio System. The Budget Book fits perfectly and I keep it in my folio so I can track my expenses daily.

 

Erin Condren Checklist Journal

Erin Condren Daily Planner Review. The Checklist PEtite Journal in my On the Go Folio is one of my favorite journals. I am so motivated by checking things off a list and this beauty holds checklists for my daily routines, weekly routines, cleaning schedule, monthly routines, quarterly routines, books I want to read, reading challenges I'm going for and much more!

Erin Condren Meal Planner Journal

Erin Condren Daily Planner Review. The Erin Condren Petite meal planner is one of the notebooks in my On the Go Folio.

I think the Erin Condren Petite Planner Folio system is the best for customizable and portable planning. I’m using it for my entire Getting Things Done system!

Get a $10 off coupon when you register for Erin Condren’s Insider program. Head to my Erin Condren Daily Petite Planner reviewErin Condren Daily Petite Planner review for more info and pictures of this great planning and productivity system.

8. Inkwell Press Planner

Next up the incredible Inkwell Press line of classic and elegant planners. Just like the Simplified Planners, I’ve been stalking the Inkwells for a long time too. These beauties are truly wonderful for women who want to develop effective, worthwhile habits and crush their goals. The Inkwells focus on using monthly habit trackers and vision boards in order to prioritize your time and goals.

The Inkwells also have the best paper quality (at least the highest gsm paper weight) so that means pens won’t bleed through and the paper is velvety smooth. Seriously, I was a little intimidated to start writing in these incredible Inkwells, I don’t want to ruin it. But an unused planner doesn’t do me any good, so I can’t wait to dive in and show you how I use it.

What makes the Inkwell Press planners unique:

  • The best paper quality (140 gsm) of the planners in this comparison
  • Monthly 30 day habit trackers
  • Monthly mission boards
  • Setup video series with purchase from the Inkwell Press
  • Project Organizer, Travel List, Bill Tracking and Gift List included in extra pages
  • 32 notes pages for your master task lists and notes to make this an all-in-one life planner solution
  • Vertical dated weekly layouts available from Office Depot, horizontal dated weekly and daily coil-free undated layouts available on the Inkwell Press.
  • LiveWell Method Course and Productivity Academy courses with founder Tonya Dalton to help you live your best life.
  • Free pdf downloads available like checklists, bill trackers, goal setting and bullet journaling cheat sheets on the Inkwell Press

Inkwell Press Planner Review

I don’t have a standalone review of the Inkwell Press Planners yet so listing the pros and cons here:

Pros:

  • the paper! velvety smooth and thick so your favorite pens likely won’t bleed through
  • classic and neutral color scheme for planners inspired by minimalism and pops of color
  • 2 dot grid pages in each month for Notes and Ramblings
  • monthly mission boards for setting goals for me time, health, home, financial, social, dream big and 3 blanks to customize yourself
  • monthly habits trackers to focus on 3 habits each month
  • monthly calendar has space for top 5 priorities
  • weekly layout goes to the very edge of the pages to optimize space so there is more room to write
  • gift list, travel log, project planning space and monthly bill trackers
  • free pdf downloads can be printed and taped into the planner

Cons:

  • The gift list, travel log might be a con if you don’t think you’ll need that space and could have better used additional notes pages
  • Horizontal Weekly and Coil Free planners only available on Inkwell Press website, Vertical Weekly planners only available at Office Depot (online or in store)

New for 2019, the Inkwell Press now comes in a beautiful disc bound system so you can add the daily, weekly or monthly pages you want.

9. Passion Planner WEEKLY PlANNERS

The Passion Planner helps you think through your true passions in life and with monthly goals and reflection pages helps you work towards those goals you set. See how the Passion Planner compares to 10 other planners on the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

I used the Passion Planner* in 2017 and the beginning of 2018 and I loved it because it had a soft leatherlike bookbound cover, the kind that look beautiful on a bookshelf, it was a large 8.5″ x 11″ size, an hourly schedule so I could track my time, a work and personal to do list for each week and it had plenty of notes pages for tracking my to do lists and goals. I also loved the Passion Planner Roadmap for goalsetting and the monthly reflections to help you figure out how the month went and how you can improve for the next month.  The Passion Planner really was a perfect all-in-one solution for people who like to bullet journal in their planners and the Facebook group really inspired me to be creative with my trackers.

The Passion Planner is now available in 3 sizes, a medium size in between the 2 pictured above.

What makes the Passion Planner Unique:

  • Passion Roadmap to mindmap your biggest dreams and goals at the start of the year and mid-year
  • Monthly calendar has space for personal and work goals and a space of infinite possibility for whatever you want to add in there (I liked mindmapping my goals into achievable pieces)
  • Weekly layouts have equal space for personal and work to do lists to help you ensure work-life balance.
  • Available in Sunday or Monday start
  • Available in dated (Pro size) or undated (still available in Classic or Compact sizes until stock runs out)
  • Monthly reflections pages to highlight what went well and what you can improve upon in the coming month
  • Weekly challenges to break out of your comfort zone and improve your life in small ways
  • Entire planner available via free pdf so you can print size you want and bind yourself and have your complete planning needs in one place.
  • The most notes pages of any planner in this comparison (20 blank and 20 dotted in the Pro)
  • Give One, Get One program so you can apply to receive a free planner. They give away a lot of planners to organizations and schools.

Passion Planner Review

You can read my full review with lots of pictures on how I used my Passion Planner here.

Get 10% off your first purchase of $15 or more here.

 

The Passion Planner just came out with a daily version only available through their Kickstarter campaign right now. I hope I can get my hands on one soon to review for you!

10. Purple Trail Planners

The Purple Trail Planners are new to me this year and one of their reps let me select and customize every part of my planner to review for you. The review is coming soon but I had so much fun (and a bit of angst because there are sooo many options to choose from) customizing my ideal planner.

Being the Harry Potter fan I am, I could not resist the Harry Potter small 6×8 inch ring binder for my planner and I got:

  • 6 months of 1 page per day daily planning pages (in the colorful layout)
  • 12 months of content planning pages for my blog work (in the neutral layout)
  • to do list pages
  • checklist pages
  • account pages for spending trackers
  • dotted grid pages,
  • pocket and
  • whimsical wizard stickers!

Since I plan quarterly, I only keep 3 months of the daily pages and the content planning pages in the binder at one time (even though it could fit 5 to 6 months worth snugly). I’ve been using it for the first week of 2020 and I’m loving the paper quality and the ability to move pages and just take out the pages I need on a clipboard. Having just what I need helps me focus on the task at hand and the rest of the binder is not far away if i need to write down other ideas, tasks or goals. I also love that the binder opens and closes easily without having to flip it over to adjust the pages.

what makes the purple trail planner unique:

  • you can create your ideal productivity system because you can choose:
    • binding (ring binder, leather binder, unbound inserts, coil, hardbound book)
    • covers (soft laminate, soft synthetic, durable hardbook)
    • format (daily planners, weekly planners, monthly planners, mom planners, content planners, , wedding planners, teacher and student planners, fitness planners, tiny planners and planner notepads, printable planners)
    • colorful or neutral color scheme
    • starting month
    • planning page format (weekly horizontal, weekly vertical, weekly hourly, weekly 15 minute planner, weekly 3 section planner, weekly quad planner, 2 page per day planner, 1 page per day planner)
    • size (8.5 x 11 inches or 6 x 8 inches)
    • addons (different styles of notes pages, passwords, checklists, to do lists, fitness, nutrition, travel, grocery list, bills, bank accounts, monthly important dates, contacts, baby, appointments, teacher and classroom info and logs, student checklist, lesson planning, puzzles and games, pocket)
    • bookmarks, pens, stickers
  • excellent paper quality, I don’t know the GSM but it can handle the darker mildliner highlighters and my black/navy gel pens without much (if any) shadowing!
  • sticker club available
  • also sells coordinating invitations, journals, notebooks, wedding guest books and more!

Purple Trail Planner Review

I don’t have a formal review yet but I’ll list the pros and cons for you here in the meantime. I can only speak to the ring binder since that’s what I have but I would think the same applies to the other formats of planners too:

Pros

  • you can create and get EXACTLY the planner you need!!!
  • excellent paper quality
  • you can customize your start month so you can start using right away!
  • ring binders open and close easily without flipping the binder over or maneuvering the pages
  • ring binder is wide and holds a ton of pages, pages turn easily
  • this can be an all-in-one planning solution
  • simple, clean, minimalist design
  • colorful layout is not too overpowering, one color per month
  • they have good, frequent sales
  • fast shipping considering it’s customized but you do need to plan ahead when choosing your start month

Cons

  • it can get pricey to build your planner, mine came to $79.10 plus tax (shipping is free for continental U.S. order of $75 and over) but mine is both for personal and work.

Yep, that’s all i can think of to tell you about the Purple Trail planners, I think it’s a great value for what you can get!

Get $10 off your first order of $50 or more at Purple Trail and see if it helps you build your perfect planning and productivity system!

11. Plum Paper Planner

The Plum Paper Planner is a planner you can build from scratch with premade layouts, addons and covers to customize every detail so you can create the ideal planner for your needs. See how the Plum Paper stacks up to 10 other planners in the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

After the Erin Condren planner I bought in 2015, I discovered bullet journaling as a way to capture all the thoughts in my racing mind. I found that the Plum Paper planners allowed me to customize the planner so I could add a bunch of notes pages for my master task lists and project and bucket list ideas AND add preprinted checklists to each month and a blog planning section. It was a hefty planner because of everything I added in but it was AMAZING to be able to build a planner to suit my needs.

The Plum Paper was the first planner I bullet journaled in and loved that I could incorporate the system into a premade layout since drawing the layouts I wanted was too time-consuming and painful for my hands damaged by Rheumatoid Arthritis. I wanted an all-in-one solution because after reading Getting Things Done*, I knew that if I didn’t have everything in one place, I’d lose track of something important and the Plum Paper Planner rose to the occasion.

What makes the Plum Paper Planner unique:

  • Just about everything inside the planner can be customized for your needs including:
    • 3 size choices
    • 16 layout options
    • 250+ cover options
    • custom personalization on cover with 14 shape choices, 20 font choices and 50 color choices
    • start month date so you can start your planner anytime
    • length of planner (6 month increments between 6-18 months)
    • bound or unbound
    • 41 add-on options for your home, business, lifestyle, educational for teachers or students, notes and lists, dispersed pages and stickers
  • Monthly highlights pages for top 3 goals, birthdays, events and things to remember
  • Weekly ME layout, MAE layout  or full week grids are perfect for categorizing your weeks by family member or task category (leave the titles blank so you can change it up if you like)
  • New daily planner layout!
  • Ready to ship teacher planners shipped out within 1 business day

Plum Paper Planner Review

This post shows you how I bullet journaled in my Plum Paper planner back in 2016 but I will go over the pros and cons specifically here:

Pros:

  • most customizable, there isn’t a layout or need that they haven’t thought of already and made a beautiful layout for
  • smooth paper is a dream to write on
  • this can be an all-in-one planner solution
  • colorful planner is not overpowering and has clean lines

Cons:

  • because each planner is customized, shipping can take awhile depending on when you order. So plan and order ahead of when you need to start using it.

New for 2019-2020 is the daily option!

Want 10% off your first purchase of $30 or more in the Plum Paper Planner store? Email me at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com and request a referral. I have to enter your email address in Plum Paper’s referral system and they send you the coupon directly.

 

 

12. The Happy Planner

The Happy Planner inspires you to create, track your memories and schedule in this discbound system that you can add your own pages to. See how the Happy Planner compares to 10 other planners on the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

Every time I go into Michael’s (and I love going into Michael’s),  I head to the Happy Planner section. I love their covers and that they are discbound so you can add your own pages and customize the planner to suit your needs. They have a gorgeous collection of accessories and stickers to match also.

But as long as I have stalked them in Micheal’s, it wasn’t until now that I purchased one for the giveaway (and found a crazy deal on a 2018 for me to try out). It’s just so pretty. Anyway, here’s what I think makes the Happy Planner unique:

What makes the Happy Planner unique:

  • the only discbound planner in this comparison
  • hole punches* in both mini and large sizes and expander rings* allow you to add your own pages and customize your planner
  • each Happy Planner is unique in color schemes, fonts and inspirational quotes. Besides the layout and size differences, no two seem exactly alike.
  • monthly dashboard for current interests, birthdays and important notes
  • Perfect for creating memorable keepsakes like a memory, dream, Bible or gratitude journal

 

The Happy Planner Review

I don’t have a separate review so have listed the pros and cons for you here.

Pros:

Cons:

  • If you want extra pages for goal setting, reflection or notes pages, you have to order or find it in a store

13. The Purposeful Planner

The Purposeful Planner comes in a weekly or daily spiral bound planner. It has dedicated spaces to track your schedule, brain dump, health, menu, prayer & praise and notes. See how the Purposeful Planner stacks up in the ultimate planner comparison with 10 other popular planners on the market.

The Purposeful Planner* was started by founder Corie Clark in an effort to juggle her family, faith and budding business. Sound familiar? I have been using this planner since March 2018 when I found the need to switch from a weekly to a daily planner. I felt like I had a zillion small tasks in my head and that I would do throughout the day that I really wanted to keep track of, and there just wasn’t room in the weekly planner.

I loved having a daily planner before but after completing my Powersheets prep work, I realized that reading the Bible and simplifying my menu planning by doing it once a month were important to me so when I saw the Purposeful Planner on sale and included two of my main goals, I snagged it…and I do love it.

Note for 2020 planners:

Corie Clark now only offers one cover option, the white marble daily or weekly spiral bound planner. The quality and page layout is the same as shown in my review.

What makes The Purposeful Planner unique is that:

  • The cover on the spiral daily I have is the sturdiest, scuff-free and most stunning of the planners I’ve owned
  • Spiral and bookbound versions in both daily and weekly planners
  • Monthly planning pages include: Master Household Task List by room,  Dreams & Goals, Menu Plan and Budget page
  • Monthly calendars have a Monday start (which I like to keep weekends together)
  • The daily pages have space for water tracking, health, menu, prayer & praise (which you could easily change to gratitude or an affirmation)
  • The daily pages have a 15 minute daily challenge to help you dectlutter and simplify your life, home (and sometimes your purse and email too).
  • The daily pages have hourly schedule space enough for both planned time blocking and how time is actually spent
  • I like the “brain dump” section because I feel like that appropriately describes the random downloads of my brain I need to do daily to get all my ideas down.
  • It’s a pretty planner that still looks professional
  • The minimalist design makes this great for people who want this to be a functional planner as well as creatives who like a blank canvas to make it their own.

 

The Purposeful Planner Review:

Check out my full review of the Purposeful Planner with lots more pictures of the inside including how I color code and track my time and the different pens I tried out.

 

Goal Planner Comparison

There are a few planners on the market dedicated to clarifying and achieving our most important goals. And I’ll be doing the same sort of goal planner comparison so you can see if a goal planner will help you fulfill your purpose and goals.

14. Powersheets

The Powersheets intentional goal planner helps you pinpoint your most important goals and cultivate what matters most to you. See how the Powersheets compares to 10 other planners on the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

I started using Powersheets* in 2018 when I was feeling a bit lost over my life purpose. I was overwhelmed with everything I wanted to do, but not getting anything done to completion. One thing was for sure, I couldn’t focus and I couldn’t do it all. Do you ever feel that way?

The Powersheets made me dig deep and reflect harder than I had before. The Prep Work is intense but it helped me get down to the core goals that are most important to me. Instead of focusing on 20 goals, I narrowed it down to my 4 most important goals. And I can’t say I don’t still get distracted, but I can say that I am getting more done on my core goals and saying “no” more to things that don’t get me closer to them.

After you set your goals, the Powersheets helps you develop effective Action Plans and Monthly Tending Lists to make sure you stay focused on your core goals. The Powersheets helped me accomplish some amazing things in 2018, big and small and I’m a big fan.

 

What makes the Powersheets unique:

  • 20 Prep work worksheets to force you to think about your fears, the identity box you’ve put yourself in and your biggest aspirations and motivators in order to help you cultivate your most important goals
  • 10 Action Plan worksheets to take action on your 10 most important goals with more indepth questions to help you realize why the goal is important to you, resources to seek out and rewards when you complete the goal
  • Monthly Tending Lists to track your monthly, weekly and daily goals all in one space.
  • Month in Review worksheets to help you analyze what you’re grateful for, lessons learned, what’s going well and what you are saying no and yes to for next month.
  • A page to celebrate highlights and recap best of the year
  • Coordinating stickers included
  • Beautiful gold designs on some pages
  • The 12 month version comes with quarterly refresh challenges and reevaluation of goals and life.

The Powersheets Review

You can see more pictures and the pros and cons of the Powersheets in my full review here. Check out Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy Powersheets for answers to frequently asked questions and figure out if it’s worth it for you.

I think you can get a 10% off coupon when you sign up for the Cultivate What Matters newsletter.

15. The Self Journal

I came across the Self Journal* during my quest for my life purpose earlier this year. I am a sucker for hardcover bookbound journals and loved that the PDF of the entire journal was free to download. The Self Journal is undated and focused on 6 principles to help you achieve your goals including defining your goals in 13 week roadmaps, time blocking your entire day and bookending your day with positive psychology.

I really liked the way the Self Journal helps you break down your goals into progress goals, specific tasks, what success looks like and what your reward will be for achieving your goal by the target date. To hold yourself accountable, you have to physically sign and date your goals, a small step with great significance to keep you motivated.

What makes the Self Journal unique:

  • Free PDF download available of the entire  journal so you can print yourself and try it out.
  • Analyze your result goal (the goal you are trying to achieve), why it’s important and how it will improve your life
  • Sign your commitment to completing the goal by a target date to hold yourself accountable
  • Weekly habit trackers and reviews to determine wins, improvements and lessons learned
  • Light gray text on hours of daily agenda (6a-9p) so you can overwrite your planned hours if needed
  • Morning and evening daily gratitude
  • 13 week undated journal contains 3 monthly pages, 13 weekly layouts (2 weeks to a page), and  approximately 180 daily pages
  • Hardcover bookbound journal
  • Can order a subscription, journals delivered every 11 weeks and 10% off individual journal price
  • Weekly Action Pad* allows you to categorize tasks by time takes to complete and Energizing, Neutral and Draining

The Self Journal Review

I don’t have an individual review for this one yet so listing the pros and cons here:

Pros

  • Undated so you can use it when you need it, designed to work in 13 week blocks
  • Hardcover bookbound journal looks professional or free PDF to download
  • Small size makes it easily portable
  • Weekly review pages focus on your happiness, wins and lessons learned
  • Small weekly habit trackers associated with your goal work
  • Daily gratitude for mornings and evenings
  • Can be used for daily life planning and focusing on goals

Cons

  • Need 4 journals to cover an entire year

16. The Recollections Goal Planner

The Recollections goal planner is an undated planner that helps you break down your goals, set a routine and schedule your goals into your weekly schedule. See how the Recollections planner compares to 10 other planners on the market in my ultimate planner comparison with a free downloadable comparison chart.

I noticed this 18 month Recollections Goal Planner at Michael’s at the same time as I stalked the Happy Planners. Honestly, I didn’t know that this goal planner existed and I flipped through it and loved it. Like the Happy Planner, the Recollections planner inspires with it’s bright, bold, vibrant colors and quotes. I loved the premade gratitude and achievement trackers and the monthly goal trackers. Just about all the trackers I would create in a bullet journal to set and track my goals was already done in this lovely planner.

I love that it’s undated and comes with monthly stickers so you can customize the planner and use it for the months when you have time to work on your goals (because we all know there are some months when we’re just doing what we need to do to get by).

 

What makes the Recollections Goal Planner unique:

  • Beautiful layouts and colors to inspire you creatively and makes you happy just looking at it
  • Gratitude tracker to list what you love and achievement trackers to fill up your life
  • Finding motivation by writing down your routine (first things first, morning, afternoon, evening and before bed), one routine page per month
  • 5 weekly pages per month with 3 box checklist
  • Daily goal or habit tracker per month
  • Coordinating month stickers and achievement, encouraging stickers

The Recollections Goal Planner Review

I’m really excited about this goal planner so I will do a review soon, but until then I’ll summarize my pros and cons on this one for you here.

Pros

  • Good paper quality, similar to the Happy Planner and Erin Condren
  • Beautiful designs and layouts, a variety of colors and covers to choose from.
  • Bullet journal style goal, achievement and habit trackers to encourage you to stay focused on goals
  • One routine worksheets so your daily routine can evolve with your needs
  • Readily available in stores or online at Michael’s so you can get it at a good price especially with a coupon
  • Plenty of notes pages at the end
  • Can be used on it’s own for daily life planning and goal planning

Cons

17. The Get Your Grit Together Planner

I received a free copy of the GRIT planner to review and share. It’s undated so you can start it anytime and has space for monthly layouts, a monthly reflection/SHIFT analysis, weekly layouts and lots of lined and blank notes pages. It fits a year’s worth of planning and it’s in line for a full review so stay tuned to blog for that. I like it because it’s small and portable yet fits a whole year’s worth of goal crushing in it.

You can find the Grit Planner on AmazonGrit Planner on Amazon.

Want all the details on these amazing planners so you can find the best planner for your needs? Subscribe to my Newsletter and Get Your FREE Ultimate Planner Comparison Chart!

Subscribe to my newsletter and download my Ultimate Planner Comparison chart for free so you can print or view a side-by-side comparison of all the planners described above, their statistics and who the planner is best for. This will help you choose the best planner for you in your current season of life. With your subscription you also get the password to access my Exclusive Subscriber Library where you can download ALL the free planners, printables, bookish discussion questions and blogging goodies that I offer.

Subscribe to my Planning and Productivity Newsletter and get the FREE Ultimate Planner Comparison Chart so you can see a side-by-side comparison of 11 of the most popular life and goal planners to determine the best planner for your needs, lifestyle and planning type.

More Productivity Resources and My 30 days to organize your mind and life ebook Now on Sale!

Today, I’m excited to tell you about something that might help in your quest for gaining more time and managing it well. A bundle of resources created by people (I’m one of them!) who understand that you’re looking for practical productivity solutions that will work in your lifestyle.

It’s called Ultimate Productivity Bundle* and it was created and curated by people with real life responsibilities just like you: they have families, work part- to full-time jobs or run businesses, don’t have personal assistants or the budget for hiring lots of extra help. They want to help you (and themselves) conquer your to-do list, free up more time for yourself, and reach your goals.

When you buy the Ultimate Productivity Bundle you’ll get access to over 70 resources worth over $2,800 for a steal of a price including my newest product, the 30 Day Guide to Organize Your Mind and Life e-book is included in the Ultimate Productivity Bundle* on sale for a limited time! This e-book is designed to help you:

  1. Choose the right planner or bullet journal to help you keep track of your priorities, goals and ideas.
  2. Capture and process all the ideas, to dos, random thoughts
    and dreams coming at you from all directions.
  3. Develop simple and effective cleaning, meal planning, self-
    care and planning routines.
  4. Implement, review, evaluate and fine tune the planning and
    productivity system you have created so that you can
    sustain it.

Check out my ebook and the entire Ultimate Productivity Bundle* . At only $47 for over $2,800 worth of resources, It’s an incredible deal for everything you get and the bonuses!

Everyone’s planning needs are so different, we have different priorities and goals. It can be hard to find the right planner to help you juggle your daily life, reach for your goals and cultivate a purpose-filled life that you love. I hope that this Ultimate Planner Comparison helps you see the benefits of the different planners on the market so you can choose one that helps you feel less overwhelmed and more productive.

So which planners most interest you? What do you hope your planner helps you do? Do you need a planner to help you juggle daily life or reach your goals or both? Tell me in the comments!

Feel free to ask me anything about the planners you see above and I will give you my honest opinion and feedback.

Pin for Later:

The Ultimate Planner Comparison shares the complete statistics for 11 of the most popular life and goal planners so you can determine the best planner for your needs, lifestyle and planner type.

planner giveaways!

I used all the points that I’ve earned from my loyal readers who use my referral codes to buy awesome planners and fun accessories during Black Friday sales and I’m giving it all away! There are 3 planner giveaways live so far for a 2020 Daily Simplified Planner, a 2020 Weekly Simplified Planner and a 2020 Dapperdesk. The Simplified order came in first so those are the ones I get to give away first!

Giveaways for Erin Condren, Passion Planner, Purple Trail and more are coming soon be sure to bookmark or pin my Planner Giveaways page. So head there to get all the details, get hints for what’s coming and to enter to win!

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42 Comments

  1. Tanya,
    Have you ever come across a weekly Mon-Sun spread in an A4 size (8.5×11) or larger, vertical, lined columns that is like an appointment book but WITHOUT the times?
    What I’m basically looking for is a 7 column spread of daily “to-do” lists. I put appointments approximately where they would go if times were indicated, but I color code the other “to-do” items based on home, work, person, etc.
    I’m basically looking for a week’s worth of “to do” and “did” so I can keep track of my life looking at a week at a time. I have found nothing really like this. Plum Papers ME spread comes closest, but I don’t like the big spiral ring! I want small binding or sewn.
    I don’t ask for much, do I? LOL
    What I want is so simple, yet seems impossible to find!

    1. you might need an agendio planner where you can customize your own planner if the plum paper didnt work for you! Lol. i know its hard finding the perfect planner!

  2. Very detailed in your descriptions. I do believe this is very helpful for many searching for a new planner. Maybe one day my planners will make it to your review!

    1. Thanks so much J.Renee! I hope it does help people find the planner that will help them navigate their lives and pursue their goals and dreams. I’m intrigued by your planner, some of these companies send me planners for review, if you’re interested in having me review your planner, please email me at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com and we can chat about it!

    1. Oh I’m glad you found the planner comparison helpful, it keeps growing each year with all the planners coming out. There are so many great choices, it can be overwhelming! What did you choose for 2020?

  3. I’m wondering if you’ve ever seen the David Byrd Achievement Planner? It’s daily, with a weekly page at the start of each week, plus tabs for dividing into months. It has all kinds of pages for notes, too. Everything is undated, and unnumbered so you can set up your own indexing system for brain dumps. IN addition, it has places for goals, and notes whether it’s a family, faith, business, or self-type of goal. It even has places to track them long-term.

    Because it’s refillable, they actually have a way for you to bookshelf archive each year’s planner. This is especially helpful if your goals are very long-term, or for people who are creating/inventing things.

    My only wish: I wish they had pretty options. I was told about this by some girlfriends, who use it for their business. The other thing: it’s really heavy and large if you keep the entire year in it, which you should, because it has preplanning pages. So it’s not terribly portable if you’re a busy WAHM.

    1. Thanks for the tip Tracey, I will have to check out the Achievement Planner. I would love something that has a weekly layout and a daily page. This sounds like something I need to check out. I wonder how large it is and if you could get a couple different binders to split it up to make it more portable. I’d probably want a quarter’s worth of pages and all the preplanning and notes stuff to carry at one time.

  4. Hi, I have to say this is probably the most detailed comparison list I have come across. My problem now is, I want them all! I have been a Happy Planner user for a couple of years now, after switching over from my handy dandy Mead planners I could never seem to be perfectly happy with. I’m looking to get something that will do everything I need in one book, a brain dump/habit tracker/hourly to-do/goal tracker/travel planner, and everything in between I’m sure. My only issue with THP was that I needed stickers to get my hourly to-do going, and most of theirs dont start as early as my days do! So your comparison here will be a great help for me to decide what to use for the incoming year. I know I’m early but what can I say, I like to be prepared! (Also I’m checking out the rest of your site for more helpful tips!)

    1. Thanks so much Samantha, I love helping people decide which planners work best for them! It’s great you are starting early, I know it takes time to find the right solution for you. And most of the 2020 planner launches are in early September. Have you decided on one yet? I think if you want everything in one book and need hourly increments, the Passion Planner is worth looking into. I used it as a bullet journal and loved it. IF the start time isn’t early enough, I think they have a time extender free download on their website you can cut/tape in. or there is a sticker company that creates custom timelines. Anyway….let me know what you picked!

  5. Great comparison review. I’ve used Erin Condren for the past 5 years. But I am open to change. I wish I could get an 8.5 x 11 size with more room for notes and planning and brain dumping. TFS with #OMHGWW

    1. Ohhh then the Plum Paper sounds like a good choice for you. They have an 8.5 x 11 and you can add on LOTS of notes pages! I used it for bullet journaling and it was amazing. Thanks for stopping by Clearissa!

  6. I found this through Friendship Friday Blog Hop and it just so happens my link is about planners also! Too funny. I LOVE planners! This is a great post and I’ve pinned it to my Planners board. Thank you!

  7. This was an amazing post, and I really appreciate all the links to the printable add ons – it’s like trying them on before you buy.

  8. Wow. Such a thorough list. I love it. I wish I had done my homework before buying a planner for 2019. I keep swapping around because I just can’t find one planner that fits all my needs/wants in a planner.

  9. I love so many things about Inkwell and have used it for the past 3 years. I am looking for something new for next year. I do not want the gold ring spine again. I wish they would go back to something less shiny. I do not want to be a disc girl which does seem to be their focus this year.. I liked their coil free last year but this year the classic is only in gray. I thought of going to the daily but it is only in gray. I do not really like the yellow and the salmon pink color schemes which will fill up 1/2 the year combined. I’m thinking of doing Erin Condren in neutral. Not sure if I will like their paper quality as much after using Inkwell. It also seems like the priciest of all of my choices. I was at Michaels today and saw the Recollections planners. They right now are probably my second choice. Very pretty covers and inside color patterns. Biggest drawbacks is the gold ring spine and the paper quality, however it does seem comparative with Happy Planner. Anyone have suggestions based on these choices, you opinions would be appreciated.

    1. Inkwell does have the thickest and heaviest paper, I prefer bookbound to spirals also. My favorite bookbounds are the Passion Planner if you need a weekly (they have very thick paper too but not as velvety) and like a black and white color scheme. I used color pencils to add color when I wanted it which is nice. I just got the Erin Condren petite planners* (<--affiliate link) daily planning and goal setting notebooks. They are very colorful but I love the paper, it seems heavier and thicker than the EC i used in 2015. I just got them last night so I'll be posting a review as soon as I can get to it! If you want a silver coil, I think the Plum Papers have paper comparable to Inkwell or they have unbound versions so you can put it pages in a binder. Plus the Plums are made to order so customizable for your needs. Hope that helps!

  10. Thanks for this post comparing planners. So very helpful! I’m a current passion plan user and have been contemplating agendio. You’ve given me a lot to consider. Much appreciated!

  11. Thanks for this giveaway! I couldn’t make it without some sort of planner. I did try to fill out the google document for multiple planner entries and it says that the link is invalid. Just thought I’d let you know!

  12. I’m SO excited about your review and giveaway Tanya – great job and thanks for your generosity! Looking for the perfect planner for me. Hopefully I will win one of these beauties and come one step closer to finding #PlannerPeace! 🙂

  13. This review is amazing! Thank you for all the time you put into this-very thorough. I know you cannot review every planner, but did you ever consider including Start Planner? That’s the planner I use. Thanks for the review and giveaway. I would love them all.

  14. I will try to write my comment without tearing up. My biggest struggle was infertility. I suffered from severe endometriosis and adenomyosis. I have had multiple failed IVF for 7 years and the pain of not being able to conceive broke my heart into pieces. I love kids and work as a teacher for speech and hearing handicapped in a school setting and not being able to have at least one child was extremely painful. On February of this year, I was left without a choice and had a hysterectomy. I am better healthwise and forgot what life was like without bleeding and excruciating pain on a daily basis. However, I haven’t grieved or dealt with my emotions and just trying to make it through the school year to take care of my students and then take care of my self emotionally over the summer. I would love to take a beach vacation since I haven’t really been on vacation in a very long time due to IVF procedures every summer and was physically weak to even travel.
    My biggest dream is to have a child /ren through adoption or surrogacy and have a family. Having a planner has helped me immensely with scheduling my multiple doctor appointments and everything in between in the past. I am in search of a faith-filled, words of encouragement and a space to write my daily reflection and what I’m grateful for. I am looking for books to read over the summer that can help me emotionally and not lose faith that I will accomplish my dreams of becoming a mom and having a family in God’s perfect timing.

    1. I’m so sorry you had to have a hysterectomy after failed IVF attempts. I know there are so many kids who need loving homes and I hope and pray that adoption or surrogacy works out for you. I love the Purposeful Planner and Powersheets combo to help me manage my daily life, prayer and praise and infuse my life with faith. I hope you entered to win as many of the giveaways as you think will help you on your journey. In terms of books, I’m reading Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley right now and I think it might inspire you as well, to give yourself Grace in finding your way. Her book is filled with faith and inspiration also as she struggled with infertility, IVF and pregnancy as well. And I’m giving it away a long with her simplified planner so be sure to enter that giveaway! Much luck and blessings to you. Thanks for commenting and sharing your story and struggles with me.

  15. Being a teacher myself with my kids in school at a different district than myself, my planner is the only thing that keeps me sane some days. I’m looking for something that will work better with our increasingly busy schedules. Next year we add schilling sports for my daughter, athletic director responsibilities for me, and my masters classes! I’m still trying to figure out if a daily planner will be a better option or just a different weekly layout than I’m using now.

  16. I currently use the Inkwell press but would like to try the Plum Paper horizontal planner with notes.
    Thank you for the detailed reviews.

  17. I love the InkWell Planner – I’ve used it for the past 2 years (I do love the thick paper!), but I would love to try the Powersheets or the Purposeful Planner (I think that was the one you used for bullet journaling?). I’m not as much of a lover of planners as you are, but I love exploring the different options! This was really fun to read through, and you’re reviews are wonderful! I love seeing photos of how you use your planners!

  18. Wow, what a generous giveaway and thinking of others! For me, I would love to try out Powersheets by Lara Casey because I want to start a small business (so I can help with adding side income so I can continue to be a stay at home mom) and launch my blog. I have so many goals and dreams but don’t know where to put them and get started. As a mom, you know how our brains are everywhere with so much tasks and chores that needs to get done.

    With me, it’s that and on top of it, I’m grieving of losing my 3 year old daughter last year so I’m trying to keep this family together to make sure things are get done. But sometimes it’s hard to get things done when you just need some alone time to write things down and just breathe… think. I love that Lara has a strong faith as I’m just now learning to lean onto faith ever since my daughter was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease (not like yours but kinda similar).

    Thanks again for putting this amazing giveaway for us to be able to try these beautiful planners out before we can make that decision to actually purchase one! Have a blessful day!!

    1. I’m so glad to hear from you Nettie, I follow you on IG too and am so sorry for the loss of your daughter. I can’t imagine the pain. I am reading Grace Not Perfection now and I totally believe in giving yourself the Grace to deal with your grief. Autoimmune diseases are tough to handle and I’m sure so much harder watching your child to through it. Please accept my sincere condolences.

      Lara was such a light during a dark and confusing time for me as I struggled with my own life purpose. I try so hard with this blog and its my passion to make it a business but it’s been a tough battle. I understand wanting to start a,business and be home with your kids. Good luck with the giveaway and I hope you get your hands on some Powersheets! They really helped me pinpoint what was most important to me to focus on in 2018.,best wishes.

  19. WOW! What a huge number and variety of planners! I didn’t realize there were so many options out there now.

    I have used the same planner refill pages for about 30 years now! As a young engineer, DuPont sent us all through a class offered by MindMaster, and I still use their planner pages today (though at some point they were bought out by DayTimer) – still works for me, too!

    Wanted to remind you that it is summer again….and time for another Big Book Summer Challenge! I hope you will consider joining the fun again!

    Sue

    2018 Big Book Summer Challenge

    1. That is so great, I wish I was as loyal to one brand. I used to use Daytimer products at work. I’m sure you have quite a collection. I tend to get restless but this year I got all the planners so I could share their goodness with readers!

      I do remember it is Big Book Summer. In fact, I started reading Jane Eyre yesterday!

  20. I love planning and planners and you have collected a great selection! So hard to decide, but your chart is super helpful! 2019 is the year I do my dissertation so I’m in need of a good planner to keep me organized for school plus my family organized!

    1. Thanks so much Rachel, I’m so glad the chart was helpful to you. There are so many wonderful choices and,each planner has something unique, it can be difficult to decide. I enjoyed putting this together. Good luck!

  21. I couldn’t live without my planner! I love using a bullet journal style of planner – but omg how gorgeous are these?! Looks like a great format, too. Thanks for sharing!

    1. I know what you mean. I can’t live without my planners either. I end up bullet journaling in my planners so the layouts are done for me and I add my massive to do lists. Thanks for commenting, good luck if you entered to win!

  22. I would love to win a planner since I have RA and I write about my daily struggles. A planner would be a real treasure and meaningful since it involves life, the trials and tribulations, the successes and failures but most of all my goals and hopes that I will feel stronger, have more energy and travel and enjoy everyday to its fullest. Thanks for your wonderful giveaway which is very special and beautiful.

    1. So true Anne, my planner is my health record, and my small victories journal. The happy memories and the pain scale on bad RA days. But the progress on my goals is so wonderful to see, slowly but surely I get there! I’m so glad you shared what you need in a planner and how it helps you. Good luck and I appreciate the compliment on this giveaway, I’m so excited to share it with all of you!!

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