We spent hours researching planners to find the best options while considering factors such as layout, size, length, and extra features. We also spoke with Megan Sumrell, time management and productivity expert, and Erik Pham, CEO of the health and wellness publisher Health Canal, for insight and tips on what to look for when buying a new planner. “When shopping for a new planner, it’s important to consider what features are most important to you and what type of layout you prefer,” says Pham. “Consider things like page layout, color selection, size, and extras such as goal-setting or budgeting pages.” Here are the best planners to make this your most organized and productive year. Who it isn’t for: People who want a planner with pre-filled dates. If your schedule is erratic and changes on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, the Clever Fox Planner is undated with weekly and monthly sections to keep you organized without the guilt of leaving large timespans blank. With a ton of extra features, including a pen loop and elastic band closure, pockets, colorful stickers, and pages for goals and vision boards, this helpful planner is a must if you’re detailed but need the flexibility most dated planners can’t provide. We also love that it comes in 23 colors. Price at time of publish: $25 Product Details:
Layout: Weekly, MonthlyDated: NoLength: Up to 12 monthsSize: 5.8 x 8.3 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a short, undated planner. Most planners have an expiration date of about a year, but the Rifle Paper Co. 17-Month Planner is perfect for those who like to keep their planners a little longer. This planner features a sturdy hardcover featuring a beautiful botanical design, an interior gold spiral wire-o binding to keep your planner intact, and an elastic band to hold the pages closed. We love that this planner has three sheets of charming and colorful stickers (some useful and some just for fun), inspirational quotes on some of the weekly pages, storage pockets, and extra pages for goals, notes, and special events. Price at time of publish: $36 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 17 monthsSize: 8.25 × 6.75 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want an affordable planner. If your planner is just as important as your favorite wallet, purse, or watch, opt for the luxe Smythson Soho Agenda. This elegant planner features a sophisticated leather cover and gilt-edged paper, and is available in 12 colors. You also have the option to customize the inner text and font and add a motif stamp on the outer cover. The weekly view and notes pages keep you on track and the slip pocket keeps your important papers in one place. Price at time of publish: $280 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 15 monthsSize: 5.5 x 7.5 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want only a monthly planner. Some professions or schedules require intense and meticulous planning, so it makes sense to choose a planner that can make your life easier and more streamlined. For those who like to be hyper-organized down to the hour, we recommend the Legend Planner Pro Hourly Weekly Planner. In addition to weekly and monthly sections for a total of 12 months, this planner has daily time slots from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. so you can manage your days with efficiency. We also love that it comes with extras like pages for notes and three sheets of planner stickers to stay on track. Price at time of publish: $33 Product Details:
Layout: Hourly, Weekly, MonthlyDated: NoLength: 12 monthsSize: 8.5 x 11 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a simpler planner. If you love a fun planner with vibrant artwork, dozens of useful yet charming stickers, and a coloring page, the Bando Medium 12-month Planner is for you. The wire-o binding helps this planner lay flat, which Sumrell says is a must when choosing a planner, while the elastic band on the hardcover keeps it closed and tidy. Lastly, we love the colorful month tabs that make it easy to find your place. Price at time of publish: $28 Product Details:
Layout: Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: 8 x 6.5 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a planner with rings. Planning your meals for the week requires a specialized format to clearly lay out the times of the meals and the ingredients you need. We love the Papier Meal Planner for its convenient size, option for customizable covers, tear-off grocery lists, and a page of pasta cooking times. The undated pages mean you aren’t obligated to use it every week (for those days you want take-out) and the foldable cover keeps your planner protected while you cook in the kitchen. If you love the look of this planner but don’t need a meal planner, definitely check out Papier’s entire range of journals and planners. Price at time of publish: $16 Product Details:
Layout: WeeklyDated: NoLength: 60 weeksSize: 9.5 x 7 inches
Who it isn’t for: Teachers who want a budget planner. Most teachers will agree that staying organized with lesson plans is the key to a successful school year for themselves and their students. For any type of teacher or homeschooling parent, we recommend the Ivory Paper Co. Teacher Planner. With this planner, you can customize the start date, lines in the weekly boxes, student checklists, and the cover title. We also like that this lesson planner has a seven-period weekly spread and comes in nearly 70 cover designs. Price at time of publish: $55 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: Can beLength: 12 monthsSize: 8 x 10 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want an undated fitness planner. Efficiently tracking fitness goals can be more motivational with an organized planner. The Happy Planner Fitness Planner is perfect for fulfilling all your health, wellness, and fitness goals for the new year. The weekly spreads have a vertical layout with three daily boxed spaces so you can divide your day into morning, afternoon, and evening and categorize it to your needs. We especially love the plastic disc binding system, as you can remove each disc to add or remove pages and personalize with snap-in accessories. Lastly, this planner comes with stickers, tie-dye designs throughout the planner, and inspirational fitness quotes. Price at time of publish: $30 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: 7 x 9.25 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who need a yearly planner. Even a planner with a short timespan can help you stay organized with your goals and schedule. The Panda Planner Classic is a 90-day planner for those who need a planner to achieve short-term goals, build mini routines, and start any time of the year. With six color options, three bookmarks, inner pockets, and a portable size, this detailed planner is the best choice for holding yourself accountable. Price at time of publish: $20 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: NoLength: 3 monthsSize: 5.25 x 8.25 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a dated monthly planner. Planning for quarterly goals, especially in a business or financial setting, requires meticulous organization. The Poketo Quarterly Goal Planner will help you stay focused on short-term goals without compromising on the momentum or motivation that comes with having a planner. Each planner starts and ends with a few pages of prompts so you can outline your goals and then give yourself feedback and celebrate your success. It also contains several note pages, monthly calendars, and daily and weekly plans. If you like to separate your year into quarters, bundle four planners in coordinated colors. Price at time of publish: $28 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: NoLength: 3 monthsSize: 5.75 x 8.5 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a pocket planner. If you like to have your week laid out in large font, you’ll love the Jstory Big Weekly Planner for its thin yet large design. This undated minimal planner comes in mini, small, medium, and large sizes, with weekly or monthly variations. The weekly planner contains 54 weeks, one per page, which suits checklist-style writing, and a stitched binding that makes it durable and easy to fold or lay flat. It’s slim enough to fit in a backpack or laptop case without taking up too much space. Price at time of publish: $17 Product Details:
Layout: WeeklyDated: NoLength: 54 weeksSize: 8.3 x 11.7 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a pocket planner with wire o-binding. Most planners don’t fit in a smaller purse or bag, but with a pocket planner, you can take your schedule anywhere. The Erin Condren Pocket Planner is about the size of a smartphone and is clear and simple enough to keep organized. Sumrell likes Erin Condren planners for their vegan leather covers, lovely designs, color options, and personalizable cover titles. We especially love the lay-flat binding, productivity pages, and overall efficiency for such a compact size. Price at time of publish: $18 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: 3.5 x 6.25 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want an hourly or daily planner. A tidy and organized life requires a planner to match, so we recommend the Rachel Parcell for Blue Sky Professional Weekly Planner for professionals and career-driven people. This planner is an elevated basic with a sleek and clean design, a snap-in bookmark, two small sheets of planner stickers, and a storage pocket. The weekly and monthly sections are clear and have plenty of space to write notes and goals, and the gold wire-o binding provides a polished touch and makes the planner easy to fold and lay flat. We also love the highly rated regular Blue Sky Weekly Planners for their efficiency and affordability. Price at time of publish: $17 Product Details:
Layout: Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: 8.5 in x 11 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a planner with a printed or designed cover. If you’re looking for a planner that will give you the most bang for your buck, look no further than Papercode’s The Simple Elephant Daily Planner. This budget-friendly planner is simple, featuring notes and goals pages, a mind map page, a vision board page, three ribbon bookmarks, a pen loop, and an inner cover pocket. It also comes with a sheet of color-coded stickers so you can stay extra organized. Price at time of publish: $22 Product Details:
Layout: Hourly, Weekly, MonthlyDated: NoLength: 12 monthsSize: 8.3 x 5.9 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a more affordable planner. Keeping your week organized is the best way to track monthly success and goals. The Day Designer Weekly Planner, which Pham also recommends, stands out for its worksheets, weekly planning pages, expense tracking pages, and two sheets of gold foil stickers. Each weekly section has inspirational quotes, to-do checklists, and pages for notes and weekly priorities. This planner also has a sophisticated cover design, gold wire-o rings, protective gold corners, gold foil-dated monthly tabs, and a bookmark ruler. Lastly, this planner is available in Mini Weekly, Daily Original, and Mini Daily versions. Price at time of publish: $68 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, Weekly, MonthlyDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: 9 x 9.75 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a bound planner. Getting rid of a planner every year can be wasteful, so if you’re looking for a more sustainable option, opt for a refillable planner. As one of the first mainstream brands of planners and organizers, Filofax has maintained its reliable reputation in providing minimal yet functional planners and refill options. We recommend the Malden Organizer, which is more affordable than other Filofax planners and comes in seven colors. At the end of the year you can refill it with one of Filofax’s many options. Price at time of publish: $148 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, WeeklyDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: 6 x 7.6 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who want a dated weekly or monthly planner. Because most planners come pre-set with sections, layouts, and designs, it might be challenging to get creative. With the Smart Planner Dotted Journal, however, you can create the planner of your most imaginative dreams with bullet journaling. This journal features a flat-lay binding, a lined fabric hard cover, inner pockets, an elastic pen loop, and strap closure. Perhaps our favorite feature is a page for pen testing so the pages that matter can look as neat as possible. Price at time of publish: $10 Product Details:
Layout: Dotted gridDated: NoLength: 170 pagesSize: 8.6 x 5.7 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who don’t want their planner attached to a clutch. If you view your planner as being as necessary and functional as a wallet, a clutch organizer is the perfect marriage of the two. The MochiThings MYO Clutch Planner & Organizer Set includes an undated planner to break down your year, months, and weeks, while the chic yet compact envelope-style clutch features storage pockets for important papers, card pockets for credit cards or business cards, and a pen holder. This faux leather organizer set comes in eight colors, with matching tassels and bookmarks available to complete the entire look. For those who want to keep their phones inside their organizer, the MYO Clutch 6 Ring Binder has a phone pocket and is slightly larger than the organizer set. Price at time of publish: $48 Product Details:
Layout: Weekly, MonthlyDated: NoLength: 57 weeksSize: 7.68 x 5.91 inches
Who it isn’t for: People want a budget-friendly planner. Most planners don’t offer a lot of customization, but with the Golden Coil Planner, you can choose the start and end dates, layouts, and page numbers, as well as add in your own events and contacts, plus much more. While this planner is expensive, no other planner is as customizable for your life and schedule. It’s available in a range of cover designs and materials like linen and coated paper leather, so your planner will be just as unique on the outside as it is on the inside. Price at time of publish: From $70 Product Details:
Layout: Daily, WeeklyDated: Can beLength: 12 monthsSize: 7.25 x 9.75 inches
Who it isn’t for: People who prefer a physical paper planner. Whether you like to supplement your organizational habits with a digital planner or dislike paper planners, digital planners can be helpful and reusable (meaning no paper waste!). We recommend the Flourish Digital Planner for its yearly, weekly, and daily planner pages, as well as its vision board, habit and routine trackers, and cover pages with inspirational quotes. This Apple-compatible digital planner is great for the tech-savvy but is simple enough to get the hang of for just about anyone. Price at time of publish: $28 Product Details:
Layout: DigitalDated: YesLength: 12 monthsSize: N/A
Size
Planners range in sizes—from pocket or wallet-sized to the dimensions of a standard sheet of paper. Small planners are great for traveling or jotting down quick notes and checklists, while large planners are more commonly useful for professionals, teachers, and students. To determine what size would be best for you, Pham recommends assessing where you are most likely to keep it (a backpack, a briefcase) and see if it fits.
Extra Features
Both Pham and Sumrell suggest choosing a planner with extras. This can mean anything from stickers and bookmarks to pockets and pages for specific tasks, such as a vision board. If you want to go all out with a planner, an extra feature can also be a customizable cover. While extra features aren’t necessary to keep organized, they can definitely be helpful and serve as reminders of your motivation and productivity.
Take Our Word for It
This article was written by L. Daniela Alvarez, a contributing writer for Real Simple with nearly three years of experience writing lifestyle content and product reviews. To compile this list, she spent hours researching different kinds of planners and reading customer reviews. She also received tips on how to shop for planners from Megan Sumrell, time management and productivity expert, and Erik Pham, CEO of the health and wellness publisher HealthCanal.
