How to choose a planner you’ll actually use

Deciding how to choose a planner can feel overwhelming when there are so many different planners available. From daily and weekly planners, digital planners, family planners, and even bullet journals, it can be difficult to know which planner will help you stay organised.

The right planner isn’t necessarily the one with the most features. It needs to fit your life, help you get organised, and be one that you realistically have time to use.

In this post I’ll show you how to choose a planner that works for your needs, starting with the questions you should ask yourself before choosing one. I’ll explain the different types of planners, including daily, weekly, monthly, family, digital and bullet journal options, so you can see which might suit your busy life.

I’ll also explain how to find the best planner for productivity, whether you prefer paper, digital planning, or a combination of both, and share practical tips to help you choose a planner you’ll actually use.

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What‘s a planner?

A planner is the method you use to organise your time, tasks, appointments, commitments, and plans.

It might be as simple as a weekly paper planner and a pen. Or it could include using a digital calendar, family calendar, daily planner, or your phone’s notes app.

Whichever planner you choose, it needs to show you what needs to get done, so you can decide when you’re going to do it.

READ MORE: How to be productive when mum life feels chaotic

Why choosing the right planner matters

The right planner can make everyday life feel easier, because it gives you somewhere to put everything you’re trying to remember.

Here are some reasons why choosing the right planner matters:

• It gives you a place to capture tasks, appointments, and ideas so you don’t have to keep everything in your head.
• It makes your priorities clear by helping you to distinguish between something that needs to happen today, and something that can wait until later.
• It helps you plan family life and personal life together, by planning school runs, homework, appointments, work commitments, and family activities in the one place.

READ MORE: How to use a planner to stay organised

How to choose a planner

Choosing a planner isn’t about finding the planner that looks the best, or has the most features. It’s about finding a planning system that fits your life, your priorities, and how you organise your time. 

Before comparing planners, take some time to think about what you need from a planner.

For example, if your family’s schedule is busy, you may need a planner where you can see everyone’s appointments and activities on one page. Or if you need to manage a to-do list, you may need a planner that has sufficient space for daily tasks.

Here are some things to think about to help you choose a planner you’ll actually use. 

What do you need your planner to do?

Are you struggling to keep track of appointments? Do you have too many tasks taking up space in your brain?

Are you trying to balance work, family commitments, and running a home? Or do you just need something simple where you can plan your priorities for the week?

Think about what you need your planner to help you organise and action, here are some examples to get you started:

• Appointments 
• Important dates
• School activities
• Extra curricular activities
• Work commitments
• To-do lists
• Family commitments
• Household chores
• Meal planning
• Goal setting
• Birthdays
• Holidays
• Notes and things you need to remember

Once you’ve listed the things you need your planner to help you with, you may discover that you don’t actually need a planner with all the bells and whistles, you just need a planner to help you plan your week.

Do you prefer flexibility or structure?

This is one of the biggest differences between the different types of planners.

If you prefer creating your own layouts, and want a lot of blank pages, then a flexible planning system like a bullet journal will great planner choice for you.

If, like me, you like planners that are pre-designed, and you can use straight away, then a structured planning system like a paper planner is a great choice.

How much detail do you need?

If your days are full of appointments or time-specific tasks, then a daily planner will offer you the space you need to see everything that your day entails. 

If you don’t need to see the details of each day, but just want to see what’s happening during a particular week, then a weekly planner will be a better choice for you.

And if you need help remembering upcoming dates and commitments, then a monthly planner could be all you need.

Do you prefer paper or digital planning?

Another thing to consider when thinking about how to choose a planner, is to consider where you’re most likely to use it.

For example, paper planners are great if you enjoy writing things down, and like having your plans physically in front of you.

If you want to set reminders, want the ability to update your plans easily, or need to share your plans with others, then a digital calendar is a great choice.

You don’t have to choose just one type of planner, you can also combine paper and digital planning together.

For example, you could use a digital calendar for family appointments and school activities, and a paper planner for your weekly priorities and to-do list.

Types of planners 

Once you’ve worked through the above questions, you’ll be in a great place to decide what type of planner will suit your needs.

There are many different types of planners that you can use, here are some of the best planners that I’ve used.

Daily planner

A daily planner gives you space to plan out each day, which is helpful if you have lots of tasks, appointments, or time-specific commitments each day, and if you like to use time blocking to plan your day.

I love using this undated daily planner, because as well as recording tasks, appointments, and time specific commitments, you can also add notes to this planner, which I do when recording memories from the day.

READ MORE: The best daily planners to stay organised every day

Weekly planner

The biggest benefit of a weekly planner is that you can see your entire week in one glance, which allows you to plan around school activities, appointments, work and family commitments.

A weekly planner is also great if you want to set priorities for the week, instead of on a daily basis.

My favourite weekly planner is The Simplified Planner, which I’ve used in the past to prioritise tasks for the week, as well as write to-do lists, record dates, and even write grocery lists. 

RELATED POST: How to start a weekly planning routine

Monthly planner

A monthly planner is the best planner for productivity if you like to see an overview of all the birthdays, appointments, school events, holidays, and other important dates you have over the course of a month.

Family planner

A family planner is a planner where you can include plans for different family members, plan meals, and list appointments, activities, and household tasks.

This planner is perfect if you like to see what the whole family has going on.

RELATED POST: Family calendars: The best types to organise family life

Bullet journal

A bullet journal starts as a blank notebook, and you then design each page according to what you need the page to do.

For example, you can create your own to-do list, meal plan, monthly calendar, or anything else you want to include in this planner.

If you enjoy creating your own bullet journal layouts, then a bullet journal is a great choice.

When I started planning, I used a Leuchtturm1917 as a bullet journal, which I loved because I could add anything to it that I wanted. However, after a few years of use, I decided to start using a daily planner, but still use my Leuchtturm to make notes.

Digital planner

Digital planning is great if you like to plan on the go, want to easily change your plans, would like your family to add plans to shared calendars, or like to set up recurring events.

READ MORE: 5 digital tools to boost your productivity

Combination planning system

You don’t have to use one planner system for everything.

For example, you could use:

• A digital calendar for appointments and school events
• A weekly paper planner for your personal priorities
• A family planner to meal plan
• A simple notes app for lists and ideas

Using a combination of paper and digital planning tools works well if different areas of your life need different types of planning.

The key is to make sure your systems work together, rather than creating several separate places that you have to constantly check.

READ MORE: How to use a paper planner and Google Calendar together

What’s the best planner for productivity?

The best planner for productivity is the one that makes it easy for you to decide what needs doing, when you’re going to do it, and what can wait.

Here are some examples of what each type of planner is most suited to:

• Daily planner – for many tasks and appointments, and detailed planning
• Weekly planner –  if you want to see your week at a glance
• Monthly planner – if you want a monthly overview and are happy to use a second planner to plan in greater detail
• Family planner – to keep track of family member’s commitments
• Bullet journal – for complete flexibility and to create your own layouts
• Digital planner – for planning on the go, and great for recurring reminders
• Combination planning – if you need different planners for different areas of your life

Practical tips for how to choose a planner

Here are some tips to consider when choosing a planner:

• Don’t buy one on looks alone, a planner can be beautifully designed but doesn’t help you plan in the way that you need.
• Before choosing a planner, think about:
  • Does it have enough space?
  • Do you need all the sections?
  • Does the layout make sense to you?
  • Can you easily find the information you need?
• Don’t choose a planner that will take a long time to maintain.
• Remember that your planner choice can change, what works well one year, may not work well the next year.

How to choose a planner – a recap

Choosing a planner doesn’t have to mean finding the perfect one, or buying the planner with the most features. 

The best planning system is the one that fits your life, helps you organise what matters, and is easy to use consistently.

Before choosing a planner, think about what you need it to help you organise, whether you prefer flexibility or structure, how much detail you need, and whether paper, digital, or a combination of both works best for you.

There are plenty of types of planners to choose from. A daily planner can be useful when you have lots of tasks and appointments, while a weekly planner gives you a helpful overview of your family’s commitments. 

A monthly planner is useful for important dates, a family planner can bring everyone’s schedules together, and a bullet journal gives you complete flexibility. 

Digital and combination planning systems can also work well if you want reminders, flexibility, or different tools for different areas of your life.

When it comes to finding the best planner for productivity, choose the planner that makes it easy for you to see what needs doing, prioritise your time, and keep track of your commitments.

Your planning needs can change as your life changes. So if a planner isn’t working anymore, it’s perfectly okay to try something different.

Ready to get more organised?

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What type of planner do you currently use, and does it work for you?

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