Your tech tools are great for managing your day, but nothing really beats writing things down in an old-fashioned planner. Writing manually helps you remember more, for instance, and there’s something fulfilling about putting a big X through tasks you’ve completed. Different planners do different things, so as you consider embarking on that old-school journey, here are some suggestions for different features.
If you want to travel with it: Smart Planner Pro ($18)
If you need to bring your planner to work, school, home, kids’ games, or whatever else, the Smart Planner Pro is a good option because it’s small—just 8.6” by 5.7”. It lays flat and features sections for weekly and monthly planning, so you can detail your to-do list day by day, but keep bigger reminders, like birthdays, on the monthly calendar. It also comes with four sheets of stickers that are designed to fit the sections of the pages just right and can help you remember important tasks or mark off ones you’ve done.
If you’re using it for a specific goal: Clever Fox Planer ($25)
Long-time planner people re-up at the start of every year, which is great for them, but if you just want to grab one right now, start it immediately, and use it to meet a specific goal, try the Clever Fox planner. It’s undated, so you won’t waste half the pages by starting in the middle of the summer, and it features pages for listing what you’re grateful for, passionate about, and hoping to accomplish, plus areas for you to break down your goals step by step. It’s perfect for goal-setting because it enables you to visualize your plans in the pages before the 52-week planner appears. Think of it like a vision board.
If you want to budget your money: HAKPNEW Budget Binder ($14 before coupon)
Planners are usually associated with school or work, but there are specially-made ones like this one for other purposes, like budgeting. This one even comes with a calculator, card holders, and cash envelopes, so you can use it to save up for something big. The pre-made pages help you budget for your week and month, whether you’re using it for your personal finances or your business.
If you want to be sustainable or techy: Rocketbook ($23)
Using up paper might seem wasteful to you or maybe you just love having a tech component in all parts of your life. Either way, a small Rocketbook could be your perfect planner. It’s not organized like a planner, but does have blank pages that are scannable and will transfer to an app on your phone, becoming searchable that way. You write on the pages, upload them, and wipe them clean, so you can access your to-do lists and reminders anywhere, even if you don’t have the book itself with you.
If you want it for school: Order Out of Chaos planner ($21)
You can theoretically use any planner for schoolwork, but an academic planner is always the best option. There is a space for you to list your classes, and the focus of the prompts is all about your schoolwork so you never forget a due date or test. There are even pages dedicated to study guides that walk you through preparing for what to review ahead of a quiz.