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The Spruce / Joy Kim
Paper planners may seem like long-forgotten task keepers in today’s digital world, but I love sitting down with my planner every morning and making a to-do list. It helps me stay focused on my priorities and serves as a grounding practice before I log onto my computer for the day.
As writers and editors, we’re particularly opinionated about the best planners, so our team here at The Spruce has shared their favorite stationery brands and planner designs that serve all workflow preferences.
Our Top Picks
This comprehensive, undated 12-month planner is a versatile option that'll suit a variety of organization styles. It features weekly and monthly spreads for shorter- and longer-term planning, and it comes in several colors, so you’re sure to find one you like. It even has a pocket for storing important documents, plus over 100 colorful stickers, and ribbon bookmarks.
The Legend Planner is unique in that it's designed for concise daily planning and expansive life goals. Its weekly planner pages are undated, so you can use it anytime, instead of just for one year. You can track habits, set weekly goals, and easily track to-do items. While I prefer a dated planner, this design would be great for seasoned users who want a little more flexibility in their planner design.
Plus, it has sections and checkmark boxes that actively encourage you to reward yourself and have a little fun along with your self-growth. There's even a spot for writing your dreams and mind-mapping onto a set structure. However, if you prefer to bullet journal or create your calendar and weekly layouts, this planner may not be exactly what you're looking for.
In addition to its inner features, the Legend Planner has a faux leather binding and bleed-resistant, 120 grams per square meter (or GSM) paper, which is about as thick and durable as light cardstock.
Format: Weekly and monthly pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 8.30 x 5.50 x 0.94 inches
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The Spruce / Joy Kim
The Blue Sky 2025 Planner is spiral-bound, so it lays flat, and has coated tabs that make it a breeze to flip to the right spot. The price of this planner is a major convenience for anyone who's not super particular about aesthetics or is just entering the habit of using a paper planner.
You get a large calendar view of each month followed by weekly pages that offer generous space for writing reminders, making a checklist, or planning out your days. This style of planner was my go-to for years before trying the larger format of the Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Planner.
My team particularly loves the no-fuss design of this planner, which makes it easy to quickly flip through and pack in a work bag or even a purse. There's also a larger notes section at the back of the planner if you need more space for brainstorming.
My only real complaint about this planner is that its cover is flimsy, so it could become bent if not kept flat in your bag. However, this is a minor complaint, and the overall design outweighs any durability concerns (plus we haven't experienced any issues after using this planner for a year).
Format: Monthly and weekly pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
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The Spruce / Joy Kim
There's one downside to most paper planners: The incessant flipping between the monthly calendar page and pages formatted for weekly to-dos. The Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Planner solves this issue. The horizontal planner features full-size calendar pages at the beginning of each month followed by half-size pages for each week of the month.
The result: An easy-to-view paper planner with room for weekly appointment notations, daily to-dos, and random notes as they come up each month. I've been testing this planner for over three months and think it's a great option for keeping in an entryway so multiple users can have an at-a-glance look at the month and week ahead. I keep it open on my desk so that I can easily reference my to-do list and daily meetings at the same time.
There's an additional notes section at the back of the planner to write down yearly wins and lessons and to view the entire calendar year. I also love that the pages feature a mix of bullet journaling pages, graph paper, and standard lined sheets. You can even keep track of your spot in the planner with two removable bookmarks.
Format: Daily, weekly, monthly, and notes planning pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 12.75 x 9.25 inches
PHOTO: The Spruce / Emma Phelps PHOTO: The Spruce / Emma Phelps PHOTO: The Spruce / Emma Phelps
Whether you’re well-versed in bullet journaling or just dipping your toes into the trend for the first time, this traditional faux leather-bound journal is a great option. The pages are dotted to guide your free-hand weekly or monthly calendar designs while still leaving the format entirely up to you.
Also nice: The bound notebook is about 5 x 8 inches with 203 pages, which offers plenty of room for all kinds of calendars, lists, and logs, but is also small enough to tote with you. The pages are numbered, so you can also easily create a table of contents for different parts of the notebook. An elastic enclosure band, ribbon page markers, and a pocket in the back of the notebook also round out this design.
Format: Customizable | Pages: 203 | Dimensions: 5.75 x 8.25 x 0.8 inches
I love the versatility of Papier's financial planner layout. While I haven't tried this specific design, I know several people who swear by Papier's planner designs. The brand's financial planner has pages for tracking your daily spending, setting savings goals, and monitoring overall monthly costs. There are dozens of cover designs on Papier's website, but I love the simplicity of the Joy design.
This planner has pages to plan up to six occasions, so whether you're planning for a wedding or a big family trip, it's easy to visualize your overall costs. Plus, you can personalize this planner with your name on the front cover.
Format: Financial goals, Savings and debt record, monthly review, money tracker, end of year review, and occasion planning pages | Pages: 192 | Dimensions: 6 x 8.5 inches
Erin Condren has a wide range of time-tested planners, including their popular Lifeplanner line. But for anyone looking for month-by-month planning, I recommend the brand's Monthly Planner, which covers the calendar year.
The planner features several ways to organize your goals, events, and plans, including monthly productivity pages, two-page calendars, deadline tracking, and pages with customizable boxes for your bullet points or lists. There are also 10 full pages for notes between each month, so you don't have to flip to the very back of your planner for extra space. And, thanks to its plated aluminum spiral coil, the planner lies flat, providing easy access to highly customizable layouts.
While this monthly planner is a fantastic way to organize your whole year, it is very thick compared to other compact options, so it will take up more room in a work tote or purse.
Format: Weekly and monthly pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 7 x 9 or 8.5 x 11 inches
If you can't find exactly what you're looking for in a planner, Golden Coil allows you to design your planner to meet your specific needs. With this service, you can customize everything from the cover to the pages inside. And the options go way beyond your standard planner.
You can have your entire address book printed inside, choose your own start and end dates, add events from digital calendars into calendar pages, and personalize the way all of your pages are laid out. Extra page options include things like budget trackers, reflections, and more.
The only possible drawback of this planner is that it might be overwhelming for beginners who are new to using a paper planner and don't fully know what they want in page layouts or timelines.
Format: Customizable | Pages: Customizable | Dimensions: 7.25 x 0.88 - 1.25 x 9.75
While the Ink+Volt Goal Planner has all of the monthly and weekly calendar pages you'd expect from a planner, its greatest strength is goal planning, with a robust set of features designed to help you keep big plans on track.
The Goal Planner begins with ideation, incorporating pages that encourage you to describe a vision for the coming year, establish benchmarks, and even draw up a timeline of milestones. Then you can dive into the nitty gritty of achieving your goal, with pages for action plan tasks, analysis, a text box for words of encouragement, and even little progress bars you can fill out.
There are also pages to outline a monthly "31-Day Challenge," weekly outlooks, and plenty of dot grid space for note-taking. There's even a page for logging and celebrating specific achievements from the year.
The Ink+Volt Goal Planner is available in 14 different colors, with "soft touch" and "bookcloth" variant covers available with different textures entirely. You can also choose between a dated book and undated versions. Our only hesitancy with this planner is that some users may find certain pages wasteful if they do not engage with all of the prompts available in the planner. If the thought of diving into a goal planner is stressful, Ink+Volt has a helpful guide for getting started.
Format: Weekly, monthly, and goals-oriented planning pages | Pages: More than 277 | Dimensions: 6 x 8.5 inches
Cloth & Paper offers a range of coordinating planners and accessories that are minimalist in design—so you can keep your layouts and notes simple, or take full advantage of the blank space for your own embellishments. Like some of the others on this list, the brand offers a ton of accessories and add-ons, like sticky notes, stickers, dashboards, and more.
Plus, one thing that's unique to Cloth & Paper is its monthly subscription box offering—so if you're in it for the long haul, you can look forward to adding to your supplies on a regular basis.
If you're starting fresh, the beginner's bundle is an especially great option for someone who likes a bit of flexibility. Among the four available sizes, the A5 is versatile and compact enough to fit in a backpack or purse, but not so small that you'll run out of room for basic planning and scheduling management. And of course, if you want more room, there's a 7- by 9.25-inch, too.
Format: Weekly, task lists, and graph pages (or customizable) | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 5.8 x 8.3 inches; or varies
The Day Designer Daily Planner is an elegant option for those who like to turn to a fresh page every morning. The majority of each page is dedicated to a morning til night schedule and corresponding to-do list, and there's also room for top tasks, gratitude, meal planning, and more. Impressively, the thorough spread somehow manages not to feel too cramped or crowded.
Like many of our favorites, there's a multitude of cover designs to choose from. This particular option is the brand's flagship planner—in other words, it's their most luxe offering. If you're not sure about the price tag, or whether or not a daily planner is right for you, they do offer free printables so you can try out different spreads before you commit to the whole planner. There's also a more budget-friendly version (that's still equally cute!) sold at Target.
Format: Daily, monthly, and goals-oriented pages | Pages: Not listed | Dimensions: 9 x 9.75 inches
Every student needs the perfect planner to keep track of test dates, assignment deadlines, extracurricular meetings, and so much more. Send students off to high school or college with the Class Tracker planner to ensure they stay organized and on top of assignments.
The academic planner tracks daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and events, with enough space for jotting notes during class. There are even spots for students to write out their academic goals and the necessary steps to reach them.
While I love this option for busy college students, the brand also has options for middle and high school, and undated designs to start any day of the year. This sleek option comes in eight colors and is the perfect compact size to slip into a backpack for daily use.
Format: Daily, weekly, monthly, and goals-oriented planning pages | Pages: 130 | Dimensions: 7 x 8.5 inches
How We Picked the Planners
I focused our list of planners on those offered in a paper format because that's the most saturated part of this market compared to digital variations. My teammates (fellow editors and writers) offered their personal experiences with using paper planners to help me initially narrow our list to the most beloved brands and formats.
I wanted our list to meet the needs of various users so I included designs with lined and unlined pages, blank pages, pocket-sized formats, and large, coiled pages. I've even recently tested a handful of planners at home to become more familiar with innovative designs and unique features.
I know that organizing a planner is specific to each user's goals, so I also included planners with both monthly and weekly formats and undated pages for those who only use a planner on specific projects.
When Shopping for a Planner, Look For
Your Preferred Format
While many paper planners are available in set yearly formats, you can find a variety of options beyond that, like goal-oriented and academic planners. Whichever calendar model, or undated system you opt for, you'll find most planners are organized with monthly, weekly, or daily pages (or sometimes a combination!).
Selecting the right planner depends on your individual needs. When shopping, consider what you intend to use it for (scheduling, goal setting, note-taking, etc.) and other important factors like size, organization tabs, and pockets (or even stickers). Ultimately, the best planner for you will be one with the features that help you succeed.
I recommend browsing basic planner options—monthly, weekly, or daily—before venturing into highly customized formats like goal-setting or bullet journaling, especially if you're not sure what format you prefer. Once you know what you like to prioritize and write down on paper, it's easier to shop for a format you love or customize one, like the Golden Coil Monthly Planner.
Planner Brand | Primary Page Format |
Legend Planner | Weekly |
Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Planner | Weekly |
Papier Financial Planner | Monthly budgeting |
Blue Sky Weekly and Monthly Planner | Weekly and monthly |
LEUCHTTURM 1917 Dotted Hardcover Notebook | Bullet (blank) |
Erin Condren Monthly Planner | Monthly |
Golden Coil Planner | Customizable |
Ink+Volt Goal Planner | Weekly and monthly goal planning |
Class Tracker Ultimate College Student Planner | Weekly |
Cloth & Paper Planner Bundle | Weekly |
Day Designer | Daily |
A Size That Works for You
Planners come in various shapes and sizes, from small pocket-friendly versions to larger, more spacious editions. The best planner for you depends on where you’ll be keeping it, like in your purse, a backpack, or at home on a desk. The Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Planner is the largest design on the list, but it's perfect for keeping on a desk so you can glance at your week and month.
When your planner is regularly in sight or within reach, you’re more likely to use it. “I keep mine on my desk or in my handbag, so I can add in upcoming plans, deadlines, or meetings while I’m on the go,” says Holly Chapman, head of global public relations for Papier.
In addition to where you'd like to keep your planner, you'll also want to keep in mind how much you will need to write in it. A larger planner will be more cumbersome to tote around, but a smaller version won’t give you much room to record your day-to-day activities. I like to have a mixture of pages that offer free space for notes in addition to my calendar-format pages. This helps me eliminate the need for an additional notebook in my bag.
Accessories Make the Planner
If you want a simple, no-frills planner, you can easily find one that just has calendar pages and nothing else (like the Blue Sky Monthly Planner). However, some paper planners come with fun extras, such as stickers, page markers, shopping lists, and more. If you're anything like the team here at The Spruce, you might likely enjoy selecting a few accessories to go along with your planner, too. A few of our favorites:
One More Thing
The key to maintaining an organized planner is to use it consistently and complete regular audits, or reviews, of your pages. “I have a ritual on a Sunday where I go through my planner and check on my upcoming weeks and month to make sure I’m on top of things,” says Chapman. “I find it makes the start of the week less stressful.”
Why Trust The Spruce?
Emma Phelps is an associate editor at The Spruce specializing in home organization and office content. Phelps loves buying a new paper planner at the beginning of the year to track her meetings and tasks. She's been testing the Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Planner and thinks it's a unique design that balances structure and free-form planning.
Our Experts:
- Holly Chapman, head of global public relations for Papier