Stationery Stories: 3 Things to Look For In A Planner

September 20, 2022 Aislinn Cameron

3 Things to Look for in a Planner

Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year? Props to anyone who has stayed on top of their New Years goals and a special congratulations to those who are still using the same planner they started with!

Now that it’s nearing the end of the year, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with what you may have not yet accomplished and sometimes you just need a fresh start to inspire you for the remainder of this year.

While some people love their tried and true planners, this blog post is for those of you who are looking for a change or perhaps interested in trying a new planner!

What to Look for in a Planner: Size

The size of your planner can be determined through several factors:

Your Bag. Are you going to be carrying this planner with you to work, school, etc.? Having a comfortable fit in your bag will make it easier to take with you and keep up with. You won’t want a planner that takes up too much room because eventually you might opt out of bringing it with you. Unless you are find with carrying a planner, you may want to find one that suits your everyday bag.
Handwriting/Visual. Do you write small or is your handwriting a bit bigger? Normally, a bigger planner will allow for more writing space but if you are comfortable adjusting your writing size, then any planner size can work for you. Another thing to note is how big you need the font of your planner. It is easier to read dates and headers if your planner has the room to make these things bigger.
Preference. What size is comfortable for you? Do you like the feel of a big planner or does a medium to smaller one fit you better? Sometimes a big planner can be overwhelming while a smaller one can feel like not enough room.

What to Look for in a Planner: Layout

There are several different types of planners to fit your preferred layout:

Daily. These planners will typically dedicate a page for each day, allowing you to plan more in-depth than a weekly or monthly planner. This is a good layout if you need to block out specific time slots for school, work, hang-outs, etc. If your average day is very busy or you just need to see your day broken down, this is a good layout to have.
Weekly. This lets you have a weekly view of your agenda. It’s the perfect layout if you’re someone who needs to plan long-term and have a week-by-week view of your tasks.
Monthly. Like a weekly layout, this will let you plan further ahead and see all of your to-do’s at once. Monthly spreads are great for tracking bills, pay-days, birthdays, holidays, and other recurring events.
Combo. A planner that has some combination of daily, weekly or monthly. Sometimes all 3!

Keep in mind that many planners will also have a mix of these layouts, so don’t worry if more than one layout seems to fit your needs. Some will dedicate a majority of the planner to a weekly layout but will have a monthly section, too. Some can be described as a daily planner and also have a weekly section. Many planners will also have a page or two for a yearly spread and several pages included for notes.

What to Look for in a Planner: Binding

The type of binding can affect the way your planner lays and looks.

Spiral. This type of binding holds your planner together with a plastic wire looped through the pages. Spiral-bound planners are able to lay flat on a table or fold over in your lap, due to the flexible binding of the spiral wire.
Perfect-Bound. Unlike spiral bound, this binding gives more of a paperback look as the pages are held together with a layer of adhesive glue. You won’t get your planner as flat as a spiral bound one but the pages are still flexible enough to maneuver.
Saddle-Stitch. Similar to the perfect-bound binding, a saddle-stitch planner has a subtler bind than the spiral one. The pages of these planners are gathered with a staple, driven vertically through the fold, like magazines or booklets. These will lay flatter than the perfect-bound planners but not as flat as the spiral-bound.

It is also a visual preference! If you like the look of a perfect-bound over the look of a spiral-bound then look into perfect-bound planners. The look of your planner can also motivate you to keep up with it so find one that fits your tastes!

Some Extra Tips and Tricks

Undated Planners. Our favorite type of planner is undated! You can start/stop as you please and undated planners typically are pretty minimal, allowing you to customize each spread and add your own creative touch! If you don’t have much going on or you forget to use it, you won’t have to skip a bunch of dated weeks or be reminded by the gap.
Sticky Notes. Can’t commit to a specific day? Write what you need to do on a sticky note so that you can move your plans around. With sticky notes, there are so many different sizes, colors, and shapes, giving you a variety of options to decorate your planner with.
Notes Section. Like we previously mentioned, some planners come with a notes section. Use this area for school subjects, business meetings, personal journaling, party planning, or just doodling! It’s a great way to keep all of your separate notes near your plans and a better way to have everything in one book!

Not every plan can be fun but it can be fun to plan! Organizing your life is better when you have a planner that fits you. We hope this information can help you find the right planner or even motivate you to continue the one(s) you have now!