As you may have noticed, my planner becomes my very best friend throughout the year. When looking for a planner, I have a few different criteria that needs to be met. I need LOTS of room to write in my ample to do lists per day. There needs to be a spot for some quick notes so I can add in my goals (and grocery lists). Everything else, like size, color, paper quality, those are a matter of current preference. A lot of times, I am willing to pay a bit more for a planner that hits every item on my list. So I've created a list of some planners that will help keep you (and me) organized throughout 2014.
1. The Moleskine 12 Month Daily Classic Planner comes in three different sizes, a bevy of different colors and many ways to customize. If you aren't concerned about the thin paper, then this may be the planner for you. I think it's classy yet fun, and this format has worked excellently for me this past year.
2. If you have several kids, the momAgenda may be exactly what you are looking for. It has space for up to four kids and their activities per day, perfect for the busy mom. This seems like a simple way to keep all of the crazy in check. If you aren't a fan of this one, you could get whatever planner you want and create a color-coded system for the kids. They also have a less "Mom" version for those of you without rugrats like me. It's a pretty great system where you can separate your different commitments like exercise, dinner planning, crafting, appointments, etc. Plus, anything that comes in leopard print (in a classy way) automatically makes me a fan.
3. If you need a little less space per day than I do, and want something attractive and functional, this Jonathan Adler agenda may do the trick. It comes in 4 different patterns with pretty tabs for easy finding as well as monthly and weekly calendar views. Did I say pretty? Because I meant it.
4. Levenger Circia smartPlanner is one of the more expensive offerings on the list, but it is so customizable, it may be just about perfect. This has things that every business person, mom, okay-anyone would need. It has the week on the left and a spot for a running to do list and goals on the right. Plus, it comes with a monthly planner, customizable tabs and an introduction to their refillable "apps" system, which come with 9 different types of printed paper (including to do lists, meeting notes, contacts, etc.) to see what organizational system works best for you. I'm not a huge fan of it's case, but it does have some additional options to customize that as well, for an additional fee, but then you can just get the calendar refills for the next years. And you can add notebooks and all the apps you want. This is the tantamount of simple, centralized organization. I'm not so sure how I feel about using disks instead of rings, and once you get all of the things you want to customize, the price can get pretty astronomical. This is for the person who has decided for sure that this is what they want forever, and then can just get the refills every year thereafter.
5. The Rhodia WebPlanner comes in black or orange, but the black version is more readily available online. The feel of this one is much better than a Moleskine, very soft. The format is amazing, the week on the right page for appointments and day-specific information and on the left, empty graph paper for a running to-do list, notes, etc. I currently use Rhodia notebooks, and love them. It has a nice band that keeps it closed, the page corners are perforated so that you always know what day you are on, and there also is a bookmark. It's an excellent product, if you want something that is black and professional looking.
Looking for something more tailored to your own personal organizational style? There are tons of planner printables available for a small price on Etsy that you could put into a binder of your choice. You also could make your own. The Man makes his own planner by getting a cheap fountain pen friendly notebook and divides the page up to show appointments for the week on the left page and his to-do list on the right page. You also could make a printable one yourself based on your own preferences, just make sure you have enough printer ink!
Side note: A cheap option that is similar to the Moleskine and Rhodia in size, shape, and functionality is the Picadilly Essential Diary. While the color is not exceptional (black), and the paper is only marginally fountain pen friendly, the price is awesome. $6.99, although you will have to do some searching for retailers that carry it.
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