Best Planners and Organizers TechnoBuffalo 2020

If you're someone who loves planning out their day and is constantly checking items off of your to-do list, then having a planner can bring you a lot of joy. In contrast, if you're someone whose mind jumps all over the place and you struggle to remember when you need to get things done, then a planner is a great way to keep your mind organized. We recommend the BestSelf Co. The Self Journal because its layout helps to increase productivity and also helps you to reach your goals.

Best Overall: BestSelf Co. The Self Journal

The BestSelf Co. The Self Journal is a fantastic planner that helps organize your life through goal-setting and productivity planning. In fact, this journal is used by Daymond John from Shark Tank because of its creative and successful layout.

Included in this planner is a daily structure for success, which encourages you to write down what you're grateful for every morning and night. Expressing and understanding your gratitude can help you feel happier on a day-to-day basis as it encourages you to focus on the positives in your life. Also included in this planner are sections for your targets and goals, a 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily schedule, a tasks section, a spot to record your daily wins and lessons learned, and also an area to write additional notes.

This journal is intended to help you form productive habits through 90-day periods as this journal is broken down into 3-month planners. The BestSelf Co. planner is designed to look professional with a canvas-wrapped hardcover. It features thick paper that measures 8.5 x 5.5 inches. Also included is a sturdy bookmark that is made out of fabric so you can mark your spot in the journal.

Although this journal is designed to be used by everyone, some customers mention that it almost seems created for entrepreneurial minds.

Pros:

  • Daily sections for gratitude, prioritizing tasks, and goal setting
  • Used by Daymond John from Shark Tank
  • Professional design

Cons:

  • May be best for entrepreneurs
  • Only 90 days worth of planning

Best Overall

BestSelf Co. The Self Journal

Professional-looking journal designed to increase productivity

The BestSelf Co. The Self Journal is a professional-looking planner that is designed to increase productivity and encourage goal-setting over 90-day periods.

Best Value: AT-A-GLANCE Simplified Planner (small)

The AT-A-GLANCE Simplified Planner (small) is a 12-month planner created by Emily Ley that is intended to help you plan your day, week, and month at a glance. This planner is designed with a flower-print hardcover and wire bindings, making it beautiful and durable.

This planner includes weekly overviews as well as monthly overviews to keep you on track with your tasks and goals. The weekly summary contains a two-page spread for every week. Bullet points are included in the margins of every single day so that you can quickly check off what you have completed.

The monthly overview includes a two-page spread for every month. It features a to-do list as well as tips and tricks to help you with your planning. These templates are excellent for individuals who are visual and like to see the whole picture. Although, if you wish to write a lot, you may run out of space.

The AT-A-GLANCE Simplified planner (small) comes prepared with high-quality paper that measures 8.5 x 5.5 inches and is ink-bleed resistant. You won't have to worry about your doodles or to-do lists smudging or bleeding through your pages. This planner also comes with sticker tabs to mark the months.

Pros:

  • Ink-bleed resistant paper
  • Weekly and monthly template views
  • 12-month planner

Cons:

  • People who write largely or a lot of content may run out of space

Best Value

AT-A-GLANCE Simplified Planner (small)

12-month planner with weekly and monthly views

The AT-A-GLANCE Simplified Planner (small) includes 12-months of planning and weekly and monthly views on ink-bleed resistant paper.

Best for Short-Term Planning: Day-Timer Distressed Look Starter Set Organizer

The Day-Timer Distressed Look Starter Set Organizer is an amazing planner for anyone who is looking to prioritize and set goals for a three-month period. This organizer features a 7-ring binder with prefilled planning pages and accessories. The page sizes are 8.5 x 5.5 inches.

The cover of this organizer looks professional and rustic with its distressed and rugged vinyl exterior. Also included with this organizer is a pouch and holder for cards or pens, allowing you to jot down your tasks easily. The entire journal can be zipped shit around the edges, keeping your content safely inside.

Inside the planner, there are three months of undated pages ready to organize your thoughts and plan your goals. You can choose from three different page formats including a one page per day format, a two page per day format, and a two page per week format to suit your style. Each format includes to-do-lists, a schedule section, and an area to record notes. Once your 90-days are up, you can simply purchase more pages and add them to your journal.

Although this journal is excellent for short-term planning, some customers have mentioned that the hardware comes apart after a while.

Pros:

  • Professional and rustic design
  • Zips shut to keep contents safe
  • Three different page formats
  • Can add more pages

Cons:

  • Hardware wears over time

Best for Short-Term Planning

Day-Timer Distressed Look Starter Set Organizer

Professional and rustic organizer for short-term planning

The Day-Timer Distressed Look Starter Set Organizer features a professional and rustic design as well as three different page formats for short-term planning.

Best for Long-Term Planning: Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner

The Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner is a fantastic organizer that helps to keep you on track when reaching your long-term goals and planning for the future. Although this planner includes 90-days worth of pages, it also incorporates weekly and quarterly review templates to ensure that you are staying on track.

Designed by Michael Hyatt, who is a well-known productivity expert, this planner encourages you to increase your productivity and build great habits through its well-thought-out layout. While planning and organizing, it is common to feel overwhelmed with all of the tasks and steps we need to take to reach our goals. This planner is specifically designed to eliminate any overwhelming thoughts by instructing you on how to separate your high-leverage essential tasks from your daily to-do tasks. This helps keep you on track with your daily priorities as well as your long-term priorities.

This planner has a dark grey exterior and includes pages that measure at 6.0 x 9.0 inches. Some customers note that it feels quite bulky compared to other similar-sized planners and that the undated pages can become mundane to fill in.

Pros:

  • Designed to decrease overwhelming thoughts
  • Designed by productivity expert, Michael Hyatt
  • Separate long-term and daily priorities

Cons:

  • Bulky
  • Undated pages can become a hassle to fill in

Best for Long-Term Planning

Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner

Daily planner intended to decrease overwhelming thoughts and increase productivity

The Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner is intended to increase productivity by helping you prioritize your tasks and decrease overwhelming thoughts.

Best for On-The-Go: Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner

The Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner is a great planner for recording your tasks and to-do lists on-the-go. This journal includes 18 months of dated pages for optimal planning. The layout of each double-sided page consists of a full calendar week as well as a lined section for easy notetaking.

This journal features a hardcover and includes a high-quality paper that is acid-free and contains a high ink capacity. You won't have to worry about your ink bleeding through your pages or smudging as you write. The page templates are perfect for jotting down tasks as you think of them, and checking them off immediately as you complete them. There is not a lot of space included for journaling, however.

The Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner offers some cool features including a three-year overview from 2019-2020. It also informs you of special holidays for 58 different countries. If you're interested in astrology, this planner also records the phases of the moon, for your knowledge.

Some accessories included with this notebook are stickers for labeling and archiving pages and notes, two ribbon bookmarks to help you mark relevant areas in your planner, and an expandable pocket attached to the back cover of the planner to store papers and other small items.

Pros:

  • Includes a three-year overview (2019-2020)
  • Great for on-the-go notetaking
  • 18 months of dated pages

Cons:

  • Not a lot of space for journaling

Best for On-The-Go

Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner

18-month planner that is great for on-the-go notetaking

The Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner is great for taking notes on-the-go with its full calendar week and lined paged templates.

Bottom line

Planning your day, week, and month by writing down your daily tasks and weekly goals is a great way to increase productivity and help you become more successful in every aspect of life. Choosing a planner that includes well-thought-out templates and areas for positive reflection will set you up for success.

We recommend the BestSelf Co. The Self Journal because it features an incredibly useful daily structure for success. These templates include sections for reflection and gratitude, a daily schedule, a spot to prioritize your tasks, and an area for goal-setting.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Camille Sanghera is a freelance writer who loves telling stories through writing. When she is not content writing, you can find her watching movies, playing sports, or writing books. Check out her blog at www.happycoconut.ca.

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