Daily planners are a great way to help you plan, prioritise and take action. And the best daily planners can help you hit big goals much faster.
But the real question is – which is the best planner for you?
A daily planner should do more than just help you with goals. It should:
- Give you clarity and space to think;
- Help you maintain work-life balance;
- Keep you productive and sane; and
- Connect daily tasks to your weekly schedule and big-picture.
The thing is, different people need different planners. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution. But how do you pick the best planner for you? It’s not an easy choice, given the number of available options.
To help you decide, we’ve done an in-depth comparison of the 7 best planners on the market. You’ll find our top picks, real customer reviews and detailed feature lists and descriptions to help you work out which planner to keep by your side.
And if you’re still not sure which one to get? Go check out the TRACKTION Planner (+ free global shipping + a 100% money-back guarantee).
Why TRACKTION? We took the best parts of the best planners and put them in one awesome package. It’s the tool thousands reach for each day to help them manage their time, master their habits and hit goals in every part of their lives. Get yours now →
What Are the Best Planners in 2020?
There are dozens of good planners on the market. We picked 7 great ones.
Here they are (A-Z):
- Day Designer – The Day Designer helps busy women with multiple roles conquer their day-to-day planning. Chic cover design helps this planner stand out from the crowd.
- Erin Condren LifePlanner – The Erin Condren LifePlanner is a popular choice for those who love the visual side of planning.
- Full Focus Planner – The Full Focus Planner helps professionals hit their goals and deal with overwhelm and distraction at work. It’s designed by a father-daughter team.
- Panda Planner – The Panda Planner was created by Michael Leip after he recovered from major health issues. It helped him get back on track. Can it help you?
- Passion Planner – The Passion Planner was designed to set and achieve better goals. It helps deepen your thinking with inspiring questions and quotes.
- SELF Journal – The SELF Journal‘s comprehensive tools and guided exercises make it a great choice for planning and hitting big goals.
- TRACKTION Planner – We might be biased, but F2M’s very own TRACKTION Planner is our favourite daily planner. Its main goal is to help you identify the one area of your life that’s holding you back – and transform it permanently.
Let’s dig into the details…
The 7 Best Planners Compared
You’ll find detailed descriptions and feature lists for each of our top picks below. We cover price, design and the tools and exercises you’ll find in each planner – as well as real customer opinions for an “insider” perspective.
Day Designer Review
The Day Designer is a simple planner with a chic, stripy cover. It claims to “help busy women tackle their days with intention and get more done – with ease and style.”
Although it features monthly spreads, the Day Designer focuses on daily planning. There’s not much big-picture thinking here. The main purpose is to help you get things done day-to-day.
According to customer reviews, the Day Designer is great for prioritizing when it feels like there’s too much on your plate.
What’s inside the Day Designer?
- Dated 365-day calendar with inspirational quotes.
- Monthly and daily planning pages.
- Goal-setting worksheets.
- Gratitude journal.
- Durable tabs to mark months.
- Dimensions: 9’’x9.75’’
- Weight: 2.5 lbs
Who is the Day Designer for?
The Day Designer is aimed at busy women who juggle different roles. Great for working moms, students, teachers and anyone who faces endless demands every day.
What do people think of the Day Designer?
“I decided on this planner over the Erin Condren for 2019. I want a daily layout, and space. I really like the layout and the size. It’s very big. The layout really meets everything I wanted in a planner. I like that it has room for notes, gratitude, to dos, 30 minute increments with the schedule, and even has room for a “tonight” which makes me happy for plans after the last time slot, and a top 3. (…) My downside is the paper is so thin. I get it would be the size of phone book if it was thicker with daily pages, but you can see writing right through the pages and I am also nervous pages will rip out.” – JC on Amazon
How much does the Day Designer cost?
- DayDesigner.com – $41.30
- Amazon – $29.99
Erin Condren LifePlanner Review
The Erin Condren LifePlanner is famous for its visuals and design. The beautiful spreads, quotes and colouring pages make it fun to use. This may help if you need extra motivation to do your planning.
The planner is also customizable. You can choose the layout of your weekly pages, the theme, and even personalize the cover.
The Erin Condren Planner is effective for day-to-day and monthly planning. However, it’s less great if you want to unlock deeper insights with your planner. For example, it doesn’t include things like habit trackers or guided reflection.
What’s inside the Erin Condren LifePlanner?
- Dated 365-day calendar with inspirational quotes.
- Colouring pages.
- Weekly and monthly overviews.
- Convenient tabs to mark pages.
- Folder in the back for keeping loose documents.
- Dimensions: 7”x9’’
- Weight: 2.3 lbs
Who is the ErinCondren LifePlanner for?
The Erin Condren LifePlanner is more of a calendar/scheduler than a guided planner. It’s useful if you know what you’re working towards and need a way to stay organised. It’s also great if you’re big on personalizing the design of your planner.
What do people think of the Erin Condren LifePlanner?
“These planners are expensive, but the quality is amazing. My last one took a beating and is still in great shape. I can’t say enough good things about this. I love that I can choose the layout. It’s just enough space. It’s not too cramped. There is a little folder for random papers. Plenty of stickers. Enough space for notes on the back. Prior to this planner I used my phone and had post-its all over the place to try to stay on top of things. Not sure how I survived without it :)” – PaperCup on Amazon
How much does the Erin Condren LifePlanner cost?
- ErinCondren.com – $55
- Amazon – $55
Full Focus Planner Review
The Full Focus Planner was created by productivity expert and bestselling author Michael Hyatt and his daughter, Megan Hyatt-Miller. Both worked in extremely busy corporate environments. Both set out to design a planner which helps people find their way through work-related chaos.
The goal of the Full Focus Planner is to help you set and achieve meaningful goals by focusing on the essential and eliminating the trivial. It comes with a built-in system for breaking big projects down into digestible milestones and actions.
As planners go, it’s fairly expensive. But, you can get it cheaper with a yearly subscription. It comes in three different editions: classic, executive and bold. You can also order customised planners for your team.
What’s inside the Full Focus Planner?
- Undated 90-days calendar.
- Space for setting annual goals.
- Monthly, weekly and daily planning pages.
- Space for wellness rituals.
- Dimensions: 6.25’’x9.25’’
- Weight: 1.45 lbs
Who is the Full Focus Planner for?
The Full Focus Planner is for busy, overwhelmed professionals. If you notoriously have too many demands on your time and attention – this planner may help.
What do people think of the Full Focus Planner?
“It’s very well designed. It has all the features I look for in planner-style notebooks: elastic to hold the cover down, sturdy cover that’s water-resistant, tight binding, neutral color, AND an envelope in the back cover. (…) This book won’t totally replace my system, because I still want a tangible place to record my budget and health markers. But it replaces everything else I’ve been using. And I’m very excited to see if the weekly goals review increases my accomplishments.” – Talia on Amazon
How much does the Full Focus Planner cost?
- FullFocusPlanner.com – $49.99 for 1 or $40 if you subscribe
- Amazon – $44.99
Panda Planner Review
The Panda Planner is Amazon’s top choice for “high-performance planners”. It’s also one of the best-selling planners on the market.
Michael Leip designed the Panda Planner to help him cope with mental and physical health issues. He claims it’s more than a planner – it’s a system. Inspired by positive psychology, it helps you be more productive while supporting your overall balance.
The company is so confident the Panda Planner works that they offer a “no questions asked” money-back guarantee.
What’s inside the Panda Planner?
- Undated 90-day calendar.
- Monthly, weekly and daily planning sections.
- Gratitude and affirmation pages.
- Access to additional ebooks and productivity courses.
- Dimensions: 5.25’’x8.25’’
- Weight: 0.92 lbs
Who is the Panda Planner for?
The Panda Planner may be helpful if you struggle with mental health. Its focus is on overall well-being – not just performance.
What do people think of the Panda Planner?
“There is a TED talk that talks about cultivating positivity through exercises like this. Taking time to write about what you are grateful / excited for changes your whole life. This is my word to anyone considering this book. If you are depressed (like I was), apathetic (like I was), and just not living to your potential BUY THIS BOOK!” – Amazon Customer
How much does the Panda Planner cost?
- PandaPlanner.com – $24.97
- Amazon – $24.97
Passion Planner Review
The Passion Planner began life as a Kickstarter project and was created by Angelia Trinidad. After graduating from college, she felt lost and empty so she created this planner to help her decide what to do next.
The main focus of the Passion Planner is to help you make your dreams a reality. It does that by helping you set meaningful goals, then break them down into easy and actionable steps.
This planner is printed on sustainably sourced paper and has a faux leather cover, making it a great pick for the environmentally-conscious.
What’s inside the Passion Planner?
- Dated 365-day calendar.
- Passion Roadmap to set goals for 3 months, 1 year, 3 years and lifetime.
- Space of Infinite Possibility for creative thinking.
- Annual & monthly overviews.
- Quotes & questions to inspire self-reflection.
- Dimensions: 6.9’’x9.8’’ (medium size)
- Weight: 1.37 lbs
Who is the Passion Planner for?
The Passion Planner is for people with many ideas who struggle to turn them into action. It’s also great if you’re concerned about social and environmental issues. For each planner you buy, the company gives one away for those who can’t afford it.
What do people think of the Passion Planner
“This is my second year using this planner and while I still suck at managing my self and time, this planner really keeps me thinking about the big picture and how I’m going to get there via manageable day to day steps. Side note, I’m deep into technology but there is something useful in having a tangible, touchable book in my hands with my goals and accomplishments written out, not typed and stored away in the ether.” – Amazon Customer
How much does the Passion Planner cost?
- PassionPlanner.com – $30
- Amazon – $30
SELF Journal
The SELF Journal’s selling points are its comprehensive approach to goal setting and celebrity endorsements. Life coach Penny Zenker said: “I use this now because it is a comprehensive goal-setting-and-tracking system with reflection all-in-one.” Investor Daymond John described it as a “must-have for any entrepreneur.”
The SELF Journal is a useful, but quite complex tool. It’s packed with exercises, trackers, planning space, reflections and more. As the name indicates, it’s not only a planner. It’s also a journal.
For every ordered copy, the company donates a meal for those in need.
What’s inside the SELF Journal?
- Undated 90-day calendar.
- 3 goal-setting templates.
- Weekly planning and reflection space.
- Habit and goal tracker.
- Gratitude journal.
- Dimensions: 5.75″x8.5″
- Weight: 1.3 lbs
Who is the SELF Journal for?
The SELF Journal is for driven individuals who like to challenge themselves. It’s more suitable for experienced planning enthusiasts. For beginners, it may be hard to find their way around all the templates and exercises.
What do people think of the SELF Journal?
“This is a really solid product and works well the way I use it. I don’t need it as an agenda, I do all that digitally, so I’m using it more as a way to keep myself accountable and track my time.That said, I can really imagine this being a great resource if you actually have a few big goals you want to push towards aggressively for 13 weeks. (…) My big complaint would be that it’s needlessly thick. Almost the first third of the book is just an introduction to the SELF Journal system, which could have easily been handled by a website.” – Zachary P. Wussow on Amazon
How much does the SELF Journal cost?
- BestSelf.co – $31.99 for 1 planner or $27.19 if you subscribe
- Amazon – $31.99
TRACKTION Planner Review
The TRACKTION Planner is TAoL’s very own self-assessment and productivity tool. Its primary goal is to help you identify the one area of your life that’s holding you back – and transform it permanently.
How does it do that? Simple. The TRACKTION planner zeroes in on holistic weekly goal setting AND daily planning. It helps you take control of your time day-to-day AND work on what matters in the big-picture.
Apart from the planning sections, the TRACKTION Planner includes space for self-reflection, as well as habit, value & metric trackers. It comes with an easy-to-use online guide, a private forum and a 100% money-back guarantee.
What’s inside the TRACKTION Planner?
- Undated 90-day daily pages.
- Wheel of life to identify where you’re stuck.
- Daily and weekly planning space.
- Guided reflections and gratitude journal.
- Trackers for habits, values & metrics.
- Internal folder & filing stickers.
- Video-guides, cheat sheets and a private members forum.
- Dimensions: 6.25″x9.25″
- Weight: 1.1 lbs
Who is the TRACKTION Planner for?
The TRACKTION Planner helps people who want to live a more productive, balanced AND meaningful life. It helps you see where you’re stuck and take action.
Whether you’re new to productivity or a planning geek, the TRACKTION Planner is the perfect tool to help you stay organized and reach breakthroughs – all while finding more balance and meaning.
What do people think of the TRACKTION Planner
“TRACKTION has been a game changer, letting me plan and use my time and manage my business more effectively. Within 18 months, my revenue has increased over 13x and I never procrastinate anymore so I have more time to spend on personal goals.” – Erin Y
How much does the TRACKTION Planner cost?
- FASTERTOMASTER.com – $24.97 (includes FREE global shipping)
NEXT STEPS: Make Life Easier. Buy the Best Daily Planner for You.
If you want to be more productive, you need a planner. End of story.
But which one to pick? We know the number of options can feel overwhelming.
Now, you have a solid guide to help you decide. Don’t overthink it. Go through our list once again and pick a planner that excites you.
Having (and using!) any planner is better than not using one at all. Even if it’s not perfect, at least you’ll have something to get started with.
And if you just can’t decide? Go check out TAoL‘s TRACKTION Planner.
It’s the first tool thousands reach for each day to manage their time, master their habits and hit goals in every part of their lives. Every order comes with free global shipping and a 100% money-back guarantee. Get yours now →
