Building Your Business Business Tools The 7 Best Day Planners Stay organized and focused with these picks By Amanda Lauren Amanda Lauren Amanda Lauren is a lifestyle writer and digital content creator who specializes in interior design and fashion. She hosts Between The Likes, a talkshow and podcast series on EverTalk, where she interviews well-known designers, breaks down design myths, and shares insight on how to decorate your home. In 2020, she designed a collection of home goods like canvases, tile, and mugs, under the name The Hamptons Collection. She also co-owns and spearheads a digital course and consulting program, Pitch, Please, where she teaches small business owners and influencers best practices for branding. Amanda's work has been featured in Forbes, Real Simple, Reader’s Digest, Family Handyman, and A Sweat Life, among other sites. learn about our editorial policies Updated on September 13, 2022 Fact checked by Taylor Tompkins We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. A good day planner is more than just a calendar—it allows you to track goals in various aspects of your life from your daily to-do lists to outlining monthly objectives. Whether you prefer a structured planner with sections for everything from appointments and corporate events to gratitude lists, or you need plenty of blank pages for jotting down ideas as they come, there is a planner out there for you. Here are the best day planners to consider. Best Overall: Panda Planner Pro Buy on Amazon If increasing productivity and happiness are your top priorities, then go with the Panda Planner Pro. With a system based on positive psychology and neuroscience, this day planner features sections like "Morning Review," which has lines for gratitude, an affirmation, what you’re excited about, focus, exercise, and daily habit, as well as an "End Of Day Review," which gives you space to jot down today’s wins. There's also a schedule section, priority list, task form, and notes. The weekly section allows you to plan in advance for the following week, review the previous week, and break down projects, goals, and accomplishments. An added value, the Panda Planner Pro comes with access to a VIP membership site that has useful content to maximize their system and learn positive psychology hacks, among other things. Best Personalized: Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly Planner Erin Condren Buy on Erincondren.com For a truly personal option, Erin Condren offers customizable planners. The brand's Deluxe Monthly Planner gives you a large variety of covers to choose from, including flower drawings, celestial designs, statements, or fun tropical-themed prints like flamingos. You can even choose the color scheme of the cover and have your name printed on it. And though the planner comes with 40 ruled productivity pages in addition to the calendar, you have the option of adding 40 or 80 additional pages in your choice of lined, productivity, or dotted grid style. Sectioned off into mini month pages, a yearly overview, monthly productivity, a monthly spread, and monthly note pages, this planner will surely help you track your goals and agenda. The perforated note pages and stickers are a nice bonus. Best Goal-Setting: Lemome Weekly & Monthly Planner Buy on Amazon Set your goals with this Lemome planner, which has a faux leather hardcover and a variety of sections to keep you organized. In addition to an elastic bookmark, the planner has a built-in pen holder. Each monthly spread features an overview of the month along with a notes section and space to jot down upcoming events and special dates. The weekly spreads also include two pages to write down daily plans, to-do's, and appointments. Even more, the planner comes with calendar stickers. Best Bullet Journal: Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Notebook Buy on Amazon An alternative to traditional journaling, bullet journaling is a great tool for staying organized and on task, though it can take a bit of time to learn and get used to. To help ease the process, Leuchtturm1917's Bullet Journal Notebook has a key page that’s partially filled in. Available in Nordic Blue, Emerald, and Black, this journal is designed to lay flat, making it easy to write on all of the pages. Better yet, the high-quality, 80gsm paper is ink proof, so your pen or marker won't bleed through to the other side of the page. An elastic closure assures the notebook stays closed, keeping the pages from getting damaged while the built-in bookmark allows you to keep your place. Related: The Best Bullet Journals Best for Productivity: Clever Fox Planner Buy on Amazon Clever Fox’s Undated Weekly & Monthly Planner is designed to increase focus and productivity, helping you track personal, professional, and business goals all in one place. This day planner is divided into distinct sections including "Awareness & Self-Discovery," a vision board, yearly goals, life goals, and a 12-month calendar. There are also 52 separate weeks along with a 50-page dotted grid for bullet journaling, doodling, or just for taking notes. Even more, the weekly pages section has lines for your daily agenda, to-do list, goals, notes, wins, and even a gratitude list. Three colorful ribbons allow you to divide up your planner, while the included stickers will help design your vision board or decorate the pages. Related: The 7 Best Productivity Planners Most Stylish: Rifle Paper Co. 17-Month Planner Buy on Amazon Buy on Riflepaperco.com Rifle Paper Co.'s 17-Month Planner is a fun way to stay productive. Choose from three covers in the brand’s signature designs: Strawberry Fields, Wild Garden, and Luisa. The durable hardcover wraps around the spiral binding, while an elastic band holds the planner shut. This planner is just as well-designed on the inside with tabbed sections, including monthly and weekly views, notes, important dates, and contacts. There’s even a pocket folder for stashing pieces of paper such as receipts. Plus, you can decorate the pages with the included three sticker sheets. Related: The Best Spiral Notebooks Best Business: Moleskine 12-Month Weekly Planner Buy on Amazon Buy on Skimresources.com Buy on Moleskine.com Moleskine's 12-Month Weekly Planner is an excellent minimalist option for work. There are three sizes (Large, Pocket, and XL) and three colors to choose from, including Black, Red, and Sapphire Blue. This softcover planner is equally durable and stylish with thick, high-quality paper that’s easy to write on, no matter what pen you're using. The built-in elastic also helps you keep your page. In addition to yearly and monthly calendars, the planner has a weekly view with two pages of lined and unlined sections, as well as a daily view, which has one page for each day with space to write down appointments, notes, and to-do lists. Related: The Best Work Notebooks Final Verdict Our top pick is the Panda Planner Pro (view at Amazon) for its organized system that's based on positive psychology and neuroscience. With helpful sections like "Morning Review," "End of Day Review," and a schedule section to help you track your affirmations, daily habits, wins, appointments, and more, it can help you organize your goals and accomplish them. What to Look for in a Day Planner Purpose First, consider whether you want to use your planner for personal or professional use (or both). If you wish to use it for your personal goals, try finding a planner that has sections for you to track daily habits, exercise, wins, and more. For a professional planner, look for one that has sections to write down appointments, notes, to-do lists, and more. If you're looking for a planner that can track both your personal and professional goals, look for a planner with a combination of these characteristics. Structure Planners come with a variety of structures from weekly, monthly, or even customizable options. Weekly planners are great for setting day-to-day goals to reach a larger goal you may have in mind. Meanwhile, monthly planners are great for organizing the larger picture since they can record large projects and your expected progress. Customizable options can combine both weekly and monthly structures, but they have the added benefit of having blank pages for you to be creative in designing your own structure. Duration Generally, planners come in 12-month to 18-month durations. 12-month planners are nice because they tend to start in January, and it's a great way to jot down those New Year's resolutions and stick to them through December. However, 18-month planners offer a little more leeway. They can allow you to plan ahead and adjust your schedule if you find yourself ahead of your goals or need to readjust them as the months pass by. These planners also tend to start mid-year, which is great if, for example, you're a student and teacher whose schedule begins with the school year. Meet the Expert This roundup was written by Amanda Lauren, a lifestyle writer who covers fashion and office accessories for The Balance and The Balance SMB. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Real Simple, Reader’s Digest, and more. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Panda Planner. "Panda Planner Pro." Erin Condren. "Large Monthly Planner." Amazon. "Lemome Planner 2022-2023." Leuchtturm 1917. "Notebook Classic." Clever Fox. "Undated Weekly Planner." Amazon. "Rifle Paper Co. 2022 Wildwood 17-Month Hard Cover Spiral Planner."