Believe it or not, it is time to start thinking about 2019! One of the best things about the new year is cracking open a fresh planner. There are so many planners out there that it can be difficult to figure out which one will work best for you. Before the school year, I spent so many hours browsing Pinterest and watching YouTube reviews trying to find a good planner. I ended up deciding on making my own bullet journal. The idea was tempting— I love to draw and hand-letter. During the first week of classes, however, I gave up on it. I had no time to draw daily and weekly and monthly spreads, so my “BuJo” quickly became a mess. I ended up ordering a Day Designer planner because it was on sale. Let me tell you, I LOVE IT! So, let’s dive in and take a look at the best planners for a busy (and sometimes lazy) college student.
Day Designer
I decided to try a daily planner because I wanted more space. Day Designer seemed to have everything I was looking for and I heard good things about them so I held my breath, paid the expensive price and invested in a full-size planner. I am so happy that I traded in my high-maintenance bullet journal for this beautifully crafted planner. The layout of the pages is excellent for planning out your day around classes or meetings. The left column of each page has the hours of your day, so you can use it to schedule your day down to the minute if you wanted. The right column is a checklist that I use for projects, homework assignments, or just daily to-do’s like laundry or going to Trader Joes. I love checking off the little boxes after I have finished a task. The top of the page has boxes for your top priorities of the day, dinner plans, money you spent, and one thing you can’t forget. The cover is really durable, and the designs are beautiful. This planner also comes in a mini size if you want a lighter load. I love this planner and highly recommend it!
Check out the 2019 Day Designers!
Erin Condren
If you love stickers and cute add-ons, the Erin Condren Life Planners are for you. The planners are super customizable and allow you to choose everything from coil colors, covers, color schemes and page layouts. Her planners are in a weekly layout, so you can see the whole week on one page, and her covers are interchangeable, so you can switch out the covers for seasons or holidays. They are quite large so you still have a lot of space to write. There are also a lot of blank lined pages to jot down random ideas. Personally, I have not used one of her planners because they are very pricy, and I prefer a more laid-back color scheme and plain fonts. But, if you know anything about planners, you have probably heard of Erin Condren. Her planners are super popular, and a lot of people repurchase them year after year. YouTube is full of videos showing people setting up their Life Planners. I recommend watching some of those if you are thinking about this planner. If you don’t want her planner, Erin Condren sells really great stickers and planner accessories that sometimes go on sale.
Check out the Life Planner!
Paper Source
I used the Dove Gray leatherette planner last year and I LOVED it. The one thing that I do not like about most planners are the bulky coils, but thankfully, this planner is fully bound like a book. The pages are made of great quality paper so no ink will bleed through, and the design is simple and sleek but it still has personality. This planner has a weekly layout, so you can see your whole week laid out in front of you. This planner also has a ribbon to mark the page you are currently using which is very helpful. You also get a lot of notebook-style pages in the back which is awesome. If I didn’t want a day-per-page planner, I would no doubt repurchase this one every year. It is a great planner and I highly recommend it.
It comes in Navy and Rose Gold for 2019.
Emily Ley
Similar to the Day Designer, the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley is a great option if you like day-per-page planning. Each page is split in two with a to-do list on the right and an hourly schedule on the left. The bottom of each page has a lot of open space for notes or doodles. These planners are perfectly named; they are very simple. They are colorful yet sophisticated and have no frills or full pages of flashy quotes or images. Each planner comes with an inside pocket and sticker sheets, just like Day Designer. However, these planners are more compact and easier to throw into your bag. The cover designs this year are really beautiful and the gold coils are very strong. However, the pages are a bit thin and some gel pens may ghost onto the other side of the page. But, if you use pencil, this will not be an issue.
Here are the 2019 Simplified Planners.
Ink + Volt
Similar to the Paper Source planner, this book bound planner is perfect for no fuss, effective planning. However, it has a hard cover in contrast to the soft leatherette. Available in nine colors, this planner is simple and elegant with two ribbons to mark your most used pages. It has a weekly layout in a vertical style which helps you to plan your tasks chronologically if you want to. If you like to plan far ahead and set monthly goals, this planner has pages for monthly challenges and goals to keep you on track. It also has a lot of pages for notes which is super useful. The pages are nice and thick, so you can easily use your favorite gel pens without any ghosting. Honestly, the best thing about this planner is the closed binding because it makes it super durable. These planners are really awesome and super effective.
I hope this helped you to narrow down your planner choices because there seem to be millions on the market. An effective planner that you like to use will have a huge positive impact on your ability to get work done, as well as your time management. Don’t forget to check out YouTube for reviews of planners to see them in action. A planner is the perfect thing to put on your holiday wish-list because it is something productive and not a gift card, which I’m sure your family will be happy about. Enjoy the rest of 2018 and happy planning!
P.S- If you were wondering about pens, I absolutely love the Pilot G2 Gel Pens. They dry super quickly, so you don’t have to worry about your ink smudging, and they last a really long time compared to other gel pens.
Photo Credit: Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5