Planners that will change your life
I love the fresh start energy of September because, unlike January 1, it arrives without the pressure of perfectionism or the pitfalls of an all or nothing approach. If I’m being honest, by the time Labor Day rolls around, I have no clue which goals I set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year. I’m hanging on for dear life, searching high and low for lunchboxes, hoping the kids’ shoes fit, and wondering where the summer went. Again. And then on that first day of school, for a very small window of time, the house is quiet… and I crack open my planner.
Few things thrill me more than going week by week, page by page, mapping out the next season of our lives. I have always been an academic calendar girlie, having worked in an education-adjacent field right out of college. And now, being a parent, it’s how my brain works. I’ve found myself gravitating to different brands and formats over the years, but I always look forward to the day that planner arrives. At this point, I know what does and doesn’t work for me. I get easily distracted by fun things like color and quotes, I prefer a Monday start, and I like weekly and monthly layouts rather than a daily view.
For the past five or so years, I’ve been loyal to Appointed’s simple, thoughtfully designed Task Planner (you can use this link to save 10%). The linen cover and paper quality are top notch, and the no-frills layout works well for my routine. I scribble deadlines in the left-hand margin, to-do lists in the right hand page, and recently figured out a workaround for the too-small-for-me weekend slots (it involves printing screenshots of my google calendar onto sticker paper lol… DM me if you want the full scoop on that side quest). I’ve yet to find the perfect planner, but that’s likely because our lives grow and change faster than any print product could.
A few more planners I recommend:
Maybe even more important than the actual planner, for me, are the tools. When I tell you my life changed the day I discovered a very specific erasable pen (and accompanying erasable highlighters I use to color code…), I am not exaggerating. After a long stretch of canceled plans during the first year of the pandemic (after I had dutifully filled in that year’s planner), crossing out events felt like pressing on a bruise. Erasing tasks or events that inevitably fall by the wayside? It’s like wiping the slate clean. (And the lack of visual clutter is just chef’s kiss.)
Two more inexpensive add-ons I love:
Stick on tabs (I use one for this current week, one for next week, and one to mark a notes page at the back of the planner where I keep helpful work info) – I reuse the same tabs over and over, so one pack lasts me literal years.
Transparent Post-It notes for keeping lists or reminders without obscuring the week’s schedule
If you’re not ready to commit to a new or pricey planner, I always have good luck in the stationary aisle at TJ Maxx (especially for more colorful or trend-forward designs). You can also find free printables on many popular planner sites. This is a great way to try out different layouts before ordering (Day Designer free printables, Appointed digital files).
The bottom line: a planner doesn’t need to be expensive or sophisticated… it simply has to work for your current lifestyle. I once saw a fellow mom take one of those giant wall calendars (pretty sure it was a freebie from an insurance company, if I’m not mistaken) out of her bag at the hockey rink, and I wanted to befriend her on the spot. She had found and embraced her system. Talk about goals.
Elizabeth D’Ascensao is the creator of On Tap For Today and an all-around amazing human who always kindly supports all the random creative endeavors I attack her with. Follow her Boston and Cape Cod adventures in the most peaceful and dreamy Instagram feed here.