The Planner Showdown: My Review of The Most Popular Planners

Life

Mar 20

I have a confession to make, I'm a planner hoarder. I am obsessed with planners and tend to buy more than one every year. Scratch that, I buy a planner every few months because I have yet to find one I really love. My boyfriend often tells me I should just create my own and while I would love to do so, I just don't have the energy or time. Luckily for those who are in the market to buy a planner, I have complied a brief review on a variety of ones that are most popular. In other words, I decided to do a comparison between the ones I own in hopes that it'll help someone else out there. (I wish I had found a review before buying all of these).

From left to right: Moleskine, Poketo, and Passion Planner

Moleskine: Everyone knows about Moleskine and due to its popularity, I don't want to spend too much time on it. However, I will say that this is my current planner of choice and for 3 reasons: the layout (note section especially), weight, and the cover. It has a back pocket which I love, however it is not sturdy and can rip over time. I do wish there was more space to write in, as I have the weekly version, but the note section does help a lot.

Poketo: I bought this undated Poketo planner last year and used it for a month before I decided that I had purchased it under the pretense that it was cute rather than functional (to me). The sections are slightly larger than the Moleskine, but that is because it doesn't have a notes section. I also didn't enjoy dating the entire thing, but some people like that since you can start it whenever. It is smaller than Moleskine, but a little thicker. I wanted more than just a calendar, but that was all this agenda was.

Passion Planner: This is the one people love and are probably still waiting on because of its great campaign and concept. I was sold on it after watching the video and while it was created well, it still doesn't suit my personal needs. The Passion Planner is wonderful for those who want to grow, document their progress, and have busy schedules (meetings/appointments/classes). I really wanted to love it, but the weight (thickness) of it made it undesirable to carry around (in my handbag). Oh and I got the compact size if you're wondering. I also have a pretty consistent schedule so you'll notice that I wrote in "work" everyday and I lacked room under the "To-Do" section. To be frank, I just wanted something that allowed me to write down everything I need to do each day and less of an appointment schedule section. Again, just not for me.

From left to right: Poketo: Moleskine, Passion Planner

Planner Pad: I used Planner Pad a couple of years ago and it was probably the only planner, besides Moleskine, that I used for more than 6 months. I liked the ample space for lists and the fact that I can create my own lists. The idea is to funnel down and prioritize your needs. While it worked great for me back then, when I revisited the planner this year, I just couldn't stand it. The size, the appointments space, and lack of note space annoyed me. I will have to say that I like the optional customization of the cover.

Erin Condren: Talking about customization, Erin Condren is probably the most customizable out of the list - to a certain point. You can purchase accessories, stickers, pens and select a cover of your choice. My biggest problem is how freaking heavy this thing is. I also don't like that it uses binder rings and the layout isn't practical for me. It also is pretty expensive.

Overall, the Moleskine was the best option for me but everyone has different needs and schedules, so any of these others might work for you. Of course, I racked up a bill with my addiction to planners so I suggest to really do your research before you purchase! Especially since a lot of these planners aren't sold in stores. Good luck!