Skip to main contentA logo with &quat;the muse&quat; in dark blue text.
Advice / Succeeding at Work / Productivity

7 Perfect Planners to Buy for 2015

With 2015 coming up in just a few short weeks, you may have realized that it’s time to start looking for a new yearly planner. Some people are religious about the types of planners they use, but if you’re looking for a change or an upgrade, there are definitely other awesome options out there.

What are they, you ask? There are seven awesome planners to check out below—and 12 more to check out here for 2016.


1. If You Want Something Eco-Friendly

May Designs Planner, $20-$30

If the phrase “eco-friendly planner” makes you think of some ugly brown-colored canvas creation made of recycled trash, you might want to think again. May Designs planners come in a ridiculously large numbers of colors and patterns, and the brand prides itself on having indestructible products.

Another plus: You can customize what type of planner you get, whether it’s a calendar year, an academic year, a monthly agenda, or a weekly agenda.


2. If You Want Something Classic

Gallery Leathers, $20-$32

If you want something a little simpler that’s incredibly classic and classy, a Gallery Leathers planner is the way to go. These planners also have everything you need if you’re obsessed with organization: Month-by-month calendars, a notes section, a list of important phone numbers, and notes for each individual date.


3. If You Want Something That Fits Everything

The Passion Planner, $30-$40

The Passion Planner boasts that it’s a “life coach” that fits in your backpack and has everything you need to reach your goals.

Unlike a planner that may just be for keeping notes, dates, and times, the Passion Planner takes the idea of agenda-setting to a whole new level: There are bucket list pages for creating goals, to-do lists for both your personal and professional lives, and calendars that can help you schedule down to the minute.

Here’s something cool: If you don’t want to commit to the Passion Planner just yet, you can print out Passion Planner sheets from the website to try it out for a while for free.


4. If You Want a Bestseller

Lilly Pulitzer Planner, $28

I talked to about five different women who swear by this planner and have bought it every year for as long as they can remember.

Why do they love it so much? In addition to having all the trappings of a normal agenda book (calendar, notes section for every day, and a general notes section), the Lilly planner also has fun, colorful pages that (in the words of a friend) “make keeping a calendar fun.”


5. If You Like To-Do Lists Better

Bullet Journal, $20-$30

What’s interesting about “bullet journals” is that they’re less about a particular type of planner and more about a new movement of creating agenda items called “rapid logging” (in layman’s terms, this basically means creating to-do lists instead of a calendar).

If you’re looking to get started, the Leuchtturum1917 can be a great notebook to use as a bullet journal. Basically anything that looks like graph paper or something similar will do.


6. If You Want Something Simple

Emily Ley Simplified Planner, $42-58

If you’re able to afford something on the pricier side, the Emily Ley Simplified planner series is worth checking out.

As the title suggests, these planners take out a lot of the fluff and condense every day of the year to one page each. On any given day, you’ll find a calendar marked by the hour, a to-do list, notes, and dinner plans. Pretty straightforward, right?


7. If You Want Something Inspiring

Erin Condren Life Planner, $50

This planner may be a little bright for some people, but if you’re looking for a planner that doesn’t just organize but also motivates, the Erin Condren line may be right up your alley. Think a planner with motivational quotes, fun stickers, and special cards to send friends. Sounds pretty great to me!



Obviously, these seven planners are not the be-all end-all of agenda-setting books, but they show you what types of options are out there. And remember: Planners don’t just have to be a calendar and some notes; they can absolutely have a higher purpose!


Photo of planner courtesy of Passion Planner.