I totally believe that productivity isn’t just about staying busy all day or accomplishing endless tasks.
Being productive is all about maximizing my time and working efficiently to reach my goals.
So, I use a daily productivity planner to stay organized and be productive so I can accomplish my goals.
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With so many planners on the market, it can be tough to know where to start.
That’s why I compiled this list of the best productivity planners (with a handy buyer’s guide) to help you find the right planner for you (see Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly Planner Review).
So, whether you want support from beginning to end or to be a little more independent on your productivity journey, you’re sure to find the right planner for you.
The Freedom Journal
First on the list is the Freedom Journal.
This 100-day goal journal is beautiful inside and out, and if its stunning cover does not immediately draw you in, its contents will.
If you have a goal you want to achieve within the next 100 days, the Freedom Journal is an absolute must for you.
The Freedom Journal will help you get there by guiding you to set S.M.A.R.T. goals and offering a unique system to accomplish them.
If you’re wondering, S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
You’ll be held accountable for the full 100 days with a set of affirmations, inspiring quotes, quarterly reviews, nightly recaps, and 10-day sprints, which allow you to set micro-goals to achieve within a 10-day frame.
This helps you build up momentum and work towards the main goal.
There’s nothing that hasn’t been thought of, and it’s far more effective than just scribbling your goal on a sticky note and losing it in your bedside drawer.
It’s also an incredibly versatile tool that can be used for almost any business or personal goal.
The Freedom Journal even comes with a mobile app that gives you another tool to help you stay on track while getting motivation from others.
Even when you’re on the go and don’t have your journal, you can still benefit from all of its incredible features!
Pros
- Beautifully designed
- It can be used for all sorts of goals, whether they’re big or small, business or personal
- Mobile app to help you stay on track, even when you’re not near your journal
- Multiple sources of inspiration, including reminders, quotes, affirmations, and more
Cons
- There are ads at the bottom of the pages, which can be distracting and feel a little clumsy.
- Some markers are the same, just worded differently, such as “by the end of the day, I will have accomplished” and “action plan for the day.”
Passion Planner
Next on the list is the Passion Planner. This undated goal-setting journal is filled with motivational prompts and boasts a beautiful design to motivate you to keep coming back and staying on track.
The Passion Planner has some truly exceptional features such as the year to view goal setter, the next year and beyond feature (remember, this planner is undated, so you can set your goals for as far out as you like), extra pages for journaling space, a goal tracker to encourage a positive mindset and six more pages of blank lined pages for your notes.
Whether you’ve got a busy schedule or a goal you want to achieve, the Passion Planner is a great addition to your lifestyle.
However, the Passion Planner seems a little lacking compared to the Freedom Journal.
There are not as many resources or support to help you keep on track, so you may need an extra burst of motivation to stay on track.
However, the extra blank pages for your journaling are a great addition that encourages more independence and freedom than other journals.
There’s a good balance between support and independence, but we did feel that the Passion Planner could do with a few extra features, such as affirmations.
Pros
- Attractive design
- A mixture of blank pages for journaling and supportive features such as the goal view setter
- Undated planner, so you can set targets within your time frame
- Monthly goal progress sheets are an excellent way to monitor your progress and see what needs to change
Cons
- This journal is very independent and lacks more sophisticated additions like affirmations and quotes that many users love.
- The calendar section is quite small, and it’s hard to see your daily goals here.
JSTORY Large Weekly Planner
The JSTORY Large Weekly Planner is next on the list with its excellent reviews.
When you first pick up this planner, you can’t help but notice the large font on the front (we get the hint, JSTORY), but at least you’ll never have to worry about not knowing what your planner is for, right?
This planner is a little smaller (ironically) than some of the others we’ve reviewed, but it still contains 28 high-quality sheets of smooth paper that are beautifully organized and great to write in.
You’ll also know that you’re getting a great quality item because this planner is stitch-bound and extra durable, with a matte-covered front and back.
For each day in your JSTORY Large Weekly Planner, you’ll get a lot of space to write in. So, even on your busiest days, you’ll never run out of room to organize your life.
However, this planner is pretty minimalistic – each page is organized with ‘M,T,W,T,F,S,S’ and a corresponding space for each day.
This planner will do the job if you don’t mind not having all the added extras, such as affirmations and trackers!
This planner can be used for almost anything – from writing bullet notes, a daily to-do list, organizing homework, organizing your bills, a meal planner, or even a food diary. It’s simple and versatile; sometimes, that’s all you need.
Pros
- Simple design
- Stitch-bound and matte-coated for extra durability
- A variety of colors to choose from
- Versatile design; this planner can be used for almost anything!
Cons
- Lack of supportive features such as trackers
- Not many pages – this wouldn’t be good for long-term goals or planning
Clever Fox Planner Pro
Next on our list is the infamous Clever Fox Planner Pro.
The Clever Fox Planner Pro has been well received across the world, and thousands of people have jumped online to share their thoughts, so, of course, we had to try it for ourselves.
The Clever Fox Planner Pro is a sophisticated and attractive planner that’s great for weekly and monthly organizing.
Not only can you keep tabs on everything you need to do, but it’s also a great planner for setting long-term goals.
This planner has a minimalistic front cover but boasts a light and spacious interior with plenty of dark headers. Unlike most dated planners, you can also start using this planner at any time of the year!
Although this planner can be used for almost anything, we loved that it includes financial planning pages.
This even includes a monthly budgeting section with expense tracker pages and a complementary grid for extra note-taking.
So, if you’ve got some financial goals you want to keep on top of… this is a fantastic planner!
Moreover, the Clever Fox Planner Pro even includes a summary of the year section, which lets you assess your financial progress throughout the year.
It’s a fantastic feature that many Clever Fox Planner Pro users are taking advantage of, and it worked well for us, too!
And in case you’re wondering, this planner does have a few extra features, such as ‘mindfulness’ prompts to help you move through the week, which is an excellent addition.
Thanks, Clever Fox.
Pros
- Available in multiple colors, including lavender, forest green, amber yellow, and more.
- Includes financial planning pages, mindfulness quotes, and extra grid space at the back for your note-taking.
- Undated means you can start using this planner on any date of the year.
- Elegant layout with plenty of dark headers.
- Three bookmarks to navigate through the planner sections easily.
Cons
- Some users feel there are too many grid pages at the back of the journal, which may be better used as financial pages or affirmations.
Self Journal By BestSelf
Last on our list is the Self Journal by BestSelf.
Like the cleverfox planner pro, the Self Journal has received an abundance of positive feedback from its users, and it’s arguably one of the best productivity planners on the market… or so we’ve heard.
What better way to test the theory than to give it a go for ourselves?
On first thoughts, the Self Journal has an incredibly simple design; however, it’s available in a range of colors, including yellow, blue, black, and orange, to suit all tastes.
It’s sophisticated, stylish, and looks incredibly professional, making it great for business and personal use.
When we started using the Self Journal, we were surprised by how much support is offered to its users.
The Self Journal comes with a 13-week roadmap, a guidebook, and morning and evening gratitude pages, making it one of the more feature-packed journals on our roundup!
The 13-week roundup features a daily progress tracker to help you monitor and achieve your goals, and with the daily gratitude acknowledgment, you can foster the positivity within that’s needed to reach your targets.
This planner also boasts a weekly habit tracker, so if you’re trying to build new positive habits, this section can encourage you to get there!
Like the freedom journal, you can also set S.M.A.R.T. goals and keep on track with progress milestones and accountability sections, which encourage you to hold yourself accountable for your successes and failures.
The Self Journal was easy to use and packed with useful features.
If you want a more supportive productivity planner, this is a great one to use! It’s also so versatile that it can be used for almost any big or small goal.
Pros
- Simple and elegant design that’s great for both business and personal use
- Morning and evening gratitude sections are a charming touch
- The planner also comes with a roadmap and guidebook to give you even more support on your productivity journey
- The weekly habit tracker can help you build new habits, get rid of old ones, and see the benefits
Cons
- There’s limited space for ‘free journaling’ as most sections of this planner are rigorously structured.
Buyers Guide
Whether you’re a student, a worker, or a homemaker, life is busy. There’s always something that demands our attention, and using a productivity planner is a great way to keep on top of your life.
If you want to achieve goals or targets you want to set yourself, a productivity planner is also a great way to hold yourself accountable!
As you’ve probably noticed from our roundup, so many productivity planners are on the market.
Some are bursting with features and resources, and others are more minimalistic with less structure.
So, if you’re looking for a new productivity planner to organize your life, what should you be looking for?
Take a look through the buyer’s guide below to explore the things you should be considering.
Goal Setting Sections
In an ideal world, your productivity planner will have a goal-setting section that can help you prioritize your tasks.
Whatever you try to achieve, setting goals is the main way you will get there.
An effective goal-setting section can help you prioritize the most important tasks and help you make time in the day to achieve them.
A good goal-setting section will also help walk you through the process so you can envision your goal and help make it real. Your section should:
- Help you understand why the goal is important
- Establish what it will look and feel like to achieve it
- Outline a plan of action that’s condensed into bite-sized chunks so you can make progress in a manageable way
Time Blocking And Tracking
Time rules almost everything and will also significantly affect your productivity.
If you want to become more productive or achieve a goal, you’ll need to track your time so you can understand how you’re spending it and how to make changes.
Time blocking and tracking can also give you an idea of how long it’ll take to achieve your goals.
With time blocking, you should be planning out what goals you will achieve in a certain time frame (e.g., the day).
For example, how long can you stay focused, and how much time should you allocate to a specific task?
An effective time-blocking and tracking section can help you figure this out without overwhelming yourself!
Look for a productivity planner that offers this feature. Most planners will give you a weekly layout for time blocking and tracking, but some may offer you more.
Project Lists/ Brainstorming Space
Any good planner will give you the space you need to organize and manage projects and brainstorm any ideas that may come to mind.
If you’re struggling to focus, you might need a bit of extra free space to write it all out and organize it later.
Getting all of those racing thoughts out onto paper is one of the most important things you can do on your productivity journey.
Some planners may just have extra blank pages at the others, but others may also have project lists or task lists.
These are usually lined and can help you organize your thoughts more coherently.
We’d recommend looking for a lined or checklist version rather than gridded or free pages to make organizing your brain dumps a little easier.
Frequently Asked Question
Do Planners Increase Productivity?
If used correctly, planners have the power to increase productivity (see also ‘How To Use Preparation To Increase Productivity In Your Creative Life‘). Planning your day and condensing your tasks into smaller loads can make achieving your goals easier, making you feel fulfilled.
What Is A Productivity Planner?
Productivity planners are journals that can be used to track and manage your goals and help you work to a schedule.
Most productivity planners will include calendars, affirmations, trackers, and more to help you get there.
What’s In A Productivity Planner?
Productivity planners can include anything from financial planning sections to affirmations, habit trackers, calendars, and free space.
Final Thoughts
If you’re struggling to keep on top of your life, invest in a productivity planner! We hope you’ve found our list of the best productivity planners a source of inspiration for your next investment.
Remember: anything is achievable when you put your mind to it!
