School, work, gatherings, and errands– balancing everything in life can be a challenge even for the most organized individuals, and if you’re finding that your phone calendar isn’t cutting it, you’re not alone. Writing things down on paper encourages our brain to process information better, according to studies, and that’s why keeping a planner is the first line of defense for busy schedules everywhere. And while a good planner is ultimately what works best for you, be it an elaborately color-coded academic planner or a simple notebook, here are a few appealing and functional planners that will make you enjoy writing everything down (although if keeping paper to a minimum and staying digital is more your style, we’ll include some virtual planner recommendations below, as well.)
russell + hazel Weekly Planner
This russell + hazel planner breaks down your year into weeks, allowing you to write down events in a monthly calendar while jotting down to-do reminders for each day of the week. The planner also has tabs to keep you from losing place, which is a great help when you find yourself in a hurry.
Papier Academic Planner
This planner from Papier features a 12-month calendar as well as monthly and weekly overviews so you can plan your academic year– or year in general– to a T. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns, as well, so you can find one that keeps you motivated with a cute and distinctive design.
Blue Sky Day Designer 8” x 10”
The Day Designer planner from Blue Sky lets you schedule your year, your month, and your week– as well as your day, down to the very hour. It also features a step-by-step planning process that helps you stay organized.
Todoist
This virtual planner can be used on a PC, Mac, or Chromebook, as well as on your mobile device. It allows you to create simple to-do lists, as the name suggests, but also functions as a more complex planner for multi-faceted tasks and projects.
Trello
Trello isn’t a planner in the traditional sense– it’s a workspace, similar to how a platform Monday or Bluespace works, but can just as easily be used as a detailed and intuitive to-do list. Trello functions through the creation of Boards, which are broken up into Lists made up of Cards, or small tasks or details that can link to images, videos, websites, and any other necessary resources. It’s great for planning something like a school project, but it can also act as just a space to plot out your tasks for the week.
