Instead of an app or gadget that claims to jump-start your productivity, you should invest in a good this year paper planner. After all, there is a lot of research showing that you actually write down to do list and schedule for the day – instead of typing it out on a laptop or your iPhone – you feel more involved in the task at hand. And although we have written about some of our favorite planners in the past, like this Japanese option, we wanted the best planners available. So we contacted productivity experts, life coaches and people who just love writing paper and know how to get things done and asked them about their favorites. Below are the best life planners, day planners and planners that will keep you on track in 2020.
BestSelf Co. Self Journal
Life coach Penny Zenker BestSelf Co. recommends Self Journal, because it helps break down big goals into 90-day digestible chunks. “I use this now because it is a comprehensive system for setting and tracking goals with all-in-one reflection. It helps me align my goals and daily tasks, making me more productive. ” Liz Sumner, a progress and life coach, also likes the Self Journal. “The base version has a lot of valuable material to help you set goals,” she says. “I’ve been using it for a number of years since I discovered it on Kickstarter. It combines the best parts of a journal and planner.”
Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner
Personal brand expert Richard Janes has “made a small fortune over the years to find a planner that can really help keep you focused and on your job.” He calls Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner ‘the best I’ve found. The reason it works so well for me is that the layout gives a clear focus on what’s important while still allowing me to clear my mind of all the other tasks lurking around. But it doesn’t go overboard so I can easily get to the actual planning of my day, week and month. One note: this planner is organized in 90-day chunks, which means you have to buy four to get you through 2020, but it also offers a bit more flexibility and you can start it any time of the year.
Day-Timer Starter Set Organizer
Day timer 2020 Refill daily planner
Christy Whitman, a life coach and the author of The Art of Having It All: A Woman’s Guide to Unlimited Abundance, has been using the day timer for over 20 years. “I love this brand because the layout of the pages gives me a place for things to do today, a schedule and also a page to write and take notes. So every day consists of two pages and gives me a complete look at my day, ”she says. “If I have an appointment scheduled, I can take notes next to the appointment and remind myself of the dial-in information, the person’s name, or other important information.” Whitman also likes Day-Timer customer service, especially the reminders to get new pages for the new year. “They send me an email with the order number, refill numbers, and it’s just easy for busy career people.”
Russell + Hazel Peony Bookcloth Mini 3 Ring binder
Russell + Hazel 2019/2020 Mini Month Tabs
Darcy Miller – an author, illustrator and crafter with meticulous care organized office – prefers to use a binder planner, especially those from Minnesota + Russell + Hazel. “I use it for my daily notes and planning, and then I have one for each of my kids, which I record over the years, from teacher conferences to doctor’s appointments,” she says. The 8×9-inch binder is small and light enough to fit in her bag, but when not in it “looks good when lying on the table”. She also likes the single pages, which can be removed and rearranged if necessary.
Brepols Back to Paper 2020 Diary Notebook
“My favorite planner is the Brepols diary,” says Sandeep Salter, founder of the household goods store Picture Room in Brooklyn. This simply designed planner has helped her transition from a digital calendar user to a written agenda. “I was basically just a Google Cal user until recently, when I passed out on a very important studio visit. Just didn’t show up because it was accidentally removed from the Cal! I was mortified. That’s the beauty of a physical journal. At no time can my toddler randomly delete important events. So now I use the Brepols specifically for meetings and studio visits. Dates at the front, notes at the back. ‘
Kokuyo Jibun Techo 2020 Diary
Wakako Takagi, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based stationery store Baum cough, loves the Jibun Techo from Kokuyo. “This is my right analog tool that goes everywhere with me. I use the monthly pages as the master planner and my weekly pages to keep me updated with detailed appointments, things to remember and documentation of some of the most important ingredients in life (such as how many miles I run every day to train) for a marathon). In addition, she adds, the magazine’s cardholder has a dual function as her wallet. “So all I have to do is grab Jibun Techo and my keys and I’m ready to go!”
Milligrams 2020 Non-Diary – Daily
Two Strategist executives (myself included) have a version of this planner from Australian office bookstore Milligram. Writer Lauren Ro really introduced it to me last year: “They were the planners of my dreams with a variety of abstract covers, color schemes and programs. I chose the daily ‘no diary’ with dot grid pages for every day of the year. ” This year, she tries the “Family Life” weekly diary, “With room for action lists, budgeting, meal planning and more.” But I’m going to pick up the dotted non-diary for the second year in a row to help me keep up The strategistEditorial calendar. Each page has plenty of room for the day’s to-do lists and notes, and it’s easy to fast-forward months. It also just looks really nice on a desk, and the linen wears well over the course of a year.
Smythson 2020 Soho Agenda
If you feel like going out, writer Leah Bhabha loves her Smythson Soho Diary. “Larger than a pocket calendar, which offers little writing space, and smaller than a desk diary, as if you’re dragging through a school book, the Soho is the ideal size,” she says. She also likes the formatting. “The weekly calendar dedicates a significant square to each day, and there is a weekly to-do list on the opposite page.” In addition, the paper itself is “half the thickness and weight of normal pages, but suffice it to say that they write easily without ink transmission.”
Smythson 2020 Wafer Diary with Pocket
For a cheaper option from Smythson, Tad Friend, a staff writer at The New Yorker, recommends the Wafer agenda. He has been using this planner for over 20 years and says, “the flyweight is a clinching feature.” It’s small enough to fit in its back pocket, but still packed with information. It reminds you when the grouse shooting season ends, and it has the phone numbers for the ‘major clubs’ of the western world, like Boodle’s and White’s in London, listed up front so you can call periodically to ask if they a Hugh Jass waiting in the lobby. “But because it’s so easy to slip into his back pocket, Friend warns that” the only weakness of the calendar, as I’ve discovered twice, is that it doesn’t go well in a washing machine at all. ” He uses a navy version, which seems to be out of stock. But there are a few more pastel options available.
Lemome 2020 Planner
For those who use digital calendars to schedule appointments, but still want a paper planner to help them make the most of their time, Neha Gandhi, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Girlboss, recommends her Lemome planner. Instead of writing down appointments and logistics, she outlines the main goal of every day in her planner. That helps her to stay focused during the day and track projects over time. “I like this particular planner because it doesn’t waste real estate on huge daily calendars, instead showing only monthly and high-level notes weekly. I can organize meeting notes by the day they were created (and then refer the date to the meeting where the notes came from in my digital calendar) so that I don’t endlessly scroll through a notebook to find a lump of information that is somehow always just out of reach, “she says. handy size ‘that fits neatly in any work bag’ and that the planner ‘fits the notebooks I use, so everything fits on my desk.’
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