If you know me, you know that I LOVE day planners.  I have one old fashioned day planner as well as two to three other calendars and planners going at all times.  I try to have them all synched so that wherever I am I can take a look at it if need be.  With the new year fast approaching (I mean seriously though, wasn’t it just July?), I ordered a new planner for 2016 in preparation.  This post will be my review of the few I have used over the last few years and what I think works and doesn’t.

May Designs

These planners are great to throw in your purse or a book bag to keep with you on the go.  They are thin and flexible and have tons of customization options.  I liked this planner for academic work on the go.  However, when it came to managing my household and business in one place it just didn’t cut the mustard.  The space to write long to-do’s or put information about client sessions just isn’t there.  They are fairly affordable at around $25 depending on your customization, which makes them great for a college student or on the go planner.

(Photos from Maydesigns.com)

Plum Paper Products

I thought this was going to be the planner of all planners for me.  The customization options to choose from allowed me to have a whole section each week for every member of my family, my business and school work.  The binding on these planners is great and the paper is nice and thick with laminated tabs for every month.  What I didn’t realize was that I didn’t need all of that with a planner as I rarely filled in anything for my husband and baby.  On the other hand my work and school sections were over flowing and my planner began to look like a mess.  If there is one thing I don’t like is a messy planner.  I quickly realized that I needed to move on from this planner and find a new one.   Starting at $31 they are a great option for someone who has smaller tasks that could fill up more of the pages.  I chose to add 6 months to my planner as well as extra sticker sheets so my planner cost around $60

(Images from PlumPaper.com)

The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley

This is the most recent planner I have purchased and will be my planner for 2016.  I did a lot of research on different planners when trying to find the right planner for 2016.  I think I have found just what I need in the Simplified Planner.  I chose to get the daily calendar as opposed to the weekly because I wanted to be able to schedule out my day by times.  If I am doing a styled shoot I need to have all the info in time increments for items I may need to pick up from vendors and need a place to put all of that.  I loved that there is a daily meal plan on every page as well as a notes section.  The covers are hard and the binding is a nice thick metal.  The paper isn’t terribly thick but the tabs are nicely laminated which I love.  This planner cost a little more than the Plum Paper Products planner at $63 after shipping.

(images from EmilyLey.com)