Planner Page Layouts–Which One is Right for You?
On Wednesday, I shared six questions you should ask yourself before purchasing a planner.
Question #2 was “What layout works best?”
When it comes to paper planner layouts, there are a ton of options from which to choose. I used to be a one page per day kind of girl. I just wanted to see what was on my agenda for the day. However, I soon discovered that I was moving too many uncompleted tasks over to the following days. In reality, I was just scheduling too much for one day. But that’s a topic for another blog post.
Ironically, I discovered the perfect planner layout for me when I was looking for an electronic solution. I wanted to be able to see my calendar and to-do list together on either a one or two page layout. When I couldn’t find an acceptable electronic solution, I went back to using a paper planner.
I found pages from Life is Crafted that totally fit my needs. While I still love that format, I’ve discovered that I need more room to write, so that’s why I purchased an 8 1/2″ x 11″ Planner Pad. I now have more room to write neatly and see my week at a glance.
Enough about me…
Let me help you to decide what planner page layout will work for you.
1. Day Per Page (or Two Pages)
A day per page layout gives you a lot of room for not only keeping track of appointments and to-do lists, but it offers space to take notes and record things you may need to remember about that day. The day per two pages can be useful if you need to keep track of notes, phone calls you made, or discussions with co-workers or clients.
2. Week On One Page
The week on one page layout is great for those who do not have a ton of appointments and just need a space to write a few things down. This version by Franklin Covey gives a ruled page after the week listing. Just like the day per two pages option, this would give you a place to write notes or anything important you need to remember for or about the week.
3. Week on Two Pages
I’m sharing four different versions of the week on two pages layout. This first one is similar to the week on one page in that it does not allow for great detail for each day. Again, this option would be great if you don’t have to keep up with a lot of appointments. This option is popular especially among those who use Filofax pages.
This option allows for you to keep up with appointments and provides a space at the bottom to record your to-do list. I like this option because you can see the whole week at one time. This layout helps you to determine how much you can put on your to-do list each day. If you have a lot of appointments on one day, you know you must have a shorter to-do list.
This is from my Erin Condren Life Planner. The layout is different in that she divides each day by Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. I originally bought this planner because I thought I would be able to customize the sections with special stickers. However, I quickly found out that getting each week ready to use and trying to decorate it was taking up too much of my time. So, now I’m using mine as a fitness journal.
If you like to plan your day in sections, then the ECLP is for you. If you go to YouTube, you’ll be able to see a ton of different ways you can use this planner.
This last option is from Planner Pads and is my favorite. It is similar to what I had from Life is Crafted. I’ll write more about this in a later post, but this layout has places to keep my daily to-do lists as well as weekly to-do lists for tasks that do not have to be done on a specific day. I also have spaces to keep up with appointments.
This option may be too detailed for you, but I love having the ability to see what needs to be done for my entire week at one time. As I mentioned above, I’ve not yet found any electronic source that provides this.
I hope this post has helped you to narrow down your decision about which planner layout will work for you. There are many other options out there, but I think I gave you a good representation to start with.
Leave a comment below and let me know what layout works best for you!
Note: There are affiliate links in this post. This means I will get a small commission if you purchase an item through those links.
After switching around many times (I make my own), I settled down with a week on 2 pages (half size). One side has 4 horizontal sections for Mon – Thu and the other side has Friday – Sun, with an additional section for notes. I have all free planner inserts on my blog if you would like to visit! 🙂 http://plannerfun.com
Becky,
Thanks for stopping by! I checked out your blog and printable pages. I really like them. Even though they are not the layout I use, I can tell they are very well put together. I’ve actually changed (once again!) and am back on a page a day layout. I guess I need to blog about that soon! Thanks again for sharing.
I have used different kinds of layouts, depending on my needs at the time. Mostly, I used a week across 2 pages, but when I was a senior in college and a first year graduate student, I needed and used a day per page planner.
I’ve tried the day per page but discovered I was just moving tasks over from one day to the next. I like the week over 2 pages so I can put my lists in one place and work on them as I have time. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!