The 10 Best Productivity Planners Out There

Most of us are juggling seemingly endless tasks, appointments, reminders, and thoughts on any given day, and they seem to bounce around in our brains like wayward ping-pong balls. 

One of the best ways to clear your head and make sure you don’t forget anything? Write it all down. 

A productivity planner is a great spot to do that, and we’ve pulled together this list of the best planners that will keep you organized and on track. 

What Is a Productivity Planner?

A productivity planner is a personal journal that tracks your goals, accomplishments, and schedule. The best productivity planners work as a combination of calendars, organizers, and planners and exist to help you accomplish tasks in a well-documented and strategic way. 

Unlike a regular journal where you track your thoughts, feelings, and reflections, a productivity personal planner supports you as you get work done and pursue your goals. 

How Do You Use One? How Does It Work? 

The great thing about a productivity planner is that you can use it in the way that works best for you—there aren’t any rigid rules here. However, many people like to keep it simple by dedicating each page to jotting down their daily priorities or to-do list, schedule, reminders, and other notes.  

One major benefit to a productivity planner is that you can also write down your goals (both big and small) and track your habits and progress to become even more efficient and effective.

How Do You Make a Productivity Planner? 

If you want to go the DIY route, there are tons of productivity planner templates that you can use to organize your schedule. You can download a productivity planner PDF (like the Creative Planner by Skillshare instructor Dee Naidoo) for free. If you already use a bullet journal, you can also use that as your productivity planner. 

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10 Best Productivity Planners

Rather skip the DIY route and instead purchase a premade planner to keep you on track? Here are a few of our favorites. 

1. The Self-Care Planner by Simple Self

This holistic planner isn’t just about getting more done. It prioritizes your mental health with a psychology-based six-step self-care plan. This planner works as a habit tracker, wellness planner, gratitude journal, and to-do list maker. In addition to daily and weekly scheduling pages, the planner includes a self-care map, vision board, goal planner, and more.

2. JSTORY Large Personal Wide Spaces Weekly Planner

With this bright pink cover and large size, you’ll never worry about losing this productivity planner. JSTORY’s planner is the most basic one on our list—the undated blank weekly planner simply has initials for each day. It’s the best choice if you want a no-frills option that allows you to fully focus on jotting down your to-do list.

3. Panda Planner Pro

The Panda Planner Pro uses a scientific approach to help you achieve short- and long-term goals with mini-routines. The six-month planner has separate daily, weekly, and monthly sections that have space for you to write down your schedule, priorities, and goals. Each section also encourages reflection with space to review your accomplishments and struggles.

4. Erin Condren LifePlanner

If you’re looking for a custom planner, check out the LifePlanner. It’s customizable with a variety of cover designs, different durations (12 or 18 months), four interior design options, and three weekly layout options (horizontal, vertical, or hourly). The laminated hardcover and thick pages ensure that the planner will hold up regardless of where you bring it. 

5. Productivity Planner

If you often feel overwhelmed by how much you need to get done on any given day, then this is the planner for you. It challenges you to identify your priorities by jotting down your most important tasks to focus on. You can also rate your daily productivity to better understand your habits and become more efficient. Plus, motivational quotes sprinkled throughout will encourage you to keep going—even when your to-do list feels daunting. 

6. Lemome Planner

Sophisticated and stylish, the Lemome Planner provides a high-level monthly and weekly overview so you can manage your time without unnecessary extras. If you’re looking for a luxurious, polished, and straightforward planner, this is it.

7. Clever Fox Planner

Gorgeous and versatile, the Clever Fox Planner lives up to its name. Each weekly spread includes space to record your schedule, habits, and track weekly priorities and reflections. The focus planner also comes with colorful stickers to get creative and make it your own.

8. MäksēLife Goal Planner

This high-performance planner pairs goal-setting activities with weekly schedules so you can keep your eye on what matters most to you, without getting bogged down in busy work. It includes a monthly goal planner, habit tracking pages, weekly life coaching tips, and also comes with goal-setting instructions to help you set objectives that motivate you—rather than discourage you.

9. Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner + Notebook

Every spread features a weekly planner paired with a ruled notebook, so you can take in-depth notes as you go. The planner also has a monthly project planner for those bigger, more daunting assignments on your radar. 

10. My PA Planner

Perfect for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone looking to redefine their lives, this planner is designed to work for both professional and personal goals. The stand-out aspect of this planner is the in-depth goal-setter that makes you dig deep into your mission and vision and review your progress along the way.

Put your productivity planner to work with these tips for creatives from Skillshare Originals teacher Thomas Frank.

Make the Most of Your Productivity Planner

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