The Best Planners for Solopreneurs, Bloggers and All Around Busy Women

The Best Planners for Solopreneurs, Bloggers, and All-Around Busy Women

The Best Planners for Solopreneurs, Bloggers, and All-Around Busy Women

The Best Planners for Solopreneurs, Bloggers, and All-Around Busy Women

No matter how much our digitally-savvy hearts love online organizational tools like Google Calendar, Evernote, Asana, and more, there’s one thing a lot of one woman shops can agree going analog on: planners.

There’s something so incredibly satisfying about setting your planner up for the week, the month, and the year. Something to be said for seeing everything you want to see in one place. Something to be said for being able to physically cross something off a list.

So when it comes to tracking time, to-dos, ta-das, and much more, we love getting a glimpse at the best planners for solopreneurs.

Without further ado -- and in no particular order -- we give you the best planners for solopreneurs!

The Simplified Planner from Emily Ley*

The Simplified Planner from Emily Ley

”Grace, not perfection” is Emily Ley’s motto, and The Simplified Planner is a fantastic example of how she helps women live that motto out. Coming in both daily and weekly editions, the minimalistic design is perfect for starting every day on a fresh note. We especially love the ample margin space and luxurious paper.

Pros: The Simplified Planner is minimalistic, leaving room for you to make it entirely your own. Daily and weekly editions let you choose how you want to plan.

Cons: Weekend days share one page -- not ideal for the freelancer who likes equal opportunity planning for Saturdays and Sundays.

Price: $58

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The Happiness Planner*

The Happiness Planner

Focus on what makes you happy. That’s what The Happiness Planner is all about -- breaking us from the autopilot of constant productivity and turning our minds toward reflection and self-care. Start by creating your “Happiness Roadmap,” then head into each day with the spotlight on positive thinking and affirmations, mindfulness, gratitude, and self-development.

Pros: With an initial monthly page that gives you room for personal and work goals and daily pages that still leave plenty of space for to-dos, list-loving solopreneurs will still have plenty of room to plan out their days.

Cons: The planner focuses on a daily view, so for those who prefer to see their week at-a-glance, this might not be the planner for you.

Price: $59

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Plans & Things from Christie Montague Design*

Plans & Things from Christie Montague Design

Created for solopreneurs, by a solopreneur. Freelance designer Christie Montague knows a few things about juggling a million things on the to do list. She created Plans & Things as a way for her to keep track of everything in her work + life, and you might quickly realize that it’s great for you, too.

Pros: So. much. room! The monthly spread gives you each month at-a-glance, while the weekly layouts include room for writing out weekly goals, scheduling your days, building multiple to-do lists under different categories, and jotting down “notes + brilliant ideas.” Add interchangeable covers, and the versatility of this planner becomes tough to beat.

Cons: The flexible cover, though protected, might be prone to wear.

Price: $36

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The Life Planner from Erin Condren

Erin Condren LifePlanner

What doesn’t Erin Condren do right? Created by a woman, for women is what we like to see — and she does it right with her signature LifePlanner™, which seems to somehow keep getting better, year after year.

Pros: Three choices of layouts (horizontal, vertical, or hourly) allow you to see your week how you want. Sturdy binding and laminate (interchangeable) covers make this a durable companion throughout the year, and inspirational covers with quotes like “She designed a life she loved” will remind you how lucky you are to be a solopreneur.

Cons: Bright colors and a 7.25” x 9.25” size make this planner hard to conceal when you’re out and about.

Price: $55+

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Get to Work Book from Elise Joy*

Get to Work Book from Elise Joy

Elise says Get to Work; we say get shit done. With this planner, they’re one and the same. The Get to Work Book is a daily planner + goal setting workbook designed to help you break those big goals down and take things one day at a time. In Elise’s words: “While (sadly) it can't do your work for you, every inch of it was thoughtfully designed to help you get to work.”

Pros: The minimalistic design lets you focus on the important additions you’ll make, and the 12 motivational text prints throughout will give you the push you need to make each month your own. The addition of 14 "project breakdown" pages and 13 "reflect and goal-set" pages make this a true goal-getting planner.

Cons: For those who like color, you’ll have to add it on your own. And at 246 pages, expect some weight for your work.

Price: $55

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The Pocket Book Planner from Poppin*

The Pocket Book Planner from Poppin

Poppin’s out to help us all ”Work happy.” This incredibly colorful planner packs a lot of punch in a little space, and is made with a sturdy spiral and protective cover, keeping it travel friendly.

Pros: Easy-to-find, color-coded months as well as weekly spreads leave room for lined notes and white space every day. The addition of a sheet of icon stickers makes our sticker book-loving hearts oh so happy.

Cons: Coming in at just 8.25” x 6”, the planner might be too small for those who like to write a lot…or write big.

Price: $14

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The Desire Map Planner from Danielle LaPorte*

The Desire Map Planner from Danielle Laporte

Hardcover. Gold foil. Daily and weekly editions. ”What I will do to feel the way I want to feel” adorning the covers. Yep, Danielle LaPorte’s planners are about as enticing as everything else she creates. (#truthbomb) Naturally, it incorporates “your soul and your to-do list; your gratitude and your goals; your deepest desires with your day-to-day.” Love.

Pros: The daily layouts leave room for your Core Desired Feelings, Soul Prompts, your schedule (with a focus on reframing obligations into choices) and more. If you identify as a heart-centered solopreneur, this is more than just a get-shit-done planner.

Cons: Lots to distract from your daily to-do list (but yep, that’s kinda the point).

Price: $44

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The Life List Planner from Clara Paperie*

The Life List Planner

All.of.the.lists. That’s what this planner is about. Each page features one long to-do list, with each day making room for your top five priorities. Weekly goal + gratitude prompts add a layer of reflection, and sections dedicated to goal tracking and note-taking leave room for making it your own. For the Type A’s out there, your heart will never have been happier.

Pros: Despite weighing a hefty 2 lbs, this planner’s 7” wide x 8.5” tall, making it easy to tuck away. A hardcover and strong binding make it portable no matter the conditions.

Cons: If you’re looking for a simple to-do list planner, this one might have more bells + whistles than you need.

Price: $38

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The May Book from May Designs*

The May Book from May Designs

With seven different interior agenda choices and non-dated alternatives that offer up more space, May Designs is the ultimate in offering options that let you build planners to fit your style. Choose a cover style and your own personal monogram, and you’ll never mistake this planner for anyone else’s.

Pros: Choose from three sizes: the Mini May Book (aw!), the Classic, or the Large. Totally customizable interior pages let you choose how you want to build your planner, so you can make it work how you want to. Flexible covers make them super easy to stow on the go.

Cons: Extra space isn’t at a luxury here. For people with lots to write and keep track of, this probably isn’t the best option.

Price: $20-$26

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Studio C*

Studio C Planners: Raise the Barre

Simple, yet definitely still fun: This medium-size planner includes a pocket for extra papers, colorful monthly tabs, and a convenient elastic closure to keep everything in place. Our favorite part: the colorful, inspirational, coated tabs that mark the start of each month.

Pros: Simple yet durable. Includes a past and future month reference on each monthly spread (something that comes in handy more often that we think it might).

Cons: The layout of the Raise the Barre planner doesn't leave a ton of room for customization.

Price: $16.99

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Commit30 planner*

Commit30 planner

The Commit30 Day Planner is the first product in what its creators are calling the Commit30 movement: a movement to help you accomplish your goals + dreams by taking small steps that lead to big changes, 30 days at a time. The path of least resistance is one we can get behind, which is why we loved the theme of this planner.

Pros: 240 pages of goal-based planning keeps you hyper-focused on breaking big dreams down into small actions, and staying consistent. Also: Despite not being spiral-bound, this planner lays flat when opened. (Thumbs way up.)

Cons: With black, brown, and gold as your cover options, this isn’t the prettiest (read: girliest) of planners.

Price: $34.99

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Plum Paper*

Plum Paper planners

Plum Paper is more than just a delightful name -- these planners offer endless options to not only make them pretty, but to make them super functional in helping you manage your life and business.

Pros: Customizable calendar views let you organize your days however you want -- the super organized can view their days in hourly increments while the more spontaneous solopreneur can plan by morning, afternoon, and evening. Additional add-ons include extra note pages, stickers, and more.

Cons: Honestly? It’s easy to be overwhelmed with the choices! From five vertical/horizontal options and countless cover designs, it's hard to choose just one.

Price: starting at $32

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Passion Planner

Passion Planner

The Passion Planner has a bit of a cult following for a reason: It is truly a one-stop shop for managing your life. It has everything from an appointment book and to-do lists to a journal and gratitude log.

Pros: The flexible cover makes this planner fun to stow anywhere, and the ample space for note-taking makes it easy to transform into a planner, notebook, and journal.

Cons: Black and white is the name of the game here. If you’re searching for a planner that reflects your personality and matches your office, the straightforward design may not be for you.

Price: $24.99-$34.99

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Dailygreatness

The Dailygreatness planner

The Dailygreatness journal combines a yearly diary, goal and appointment planner, and daily tools for self-mastery. This is more than just your average get-shit-done planner; the Dailygreatness planner is for anyone looking to truly integrate self-care into their ongoing routine.

Pros: Daily, weekly, quarterly, and yearly check-ins help keep you accountable in creating great habits, from meditation to dream journaling, exercise to even self-awareness question sessions, and more. Full-color pages make it a book you’ll never want to put away.

Cons: At 464 pages, this is no pocket book.

Price: $44.95

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Day Designer

Day Designer planner from Whitney English

Whitney English struck a chord with busy moms, bloggers, and entrepreneurs when she created the Day Designer in 2010 -- and it’s remained a favorite amongst these groups ever since. Beautifully-laid out daily pages help women to specifically to focus on the important pieces of each and every day.

Pros: Each day includes a Today, To-Do, Dinner, Gratitude, Top 3 To-Do Prompts, and space for notes. For solopreneurs fitting a lot into their day (maybe you know someone like that?), this planner has the space you need.

Cons: All that space comes at a premium! Adding up to over 2 lbs, the Day Designer isn’t great for stowing and going.

Price: $59

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Sadly, the 2017 Planner Giveaway Extravaganza has come and gone. Sign up below to be notified about our next epic giveaway!

This post contains affiliate links. As always, we only include affiliate links for products + services we think might benefit you...like these planners!

  1. Awwww, this IS the best planner giveaway but it’s sucks that your Canadian OWS fans can’t join in the fun.

    Still excited for whoever wins, I’m sure they will be in planner heaven!

  2. Thanks for this giveaway. I wanted to let you know the first entry section was not working for me. I shared to FB and it did not update my +2. I attempted Pinterest & Twitter, same response. I did post my referral link separately on Pinterest. There was an error trying to pin from the giveaway link.

    Thanks for all you do to help!

  3. Emily says:

    I use the Passion Planner and I love it. Is it weird that I wish I had SO much to do that I could justify owning 3-4 planners?

    • Ashley Brown says:

      Nope, I wish for the same thing. I’m like “this one’s for my everyday tasks, this one’s for my business, this one’s for working out…” LOL

  4. The Passion planner is like having a dream board that you carry with you!! Love it!

  5. Ruth Molenaar says:

    Oh wow! I am so torn! There are 3 or 4 I really would like to use, Color, functionality, rooooom to write? I need a magic planner!

  6. Micah says:

    This saves me from spending hours searching for the perfect planner. I’m also known to go to the office supply store on a whim and stand there for ages comparing planners. Oh, and it also helps me to think about the perfect planner at the perfect time of year…ahead of the new year!

  7. Tess says:

    I love the list but was super disappointed that one of my new favs to try, Life List Planner, was going to be over $100 because shipping to the US was over 50%!! since it’s made in the Philippines 🙁 There are so many great planners that it doesn’t make sense. Hopefully shipping to other global locations is better

  8. Kate says:

    This is the best list I’ve ever seen…. THANK YOU!!!

  9. Kay Odell says:

    Great list! We, at WeekDate, would love to be included in next years list! It’s the only planner that you do not have to write your recurring events. Only Write It Once. You can find us at weekdate.com We have the Weekly Planner and also the Academic Planner.

  10. Dayna says:

    I have been looking for the right planner for years!!! This post was so helpful. Now I have to choose between plans and things which I LOVE or passion planner. I don’t really need a new planner until July but I guess it’s worth it to have the right planner now! Thanks for your help!

  11. Gen says:

    This is such a huge help !

    Gen
    http://www.genuinedrop.me

  12. This is such a great list! Very comprehensive. Love the pros and cons.

  13. Luna says:

    Love this list! I am currently using the Accurate Thinker productivity planner but it’s only available in Canada for now. But it’s so sweet because it has a productivity game that makes it more fun to get productive aside from being able to organize and schedule my day.

    Your Canadian readers can check it out on Amazon Canada.

  14. […] tastes when it comes to planners, so definitely choose one that’s right for you. I found this great list of planners for bloggers and/or busy moms and may come back to it if I decide to change things up next […]

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