The Fun of Getting a New Planner

I will not buy a new planner in September. I will not buy a new planner in September. I will not buy a new planner in September. But maybe you will?

I’m not sure what it is about getting a new planner that feels so fun to me. Maybe it’s because, as an Enneagram One, I believe that this will be the one that finally makes my life go perfectly according to plan. Maybe it’s because I really love making lists and goals. Maybe it’s because planners can be pretty, and I like having pretty things.

Even though I’ve been out of school for REDACTED years now, I still feel the urge to get a new planner in the fall. Kendra Adachi’s playbooks have been helpful in scratching this itch, since I get to pull out a new little book for every season. I’ve been using the same type of planner for a couple years now, and while I love that it works well for me, I miss the thrill of the hunt.  

Of course, just because I don’t need a new planner doesn’t mean YOU don’t need a new planner! (You totally do. Maybe I do too. Let’s peer pressure each other.) Whether your current setup isn’t working for you or you just want to experiment, there are a boatload of options to explore. Here are some of my favorite brands.

Agendio

For years, Agendio was my go-to planner company. I spent hours playing around with settings for this highly customizable product. I loved that I could create planners for short time frames, such as a quarter, so I could make tweaks the next quarter if I wanted to. The downside of this was that it got expensive. The upside was that it really was a fun hobby! (Just me?)

I loved Agendio’s synthetic leather covers. But they did get pricey. And the printed covers didn’t look as nice to me. The tools for designing the planner also took some getting used to. If planner design doesn’t sound like a fun hobby to you, then this might not be for you. But if you want to spend hours preparing to figure out how you will spend your hours, this is a fun option!

The Happy Planner

I’ve noted before that there’s a lot of fun in liking what lots of people like. And one reason for that is that it’s easier to find merch that goes along with your interest. If you, like me, enjoy Disney and Harry Potter, the Happy Planner might be the brand for you. You can get an adorable Winnie-the-Pooh cover. You can pretend your Hogwarts letter actually arrived. You can go a classic Disney friends route. Or, yes, you can get a planner with a subtle Taylor Swift nod.

This brand was a good fit for me when I was a new mom because I found the morning/afternoon/evening blocks a lot more manageable than a timed schedule. And when I had minimal creative energy left over, I could channel it into stickers that fit the boxes. (And, yes, the theme: Pooh, Mickey and Friends, Harry Potter, and even seasonal.)

Emily Ley

For a similarly cheerful but more streamlined vibe, Emily Ley’s Simplified Planner is a great option. I love the color coding and the space for notes and to-do items on most days. I don’t love that the weekend days don’t include the space for to-do items. (The seven-day week is an eternal source of struggle for planner designers.) I like to check items off lists on weekends too! But maybe I would have more fun if I didn’t…

Passion Planner

Making a hard left from the colorful world of Emily Ley, we have the Passion Planner. This was one of my favorite planners in my pre-kids days (the kids broke me of the detailed planning for a while). You can get a basic black version (the better to let your color coding shine), a pink option, or a peppy fruit-themed version. I love Passion Planner’s emphasis on goal setting, breaking goals down into action items, and tracking habits. It’s also a good option if you have multiple projects you’re keeping track of.

Rifle Paper Co.

If tracking habits and breaking down goals sounds overwhelming and you just want something beautiful to help you keep track of dates, my beloved Rifle Paper Co. likely has a solution for you. You can get a basic but beautiful bound calendar with pages for notes. Or you can expand to a more notebook-like book with weekly spreads and tabs to keep you organized for over a year. Pretty spiral-bound planners with lots of spaces for lists are available too. And don’t miss the brand’s planner sticker sets!

Laurel Denise

I admit, I’ve never tried a Laurel Denise. But I am very intrigued by this brand. The books are large, which would work for me since my planner generally doesn’t leave my desk. They are spiral bound and have larger spreads with smaller spreads tucked inside so that you can see the month at a glance while changing the week view. (You’ll really need to look at it to understand.) I think this could be a fun option for goal setting and breaking down action steps by week, especially if you tend to lose track of your big-picture goals when it’s time to break them down. I really like the cover designs on these as well.

Day Designer

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve found planner peace (to borrow a term from Sarah Hart-Unger of Best Laid Plans) with the Day Designer line of products. The 2026 collection is currently launching, and assuming I stick with this brand again, I’m looking forward to picking out my next cover! Of course, my planner mostly sits open on my desk, so I appreciate all the little touches that make the inside beautiful too, like the gold tabs and corner protectors.

I also appreciate that Day Designer offers free printables of their layouts. This is a great way to see if the system really will work with your planning style. These also help bridge the gap if you order your new planner late and need a couple of extra pages before it arrives. If you do think this brand will be a good fit for you, you can use this link for $15 off!

Little Golden Book

In honor of using a planner to (attempt to) plan your perfect day, I bring you Olaf’s Perfect Day. I don’t think he can write, and even if he could, he might not use a planner. But if you’d like to include him in yours, just grab some stickers and have fun!

Ok, now that I’ve written this post, I really want a new planner. If you get one (even if it’s not one of the brands I mentioned here), tell me all about it in the comments so I can live vicariously through you! Happy planning!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, I receive a small commission, which I greatly appreciate!