Isn’t this time of year crazy busy? There’s all the end-of-term stuff if you have children: sports days, moving on workshops, visits to colleges, exams, revision, sports team parties. If you work you can feel like you have to get everything in order before people disappear for the Summer, of before you take a vacation. And if, like us, you are experiencing soaring temperatures it’s hard to get much done without wilting. Not that we’re complaining. Summer is grand and the long days mean there’s more time for being outside. It’s just that July seems frantic. So, we thought we’d look up some of the best personal organisers and diaries to help stay on top of things.

Getting organised needn’t be boring or rigid. In fact, like Mrs Miniver standing in front of a shelf of diaries, prepare to enjoy yourself. There’s something very reassuring about opening up the clean, blank pages of a diary or planner. It feels like things can be rationalised and clear, rather than just stumbling from one event to the next. As well as the inside pages, the cover and look of your organiser is important. It will be in your purse, on your kitchen table or by your side on your desk most of the time, so choose something you love to look at too. Chose carefully so that you really use it.

If you’ve had enough of rummaging through piles of letters to discover which appointment you’ve missed, or feel like hiding under the bedcovers to avoid the chaos, fear not. Let’s get organised! A clear head frees up time for daydreaming, connecting with loved ones and enjoying summer.

Here’s our edit of planners and journals that will help bring a bit of slow living magic back into your day, knowing that all the logistics are taken care of.

Electronic calendars

There is plenty of choice if you want your family or partner to coordinate diaries electronically. The Cozi app offers colour-coded diary events for each person, appointment reminders, meal planners and is printable. Google and Apple calendars are also very popular, enabling you to sync your schedules with others so you always know who needs to get where.

Planners & journals

Many of us love a paper planner or journal. There are tons to choose from, but our pick of the best are the Get to Work Book (great for organising and goal-setting), the Erin Condren life planner (customisable organiser for busy lives), the Day Designer (sleek and gorgeous, with plenty of space for thinking about the bigger picture as well as day-to-day stuff) and the Simple Stories Carpe Diem planner (fun and stylish, with inserts and additions).

Wall calendars

If you need to see everything in one space then a wall calendar is for you. For a colourful, cartoonish family version you can’t go wrong with Sandra Boynton’s Mom’s Family Calendar. This has five columns, so it’s good for larger families, and comes with stickers that the kids can add on to get them involved with their daily schedules. If you’d like something a little classier we love this stunning, monochrome wall calendar from Jo and Judy that has the whole year in view.

Bullet journals

Beloved by thousands of Instagrammers for their playful and creative element, Bullet Journals are still big this year. The idea is to use a journal that’s empty apart from the lines of dots on each page. You can then completely customise each page to make it work for your own life. From goal-setting to tracking your gym workouts and books you want to read, this is a life-organiser as well as a diary. Perfect for a more mindful approach to daily life, and great for encouraging some slow, creative time doodling and decorating your pages.

Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy the next few busy weeks and have a slower, simpler summer knowing that things are under control. At least, as much as life can be!

How about you? Do you have a favourite journal or organiser?

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