To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved storiesMedea Giordano Gear TeamIf you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDBuying a new Planner gives me an endorphin rush like no other, whether it’s for a new school semester, work year, or a much-needed fresh start. A good one should help you stay on track without overwhelming you. Some folks on WIRED's Gear team prefer paper planners over digital tools. Plus, writing things down has the added benefit of improving retention.Everyone has their own preferences, types of tasks, and degrees of willingness to scribble and organize, so we don't have one best overall planner. I grilled WIRED staff for their favorites and have tested a ton on my own. Once you’ve found something that works for you, check out our Work From Home Gear, Best Smart Pens and Tablets, and Best Laptop Backpacks guides for more.Updated August 2023: We’ve added planners from Ban.do, The Skinny Confidential, and Laurel Denise, plus updated prices throughout.Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.No matter how many perfectly adorable planners I try and love, I always repurchase a Happy Planner, though I've switched from a vertical layout to a large dashboard (there is also horizontal). These planners have room to lay out work and to-do lists with enough extras for other planning and notes without feeling overwhelming. The divider tabs are cute and sometimes include phrases and quotes, but they aren't unbearably corny (usually).The Happy Planner is almost infinitely customizable. Stock and themes fluctuate throughout the year, but in addition to the layouts already mentioned, you can choose between Classic, Skinny Classic, Mini, or Big sizes, and dated or undated pages. There are daily planners, ones tailored to teachers and students, among many others. You can get extension packs to add a few more months or to keep track of things like your budget and fitness goals. If you need it, the Happy Planner probably has it.If Happy Planner isn't for you, you might lean more towards the Erin Condren LifePlanner (ECLP for short). WIRED writer and reviewer Louryn Strampe calls this the Rolex of paper planners. With tight coil binding, three size options, three layout options—horizontal, vertical, or hourly—and more bonus features than are really necessary, it's one of the most popular planners for weekly-spread enthusiasts. The layouts are gorgeous—we especially like the vertical weekly—and there’s room all over the place to jot down notes or doodle.You can personalize your planner with monogrammed covers, special sections for goals, and more. There are extra touches, like a storage pocket and snap-in ruler. Together, these features aren’t cheap (or lightweight), but Strampe has used an ECLP for the past three years and it’s her favorite system of them all (and it makes a great gift).I still have nightmares of being in school with no idea what my next class is, or showing up having missed the last six weeks because I didn't know where the classroom was. Class Tracker's first three pages are designated for outlining your semester schedule from Monday to Sunday, 6 am to midnight. Hopefully, I'll be dreaming of that from now on.Like most planners, there are monthly calendars, but the weekly pages shine. Each day gets a section for things to remember, tests, papers, or projects due that day, and larger spots for assignments and a daily plan. There's a “Self-Care Corner” for non-school things you should focus on, and a countdown box for something you're looking forward to. The only thing I'd change is adding tabs for easily sifting through months. The planner pictured here is the college version, but there are middle school and high school options, too.Even second-graders need (or want) to remember things! WIRED senior associate reviews editor Adrienne So didn't want to spend a lot of money on her 7-year-old’s planner, and didn't want just a notebook that they'd fill with drawings instead. This Daily Checklist fits the bill. There are pre-written to-dos like brushing teeth and making the bed, with extra lines for items to be written in. There are a few other prompts for them too. It’s also sturdy and has held up under aggressively rough treatment in her backpack.Adrienne SoJulian ChokkattuRyan WaniataMartin CizmarThere are a lot of quirky planners out there, but Ban.do might be my favorite. It's the cool aunt of the planner world. The art and included stickers are incredible—cowboy boots and opossums? Yes, please—and the calendars list important dates like Dolly Parton's birthday (January 19). The weekly layout has enough room for daily planning, and you'll get fun extras like note pages and a paper fortune teller template.I like the soft-cover 12-month, which includes to-do lists, goals, and notes next to its weekly layout. There are also weekly pages without those extras, 17-month, and weekly undated.My weekly Happy Planner works best for my brain, but I'm trying to switch to daily checklists to keep myself more organized. For that, I'm using the undated Hot Minute Planner. It's pink and cheeky, with hearts instead of dots for the to-do list, which makes me feel like Cher Horowitz. There are spots for your skincare routine, intentions, workouts, books, and music. It also has a box at the bottom for weekly goals, which is particularly useful for me.If you need a more detailed checklist for each day, get the Day Designer. Each page is divided into a schedule from 5 am to 9 pm to outline meetings or appointments and to-do items, making it easier to keep track of assignments and other tasks. The top of each day page has a box for planning dinner and keeping track of bills due that day, plus your top three of the day (whatever that means for you, be it assignments to get in or important emails to answer). There's a notes area at the bottom too.It's big—something I prefer in a planner so I never have to cram—so you might not want to lug it around every day, but if you can keep it at your desk, you will benefit from its organization. Also, it arrives in a nice box, making the entire thing feel like a fancy little ritual.Adrienne SoJulian ChokkattuRyan WaniataMartin Cizmar“Planners should transform according to the shape of your life,” WIRED senior web producer Pia Ceres says. For her, that means using a dotted notebook rather than a rigid planner. One notebook can be used for class schedules, daily planners, to-do lists, and angsty diaries.Dots are the perfect medium between the limitations of lines and the void of blank paper. It's just structured enough to let you draw the calendars and lists you need—then remake them when life, inevitably, upends itself again. Muji's notebook has a durable cover to withstand book bags and coffee spills.You don't need dots or pre-planned boxes if that doesn't work for your brain. WIRED writer and reviewer Jaina Grey opts for a plain old lined notebook. After trying dozens, her all-time favorite is the Midori MD Notebook with paper made from cotton pulp (just like money!). Grey says there's just something meditative about turning over a blank page at the beginning of each week and carefully jotting down her schedule, plans, and workload. No missed days to make you feel guilty.Midori’s notebooks are designed to fit inside notebook or journal covers (which you can find all over Etsy). The pages are a subtle off-white and have a weight and texture that draws you in. The soft cotton paper makes drawing, sketching, and plain old writing an absolute joy.WIRED senior health writer Maryn McKenna prefers the Moleskine Pro Weekly Vertical, which is a notebook planner hybrid. The left page has blank lines and the right is divided into pre-determined sections for projects, status, and a classic to-do list.She likes that she can make elaborate arrangements of daily and category to-dos, and she says she feels like she's accomplished something before she even starts ticking off tasks.Adrienne SoJulian ChokkattuRyan WaniataMartin CizmarSeveral WIRED staffers recommend the Hobonichi Techo (Japanese for “planner”). Senior reviews associate editor Adrienne So says it's the perfect size, small enough to fit in a bag and hold information but also able to lie flat on a desk. There is a monthly overview and then a page for each day, along with a quote that always manages to be thought-provoking without being too trite. The cover is a distinctive black that's stamped with gold foil. The paper perfectly absorbs ink from her Baron Fig Squire fountain pen and doesn't bleed through.Because it's Japanese, it comes with a wide variety of cute accessories, like the Sacoche Mate. But it can be hard to find, especially the English version (if you speak English, make sure you get the English version). The 2024 versions come out on August 31.Several members of our team like Blue Sky and this affordable weekly planner gives you space to jot down tasks without overwhelming you with prompts. It's also a good size—much easier to tote around than some on this list.As with the Happy Planner, you can find different layouts, sizes, and formats to suit you, and there's a collaboration with Day Designer, another favorite mentioned above. One thing I like about this particular collab with One Tree Planted is that the planner is sustainably made and recyclable. The cover is durable and has a nice texture to it, plus there's no plastic coating (not even on the month tabs!).Papier has incredible cover design options to match nearly any style or mood. For layouts, I like the undated Daily Productivity planner best. Each week has a box per day, lines for notes, areas for three priorities, a long to-do list, and a habit tracker. Plus, there's a meal planner and shopping list for every week that I like. There are also a few pages dedicated to outlining each individual day's schedule. I didn't need these pages as much during my usual week, but people with rotating weekly schedules might appreciate it.I don't like the layout of Papier's yearly planners, which feature all the month calendars first, then an overview for each month with goals and to-do lists, and then the weeks. This kind of scramble just doesn't work for my brain.Adrienne SoJulian ChokkattuRyan WaniataMartin CizmarWIRED senior writer and reviewer Scott Gilbertson says he doesn't use a planner, but each day, he writes down the handful of things he's going to do on a single 3-by-5 index card. The index card with this to-do list lives in his pocket, along with a small notebook where he jots down notes throughout the day—often the source of the following day's to-do list. The notebook and index cards fit inside this very cool waxed canvas notebook cover.Gilbertson says he copied this system from one of the most successful people he's known, and after nearly 20 years, it's still better for him than any other system he's tried. It's cheap—you can grab 300 index cards for under $10, some little notebooks for $13, and a nice cover for $14—lightweight, and easy to manage.If you're here, you probably are a pen-and-paper person, but sometimes going digital is more convenient. A good digital planner can complement your analog one, instead of replacing it.Notion is a multipurpose productivity tool with tons of powerful and customizable features. Louryn Strampe use it as an endless to-do list, with tasks separated into categories like Work and Long-Term Goals, but it can be used as a team database, a budget spreadsheet, a habit tracker, and more. There are tons of templates to choose from, including planners that range from monthly at-a-glance views to granular hour-by-hour days. It even syncs across devices. The best part? It's free.Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Edition for $55: I've never seen a planner designed like this. It's wider than a traditional planner and the left side is for laying out the month—it's undated—and the right has a spot for the month's to-dos and a dotted area for whatever you need. In the middle are five half-pages for organizing each specific week. You turn the week page and still get to see everything else you already wrote for the month.Blue Sky Monthly Planner for $13: Monthly planners are fantastic for folks who want a broad overview of tracking tasks or appointments. Blue Sky's are affordable and unburdened by extra junk—we recommend a weekly version above too. Each day of the month has a few lines for jotting down multiple bullet points, and there’s a notes section for anything that would require more writing room. The yearly overview lets you track from an eagle-eyed perspective.Adrienne SoJulian ChokkattuRyan WaniataMartin CizmarPlanner stickers are a slippery, delightful slope. Once you make your first “spread” (a collection of themed stickers on a planner page, similar to a scrapbook), you will never go back. Etsy is the central hub of planner stickers. You can order printed stickers or buy digital files and print and cut them yourself. You can also opt for a full kit (an entire spread’s worth of stickers) or just the individual components you like the most.Make sure your purchase will fit the layout of the planner you have. Many planning enthusiasts swear by PipSticks; I like the shops SimplyWatercolorCo and CricketPaperCo, but there are hundreds of shops. You can also get sticker books at craft stores, but the variety pack usually lands you with some stinkers, and the cost can add up. For example, if you’re spending $15 on a booklet mainly for its 31 hydration-tracking stickers, you might be able to get a year’s worth of those elsewhere for a lower price.Maybe all you need is paper and a good pen and you're good to go. But we like to get creative.Julian ChokkattuAdrienne SoJulian ChokkattuGear TeamParker HallJaina GreyJulian ChokkattuSimon HillTurboTax coupon: Up to an extra $15 OFF all tax servicesExtra 20% OFF sitewide - Dyson promo codeGoPro Promo Code: 10% OFF all sitewide purchases + Free shipping+30% Off with this Samsung promo codeDell Promo Code 10% offDeal of the Day Best Buy coupon: Enjoy up to 50% offMore From WIREDContact© 2023 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices