It’s that time of year again, the New Year! While I’ve loved using my Lilly Pulitzer planner for the past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need more. More organization, more space, more pages, more! I’ve tried out my fair share of planners and I always seem to come back to this daily planner from Day Designer. Every page is dedicated to a new day and includes an hourly break-down of the day. For someone who is marathon training, working, and blogging, this is the kind of daily planner I need. I’ll be going in depth why this daily planner is my favorite throughout the post below.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you I may make a commission if you click through and purchase.
Daily Planner Page Spread
For some, an entire 8 x 10 page for a single day can be a little overwhelming. But for me, it is exactly what I need. So many thoughts run through my head every day and I can never seem to find an organized way to write them all down. This is where having a full page is so helpful. There’s room for a grocery list, a checklist, and so much more. I am seriously so lost without it.
Monthly Overview
Have you ever had a planner that just had days and not a monthly calendar? I have and it’s miserable. I’ve recommended this planner to so many friends before and had one reach out a few months ago about it. Unfortunately it wasn’t 2020 yet, so I felt silly recommending it. But she ended up buying this Day Designer Daily Planner anyways and was thrilled to find that it has 3 monthly spreads leading up to 2020. Not to mention, it also has a monthly overview for every month in 2020. This is where I write down my big events of the year. If someone ask me to plan something out a month+ in advance all I need is to take a quick glance. If that day has something major on my monthly calendar I don’t have to waste time looking at the nitty gritty of the day.
Daily Planner Hourly Break Down
This is probably my favorite feature of the Day Designer Planner. I’m just that type A that a half hour (or hour, depending on the design you choose) breakdown is such a gift. I can plan out doctors appointments, approximate times of runs, and evening plans all in one column. Not everyone will use it, but I do a lot. Does it cause me more anxiety than relief when I look it? Probably, but that’s no different than having a long checklist.
Yearly Goal Planning
Whether you go with the frosted cover, hardcover, small, or large version of the day planner, they all have a goal setting section. I’ve noticed a lot of planners have this dedicated section, even if it’s just a page. What’s nice about the Day Planner is how it walks you through setting those goals and how to keep them throughout the year. I’m not going to lie, I actually love the format of the hardcover goal planning. So much so I almost splurged on it. (It’s almost an entire $30 more).
Daily Planner Price
The only downside to the Day Designer Daily Planner is the price. Depending on the version you want they can range from $30-$50+ online. This is outrageous to me. BUT THERE IS HOPE! The Day Designer for Blue Sky (pictured here) can be found at Target & Walgreens for only $20 in stores. I’m not sure at all why it cost SO MUCH online. It is highly recommended that you check your local Target for this planner if you’re interested in it first. If you can’t find it there or at another office supply store (Staples or Office Depot might have some) then you can look online. Remember, a planner (no matter how much) is a great investment for your year and life goals! Even a small monthly planner is a great way to set goals and track them throughout the year.
Not Sure it’s for You?
Well that’s totally ok. Day Designer offers over 40 free printables. These printables include their classic daily plan format, an altered daily format, meal planning, their goal setting worksheet and so. much. more. You could almost print out your own customized planner. (*Note: Highly NOT recommended as you’ll be printing over 365 days out on paper. Even double sided that’s 182 sheets of paper just for the daily planner). However, this is a great method to try for a week. That way you can decide between the Day Designer daily planner or maybe just a weekly planner. This also gives you the opportunity to to try out other elements (like the goal setting sheet I wanted to try!) You could say I’m a little obsessed with this planer. And I hope you become as obsessed with it to! Let’s plan this awesome year out together! (One more not, make sure you don’t have pop-ups blocked when you go to download as it may cause some issues).
