Whether it's a to-do list, payments to make, a list of birthdays or your weekly shopping list, we all have so much going on in our heads that sometimes it pays to get it all down on paper.
A great way of doing this is with a planner which helps you to help you dissect everything in your life and organise it neatly. And better yet, there are some beautiful choices to pick from.
Our shortlist
Best for goal setting: Legend Planner – Available from Amazon
Best for journaling: Clever Fox Planner PRO – Available from Amazon
Best non-dated planner: Undated planner – Available from Amazon
With a new year around the corner, now is the perfect time to get on top of your daily life with a brand new planner that's perfectly suited to your life and needs.
In our list below, we've included a range of different styles of planners, some with dates, some without, some for journalling and writing down your thoughts and others with plenty of space for financial planning.
Best for goal setting
The design of this planner is based on leading scientific studies that are proven to increase productivity and happiness! It aims to help you work out what you really want in life, to define and break down your short and long-term goals, and incorporate them into each area of your daily life.
One reviewer said: "Exactly as described and pictured. I've been purchasing the same planner for a few years now. I am old school :) and like things in writing right in front of me. The planner is undated and is perfect as a gift. Love that it comes in different colours, so you can even choose the colour of the year you're planning to use it for. I bought Rose Gold twice - I think this is my favourite so far. The pages are thick enough to use markers, highlighters, and gel ink pens. Every planner comes with a bunch of stickers for extra motivation/decoration. Love that there are 3 bookmarks, so you know exactly where your month and a week and any important pages are."
Best weekly planner
The week-to-view layout of this diary allows plenty of space to plan your day out in detail. There's even a handy Christmas planning section to keep track of the hectic run up to Christmas as well as a section on budgeting and expenses to help you keep your finances in check.
One reviewer said: "This is the 3rd year I’ve bought this style of diary. It has month and week to view meaning I can see my monthly work rota at a glance and room for details in the weekly section. It also has monthly budget pages and a pocket at the back for keeping documents."
Best for journaling
The Clever Fox Planner enables you to create a vision for your life and to incorporate these goals into your monthly, weekly, and daily agenda. It comes with a detailed step-by-step illustrated user guide so there's no scratching your head trying to work out how to use it.
One reviewer said: "This product makes me want to be a better person. I like the weekly debriefing. I love that it has monthly, weekly, and daily sections, but I wish they were organized together by month and that each month was labelled with a tab. I added my own tabs for the monthly section to allow for a quicker ability to find the desired month when scheduling appointments."
Best for wellbeing
Available in four different colours, this faux leather will help you to organise your goals and enhance your inner ability to achieve them every day. Keep track of your health and wellbeing actions, as well as your self-development.
One reviewer said: "Only just arrived. It was quite a lot of money for a journal, but seems good quality. There were additional sections not advertised, which I found to be a bonus and meeting my needs more than expected so that's a plus. I looked at quite a few alternatives before I chose this one and I think I've made the right decision as the content ticks all my boxes. Some have said they wish it was 12 months instead of 6, although I think that would end up too big/heavy. For me, I'd prefer 5 day weeks before the reflection page as I like the break and lack of structure at the weekend so will probably waste 2 pages every week, but that's just me."
Best design
www.papier.com
Papier have so many incredible designs to choose from. Inside the 16-week daily planner, there is space to plan your days and weeks, write to-dos, make schedules and shopping lists and lots more. You can fill out the dates yourself, meaning you can start using it at any time of the year.
Best non-dated planner
This bright daily planner will help you get stuff done and plan your life and also boost your health and wellness in the process. The handy layout combines daily to-dos with shopping lists, meal planners, water intake log, and schedules as well as a mantra or quote to guide you through the day.
One reviewer said: "Love the page layout. Has everything I need to organise my day. Only thing I wish it had extra pages for notes etc. Had roughly 100 sides so would last about 3/4 months if you use every day. Pages aren't the top end quality but still quite thick not see-through and doesn't bleed through so just fine. I'd love to see more cover designs too as a bit boring. Overall love it."
Best for health tracking
www.hellodayplanner.com
This beautiful Hello Day Planner aims to keep you in check on a daily basis. Running from January - December 2024, inside you will find affirmations and a check-off for water, exercise, meditation and this week's task as well as a monthly budget bifold. There are also spaces to fill in for top three to-dos, birthdays, 10-minute accomplishments and notes.
One reviewer said: "Absolutely gorgeous! I love my hello day. It has helped me be more organised. It's so beautiful, which draws me to use it. I've never been good with planners but not this time round."
Best for motivation
www.marthabrook.com
Designed to help you move through the year with a greater sense of clarity and purpose, this pastel blue personal organiser is filled with inspiring quotes and useful content such as year-at-a-glance spreads, monthly reflections, planning pages and much more. You can even personalise it with your name for an extra special touch.
One reviewer said: "Excellent as always. Items perfect and beautifully wrapped. They make the perfect present."
Best for mental health
www.hellodayplanner.com
Diaries and planners aren't just for organising your schedule, they can also be great for journaling and writing down your thoughts and feelings. Each page contains a prompt to help you get your thoughts onto paper.
One reviewer said: "This is beautifully made and so helpful. Having prompts on each page really helps me focus my thoughts. I heartily recommend."
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Features & Reviews Editor Emily Gilbert has been a journalist since 2015 and has worked across a variety of specialist and lifestyle brands both in print and online. Specialising in travel content and product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases, her favourite being gadgets for the home.