Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
When I think of someone who uses a daily or weekly planner, a very organized, nitpicky person comes to mind. But then I always remember that someone like me -at the opposite end of the spectrum- should definitely be using one!
During college I was diligent at keeping a planner, in order to keep track of assignments, rehearsals, and classes. I used one a little bit during grad school, but since I was only taking 2 or 3 classes at a time, it was easier for me to keep track of project due dates without a dedicated planner. While I was pregnant, I used a planner daily, mostly because Hubby was deployed, and I lived alone. It was the only way I could keep track of work, travel, and OB appointments, all while planning for and then moving to another state. After that I just fell out of practice using one.
I’ve generally been pretty good at keeping my professional life organized, but at home, as a mom…it’s easy for me to get sidetracked and forget what I’d planned to be doing. After my husband gets home this summer, we’ll be transferring to a new duty station several hours north of here, in another state. In the meantime, I have a long list of things to accomplish, so I’ve started using a planner again.
The Tools4Wisdom Weekly Planner has your typical calendar areas where you can see the month, weeks, and days. I like that the days are broken down into 30-minute increments, which make it easy to list appointments.
This planner also has sections where you can write out your personal and professional goals and ideas, and then list them by priority. There are also areas for monthly and weekly priorities, errands, etc. The back of the planner also has a notes and reflection area.
I’ve been using this planner for blogging too. It doesn’t have blogging-specific areas (PR contact info, log-in info, etc.) to write in, so it may not work as a blogging planner for everyone, but I like having all aspects of my life organized in one place.
It’s spiral bound, and the covers are protected with thick plastic sheets. The pages themselves are thick too. Overall, I thought it was a sturdy planner.
There are two things I don’t like about this planner. One is that holidays aren’t marked, so I have to write them in myself. Perhaps this planner is meant to be sold and used outside the United States? Although the Gregorian calendar is used in many countries around the world, obviously the holidays are going to differ; that’s the only reason I can figure to not have our holidays printed in this calendar.
The second thing that could use improvement is to add a page or two that shows all 12 months. I know it’s a weekly planner, so most of the pages should be dedicated to that, but I find it very convenient sometimes to glance at a single page and look two or three months ahead.
I should also note that this is a very large planner, so unless you’re hauling around a briefcase, laptop bag, or large diaper bag, you probably won’t carry this with you. It’s not going to fit in a small purse. I don’t mind that much, but it could be an issue for some people. Of course, if the planner were smaller, it would have to be more “bare bones” and exclude many of the areas I’ve mentioned above.
If you’re looking for a planner, but aren’t entirely sure this one has everything you need, Tools4Wisdom does have other planners available (including a “mom” planner). You can find this weekly planner and more on (affiliate link>) Amazon
Do you use a planner? How do you stay organized?
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
25 Comments
I use the Circa agenda by Levenger. It’s amazing. You can also buy inserts for it at Staples that are cheaper, but it’s absolutely wonderful the way it is. I’ve added some personal touches to it. I am, as you would say, “a very organized, nitpicky person.” Haha I take pride in that. 🙂 Check it out though, it doesn’t sound like you’re too thrilled with this one.
Hi Alicia, thanks for commenting! I do like the planner, but it’s true I don’t love it. The planner definitely does have a lot to offer, but there are just a couple of things (as I mentioned) that I expect to be in a planner, and they’re not there.
This looks like a great weekly planner. I haven’t used one in years, maybe it’s time to try one again. Thanks for the post.
I love planners! Right now I’m still searching for the perfect planner that will combine blogging/life/and homeschooling all together for me!
Looks Like I Need To Get One They Look Great Thank You!
This is great! I personally love planners, although in this day and age I’ve pretty much gone digital and keep all my lists and calendar stuff in my phone. But I do have a notebook for jotting things down in. There’s something different about writing something down as apposed to typing it in your phone. For me it can just stick better in my memory.
As much as I’d like to think that all of my electronic gadgets with their alarms and calendars and note can replace an antiquiated pencil and paper; it’s just not the same. This looks like a great planner.
I still use a planner to keep track of where I am supposed to be each day. It used to be mostly clients. Now that I am semi retired it is the rest of my clients and all the doctor appts I have to drive my Mom to! Planners are life savers!!!
Ugh, I need a planner like this! I can get so disorganized!
I SO need one of these, I am bad about using my phone calendar.
I need one! I used to have everything planned out and now I don’t and it makes me crazy. Thanks for sharing!
It’s so important to be organized. This is beautiful.
Oh my goodness! I NEED this planner! It is so detailed! My old planner has notes scribbled in the margins and the spaces are filled up with an hourly breakdown which ends up looking like a jumbled up mess! With this planner, I won’t have to scribble to add in the extra sections!
What a great planner. I really need a new one.
I have two planners. Gorgeous planners. And I don’t use them. :/
I keep a digital planner on my phone it notifies me before things are due. I like that better then a written one.
This planner looks awesome! I know a lot of people just use their phones, but I like writing everything down on paper.
I wish I could use a paper planner but instead I just use my iPhone!
I use a planner at work, but not at my house.
This looks like a great weekly planner.I use one every week for schedule and todos!
I don’t have a weekly planner, but I need one to track down my activities especially the school activities of my kids. I don’t want to miss anything out because I forgetful sometimes.
What a great planner. I like that it breaks things down by how much of a priority is it. Very useful.
This looks like an amazing weekly planner… and a great review
Great planner. 🙂 I like that there is lots of open space and I use my planners often. I like to see everything at a glance.
OMGosh I SO SO need one of these!! You would not believe the little scratch papers I have laying around my computer area of my ‘to-do’ list. It’s awful. Then I loose the papers and re-write them. I could really use a planner like this to keep up with my deadlines. Thanks for the review!