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.