Guys, I’ve got 4 planners this year. I think this is the most I’ve ever had. But there were just so many good ones, I couldn’t resist.
Here is my planner stack for 2020. I’m using the Emma Kate Co Weekly Planner, Hobonichi Weeks Planner, Daily Passion Planner and Steph Pase Planner. So without further ado, let’s just jump straight into my thoughts and plans for all my planners.
Cost: $69.95AU (the most expensive out of the bunch)
Who’s behind it? Steph is a wife and mother, and is the face behind mummy blog – Just Another Mummy Blog. She shares ideas on organization, interior style, beauty and mum life.
What’s in it? Since Steph is all about being organized in the chaos that comes with being a mummy, it’s no surprise this planner has got it all.
• Yearly + Monthly Overview and Calendar
• Weekly Spread (set up vertically)
• Australia Public Holidays & School terms
• Bill Tracker and Budget Planner
• Meal Planner and Shopping List
• Exercise Planner
• Clean Planner
• Gift Planner
• Password Keeper
• Notes pages
Any Extras? Yes! This planner has an internal pocket, 2 pages of planner stickers, monthly side tabs and inspiration quotes throughout.
Size: 196 x 235mm
What do I think so far? I’m loving it! The best thing, and the reason why I bought it, is the fact it really has it all. The other planners I have do not have expenses/budget pages, cleaning planner, meal planner and/or exercise planner. And let’s face it, we all do/need to do these things, so it makes sense these should be a staple in your planner. There are ways you can add these things into the other planners, but Steph’s Planner has already done it for you. I also love the fact it comes with stickers (not a surprise there) and is also the only planner out of the bunch with monthly side tabs for easy navigation. The other element that drew me to this planner is the artwork within it. On every diary page Steph’s Planner has this really beautiful botanical theme going on and it’s lovely.
It’s also got Australian public holidays and school terms since it’s made by a fellow Aussie. So that’s a bonus!
Downsides? The planner is bulky and heavy – hey, it’s got a lot in it! It’s definitely not one to carry in my day-to-day bag. This planner is a more, leave-on-my-desk-to-refer-to type planner.
My plans for this planner? This planner is the all-rounder. I’m putting everything in this baby – work, personal, finance, meals etc. Since this planner has everything, it’s pretty much the one I’ll be referring to a lot.
Buy here: STEPH PASE PLANNER
HOBONICHI WEEKS PLANNER IN GREEN APPLE
Cost: $34.95+AU
Who’s behind it? The Hobonichi Weeks planner was designed by a Japanese company called Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun. The editor-in-chief, Shigesato Itoi, is a copywriter, essayist, lyricist, game designer and actor. He has also designed video games for Nintendo. The word Hobonichi means ‘Almost Every Day’.
What’s in it? Japan know their stationery so this little beauty is compact, thin, has what you want in a diary and just darn adorable.
• Yearly + Monthly Calendar
• Yearly Overview
• Weekly Planner
• Notes pages
It actually has a whole bunch of other stuff at the end which apparently has some great and informative info (you know how they do) but it’s all in Japanese. Unfortunately unless you can read it, it’s not much use. This includes:
• Body measurements
• Custom International breakfast foods
• Emergency preparedness
• Age/conversion table
• Tips for living well
• Moon phases
• Japan railway map
Any Extras? Yes! This planner comes with a clear sticky pocket to stick anywhere in your planner. It also has a nifty 17cm ruler at the back and 2 ribbon dividers.
Size: 9.2 x 18.5cm. It’s the most compact out of all the planners. I keep buying the Hobonichi Weeks every year because I love it’s size.
What do I think so far? Like I said above I love the Hobonichi Weeks and the main reason is it’s size. I love how thin, narrow and lightweight it is. Not your usual size that you see. For that, it makes it unique. The other best quality all Hobonichis have is the paper. The paper is off-white (an issue with some people but I don’t mind it), ultra-thin and made from Tomoe River paper. This is a strong, resistant to bleeding and fountain pen friendly type paper and I’m all for it.
The format shows your weekly planner on the left, and a blank grid page on the right for notes and ideas. I absolutely love this format. A lot of the time I have a whole list of things to get done, but not specific to the days of the week. Some weeks, I’m so busy that I don’t have the opportunity to right down what I’m doing every day (thanks mum life). This planner has the perfect balance between space for daily appointments and a blank page to write ‘everything else’ in. Because of it’s size, I don’t feel ‘pressure’ to fill it up, blank spaces and boxes doesn’t make the pages feel ‘empty’. Unlike other larger planners if you miss a few days, it’s unsettling to me to have it look so ’empty’.
Downsides? The only downside, and it’s actually not the fault of the planner, but my own fault, is that I can’t read Japanese, so a lot of the planner is unknown to me – like what I’m assuming is the inspirational quotes at the bottom of each page. They brought out an English version of the A6 Planner, and considering the popularity of this weeks planner, maybe they’ll do the same with this one in the future.
My plans for this planner? Last year I filled up Hobonichi up with stickers and it made the planner so thick I couldn’t close it. This year I’m approaching this planner as more text heavy, maybe some washi, maybe with some stickers, but really not much. It will mainly be used for my work commitments, writing out what I need to do/buy, when to post or release stuff, when orders need to be done etc.
Buy here: HOBONICHI WEEKS PLANNER IN GREEN APPLE
EMMA KATE CO WEEKLY PLANNER IN RED WINE
Cost: $59AU
Who’s behind it? Emma Kate Codrington, from Melbourne Australia, oozes creativity. She’s a designer, travel writer and photographer and has made it her mission to inspire adventure, bring joy, and make people’s day.
What’s in it? A beautifully constructed and very inspirational planner that contains:
• Yearly Overview and Calendars
• Monthly and Weekly spreads (vertical layout)
• Additional 6 monthly spreads from Jan 2021-Jun 2021.
• Blank grid pages
• Inspirational quotes, hand brushed, on every page.
Any extras? Of course! This planner has an expandable pocket, 2 foiled sticker sheets, band closure and 3 ribbon dividers.
Size: 165mm wide x 195mm tall x 20mm thick
What do I think so far? This planner is beautiful. It’s got luxe soft pink edging, foiling everywhere and beautiful quality off-white paper. I was actually at the Big Design Market in Sydney last year and met Emma there with her beautiful planners and stationery. That’s where I got to actually see her planners up close and that’s also where I bought this beauty. The red wine cover is absolutely stunning and best thing about it is that it wipes up spills because it’s a velvet smooth coated hardcover. I also love the brush lettered typography within the planner – it just gives it this elegant touch. This planner is almost too pretty to mess up! But it doesn’t matter if you do because Emma wants you to colour outside the lines and has created this space for your wildest ideas to grow. It allows space for the unplanned. It’s up to you how you want to use it.
Downsides? I don’t really have any grimes with this planner. It’s really like a blank canvas and you can use it any way you want. I guess because of this reason, I haven’t actually used it as much as the others yet because I’m not entirely sure how I want to use it yet. I want to use it as more of a Bullet Journal type style which I really have no experience with so time will tell how I get along with it.
My plans for this planner? This planner is so beautiful that I want it to be used as more of a journal/personal diary. I want to decorate it with different elements and textures and add a whole bunch of life photos using my HP Sprocket. This kind of journaling is totally out of my comfort zone, but this is the year I’m going to try and make it work.
Buy here: EMMA KATE CO WEEKLY PLANNER IN RED WINE
DAILY PASSION PLANNER IN ELITE BLACK
Cost: $25USD (approx. $36.40AU) (I actually got it at $20USD because I pledged during the Kickstarter.
Who’s behind it? The Passion Planner was created by Angelia Trinidad who, fresh out of college in 2012 decided she wanted to design something to help organize and simplify people’s life so they could focus on things that really matter. It’s now grown into a worldwide community with users of the Passion Planner calling themselves part of the #pashfam.
What’s in it? This is an undated daily planner.
• Undated daily layouts
• A short story about Hearto (basically a story about Angelia and what she’s learned with creating her business)
• Gamechanger goal and passion roadmap
• Yearly overview
• Self check-ins
• Blank grid pages
• Today’s focus
• Space of Infinite Possibility
• Personal/work to-do lists
• Mood tracker
• Today I learned
Any extras? Yep! There’s also a green ribbon, back pocket and reinforced band closure. Included in the pledge, I also got a 2-sided insert card with a 2020 calendar and motivational cheat sheet on the back, and a Kickstarter exclusive holographic sticker sheet.
Size: A5 size, 5.8” x 8.3” x 0.8”
What do I think so far? This is my only daily planner so I get to use this differently to the other planners. I absolutely love the format of the daily pages, and I’ve seen people from the #pashfam community use it on Instagram which is what drew me to pledge for it. The blank space on the right hand side of ‘space of inifinite possibility’ is great because you can really utilize this space for whatever you want. It’s a chance for me to write, but also draw. I can use colours, and highlighters and different coloured pens to really jazz it up because the paper is a thick 120GSM recyclable bamboo paper. Another great thing about this planner is that it’s undated. Which is perfect for me because I’m not going to have time to be using this every day, only on those days where I’ve got a lot I can accomplish. I also love how it’s got spaces for ‘self-maintenance’, ‘best thing that happened’, ‘today I learned’, ‘today’s focus’ and ‘today in one word’. With my busy lifestyle, I don’t think about these things during my day, but having a space where I specifically have to write something forces me to think about my day and really appreciate it.
My plans for this planner? I’ve pretty much outlined it above. Planning out my busy days into more details – combining both work and personal goals in there.
Buy here: DAILY PASSION PLANNER IN ELITE BLACK
So there you have it. My reviews, thoughts and plans that I have for all my 2020 planners. Some background information for you – I’ve previously used an Erin Condren, Happy Planner, Rifle Paper Co, Leanne Baker Daily, Kikki K Planners, Otto and Moleskin. Let me know what you’re using this year, I’d love to know. Are you using any of the above? Are there any you use every year, or any you’re not a fan of? Comment below!
