I liker planners. A lot. But I have always struggled to find the PERFECT planner, with the PERFECT format that would suddenly bibbity-bobbity-boo me into the most productive person on the planet. When I started using an Erin Condren planner, I finally had planner peace with the layout, but I struggled to fit everything in. This year I have been using the EC horizontal format, and I liked it, but again, struggled with how to fit my personal life as well as owning 3 businesses into it. Then I got a bright idea – why not get a second planner so I could divide things up?
I ordered a vertical planner, and moved my personal life into it. This was working great! Some girls like shoes, I like paper. So having a LEGITIMATE excuse to own two planners is kind of a big deal.
Then I started taking a time-management class with my amazing essential oil leaders. This class promoted time-blocking and color-coding your day in your planner. If all the cool kids are time-blocking and color-coding their planners, clearly I needed to, too!
As fate would have it that very same week the heavens opened, the angels sang, and Erin Condren sent me an hourly planner to review. I have been using all 3 planners for a bit now, and I love them all! I get a lot of questions about which format is best, or which someone should purchase, so today I am going to break down and compare all 3.
The Vertical Erin Condren LifePlanner
This is the oldest, and by far the most popular LifePlanner layout. I used this for a couple of years before trying horizontal. I love that this about has 3 separate boxes, so you can divide either your morning, afternoon, and evening, or you can use each section for a different part of your life. Last year I used one box for blog, one for my schedule, and one for to-do’s.
Now that I have 3 planners, I am using the vertical as my to-do/household planner. Since I am not trying to cram so much into it, I have been able to decorate my weeks a little more, which is fun.
Next month I am going to start incorporating my monthly budget on the extra note page at the back of the month, like I currently do in my bullet journal. I am a little obsessive about my budget, so I like to have it somewhere I can refer to it often.
The Horizontal Erin Condren LifePlanner
This year I decided I wanted to go with a horizontal LifePlanner because I liked that there was more room to write. I have messy big handwriting, and sometimes it’s hard for me to cram everything into the vertical boxes. I loved the softer colors of this layout! I used this primarily for my salon business, and then morphed it into my main planner.
Now that I am using 3 separate planners, I am using this one as a journal for my daily devotion/prayer time. The pro about this layout is that there definitely is a lot more room to write on the page.
The Hourly Erin Condren LifePlanner
When the hourly planner first came out, I wasn’t interested at all. Sure, I am a self-employed hairstylist and I book time-based appointments, but not all of my days are structured by time. Then I started seeing some of the incredibly cute ways that others were planning with their hourly layouts. Then I took the time-management class that advocated time blocking. *sigh* It quickly moved from a want to a NEED. Can you feel me?
I am still pretty new to the hourly layout, so I am finding my own style, but I love, LOVE this layout! This had helped immensely with my productivity. It’s kind of shocking to put down on paper how you actually spend your day, and since I don’t want to write “goofing off on Facebook and sitting on my butt” I have been inspired to be more productive.
The notes pages in the back of this planner are unique, and the monthly calendar view is lined as well.
So here’s the deal, you can totally keep more than one planner. A few have made comments about how they barely have time for one planner let alone multiple ones, but I am a mom who owns 3 businesses and carts a teenager around. Using them makes me productive, so it’s time well-budgeted in to keep them up, plus I find it a relaxing hobby to sticker and doodle them up.
If you are a one-planner person, I hope this has helped to clear up the differences between the different formats, and maybe helped you decide which one is best for you. If you are interested in purchasing your first Erin Condren LifePlanner, use my referral link for an extra $10 off!
christina says
As I read this, I am so happy to know that I am not the only one out there that loves planners, love paper, organizing. This past year I had 6 planners, and couldn’t decide which one. I’ve narrowed down my search and right now the two best planners are Happy Planner and Erin Condrin. Love your article.
christina says
OMG this is such an old over ten year old picture, how do I get rid of it. Help.