Which 2024 planners are best?

Daily planners are an interesting item. Many people feel they don’t need them, that they have the organization or memory skills to handle their tasks and obligations. However, once you’ve tried using one and experienced the lucidity of your clearly written information, not to mention the extra brain space you get from not having to hold on to all that information, it’s hard not to keep using them. We rounded up the best planners of 2024 — these daily, monthly and weekly planners will help you stay focused and organized, even on a busy schedule.

2024 planner types

There are several types of planners, with some of the most common including:

• General planners are the baseline that other planner types spring from. They’re the most basic, usually only having weekly and monthly breakdowns with some blank pages thrown in for good measure.
• Academic planners are meant for students. Besides the basic time breakdowns, they usually have extra spaces for information such as your class schedule or your current grades and grade goals. They even typically run August to July, rather than the usual January to December.
• Professional planners are meant for, well, working professionals. They usually have different breakdowns of time, such as having extra-large day spaces or even hourly lines to track meetings and deadlines. There might be extra spaces for things like setting goals for your job.
• Personal development planners are unlike any other type of planner. They’re essentially a cross between a planner and a journal, having spaces to write and track goals or to reflect on each day of the week. If you’re trying to improve your life, personal planners are strongly worth considering.
• Pocket planners are miniature general planners, though due to their itty-bitty size, you can’t put much information in them. However, they’re perfect for making plans on the go, noting those plans, and then transferring them to your main planner.

Time span

Time span in planners means two things: when it starts, and how long it goes for:

• Start date: Most planners start in January though some, namely academic planners but also others, can start in the middle of the year. The months of June, July and August are common in that case. There are also planners that have no dates at all, so you can start whenever you’d like and still get to use every contained day.
• Length: Most planners run for 12 months. There are also some that run for only six months, or extra-long ones that go for 18 months. Then there’s the occasional planner that runs for an odd number of months or weeks.

Binding

Planners typically have one of two types of bindings: spiral or perfect:

• Spiral-bound planners are usually your best option as they can be easily flopped open without needing weights.
• Perfect-bound planners, meaning the pages are attached to the spine with adhesive, look a little cleaner. Consider one if you’re concerned about the feng shui of your desk.

Cover

Most planners are softcovers, meaning they can easily flop or bend as they’re stuffed inside a backpack or briefcase. Others have hardcovers to better handle rough treatment throughout the year, though it can make them a little harder to pack up.

Design

You might think the design of your planner is unimportant. If so, you’d be wrong. Think about how long you’ll be staring at it when you’re shopping instead of grabbing the first one you see. And if you don’t care to shop around, at the very least, consider grabbing one that’s your favorite color.

Cost

The most basic or smallest planners typically cost $5 to $10. More complex planners can cost up to $20. The biggest and best can cost up to $50.

Best general planners for 2024

Blue Sky 2024 Weekly and Monthly Planner

This Blue Sky planner includes weekly and monthly breakdowns for 2024, plus spaces for reference notes, contacts and general blank pages for scribbles and whatnot. It measures 5 by 8 inches and has space for the end of 2023.

Frasukis 2024 Weekly and Monthly Planner

This planner is all about staying on top of things while having something beautiful to sit on your desk. It’s just a benefit that it has space for all your plans and thick paper that can withstand being thumbed through for a year.

Best academic planners for 2024

Artfan 2024 Weekly Monthly Planner

This academic planner bucks the trend of starting in July by starting in January 2024. It has a ribbon bookmark so there’s no need to thumb.

Rileys and Co. 2023-2024 Academic Weekly Planner

This student planner does start in July, but it started this July 2023. It extends to December 2024 and comes in 8-by-6 inches or 8.5-by-11 inches.

Best professional planners of 2024

At-a-Glance 2024 Weekly Planner

This professional planner will help you stay on track at work. It lays completely flat thanks to its twin-wire binding, plus the cover is flexible to avoid creases. Each day has one line for every 15 minutes starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m.

Inamio 2024 Weekly and Monthly Appointment Book

This daily planner features one line for every 30 minutes of each day starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m. It comes in 6.5-by-8.5 inches or 11-by-8.5 inches.

Best personal-development planners for 2024

Amy Knapp’s The Very Busy Planner 2024

This planner started in August 2023, but extends to December 2024. The planner offers a host of extras, such as space for monthly goals and motivational quotes, and it even comes with 250 stickers.

Freedom Mastery 5-Minute Guided Daily Gratitude Journal 

This is the perfect planner for recording daily gratitude for all aspects of your life. It’s undated, meaning you can start it whenever you like. It only takes five minutes a day to engage in gratitude journaling.

Best pocket planners of 2024

BookFactory 2024 Weekly Pocket Calendar

This pocket planner measures 3.5 by 6 inches and each page has space for three days. The front of it has a list of all the major and many minor holidays, plus a 2024 yearly overview.

Maalbok 2024 Pocket Planner/Calendar

This planner measures 3.8-by-6.3 inches and has a monthly calendar breakdown, plus daily breakdowns with three days to a page. It runs from January 2024 to December 2024.

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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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