How to Choose a Planner: The Complete Guide
By Notaly · 2 October 2026 · 3 min read
A planner is no use if it ends up at the back of a drawer after three weeks. The right one fits your routine, your bag and the way you write. Here are the criteria worth checking before you buy, and the questions to ask yourself so you don't end up with yet another planner abandoned by February.
Dated or undated?
A dated diary has one big advantage: everything is ready, you just write. But it also has a major drawback: it starts on a fixed date. Buy it in March and you've lost two months of pages. Forget about it over the holidays and blank weeks pile up, which can quickly feel like failure.
An undated planner solves that problem. You fill in the dates yourself, so you can start in September to follow the academic year, take a fortnight off without wasting pages and pick up exactly where you left off. It's the most flexible choice for students, freelancers and anyone whose schedule changes often.
Size: A5, A4 or a desk pad
The size decides where your planner is going to live.
- A5 (14.8 × 21 cm): the go-anywhere size. It fits in a handbag or a backpack and still gives you enough room to write in every box. It's the size of our undated A5 planner.
- A4 (21 × 29.7 cm): ideal for a planner that stays on your desk. One sheet per week gives you a very clear overview.
- Pocket size (A6): handy for a coat pocket, but quickly too cramped once you have more than three appointments a day.
Plenty of people use both: an A5 planner that goes everywhere with them, and an A4 weekly planner pad next to the keyboard for the week's tasks.
A layout that matches your day
Before you buy, think about how many things you write down each day.
- Fewer than five items a day: a weekly view across a two-page spread is plenty.
- Packed days: go for a weekly view with time slots, or add a notebook for detailed lists.
- Projects spanning several weeks: a monthly view becomes essential to keep deadlines in perspective.
The monthly-plus-weekly combination remains the most versatile: the month for the big dates, the week for getting things done.
Paper: the most underrated feature
Thin paper ruins the experience. Ink shows through, pages buckle and you end up writing in pencil only. If you use gel pens, highlighters or fineliners, aim for at least 100 gsm, and ideally 120 gsm. Our planners and our dotted bullet journal use 120 gsm paper, which noticeably reduces show-through.
Think about the shade too: ivory or off-white paper is easier on the eyes than bright white, especially in the evening.
The small details that make a big difference
Some features seem minor but matter every single day:
- one or two ribbon bookmarks, to open straight to this week and the monthly view;
- an elastic closure, to keep the planner shut in your bag;
- a back pocket, for receipts, cards and loose notes;
- a hard cover, so you can write standing up or on your lap.
Planner or bullet journal?
If you like a ready-made structure, a planner is for you. If you'd rather design your own pages, track your habits or mix journalling with lists, a dotted bullet journal gives you complete freedom. There's nothing stopping you from starting with a planner and switching to a bullet journal once you know what you really need.
Our tip for sticking with it
Pick a set time each week, Sunday evening for example, to plan the week ahead in ten minutes. Write down your appointments first, then three priorities at most, then everything else. A simple planner used every week beats a perfect one left on the shelf. And if you do fall off the wagon, that's the beauty of undated: you can start again tomorrow.
