Reach your 2025 goals with these expert- and editor-approved planners

Planning my week has always given me a sense of euphoria, especially when I [Espinal] get to decorate the pages with stickers, colorful ink and vivid illustrations. Whether you’re a corporate girl or a college student, paper planners are an effective way to stay organized and productive.

When choosing a planner, “think about how you actually like to plan,” says psychologist and founder of The Simply Well Amanda Hilton. Some people prefer digital versions while others need sticky notes to keep up-to-date with their daily tasks. While electronic devices are also practical, a paper system can provide a quick, visual layout of your workload.

According to a scholarly journal, paper planners are a good choice for time management if you want to see a weekly overview and daily to-do lists at a glance. Personally, I’ve [Espinal] been using planners since middle school and the habit has continued until adulthood. I’ve used many types of planners including vertical layouts, pocket agendas, desk calendars and more. Not only are these products tangible but they also provide a creative venue for planning.

We consulted experts about how to find the right planner for you, along with how to stick with your goals and tasks. The Shop TODAY team also shared a few styles that keep us organized, efficient and productive throughout the day.

How to effectively pick a planner | Features to consider | Expert-recommended planners | Editor-approved planners | Best planner accessories | Tips for sticking with it | How we chose | Meet the experts

How to choose the right planner

Katy Allen, owner of digital planner company Artful Agenda, and Linda Tong, owner of her namesake planner brand, both suggest starting by thinking about your lifestyle and your needs before picking a random planner off the shelf. 

Here are a few questions they recommend asking yourself:

1. Do you prefer the physical act of writing things down? 
2. Do you like to have a certain aesthetic for your calendar? 
3. Do you need to have a calendar synced with other people (work, partners or kids)?
4. Are you always on the go and need something that you can easily check?
5. What type of planning do you do most often (hourly, weekly, monthly)? 

If you answered “yes” to either or both of the first two questions, you’ll probably want to go for a physical planner. If you answered “yes” to either of the two questions that follow, a digital planner might be more your speed. The last question will determine which planner style will be most beneficial for you — daily, weekly or monthly.  

Both acknowledge that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so you might have to endure a bit of trial and error before finding the perfect fit. Allen says the free trials offered from digital planner companies are a great place to start. If you’re looking for a physical planner and willing to buy several different styles, Tong says it’s a worthwhile investment so you can figure out what works best for you.

Features to consider on a planner

According to Hilton, you need to think of your planning habits and how you want to organize your life. Or if you have more time on your hands and love the creative control, a blank notebook for bullet journaling may serve you best. A few other things to consider are size and portability. And of course, don’t forget to choose something you’ll enjoy using — whether that’s more minimalist and simple, or fun and colorful. The best planner is whatever one you’ll actually use.

• Layout: Hilton suggests looking at the layout you prefer. “Do you prefer detailed daily or even hourly planning, or something more flexible like a weekly overview?”
• Size: “A few other things to consider are size and portability. Will your planner mostly stay on your desk, or do you need something compact enough to carry in a bag or purse?” says Hilton.
• Cover: This is an important factor if you will carry your planner in your bag, as the material can impact the weight of the planner.

Best planners, according to experts

Maximize productivity: Passion Planner Weekly 2025 Gilded Magic

Size: 5.8” x 8.3” | Designs: 10 | Cover material: Faux leather soft

Hilton recommends this physical planner because it “is perfect for blending day-to-day planning with long-term goal-setting.” I [Espinal] recently purchased this one for 2025 as it features positive reviews and I love the option to choose the start day of the week (Sunday or Monday). The planner also comes with five sheets of stickers and a fabric back pocket to keep things organized. “I can’t wait to use this one for work and fill it with goals.”

Best planners, according to Shop TODAY editors

Motivational pages: Bloom Daily Planner 2025 Soft Cover

Size: 5.5” x 8.25” | Designs: 20 | Cover material: Soft

Writer Danielle Murphy previously used this brand in 2019 and she decided to give it another try in 2024. The planner features a horizontal layout with inside pockets and a sticker sheet to visually enhance your agenda.

“I’m nearing the end of my second year using this Bloom Daily Planner, and I have zero regrets. It’s the only calendar I’ve been able to consistently keep and is the only thing that keeps me organized and on track every day, especially for work. I don’t like using my phone to keep a calendar, so having a monthly spread to track events weeks in advance is a lifesaver,” she adds.

Tasks at-a-glance: Brass Monkey Planning Is For The Week Weekly Planner Pad

Size: 11.5” x 5” | Design: 1 | Cover material: Soft

Deals editor Rebecca Brown says she is “obsessed with this weekly planner.” Designed to look like a vintage legal pad, it has 100 tear-away pages so you can use this planner for nearly two years. “I basically take everything from my larger planner and on Sundays, I fill this out,” adds Brown.

For last-minute planners: Brass Monkey Things I’ll Cancel Later Undated Mini Planner

Size: 4.75” x 7.5” | Design: 1 | Cover material: Cloth-bound

Senior SEO editor Jess Bender has been using this planner for her 2024 goals and she says this product turned her into “a planner girl.” She was gifted this humorous option that’s undated so she can decide when her year starts without wasting any pages. “It’s also fun to see the random holidays and ‘On this day’ trivia sprinkled on every date,” she says.

It’s also a favorite of editorial assistant Sierra Hoeger (who happens to be the one who gifted it to Bender!).

Effective at multitasking: Moleskine 2025 Weekly Planner

Size: 5” x 8.25” | Designs: 4 | Cover material: Hard and soft

Editorial assistant Erica Marrison says she loves her Moleskine because it’s not too bulky in her work bag and offers lots of room to take notes. “I can’t use another brand,” she raves. This one arrives with a plethora of stickers in tow.

Organization freak: Ban.do Large 12-Month Annual Planner

Size: 8” x 6.5” | Designs: 3 | Cover material: Hard

Production coordinator Camryn Privette says this is “forever her favorite planner.” She’s been using these since college and, while she’s a fan of the design, also loves how cute they look sitting on her desk. Also, this planner comes with stickers and a double-sided pocket page to keep your receipts and sticky notes at hand.

Inspiring pages: Papier Antique Blue 2025 Planner

Size: 6” x 8.5” | Designs: 4 | Cover material: Hard and soft

Associate SEO editor Allie Wise likes Papier planners because they’re lightweight and chic. She’s always fielding compliments about her 2024 planner from the brand and is eyeing this design for next year. It also features extra gridded and doted pages for notes and miscellaneous information.

Simplicity at desk: Sugar Paper 2025 Flax Desk Agenda

Size: 8.25” x 10.25” | Design: 1 | Cover material: Fabric bound

NBC Page Beautrice Graubart loves this planner and says she opts for this one, every year, due to its cloth-bound structure. “It doesn’t get torn or crushed the way a spiral planner does when you put it in a bag. It is beautiful and functional! This planner is designed for a busy person, with pages to keep track of thank-you notes, important birthdays, and goals for each month. It divides your calendar by week so there is plenty of room to write your tasks for each and every day. I will never buy another planner again!” quips Graubart.

Spiritual tasker: Horacio Printing 2025 Premium White Marble Coil Dream Planner

Size: 7” x 9” | Designs: 2 (horizontal and vertical layout) | Cover material: Hard

I [Espinal] was introduced to this paper planner during a spiritual retreat and was hooked. I used this brand for over 5 years before switching to another brand. I love this planner and I still recommend it for busy students/workers who need extra motivation. It features a goal planning section, a bucket list area and even front and back pockets to keep important receipts. I’m considering this planner for the office since it features everything I need for productivity.

Best planner accessories

Colored categories: Marvy Uchida Le Pen

Point size: 0.3 mm | Type: Micro-fin plastic

I [Espinal] have several pens from this brand and they’re great if you write in cursive letters. Also, an author recommended this as one of the ‘best pens’ to use in a recent Shop TODAY piece. “I think I picked up my first Le Pen at Muji during a trip to New York City — and I still have it because they are somehow enchanted to never run out of ink,” says Leigh Bardugo, New York Times-bestselling author of popular book-to-Netflix adapted series “Shadow and Bone.”

Track your dollars: Passion Planner Finance Sticker Pack

Size: 8.26” x 5.31” | Stickers: 217

Aside from purchasing the Passion Planner, I added these stickers to my bundle to keep my finances on track for 2025. The pack comes with five sheets and features monthly stickers to note expenses and bills.

Monthly vision: Passion Planner Monthly Tabs

Colors: 18 | Material: Laminated coating

Another addition to my planning lifestyle, these monthly tabs are excellent for keeping the months of the planner separated. They come in multiple colors and are a practical way to jump from one month to the next with ease.

Fun planning: Ban.do Sticker Book

Size: 3.75” x 6.5” | Designs: 5 | Stickers: 700

As an obsessive planner, I also keep things visually pleasing with these stickers from Ban.do. Each year the brand releases a new set of designs that includes fun pages with travel, work and birthday-inspired stickers. Whether you need to track your water intake or workout routine, these stickers are the best.

Tips for staying organized

While the idea of using a planner is great, it can be hard to stay organized once the initial excitement has died down. Here are some tips from the pros on how to stick with it:

• Be flexible. Allen says it’s okay not to stick to the exact same system for the entire year. “Finding a planner that allows you to change how you do things as you go so that you can do it in a way that works for you in that moment or in that season of your life,” she says. “Be willing to be flexible and taking time every so often to assess if what you’re doing works for you!”
• Look at it every day. It can be easy to forget about your planner once you close it and stow it away, so Tong suggests getting into the habit of just looking at it (even if you have nothing to add) at least once a day.
• Create categories: “The best tip I have for organizing your planner is to give everything a dedicated space. Just like the conventional wisdom for keeping your physical space organized, your planner works best when everything has a home,” shares Hilton. Basically, she recommends creating distinct sections for “what you need to track — appointments, tasks, notes, goals, or anything else important to you.”

How we chose

We selected planners recommended by our editors and experts. We considered layouts and those with dated pages. Additionally, we included planner accessories that help with productivity and organization.

Meet the experts