Every year it’s the same story.  The week after Christmas finds me desperately searching the Internet looking for a new day planner for the coming year.  Somehow I have managed to convince myself that if only I have exactly the right book, this will be the year that I get super-organized and get so much done.  (Come to think of it, having exactly the right pens wouldn’t hurt anything, either!)  So I spend hours with my friend Google, looking desperately for the best planners for moms on the market.

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Part of me knows I’m ridiculous and that my productivity is not based on having a particular book.  Oh, but the other part of me thrills with the absolute delight-factor that can be found in a brand new day planner.  All those blank pages and the possibilities for each day those pages represent…. it’s simply delicious.

The 6 Best Planners for Moms

As usual, I have spent hours this year researching and trying to find the best day planner for moms.  I’ve made my decision and I’ll tell you at the end of this post which planner I’ll be using.  But I spent so much time researching and agonizing over this decision I thought I’d better redeem that time by sharing my research with you!  (Can you relate?!)  Here are my top 6 picks for this coming year:

Homemaker’s Friend

The Homemaker’s Friend Day Planner is my all-time favorite day planner for homemakers!  Designed by a Mom of 6 for other busy Moms, this planner is perfectly suited to organizing all the tasks involved in running a home.   This planner has a monthly layout, a horizontal weekly spread, lots of pages for planning tasks, special events and household projects, perforated shopping lists, important contact information and a sturdy pocket at the back.  You can see the virtual tour (including a video flip through) I shared here.

Pros:

• Beautifully Designed with bright Turquoise and Yellow
• Designed by a Homemaker for Homemakers
• Profits support the designer Sue Hooley & her family who are currently missionaries in Haiti
• Purchase includes free Meal Planning Downloads through HomemakersDepot.com
• Sized at 5.5″ x 8.5″ and can be conveniently carried in your purse
• Very Affordable at $14.99 (Or for a limited time use the coupon code HUL200 to get the planner for only $12.99)

Cons:

• At only 5.5″ x 8.5″ this might be too small for a mom who is also running a business
• Spiral bound, so you cannot add pages

Happy Planner

 

Happy Planner (But First, God Edition)Happy Planner StickersHappy Planner Punch

The Happy Planner is a great choice for Moms who prefer a vertical weekly layout, or who need more space and flexibility than the Homemaker’s Friend offers.  The Happy Planner was originally designed as a scrapbooking planner so there is a ton of space for recording memories (or business meetings and deadlines) and even for decorating with stamps, washi tape or stickers if that’s your thing.  Each monthly divider has a place to record what you doing, feeling, reading, etc that month, so the planner can double as a life journal (which is pretty cool if you’re the kind of Mom who has empty baby books that you never filled out but you want a quick way to record a snapshot of your life as a mom). Here’s a picture of an unused, weekly spread.  Although each Happy Planner design is slightly different, the basic weekly layout looks like this:

What is so special about the Happy Planner is the disc system.  The pages turn smoothly across the disks, but this system of binding allows you to remove pages you don’t need or add in your own pages (if you have a corresponding paper punch).

Pros:

• affordably priced, under $30
• Many different designs means you can find one to fit your personality
• Lots of space for recording memories, appointments, tasks, etc
• Weekly layout allows you to categorize the tasks in your day and customize the way you use the planner
• Lots of accessories (stickers, washi tape, etc) available if you want to decorate your planner
• Decorating is fun!
• You can find a whole community of Happy Planner Users on Facebook
• The disc binding system means that you can add inserts and then simply move them from one planner to another each year.

Cons:

• the price of the punch adds to your initial investment if you want to add your own pages
• Decorating, although optional, can be time-consuming, expensive, and even somewhat addictive!

Mom Agenda

Description:

The momAgenda Desktop is the original, bestselling day planner for moms, created by a mom of four, and has been featured on the Today Show, in the New York Times and in Real Simple Magazine.  This day planner is an elegant leather-like book featuring a monthly spread and a unique weekly layout that allows space for mom and up to four children (or categories).  It comes in a variety of colors including: Fuchsia, Robin’s Egg, Navy, Soft Gold, Rose Gold Python, Leopard, and Charcoal Python.

Pros:

• The weekly layout is unique, efficient and can be used in several different ways
• Currently priced at $25.80, this planner is very affordable
• The design is elegant and sleek
• Created by a mom, for moms

Cons:

• At only 7″ x 9″ x 1″, the size may be small for some moms
• Mom agenda is bound with a traditional bookbinding, so you cannot add pages

Simplified Planner – Emily Ley

As I was researching planners, The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley was one that was mentioned to me over and over and over again.  Emily Ley is a boutique lifestyle brand that specializes in making planning tools that are functional, elegant and playful at the same time.  Their planner line offers a variety of cover designs and layouts, giving busy Mamas plenty of space to record everything they have going on and the option to pick the planner that will be exactly right for them.  In 2014, the Simplified Planner was awarded Best New Product – Desktop at the National Stationery Show.

Pros:

• A variety of designs, all of which are beautiful.  (How do you pick just one?)
• Weekly layout is horizontal, which may be a benefit to some moms

Cons:

• At $48-$58 per  This is one of the more expensive planners on my list and probably cost-prohibitive for many moms.
• 7″ x 9″ x 1.2″ may make this planner to small for some moms (although this would be more of a problem with the weekly layout, as the daily layout how quite a bit of space for writing)
• book is bound, so you cannot add pages

 

Law of Attraction Planner

The Law of Attraction Planner is unique because its claim to fame is that it is reusable!  Simply write in this planner with a special pen, photograph the pages and upload them to the cloud using the Law of Attraction app, and then put your book in the microwave and ta-da!  Your planner is brand new again and all your old notes are safely stored on the cloud!

Do It All Planner

Do It All Planner (Kaleidoscope Edition)Do It All Planner (Secret Garden Edition)Do It All Planner (Mom Edition)

The Do It All Planner is a classic planner that has been around for a long time.  Similar in format to the MomAgenda, this Do It All Planner has a weekly layout that includes space for Mom’s activities and up to 4 children (or categories).  It’s a basic planner without too many frills, but it’s functional and gets the job done.

Pros:

• Simple, basic, efficient layout
• At $9.95-$14.99, this planner is an affordable choice for most moms.
• Most editions include 2 pages of stickers

Cons:

• Spiral bound, so you cannot add pages
• At 5.75″ x 8.25″, this planner may be very small for some moms

 

My Personal Favorite Planners

I hinted at it above, but I simply can’t narrow it down to just 1 planner, so I have 2 favorites.  (I mean, you wouldn’t ask me to pick my favorite child, would you?  So in the same way, I can’t pick just 1 favorite day planner…. OK, I may have a planner problem…)

ANYWAY…

The Homemaker’s Friend is my go-to planner that I recommend to most moms and I use it in creative ways (as a gratitude journal, a prayer journal, a place to write my to-do lists, or a diary) myself.  It’s small and portable, while still having exactly what most moms need to keep their homes running efficiently. I like that it’s inexpensive so I don’t feel like I will “ruin” it by writing or even scribbling notes in it.  I especially love that the proceeds from the Homemaker’s Friend go to support a really special lady and her family while they minister to others in Haiti.  It’s a win-win!

I also use the Happy Planner.  I love the vertical layout and the fact that I can add pages to my planner so that I can include my blog planning and tracking right in the same planner.   I don’t decorate my planners, but I do appreciate the tremendous amount of space the Happy Planner offers.

 

So, there you have it!  Those are my 6 recommendations of day planners for moms this year, with my two favorites mentioned.  Which day planner will YOU be using this year?