When you’re really trying to get your life in order, you know a planner isn’t just a planner. The right one can make you feel more organized, less stressed—more on top of it all. But with so many out there, ranging from free to triple digits—which agendas are worth buying? Without being too bulky or having too little space to write down what you need? What’s the best planner for you?

I’ve been a planner obsessive since middle school. They keep me from ruminating over the same things endlessly and help me destress and focus. I’m constantly trying new ones, from traditional agendas, mid-year, academic and productivity planners, to wellness logs and bullet journal-inspired ones—but there are only a handful I keep coming back to and would recommend.

To come up with the best planners of 2025, I tested seven new styles, then vetted the latest from existing favorites. I wound up uncovering a new addition from Papier that made me step away from my beloved LH Agenda, causing the brand to reclaim the top spot. But honestly, what makes the best planner depends on your needs, which is why I’m breaking them down as thoroughly as possible, so you can explore my picks and reach your full potential in 2025 and beyond (no matter your goals or organizational style).

One quick note: Right off the bat, I list whether each planner is dated or undated, aka whether the planner comes printed with each day’s date or not. The latter is more evergreen, and great if you want to pick up a planner and get organized whenever—not just in January. But they can be annoying, because you have to manually fill in each day’s date.

The Best Planners & Agendas of 2025, Tested:

1. Best Overall Daily Planner: Papier

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Dated (though both options are available)

Papier is the best planner I’ve found for organizing all aspects of your life while still being ultra portable. The 2025 Daily Planner addresses some issues I had with the previous, quarterly undated planners. Namely, you only need one for the year, making this much more affordable, and each day spans a full page, so you have plenty of room to jot down the day’s to-do’s, meetings and other notes. There are also monthly spreads and gridded note pages in the back.

The trade-off is that you don’t get the week at a glance unless you opt for the weekly planner design, but I found I appreciate the larger spreads for each day, especially since it provides a section to time-block your day, hour by hour, as well as breakout sections for your general to-do’s and your top priorities for the day.

Another pro: The customizable covers make it feel extra special, making it a great gift for the holidays, or as a promotion or graduation present. (While I really love The Jag design, there are many styles to choose from, with several in a spiral-bound style, if you prefer a book that lays flat.)

• Best Discount: Sign up for the Better Than Black Friday sale to score 20 percent off
• Another Discount to Try: Score 10 percent off when you sign up to receive emails from Papier.com

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2. Best Weekly Planner: LH Agenda Anna Bay Quilted Weekly Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Undated

I’ve never had so many people stop to ask me where I got my planner or simply compliment me on it until I started using the Anna Bay Quilted Weekly Planner by LH Agenda. The Australia-based company’s agendas are every bit as stunning IRL as they look online—the quilted vegan leather is plush and easy to wipe clean, and it can be monogrammed for a custom touch. You can get a closer look at it this video:

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But, what’s even better is how portable and functional it is. It’s about an inch thick, clocking in at about 5.8 inches by 7.8 inches, and inside that small package is an incredibly well-organized approach to planning out your year: Each two-page spread lets you see the week at a glance, with a spot each day to highlight your top three priorities and an overall notes/intentions section for the seven-day span. There are also sections for planning out what you’d like to get out of the year and each month, AND you can buy planner tabs and other accessories to truly make this book your own. I’m obsessed. (If you want to know more, check out our in-depth review.)

• Best Discount: Sign up for their emails (at the bottom of the page) to score 5 percent off your order; free shipping on orders of $90+

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3. Best Under-$25 Daily Planner: Brass Monkey Hidden Agenda

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Undated

Meant to start your planner on January 1st…and forgot? You can pick this one up anytime. While Brass Monkey recently changed its layout, the new version makes even better use of each page. It still has the fun facts and playful snark—all packaged in a fun, irreverent-yet-upscale design—but there’s more room to map out each day. It now includes a daily to-do list and notes section, as well as ways to block our your calendar from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (People who work alternative hours may not love that feature as much.) The two-page Month in Review is a fast way to reflect on the past 30ish days before heading into the next stretch, too. Its cloth-wrapped hardcover binding lends a luxe touch, and at 6 inches by 9 inches, it’s easy to stow even in a small purse.

If you prefer the older, full week-at-a-glance style, you can still buy it for $16 on Amazon, though it looks like quantities are limited.

• Best Discount: 10 percent off through the brand’s site if you sign up for emails, but you only score free shipping on orders of $30+. Score free shipping on the planner if you order through Amazon and are a Prime member.

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4. Best Undated Planner for Students: Notcoy Daily Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Undated

If you appreciate aesthetics, and your style skews more whimsical, this is the planner for you. This spiral-bound book is undated, so you can start whenever, and each day is divided into sections so you can easily note meetings, to-do’s, your top priorities and reflections at the end of the day.

There’s a week in review, too, and it comes with fun stickers to help you highlight important moments—or just imbue a little more joy into your day. There’s enough room in the planner to last you six months, so you can test it out for a semester and see how it works for you. (Oh, and if you need more convincing, check out the full Notcoy review.)

• Best Discount: 10 percent off when you use our exclusive code LIFEBETWEENWEEKENDS

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5. Slimmest Planner for Students: Blue Sky 8.5″x11″ Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Dated, runs January through December

Despite all of the bells and whistles my other planners have, I find that outside of Papier, this is the planner I used the most day-to-day when I was in college. Why? Every three days is a full page, giving you plenty of time to jot down the day’s meetings and tasks, yet the planner itself is very slim, like toting a magazine. It slips easily into a laptop sleeve with my MacBook, making it easy to take on the go.

• Best Discount: free one-day shipping is available via Amazon Prime

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6. Best Planner for Work: At-a-Glance Foundation Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Undated

After carefully reviewing work planners and agendas, I decided to separate “planners for work” and “planners for entrepreneurs (and side hustlers).” Why? If you’re working a 9-to-5, you want space to dream and plan ahead, but you need something lightweight, portable and containing plenty of space for day-to-day tasks. This is where the Foundation planner excels. It features a mind mapping and goal setting section in the front to help you focus, then it delves into a two-page monthly calendar, before offering a two-page spread per week.

It’s all packaged in a slim, hardcover book with a magnetic closure, so Post-Its and loose notes aren’t as easy to spill out. It looks professional and sleek, and it gets the job done well, while being easy to tote from meeting to meeting. See my in-depth review here.

• Best Discount: 53 percent off on Amazon

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7. Best Planner for Entrepreneurs: The 2025 My PA Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Dated

If you’re launching or growing your own business or side hustle, I recommend picking up My PA Planner. As the name implies, it’s so incredibly detailed that it’s like having a personal assistant in paper form, but it’s honestly more than that. The first third or so of the book is a serious workbook, encompassing everything from creating your 2025 marketing plan to getting your finances in order, before transitioning to a week-at-a-glance agenda with space to time block meetings throughout the day, jot down notes, prioritize your to-do’s and even track your water intake. It’s like having a business coach and an assistant within arm’s reach.

It’s so extensive that you’ll want to block off a few hours to really do the work and go through the workbook section, crystalizing your focus for the year ahead. It gets so nitty gritty that it can be easy to get overwhelmed and quit, but remember: You can fill out as much as you want and table what doesn’t fit your needs at this time. Make it your own. (And check out my full review here.)

• Best Discount: N/A

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8. Best Wellness Planner: Silk & Sonder Annual Subscription

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Dated, each one spans one month

Calling Silk & Sonder’s spiral-bound book a planner is an understatement. Yes, you can use it to track your to-do’s and manage your calendar, but each planner lasts for a month and includes meal, habits and mood trackers. If you subscribe to their service, you can also access workshops and guided audio reflections for getting your thoughts out on the page. Check out our full review here.

• Best Discount: Use code BLACK20 to score 20 percent off your first plan.

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9. Best Planner for Teachers: The Happy Planner Daily, 12-Month Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Dated, runs January through December

This planner is arguably is the most customizable, from a DIY perspective (there are all kinds of dividers, pockets and stickers you can buy to trick out your Happy Planner). It’s great for crafty types, who like to bullet journal or vision board just as much as they like tracking their to-do’s. Or for anyone who needs a bit more space, say if you need to brainstorm a few lesson plan ideas or jot down notes between classes, which is why I recommend it for teachers and other creative-yet-organized types. It is a bit bulky though, and I found I rarely decorated its pages, even though I aspire to that level of *aesthetics.*

• Best Discount: Free shipping on Amazon for Prime members

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10. Most Innovative Planner: Laurel Denise Mini Vertical Weekly Planner

• Is This Planner Dated or Undated? Dated

You’ll need a fine-point pen (like LePen!) to really make use of this planner’s narrow columns for each day, but I found I really liked the Laurel Denise layout. The planner itself is incredibly slim, with each week featuring half-width pages, so you can see the week and the full month at the same time. It’s great for people who tend to plan ahead, or if you need to cross-reference appointments and other deadlines. Oh, and you can choose whether your weeks start with Monday or Sunday, and opt between a mid-year planner (great for back-to-school season) or a traditional, annual planner, like this 2025 variety.

The planner comes with two adjustable bookmarks, which are much better than ribbons for holding your place. Plus, there are ample notes pages, formatted bullet journal-style, so you can organize stray thoughts or key points during a meeting without having to carry a separate notebook (or tap away at your laptop).

• Best Discount: Sign up for email alerts to snag 10 percent off; free shipping on orders of $85+

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How I Chose the Best 2025 Planners:

I’ve been reviewing planners for the past 10+ years. Here’s how I go about testing them:

1. Research the top planners on the market, both in terms of reviews and general buzz. Include any new/under-the-radar brands that seem worth a closer look.
2. Buy or receive samples of said planners, making no guarantees that any will be featured (or included favorably—I only share what I truly like). Use them for at least one month, noting the pros/cons and who the planner would be best for, since what works for me may not work for someone else.
3. The best planners are: roomy enough to maintain basic to-dos and meeting notes without being so bloated/bulky that you can’t carry them around. They offer additional tools—like weekly or monthly reviews—but don’t have so many ‘inspirational’ pages that you feel too overwhelmed to use them (or worse, they’re so detailed they really only apply to very few people). Other important factors are paper/cover quality, durability, aesthetics and value.

What’s the Best Planner for Me?

Ask yourself 3 questions:

1. What do you need the most help organizing and tracking? Is it your to-do list? Do you prefer an hour-by-hour breakdown of the day ahead, because you’re in a ton of meetings or appointments?
2. How much space do you need for a day’s tasks? (And how much writing do you actually like to do?)
3. How portable do you want your planner to be? Do you want something slim and bendy, like a folder? Something small that can stash in a purse? Something big enough that you can jot down every stray thought—and bulk doesn’t really matter, because you’ll be keeping it in one place for the most part?

The Main Types of Daily Planners:

• Annual or Yearly Planners span one calendar year (January through December). They often pop up in stores around November or December, with pages pre-printed with the dates for the year ahead. They’re helpful for keeping track of dates at a glance, and they’re often clearanced out of stores by mid-February.
• Academic or Mid-Year Planners usually start at the end of summer and run through the school year. Some can be 18 months long, allowing for more long-term planning.
• Multi-Year Planners are often intended for goal setting, as they span multiple years and let you track your progress over time. They’re a rare find.
• Undated Planners are great for starting fresh at any time of the year, because you write in each day’s date. That can make them a little annoying for long-term planning, unless you take the time to jot every date of the year in ’em in advance, but they’re also nice if you stop using it for a few weeks then pick things back up—no pages wasted.

Is a Paper Planner Worth It?

It really depends on your organizational style. I love them for the ability to brain dump everything that’s on your mind (especially since a University of Tokyo study found that you’re more likely to remember things when you physically write them down), and I use a digital calendar to alert me to meetings, so I don’t miss them. It’s that one-two punch that helps me stay on top of things.

What Daily Planner Is in That Top Image?

So glad you asked! That’s the Anna Bay Quilted Planner by LH Agenda, which appears in the second spot on this list.

Why Trust My Planner Recommendations?

While I’ve tried a few other big name brands, I didn’t include them on this list simply because many felt too bulky, or overly simplistic, or straight-up pricey (for what you get) to include. If there’s a brand you love that I didn’t include, tell me about it. DM me @lifebetweenweekends.

A previous version of this story included Rachel Hollis’s Start Today Priority Planner and The Home Edit’s Blue Sky planner line. Since both have sold out and have been discontinued (and are rare to find on eBay), we’ve removed them from this list.