Over the past ten months I’ve been on a personal journey to find the right planner/agenda for me. I have consistently used the Erin Condren 18 month Life Planner and the Evernote Moleskine 2016 Planner. After using both planners, I have decided, that despite its cuteness, I feel the Erin Condren planner is too much (both product and cost) and the Evernote Moleskin planner better fits my needs. Here’s why:

Erin Condren 18 Month Life Planner

Cost: $42 – $65 (depending on the version, for example I purchased the Rose Gold Limited Edition for $75)

Pros: 

• Includes weekly and monthly pages, which is a must have for me in either one product or a combination of two products (more on this in a bit).
• Pages are printed on high quality paper. I feel as if the paper will last and makes the planner perfect for archiving.
• Colorful and attention grabbing. This made “planning” more fun. I also decorated weeks with stickers, washi tape, glitter gel pens, etc., all of which made planning more enjoyable (in the beginning).
• Customizable accessories, labels, stickers, etc., from third party sellers on Etsy and other web shops.
• Excellent keepsake as a reminder of your year (or 18 months). This planner will probably last a “lifetime”.

Cons:

• It is bulky, since it includes weekly and monthly pages. This planner will not fit in a small purse or bag. It will also add weight to book bags and laptop bags.
• Calendar pages offer small or limited writing space (blocks). It does include a goal setting section on each monthly spread, but it has a small writing space as well.
• Decorating with extras (washi tape, glitter pens, etc.) is time-consuming, but I felt as if decorating made the planner worth its purchase price. Decorating could also be overwhelming, especially if you search the web and try to keep up with the “Jones”.
• Price.

Overall, the Erin Condren Life Planner was nice. Was it worth the its purchase price? Of course not! Cost is the biggest problem I have with this planner. For the price I paid, I suppose I was looking for a magic solution to all of my organization and scheduling problems, but I didn’t. The planner is excellent for keepsake purposes, but it offers no necessary functionality that cannot be found in any other weekly-monthly planner for a cheaper price. I’m glad I purchased the planner and I don’t regret giving it a try, but I have no plans of purchasing this planner again. 

It is important to note that Eric Condren offers many accessories, such as a wellness journal and budget log. These accessories are sold separately, but may enhance your experience when using the Life Planner. I use online banking and have a Jawbone Up2, so I didn’t find much use for these items (although, from what I read it’s easier to keep yourself on a budget if you track purchases by using a handwritten log).

Evernote Moleskine 2016 Weekly Planner (links no longer available through Evernote or Moleskine)

Cost: $35

Pros:

• Ability to upload weekly pages and note pages (using an iOS Apple device) to Evernote. Once your pages are in Evernote the text becomes searchable! While it’s not 100%, I’ve gotten it to recognize most of my writing by writing most words legibly and using a medium Sharpie PEN (not marker). Some users say they would rather just type meeting notes and keep an agenda in Evernote (using templates), but if you’re in education like me, meetings are often in places where I can’t have a laptop or iPad with keyboard (classrooms with student desks, auditoriums, cafeterias, etc.). 
• The size and compactness of the planner is awesome! Meeting locations limit what I can use to take notes and the size of this planner gives me the ability to take it anywhere. It can fit in a small bag or purse, and it doesn’t add extra weight to book bags or laptop bags.
• The planner has planning pages and notes pages. I use the notes pages during meetings, doctors appointments, etc.
• Smart stickers are also included. These stickers allow you to take a snap shot of a page with a sticker and it instantly uploads AND organizes that page in Evernote for you!
• Pages are printed on quality paper, but be careful with liquid highlighters. I use the Moleskin pencil highlighters.

Cons:

• The Evernote Weekly Planner lacks monthly calendar pages (*ugh*)! This is a must for me. To fix this I found a blank calendar only planner (Large Monthly Planner by MochiThings) that I plan on using next school year alongside the Evernote planner. You can also download monthly calendar pages from Moleskine, but they don’t have much writing space and have to be bound separately (or you can risk losing them by stuffing them inside the Evernote planner).
• The traditional twelve month year format is also a downside for me, but I can overlook this for the planner’s other features.
• The planner lacks tabs separating months for easy search and find. To fix this, I used Post-It brand tabs (see picture) to section off each month in the planner, which has worked great.
• Learning to use the Evernote upload feature can be a pain, but once you find your “niche”, trust me, it’s life saving.
• The planner is no longer available for purchase anywhere (that I could find). I am doubting there will be a 2017 version, so I may have to switch to different product or standard Moleskine weekly planner.

I love this planner and its multiple functions. I can keep a schedule, write meeting notes, and satisfy the techie in me with the Evernote upload capability. The price tag is not bad either. At $35 it is not overly expensive and is around the price of other quality planners/agendas. While, I am disappointed it does not include monthly pages, I am ok with this, since the planner is lightweight, and I have found a lightweight monthly companion. 

The Large Monthly Planner by MochiThings (priced at $12.95, but the site has regular sales for as much as 30% off) does help to satisfy my papercrafting cravings, since I can decorate and customize each month using stickers, stamps, gel pens, etc. It is the perfect companion because it gives me a large monthly layout and writing space. The monthly planner also holds 13 months, making it great for a school year planner.

Final Thoughts

Like many “planner addicts” found over the web, I have come to understand that it may be difficult to find one product that meets my planning and scheduling needs. I have gotten over my fear of having to have at least two (doubtful and hopeful I won’t need more) planning products. Obviously, my life’s needs are different from yours, so I encourage you to take your own “planner journey”. Don’t be afraid to try multiple products at once. I think this method let me really compare the features of each planner to truly discover what I liked, loved, and could do without with each product (for example, small monthly calendar pages, no monthly calendar pages, etc.).

Focus on these words during your journey and you will be fine:  “Culture, travel, memory, imagination and personal identity” (the Moleskine company philosophy).