The Planner in Me: The Simplified Planner

As promised, here’s my second planner review for 2014 planners:)

(If you missed yesterday’s review, check it out here!)

THE SIMPLIFIED PLANNER

Over the last year I have developed a love for any & all things Emily Ley. I just LOVE her heart, her products & her blog. I purchased the Simplified Planner in pink (now called the Simplified Life Binder) and use it for any & all things DSE – blog schedule, client info, contracts, vendor info, etc. It’s PERFECT for my business & I am so glad I caught it on sale when I did (a blog post about this is coming soon!).

When she announced the launch of the NEW Simplified Planner, my heart leaped! YES! It has the hour-by-hour I love, a To-Do section, Dinner section AND monthly tabs. It’s bright & cheerful, has a pocket in the front & gorgeous gold edges. I couldn’t hit “purchase” fast enough. For me, the price tag was worth a really, good planner.

When it came in the mail, everything I loved about it online, I loved in person. Yes, it is a larger than the Day Designer – it’s taller & thicker. However, because the pages are thicker, the planner itself has to be, too. I love the white pages, and simple layout of the monthly & daily pages, as well as her approach to simplicity in the front pages. She gives her users a 4 step approach to simplicity in 2014 (you can read my steps 1, 2 and 3 here); while also providing uplifting quotes on every daily view, and a “a happy memory” section on the shared weekend page.

  SIMPLIFIED PLANNER PRO’S:

-pages in the front for “My Go-To Dinner Ideas”,  “Memories to Make This Year” & “Process of Simplifying”

-durable & bright monthly tabs

-front pocket

-pink closure wrap

-the pages are pretty thick (great for most pens/highlighters/etc.)

-bright white pages

-“To-Do” section on shared weekend page

-all major Holidays are already filled in for you

 -have an entire page dedicated to one day of the week (weekends share a page)

-has a to-do section on every page

-has a dinner section on every page

-has inspirational quotes throughout

-has a yearly view, monthly view & daily view

-contains a “how to use” (effectively) section in the front

-contains an hour-by-hour layout on shared weekend pages

-stylish front & back bright stripes

SIMPLIFIED PLANNER CON’S:

-yearly view is smaller, not able to write on it

-rings are a little large (although I think they have to be that big since the pages are thick)

-the shared weekend page is not broken down hourly like the weekdays; it just says “am, lunch, pm” on Saturdays & Sundays, and since my weekends are usually my busiest, I do wish it was broken down hourly.

…….

A little comparison of The Day Designer & The Simplified Planner 

All in all, they are both AMAZING; I would HIGHLY recommend Emily’s Simplified Planner OR Whitney’s Day Designer… but, obviously, you don’t need both:)! I firmly believe every woman needs an amazing planner in her life. I love the heart behind each one & how they push women to prioritize, organize & make life happen effectively & efficiently. I know I overanalyzed this decision, but there were so many amazing pros to BOTH planners that it was a hard choice for me!! And, I really do think a woman’s planner says a lot of about her and her vision for her life.

My choice? Emily’s Simplified Planner. I kept coming back to the simplicity of this planner! It’s full of so many thoughtful touches to help make your year organized & meaningful; I love the layout, the fonts used & the thick, white pages. I think the Day Designer is great for business owners who are looking to refine & renew their business. Although I am a business owner looking to do that, I felt a little overwhelmed with everything in the DD because I have Lara’s Powersheets. Both are GREAT tools, but I don’t think you have to have both in your life. For me, I needed one or other. (Again, you may be totally different – this is just how I felt!). And, although I love the hourly shared weekend page in the DD, and the larger yearly outlook, I decided the SP was the better choice for me.

I want to create a life full of simple meaning, and although it’s important to find your visions, purpose & define your brand, I wanted my planner to help constantly pull me back to what matters most in an organized & defined way. For you, that may mean that the DD is perfect! For me, the SP is functional, pretty & full of SIMPLIFIED details (do you like what I did there?!) so it’s the perfect fit for my 2014 year!

Whew. I hope between yesterday & today’s posts, you’ve been able to compare the two, and decide which one fits your life better (if either!). I am INCREDIBLY picky about my planners, so I think it says a lot that I would gladly recommend either one to you!

Do you have either one of these? What are your requirements for a planner?? Are you as picky as me?

xo, kat

(P.S. Shout-out to my Instagram-friend Taylor! She purchased both of these planners, too and we spent A LOT of time Facebook messaging our dilemma. She went with the DD & couldn’t be happier with her decision!!)

(( I was not contacted by Emily Ley or Whitney English to promote or review the Simplified Planner or the Day Designer. All thoughts & opinions are my own, and I was not compensated to give this review. ))