Considering the Day Designer? Check out my Day Designer Daily Planner review, as well as my Day Designer promo code heatherbien15, which will save you 15% off your Day Designer order.
One of my strongest held opinions in life is that a paper planner is an infinitely superior way to stay organized compared to any digital solution. There’s no app that can replicate the organization and order that comes from seeing my monthly and daily calendars, as well as my to-do lists, all in one place.
I write down everything. From what’s for dinner to meetings to errands I need to run to deadlines, literally everything is in there. Without my planner, I’d be totally lost.
And that means I’ve tried nearly every planner on the market. I’ve tried planners from most of the big names, as well as affordable planners from Target.
For years, I used planners from the Target The Everygirl x Day Designer collection, which is fabulous.
But, last year, I upgraded to the actual Day Designer collection. The planners are more expensive than the Target line, but, as I found, the quality makes it worth it. The planners from Day Designer are hardcover, thicker, and well-crafted. They feel like a high-end journal, and it’s one of those things that’s a little luxury to use every day.
Day Designer Daily Planner Review
I’m a visual person, so I always opt for the daily planner, which has a monthly calendar, then a page for each day of the week Monday to Friday, and another page for Saturday and Sunday. The tabs between each month are so helpful for quickly flipping through and I add a gold paperclip to keep track of the day.
At 9″ x 9.75″, the Day Designer Daily Planner is a substantial size, but it’s not so big that I can’t take it with me when I’m working away from home or headed to a meeting. I chose the black pebble finish, which resembles leather, and it seems incredibly durable. There are lots of colorful print options if that’s your preference, though I prefer to go with a neutral.
The planner is bound with large gold rings, and it’s best to let it lay flat — don’t try to double it on itself or you could damage the rings. There’s a pocket at the front, which always come in incredibly handy, as well as stickers, which I don’t use, but I know some people do.
On the first page of the planner, there’s a word of the year, which I absolutely love since that’s something I already do. This year, I’m batting around a few possible words of the year. Abundance — abundance of everything. Work, free time, travel, friends. More of it all. Cultivating — cultivating a business, home, and rich life. Build — similar to cultivate but perhaps more straightforward. Or flourish, to bring all of these together.
The entire planner is structured around helping you hit your goals, and the first few pages have worksheets that help align your values, priorities, short-term and long-term goals along with action steps, and pages to try to figure out your ideal daily and weekly schedule. I’m big on goal setting each year, and this is a reminder to bring everything back to that bigger picture and structure.
Each month has a basic calendar with notes. Super simple, exactly what you need. I use this to get the overall vision for the month. This is where I put social plans, travel, appointments — anything that I need to be able to see at a glance that will dictate my schedule.
On each daily page, there is an hourly schedule on the left. I love that this lets me write in meetings and events, errands, and appointments without mixing them in with my tasks. Then, on the right, there’s a list with lines with check boxes. This is where I write down deadlines, to-dos, and anything I else I need to check off that day. Typically, I try to keep this work-related. There’s a priority list up at the top left corner, and that’s what I usually use for more personal to-do items.
There are also sections for notes, items that are due, and what’s for dinner. I use the “due” section for things like bills or non-work related items that are due, and notes is often a reminder for myself that’s not necessarily a task. I also use the dinner section to keep track of what we’re making (and a reminder if I need to get specific ingredients!).
There’s SO much here. I love how the pages are laid out in a way that works with how I keep my schedule and organize myself, and I’m thrilled it’s only one day per page, helping me stay super organized.
Is Day Designer Worth It? Day Designer Promo Code
My verdict: The Day Designer Daily Planner is absolutely worth the price at $68. It’s more than the Target version, but it’s also a more significant, heavy duty planner that stands up to a year of use. At the end of the year in 2024, my planner still looked as good as it did at the beginning of the year, and that’s after a year of toting it around with me.
With the promo code, it’s even more justifiable at the price. My Day Designer promo code heatherbien15 will save you 15% on your purchase. Throw in a few other items, like a pretty notebook or a colorful clipfolio to get free shipping — I promise you’ll use those, too!
