Editor’s Note: This is part 2 of my Nothing Beats a Woman with a Plan(ner) series. Here’s part 1, the Plum Paper planner review.
I’m a planner snob.
The way my mind is set up, there are just certain planners I can’t do. Flowers on the cover? I’ll pass. Busy interior designs. No, thank you. Too bright colors. No, ma’am. For whatever reason, those things mess with my sensibilities and send my brain on overload.
I need for my planner to have clean lines and be pretty and functional. And it must have the dates already typed onto the pages. Having to write the dates in makes the page look messy to me, even if it’s my own handwriting. I guess I’m just nice-nasty like that.
With that being said, I almost lost my mind when I received two Day Designer by Whitney English planners for my weekly book column for Hope for Women magazine—one was to review and the other was to give away. I was in love when I saw the box—or should I say boxes—for the Flagship planner. The exterior was almost a Tiffany blue, and the interior of the first box was a metallic-gold-and-white striped box. Nestled inside that was another box with a sliding drawer that included a handwritten thank-you note. Sigh.
The actual planner did not disappoint. I received the midyear Flagship edition: Black Stripe. I don’t know how else to describe it except to say that it’s pretty inside and out. The planner is hardcover with a gold coil binding and gold protective corners. It runs from June 2016 through May 2017 (they have January start dates as well), and it includes goal planning worksheets, daily planning pages that have scheduling from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., an inspirational quote and space for you to write your to-do list, including the top three things you need to accomplish; dinner, notes and gratitude.
Boasting overall dimensions of 9 by 9.75, the Flagship edition has plenty of writing space, which I love. There is also a mini version (6.625 by 8.3) available if you’d like something smaller. If you’re used to your planner being in a binder, Day Designer has got you covered. They offer a case for both the regular and mini Flagship editions.
Speaking of new additions, I also received the recently released A5 Ring Bound Day Designer. I’ll be honest, I’m normally not a fan of white products, like cars and stuff, but I love this binder. It is elegant, professional, and has the high quality for which Day Designer products are known, and you can customize this version moreso than the Flagship editions. There are starter insert packs in warm and cool colors, as well as supplement packs of undated day on a page, week on two pages, a fitbook or dated day on a page and month on two pages, which were recently released.
The Day Designer isn’t cheap (they start at about $60), but for me, it’s worth the money. Its design is classy and professional, yet feminine. If you’re not into decorating your planner with all the cool stickers that are available or if you’re in and out of meetings where it’s not cool for a laundry day or period start date sticker to be on display, the Day Designer might be a good option. If you’re concerned about the cost, Day Designer does offer a more affordable version at Target through a collaboration they have with Blue Sky.
Be sure to sign up for the mailing list to be notified when new planners and updates are released because they sell out fast.
Want to give Day Designer a try? They have a huge free printable library where you can download pages. I’d appreciate it if you use my affiliate link so Day Designer knows I referred you.
