The Best Planners for Staying on Track in 2025

Making plans, keeping schedules and managing appointments can sometimes feel like a full-time job. Whether you’re obsessed with Marie Kondo or organizationally challenged, the right planner can be life-changing. They can improve time management, productivity and focus while reducing stress. It seems obvious, but writing things down may also help you retain information.

Today’s planners are not one-size-fits-all calendars—they can offer solutions for daily schedules, goal tracking or multitasking. A planner keeps everything you need in one place, letting you see your day, week or month at a glance.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to stay organized, here’s what you should consider when you're shopping for a new planner—plus nine options we love.

How to choose the right planner

The main factor to consider when buying a planner is—most crucially—the page layout. Other things to consider include size, cover, binding and the overall aesthetic (after all, you'll be using it every day for an entire year!).

Ask yourself exactly what you need from a planner: Is scheduling your prime motivator? Do you need a full page for each day, or does a week on a page give you enough room? Do you need space for to-do lists, meal plans, workout tracking and/or journaling?

Layout

The layout of a planner varies by orientation (horizontal and vertical) and calendar type. A vertical layout—the most common option, with dates running from top to bottom—is a great choice if you have a ton of appointments or like to make lists. A horizontal layout, however, often offers more room to write.

The standard calendar options are daily, weekly and monthly. Daily planners have a one-day-per-page layout. Weekly planners typically have a one-week double-page spread layout. Monthly planners have a one-month double-page spread layout. Some planners include a combination of calendars that let you reap the benefits of each. In addition to the standard 12-month calendar, there are also 13- and 18-month options.

Dated vs. undated

A dated planner, as the name suggests, has the dates printed for you. These planners are best for anyone who uses their planner daily to keep track of appointments, meetings and anything in life that needs to be scheduled or planned. The downside is that dated planners have a lifespan, meaning you’ll have to toss them (or the pages, if they’re reusable) in the recycling bin and buy a new one each year. 

The undated planner is designed with blank boxes for writing in the dates manually. This is ideal if you don’t need to use it daily.

Size

Planners come in various sizes. A5—which measures 5.8 x 8.3 in.—is the most common and will fit inside most handbags. You can find planners as large as A4, which is double the size of the A5 and similar in size to letter-size paper. There are also pocket-sized planners that will easily tuck into your purse.

Consider how portable you need your planner to be: Are you looking for something you can take on the go, or do you want a larger version that will stay out on your desk all year round?

Cover materials

The most common cover materials for planners are leather, faux leather, fabric, cardboard, plastic and paper. Leather planners are durable and luxurious. Faux leather is a more affordable and animal-friendly alternative.

Cloth covers tend to be made from linen or cotton, lightweight fabrics that are more prone to stains and wear. Hardcover cardboard options are stiff, durable and lightweight. Plastic covers are similarly lightweight, but waterproof and easy to clean, often featured in budget-friendly planners. Softcover paper covers are another inexpensive and lightweight choice, although they offer less protection.

Binding

When it comes to binding, there are three basic types: book or “perfect” bound, ring bound and spiral bound:

• Book bound or “perfect bound” planners tend to look more elegant and professional. They are easy to write in, and come in a large variety of sizes. The downside to a book bound planner is you cannot remove, add or move pages. 
• Ring bound planners hold pages in a binder cover. The main advantage of the rings is you can move pages to different sections and add additional pages. However, the rings can hamper writing if you’re left-handed. They also add weight and bulk to the planner so it’s not as light or slim to carry around. 
• Spiral bound planners are reminiscent of school notebooks and their biggest advantage is that they can open 360 degrees and lay flat on surfaces. But you can’t add or move pages, and the coil can be a pain if you’re left-handed.

Aesthetic

Like any accessory, your planner is an extension of your personal style. An leather planner embossed with your initials is an elegant choice, while some prefer a cover in a bold colour, a tasteful print or a graphic design. 

Beyond the cover, the inside design is also something to consider. Whimsical fonts may appeal to those who like a decorative touch, while sans-serif fonts are timeless.

Additional features

For eco-conscious shoppers, some planners contain recycled or sustainably sourced paper, eco-friendly ink and biodegradable covers. Many planners also include a variety of extras, including elastic pen loops, inner pockets and folders, colour-coded tabs and bookmarks.

The Best Planners for 2025

Moleskine Classic 12-Month 2025 Daily Planner, $37

Moleskine is renowned for its iconic notebooks. This A5 hardcover version is a one-page-per-day vertical calendar with ruled paper. Aside from the calendar pages, it features space for travel planning and jotting down ideas and goals. It also has an expandable inner pocket.

Other extras include an elastic closure, a matching ribbon bookmark and stickers to customize your plans and denote the year on the spine. This classic Moleskine is available in multiple colours and contains paper sourced from FSC-certified forests. It’s also available in a softcover version for the same price. 

Chatelaine editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak opted for this planner for 2025 after using Moleskin’s week-on-a-page planner in 2024. Her only complaint is that the paper is quite thin—the ink from a rollerball pen can bleed through to the next page, so considering using ballpoint instead. And the day-on-a-page format is preferable if you have larger handwriting.

Leuchtturm1917 Week Planner 2025, $38

A favourite of deputy features editor Erica Lenti, this hardcover A5 weekly planner has a double-page spread per week layout. The left-hand page has space for weekly tasks, with a right-hand blank ruled page for note-taking. The layout is quite condensed, which works for people with small handwriting but may not be practical for others.

There’s also a project planner and a three-year overview for tracking long-term goals, travel plans or other important milestones that span multiple years.

Extras include an elastic closure and ribbon bookmark, a gusseted pocket for storing documents or cards and detachable sheets for notetaking. The Leuchtturm1917 planner contains FSC-certified paper, and is available in four sizes and six cover colours.

Hemlock & Oak 2025 Daily Planner, $84

We love that this gorgeous one-page-per-day planner is made in Canada. It features eco-friendly components, including a biodegradable fabric cover and FSC-certified paper; it also uses plant-based inks. A satin bookmark ribbon and gold foil lettering give it an elevated look.

This version features an hourly schedule, space for notes and a mini calendar of the week at the bottom of each page. A full monthly calendar starts each month followed by the daily pages. There is also a holiday calendar and year overview pages, as well as space for additional notes. 

The Hemlock & Oak is available in 10 colours and different layouts including weekly and horizontal. You can add various options such as a transparent back pocket, monthly tabs and clip bands. It measures 6.6 x 8.8 in.

Clever Fox 2025 Dated Weekly Planner, $39

Consider this 13-month, A5 faux leather planner your do-it-all helper with its duo weekly and monthly calendars.

The colourful weekly layout features the dates on one page and space for setting goals, listing priorities, making to-do lists, tracking habits and other notes on the opposite page. The monthly calendar pages offer a big-picture overview with dedicated space for goals, tasks, deadlines and more.

The Clever Fox planner—available in either teal or yellow—also comes with six sheets of stickers, an elastic pen loop, three ribbon bookmarks and a note pocket. You can also order an additional Mega Sticker Pack with 2,000 stickers for $22.

Laurel Denise 2025 Horizontal Weekly Planner, $82

If you want to improve your multi-tasking skills, this 12-month horizontal planner may be the perfect pick. This weekly and monthly planner is spiral bound with a beautiful botanical print cover. It features a pocket folder inside each cover, two clear bookmarks, a full holiday calendar and yearly planning pages.

Each month contains a monthly overview and weekly layouts with a space for note-taking. The monthly pages are tabbed to make navigating a snap. There are daily habit trackers for each month, a yearly wins and lessons page and a plan-ahead 2026 calendar.

This planner works best for those who don’t need to time block, have larger handwriting, want journalling space or prefer a general overview without too many details. Measuring 12.75 x 9.25 in., this hardcover planner comes with a Sunday or Monday start and 13 other cover styles to choose from.

Erin Condren Evolve LifePlanner, $92

The popular Erin Condren Evolve LifePlanner is fully customizable. You can get your name embossed on the cover, and you can choose the colour of the spiral coil, the interior design and a vertical or horizontal layout. Both layouts feature weekly and monthly calendars on a double-page spread, and there is the option to break your schedule down by the hour.

This 12-month planner features note pages and inspirational quotes, a double-sided pocket for loose papers, a snap-in ruler, four pages of stickers, a contacts page and a perpetual calendar. It measures 7 x 9 in. with a durable laminate cover and a metal spiral coil binding.

Rileys & Co Undated Planner, $15

If you want your planner to be more of a personal taskmaster, this undated option from Rileys & Co. is a popular pick—and it’s super affordable. This A5 planner has 80 double-sided pages with dedicated space to for the date and sections for daily tasks, priorities, meal plans, water intake, fitness goals and notetaking. It’s spiral-bound with a hardcover and comes in seven styles, including this cute rose design.

Filofax The Original Organizer, $152

The OG of the planner world, Filofax is a classic leather bound six-ring binder. The beauty of the Filofax is you keep the luxe cover and purchase new calendar pages each year. You can choose from daily or weekly layouts. The Filofax includes a ruler, to-do lists, contact sheets, indexes and notepaper.

The soft and supple leather cover features a snap closure, two card pockets, slip pockets, two elastic pen loops, a jot pad pocket and a multifunctional elastic holder. The Filofax has serious staying power—I got mine in 1994 and it looks as good as the day I bought it. This personal-size version is 6.75 x 3.75 in. and is easy to take on the go.

Rocketbook Fusion Smart Reusable Notebook, $54

If you prefer a digital planner or want to save paper, the Rocketbook Fusion smart notebook is worth a look—and it’s more cost effective than some of the other planners on our list. The Rocketbook comes with a special pen for writing on the polyester composite paper. A QR code is provided for uploading your written entries to the Rocketbook app. When you’re finished, wipe away the ink with the included microfibre cloth and start from scratch. 

This planner includes a task list, a weekly planner, monthly planner, goal template an idea list and both dot-grid and lined pages. Everything you write can be saved to the Rocketbook app and transferred to Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, iCloud and other digital storage spaces. It comes in two sizes and eight colours.