Here are the best planners for Moms for 2021 that can guide you to set some intentions for your life and help you to create goals around those intentions, breaking them down into smaller steps so that you can achieve them. A family calendar can help you to get organized with your schedule and your time- but a planner can help to make sure that you are giving your life purpose!
Quick Links to the Info in This Post!
Our Top Picks for the Best Planners for 2021!
| Best For: | Calendar: | Rating: |
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| Best Dated Planner | Amy Knapp Very Busy Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. |
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| Best Undated Planner: | Clever Fox Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. |
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| Best Bullet Journal | Leuchtturm1917 This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. |
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What Type of Planner Will Work Best for You?
As busy Moms who are juggling so many tasks and activities every day, it can be hard to pull ourselves out of the minutiae and make time for the things in our lives that lead us towards our goals. Heck- as busy Moms it can be hard to find the time to even think about having goals!
And so we spend day after day getting small things done without any thought as to whether or not we are ever really going anywhere in our lives!
That's where having a fantastic life planner system comes in!
There are three main types of planners that I recommend for busy Moms:
- Dated planners– The monthly and weekly page layouts are already labeled- and there are prompts or titled sections to get you to think and reflect on your goals, accomplishments, and your life
- Undated planners– You can pick up one of these planners any time and just get started because all of the monthly and weekly sections are undated. There are still places to write reflections and goals, but they are more open-ended and often appear at the beginning or the end of the planner.
- Bullet Journals– These are completely unstructured notebooks that allow you to design how you would like to track the past and organize and plan for the future. Often just a blank notebook with dotted grids, or sometimes lined.
Scroll through the list of my favorite planners of each type below- where I highlight the best features of each one. And at the bottom of each section, I'll share a comparison chart so you can see which of these planners matches what you are looking for!
The Best Dated Planners for Moms for 2021
If you love the idea of picking up a beautifully designed planner and want to be led through a process to answer questions, uncover your purpose, and define goals to lead you to your best year ever- and you want to start this process at the “true new year” (when the kids head back to school!) then a dated planner is likely the right choice for you!
Top Pick- Best Dated Planner: Amy Knapp's Very Busy Planner
This planner really captures the essence of goal setting and then re-visiting those goals throughout the year! There is just so much that I love about this Amy Knapp Very Busy Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !
There are places each month to reflect on what has been working for you and what you would like to focus on in the coming month. On every weekly page- you find a question that makes you dig deep and think about who you are and where you are headed. There's an inspiring quote every week- and a place to keep your running to-do list.
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More Great Dated Planners:
Erin Condren Softbound Planner
Erin Condren planners continue to be a favorite of MomOf6 readers because of their clean style that gives you plenty of room for note-taking, dreaming, and planning. This Erin Condren softbound planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. features a vertical weekly layout, tabbed monthly calendars, weekly planning pages, mini months, and a yearly overview. This planner also features inspiring quotes and space for monthly notes and productivity pages.
Bloom Daily Planner
Laid out more like a traditional calendar, the Bloom Daily Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. also features a personal mission statement prompt and a yearly goal setting page, as well as inspirational quotes, monthly reflection questions, and more!
InnerGuide Life Planner
The intention with this Inner Guide planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is to help you to become “the best version of yourself” by tapping into your own inner guidance to make sure your daily decisions and actions align with your values and what’s essential to your well-being.
It focuses on finding your purpose and making sure that you are taking daily and weekly actions that lead to fulfillment!
The Day Designer
What I absolutely love about this Day Designer planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is that it walks you through the process of starting with your “big picture”- what you want your life to be and to look like, and then helps you to break down that vision into specific goals, which are then used to set your daily routines.
Monthly and daily sections are designed to keep you focused on your goals.
Compare the Best Dated Planners for Busy Moms:
Note: on mobile, click the ‘+' to expand each item and compare the features for each of the planners:
| Feature: | Amy Knapp's Very Busy Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Erin Condren softbound planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Bloom Daily Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | InnerGuide Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Day Designer Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. |
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| Planner Date Range | Aug '20-Dec '21 | Jan '21-Dec '21 | Jan '21-Dec '21 | Jan '21-Dec '21 | Jan '21-Dec '21 |
| Planner Size | 6"x8" | 8"x10" | 6"x8.25" | 8.75"x9.25" | 5"x8" |
| Places for Goals/Reflections/To-Do Lists | X | X | X | X | X |
| Calendar Layout | Monthly grid + 1 unlined pg/week | Monthly grid + 2 lined pgs/week | Monthly grid + 2 lined pgs/week | Monthly grid + 2 lined pgs/week | Monthly grid + 2 lined pgs/week |
| Inspirational Quotes | X | X | X | X | |
| Includes stickers | X | X | X |
Want to check some of the tools that I recommend for busy Moms?
These are my favorite items for Family Command Centers This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and the Best Tech for Busy Moms This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. ! You can see all of my recommendations over on my Amazon Influencer page This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !
The Best Undated Planners for 2021
Personally, I am a fan of undated and somewhat unstructured planners- and that's what I use for my own goal setting and daily steps tracking. I love all of the clean blank sections that I can use as I'd like (but I'm not ready to go as far as bullet journaling where I am responsible for 100% of the page design!).
Top Pick Best Undated Planners for Busy Moms: The Clever Fox Planner
The intent of the Clever Fox Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is to help you focus your energy on just a few goals at a time, making you far more effective with them. You can set weekly, monthly, and daily goals, track habits you'd like to cultivate, set priorities, incorporate gratitude and affirmation techniques, create a vision board and more.
This version measures 5.5″x8.5″- but if you'd like a larger planner- the Clever Fox Planner Pro This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is 8.5″X11″.
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More Great Undated Planners:
The Panda Planner
The Panda Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. uses scientific strategies designed to improve productivity and happiness over time so that you can get more done and feel better, every day! One of the goals of this planner is to help fix procrastination and keep you accountable!
Think of this as your goal setter, your daily accountability tracking, and your journal all wrapped up in one.
The planner panda is also available in a larger size called The Panda Planner Pro This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. .
The Best Self Planner
This Best Self planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. was designed for business entrepreneurs, but I think it works perfectly for busy Moms as well! When using this planner, the focus is on structuring each day in a way that leads you towards your goals.
It includes space for reflecting on gratitude both in the morning and evening, tracking habits, and offers lots of space for notes and reflection. But one thing to note: each planner only “lasts” 13 weeks, so you'll need 4 to use this system all year long!
Compare the Best Undated Planners for Busy Moms:
| Feature: | Clever Fox Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Panda Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Best Self Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. |
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| Planner Size | 5.5"x8.5" | 5"x8.2" | 8.25"x5.5" |
| Places for Goals/Reflections/To-Do Lists | X | X | X |
| Calendar Layout | Monthly grid + 1 lined pg/week | Monthly grid + 2 lined pgs/week | Monthly gird + Daily pages |
| Inspirational Quotes | X | ||
| Includes stickers | X |
The Best Bullet Journals for 2021
Bullet journaling has become very popular in the last few years- because they provide the perfect freestyle tool to set goals, plan your week, create lists, as well as to write down thoughts, track your progress, and reflect on your life. It's a beautiful combination of personal diary and life planner all in one! You can learn how to keep a bullet journal here.
But when it comes to bullet journals themselves- they are just dotted notebooks, right? So aren't all bullet journals pretty much the same thing? Sort of- but with a few notable differences:
Top Pick Best Bullet Journals for Busy Moms: Leuchtturn 917
This is the dotted notebook that started the whole bullet journal craze! This beautiful hardcover Leuchttrum 1917 This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. notebook has dotted pages, it lays flat when in use- but what sets this bullet journal apart is its pre-formatted table of contents section.
More Great Bullet Journals:
Moleskin Notebook
Moleskin notebooks This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. come with a leather-like classic cover & thick, ivory paper pages that are perfect for writing with fountain or gel pens. Writers, students, artists, professionals & travelers love Moleskine notebooks & planners. From lined to unlined, dotted to graph paper there's a Moleskine notebook for the type of journal you want to keep.
Scribbles That Matter
The unique thing about these Scribbles That Matter This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. bullet journals is that they include a key code page, index pages, dotted numbered pages and 2 color-coded bookmarks for optimal organization.
Compare the Best Bullet Journals:
| Feature: | Leuchtturm1917 Journal This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Moleskin Notebook This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. | Scribbles That Matter This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. |
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| Journal Size | 5.75"x8.25" | 5"x8.25" | 5.8"x8.3" |
| # Pages | 249 | 240 | 150 |
| Available Formats: | dotted, squared, lined, plain | dotted, squared, lined, plain | dotted |
| # of Avail. Colors: | 16 | 10 | 8 |
A Few Cool Tools You Might Like to Use With Your Organizer Planner!
Fine Line Color Pen Set
These Fineline pens This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. are the perfect colorful pens to use on your calendar or planner. Acid-free ink with minimal bleed- they'll make you want to stick with your new planning habit!
Stickers:
Divider Sticky Notes
The sticky notes This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. are perfect for adding tabs to define sections of your planner or bullet journal! 60 pages of 4×6 lined notes in 6 different colors.
Panda Planner Sticky Notes
This set of sticky notes This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. are in multiple sizes and colors- and come as a set of lined, unlined, and dotted notes. Perfect for making various sections of your planner or journal- or to move project notes from one day to the next without re-writing.
Mom's Essentials Planning Stickers
Mom's Essentials planner stickers This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. to mark special dates have been a favorite of MomOf6 readers for years! Perfect for both your planner as well as your family calendar!
Weekly Planner Stickers
These Essentials weekly planning stickers This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. have been a favorite of MomOf6 readers for years! Perfect for both your planner as well as your family calendar!
Me and My Big Ideas Planning Stickers
Whether your planner comes with stickers or not, if you want to add a personal touch to your planner and make it your own- these planner stickers from Me and My Big Ideas This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. are awesome!
Looking for some more tools to help you to be a more organized Mom?
- Best Family Calendars – whether you prefer electronic, paper, or wall calendar- these are the best ones of the year!
- Best Planners for Students– the best picks for kids- from elementary school thru college!
- 15 Perfect Paper to Do Lists for Busy Moms- pretty paper lists to guide you as you get it all done!
- 15 Fantastic Command Centers to Help Busy Moms Stay Organized
Are you ready to get your life organized? Register for Busy Moms Boot Camp!
It's a free series of 10 weekly emails that can help you put some organization back in your life and help you to create room for all of those things that you'd like to be doing- whether that's making time to celebrate the little things with your family or carving out some space for yourself. Busy Moms Boot Camp can help you to move from chaos to organized! Simply sign up below to get started!
I would love to hear from you now… Do you have a planner system that you love, or are you still searching for the one that is right for you? Did this list help you to do that?
Mandy says
January 16, 2017 at 10:32 amThanks for this post. I always need ways to be more organized on the homestead with homeschool.