As we continue to narrow down the search for the right planner for you, we end our mini-series with a discussion on planner layouts. What’s that, you may be asking?
When choosing a planner, you must also consider how you want to plan: vertical, horizontal, hourly, monthly? So what do these terms mean, and what is the difference between them?
I’m glad you asked! Let’s take a closer look below.
Horizontal Layout
Planners with horizontal weekly pages are often outlined from Monday through Thursday on the left page and Friday through Sunday on the right page, keeping the weekend days together in the weekly spread. Each day is typically lined with horizontal lines for you to fill in.
This type of planner layout is great for jotting down a quick note or appointment while on the go, or for using as a journal (ex: Gratitude Journal).
Vertical Layout
Planners with a vertical layout are often laid out with the days of the week running across the top of the page. Each day has 3 rows of boxes within the daily column. Most times, a sidebar or even a footer is included in the weekly spread.
You can use the three rows to categorize into sections (ex: Appointments, To-Do’s, Notes or Morning, Afternoon, Evening), or you can just use the space for decorative planning across the rows and columns.
Vertical layouts have Monday through Wednesday on the left page and Thursday through Sunday on the right page. This way you will keep your weekends together.
Hourly Layout
Planners with hourly weekly layouts are similar to the vertical layouts; however, instead of having blank columns and boxes, the columns are be pre-filled with times ranging from 6am to 10pm. Planner systems that offer an hourly layout differ in the time start and time end range, so be sure to check this little detail to get the most out of your hourly planner!
Most hourly planners are ideal for working professionals who work on an hourly format. However, anyone can benefit from an hourly, including busy stay at home moms and dads.
Monthly Layout
Planners with monthly layouts typically do not include any weekly pages, so if you don’t like to plan in weekly/daily formats, you might want to consider a monthly planner. Monthly planners are great for at-a-glance planning, where you can see all of your events/appointments in a monthly view rather than drilling down to a weekly or daily view.
There are a few companies that offer monthly planners, such as The Happy Planner and Erin Condre, in various sizes. So, if you like to plan on a monthly scale, consider the size of planner you are looking for when choosing your monthly planner.
Congratulations, you made it! From here, you should have a pretty good idea of the planner you are wanting to add to your planning life. In addition to these three basics, many planners come with additional features such as goal pages, note pages, trackers, etc. I will leave those options for you to decide which planner is truly right for you.
I am hoping by now that this 3-part mini-series has been helpful in understanding more of your planner options. Whether you choose rings, strings, discs or coils, you can’t go wrong with what YOU think is the best fit.
ICYMI:
How to Choose the Right Planner for YOU | Planner Systems
How to Choose the Right Planner for YOU | Planner Sizes
To learn more about planning basics, browse the Planner Basics section here. You will be able to get more tips and tricks on beginning your planning journey!
Happy planning, and I will catch you in the next post!
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