UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.
Congrats to: Jenny (jpage84@…) and Lyss (lyss.rose@…)
Over the last 3 years, I’ve talked A LOT about planners here on my blog. I LOVE paper planners and calendars!
Although there are a few things Dave and I do digitally via Apple’s iCalendar, we both definitely prefer paper planners so we can see many days and weeks at one time, quickly scratch a couple notes down on a specific day, and vigorously cross off our finished items each day.
For the past 3 years, I’ve used the same planner — and I loved how the inside of the planner was set up. Vertical columns for each day of the week, a full week at a glance, and plenty of blank space at the bottom of each day to jot my notes, make my to-do list, etc.
It was the best planner (for my needs) I had ever found — however, last year the company changed management, their customer service plummeted, and their 2013 planners were not available until well into 2013 (crazy I know). Luckily, I had an extra one from the year before (and the dates aren’t written in so I could make the 2012 version work for 2013) and a friend gave me one as a gift — so I am actually set for planners for a few months yet.
But since I like to be prepared (and since I know the “normal” time to shop for a planner is right about now) I decided to start looking for other planners that had the same set-up as mine. I kept coming up short with many of the different companies and brands I looked into.
And then, a few weeks ago, The Personal Planner company (here is their Facebook page) contacted me about reviewing their planners and doing a giveaway on my blog. They told me I would be able to customize my planner for my personal needs — but I’ll be honest, I was not super optimistic I would be able to implement all my “planner essentials”.
However, after spending 3 or 4 minutes quickly looking through some of the customizable options, I felt fairly confident I could make a planner EXACTLY how I wanted and needed. Plus, I got a little creative and designed my own cover and back (more on this below).
After about 15 minutes (seriously, it didn’t take long at all) I had a planner that looked and functioned almost exactly like my previous planner, and it had several extra bonuses the old planner didn’t have — like extra pages in the back, customizable tabs at the bottoms of each page, and really fun colors and designs to pick from.
I was sold and immediately told the folks at Personal Planner that I would love to promote their planners on my blog!
Here are just a FEW of the customizable options:
- Size / style of the planner
- Color, design, font style of the inside pages
- Front and back cover (you can even create and upload your own custom design like I did)
- Page layout and page design
- Owner information page
- 3 tabbed sections on the bottom of every page (there are so many different options to choose from)
- Various choices for extra pages in the back of the planner
- Optional addition of your our own personal dates (birthdays, anniversaries, school days off, vacations, etc)
- Optional addition of your own addresses so you can have a complete address book included in your planner
- and so much more!
The process is super quick and easy. With just a few clicks here and there, you can totally change the look and design of your planner.
Here’s a TINY sampling of the various sizes, styles, colors, and designs:
One of the things that most attracted me to the Personal Planner is that although there are TONS of awesome pre-designed covers you can choose from (and then customize as desired), you can also upload your own pictures or your own complete design for the front and the back cover.
So you literally can personalize this planner to look exactly like you want. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to do this with any other planner company I’ve worked with — and I’ve tried my fair share of planners over the years 🙂
When I set out to create my planner, I wanted something really unique, and since we have a new baby coming in March, I didn’t want to use a picture that would then be out-dated in just a couple months. So I opted for a quote instead — and I just LOVE how the design turned out 🙂
Here are digital pictures of the actual front and back designs.
Simple, but definitely not something I’ll mind looking at for the next year or so 🙂
The Giveaway:
Today, 2 lucky readers will win a Personal Planner. Winners can completely design their own planner.
How to Enter:
{required} Leave a comment on this post. What do you look for in a planner?
If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.
Prizes:
(2) Personal Planners as described above.
This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Thursday, 11/21/2013 and is open to ANYONE, 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!
Kim W. says
I absolutely love this idea. I actually thought about designing something a few years ago using the planners with the 7 hole punch and allowing people to purchase different packages to fit their needs and their stage in life. I am very excited about this. I have never found the “perfect” planner, but I think this could be it!
Robin Briggs says
Love your blog. Look forward to it everyday!
joy says
I like the school year planners (aug-june). room for notes and a separate to-do list are essential!
Lori Van Klompenberg says
Thanks for showing this planner. I love being able to see a week at a glance and also having extra pages for notes and drawings.
Sarah says
I look for a planner that has one week per 2-page spread. I would love an extra space for a weekly to-do list.
Sarah says
I like my planner to have a lot of writing space. I write big, I hate squishing everything in to little lines. 🙂
Kim says
Love the look and set-upof this planner. Lot’s of room to organize all activities.
marni says
I mve list and planning but have never had one…this is why I would like to win….
Rachel R. says
That’s cool, like that they have a personal touch on the cover & seems to have lots of space to write all that’s going on in my life. Looks great to me!!
Lynda says
I like a planner to be broken down by months and weeks. I like to see the whole month for long range plans but then weekly for day to day planning. I also like blank pages at the end to make grocery lists, etc. I like to make all kinds of lists and I too thoroughly enjoy crossing items off as I complete various tasks. Makes me feel so productive:)!!
Shanna says
I need room to make lists and plan for each day.
Heather Perry says
I’m married to a music professor (tuba) who plays freelance gigs. I use our planner to keep up with our everyday schedule, appointments, and my husband’s gig work. I need plenty of room to write and the ability to see a whole month at a time!
kathy says
Love paper calendars and love the ability to create one that I can make with what I want in it!
Cathy says
I like a calendar with both a weekly view- possibly with at least AM, PM, and evening section to write it specific things that need done during that part of the day and also a monthly calendar view with room to write 2 to 3 activities happening that day with a place on either or both to write a to do list and not too big! Is that a lot to ask for!?
Jennifer B. says
I do not like the hourly view in planners, so I always look for a planner that is sorted by days/months only. I also like the week and month views, not just the months by themselves. A newer feature from the past few years that I also appreciate are the tabs on the sides for each month. No longer do I need a paperclip on top to find the month I am in!
One thing I could use more of is blank space or a to-do area under each day, because I am always making lists on separate sheets of paper that I do not have room in my planner for.
candy Frizzell says
I rather write my plans and notes , try to do in different colors . To be able to fit in my purse.
Cheryl says
Awesome customizable planner. I have not seen one like this. But what I look for is the monthly..weekly at a glance. A size that I can carry it with me in my purse. A note section for my to do lists and a place to put contacts.
linda riffenburg says
I like room to make notes and jot down ideas. This planner looks unique and fun.
Ashli says
I love being able to write things down easily and see weeks at a time!
Peggy says
I like a size that fits in my purse, room to write notes, and love the weekly view. If it was also cute, perfect!
Linda Walton says
I need something that I can keep track of everything in one place….calendar, addresses, birthdays/anniversaries
Becky says
I love a planner with calendar views as well as space to write but I really need it to be a bit smaller than the average 8 1/2 X 11. This looks like it just might be what I’ve been looking for!
Gina says
I like the weekly view. Also some blank space at the botttom to write to do lists to be completed during the week, not specific to a particular day.
DeShieka says
I am a single mother who works part-time and good to school full-time. I want about 2 days a page to plan for appointments, work hours and homework. It seems to many calenders have no space or too much so it seems like such a waste.
Tania says
I need my planner to be a manageable size to carry with me in my day bag and I use it in conjunction with a ‘satellite’ pad that also fits in my smaller bags (for evenings) so I don’t forget to note anything down then! A week to view is perfect allowing me to see what’s going on in coming days and a paper planner makes it easy to flick to any given week to make new entries quickly. If it looks good, I’m going to use it and be proud to get it out and show it off!
Susan says
Uncluttered space to write in on each day.
Lisa W. says
I look for a timed area for appointments and a large area for notes.
Stephanie H. says
I like lots of room to write, color coded pages are always nice. I like the calendar view and weekly view.. and has to be cute! 🙂
Rita c says
I need everything in one place but different sections! Love it!
Sheri says
I love to have large spaces to write in. Love to track the weather as well. This is a great idea! Thanks for the opportunity
Melissa says
I want something fun, lightweight and of course that keeps me organized.
Melodie T says
I love this concept so much. I’ve never been able to find the right planner. This seems amazing!
Rachel says
I love paper planners… and I’m so excited to try out this new one! I am a scheduling coordinator at my job out of the home, so this will be perfect to track everything. Thanks for sharing!
Heather says
I like places to write in my agenda for the day. I also like to look at the entire month at a glance on one page.
Dawn W. says
I would LOVE a personalized planner to help me keep our busy schedule organized. Between school responsibilities, my doctor appointments, and church responsibilities we are constantly on the run.
Carla Jo says
I need a new planner to keep my life organized.
I have 2 jobs, 2 volunteer gigs, 2 young kids (4 and 1), and I am going to school. In the new year, I will also add financial counseling appointments and a new blog to the mix.
I need HELP with organization.
Jen says
Daily spots and also a monthly view!
Tammy @ SkipperClan says
My number one focus in a planner is the features/layout – I need month and week at a glance, extra lined pages, etc. Second thing I look for is fun – colors, inspiring quotes, etc. I have loved my ErinCondren planners for 3 years now but I’m intrigued at the option of customizing the layout too!
Joanne says
Ease of use, lengthy of room to write, light weight.
Sarah says
What a great giveaway! Right now I use online calendars and your printable daily planner (I laminated the daily planner sheet and use wet-erase markers – it’s great!) I would LOVE to have a custom planners. I’m not using one right now, because what I look for in a planner is the flexibility for me to use it however I may need. Most off-the-shelf planners either have features I don’t need/want, or are not laid out to my liking. I do prefer a slim, flat-lying planner (not a binder style) so it’s easy to transport