13 Best Planners for Working Moms (2023)

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For working moms, a planner can help improve your everyday life by helping you manage your time effectively, increase your productivity, and improve your work-life balance. Even in an age where everything is digital, there are still some amazing traditional planners that provide the best functionality for a working mom’s needs. In this post, I put together a detailed list of some of the best planners for working moms that are highly rated and well-reviewed.

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I’m a full-time working mom of two young kids, so I am constantly busy and multi-tasking. I’ve tried everything to organize my day including digital planners and apps on my phone, productivity websites like Trello, and a physical planner. Out of those, the only thing that’s really worked for me is my good old-fashioned paper planner.

My paper planner is one that is designed specifically for working moms, the Mama’s Got Time Ultimate Planner & Organizer. It can help you implement schedules and routines in your life so that you can beat overwhelm, manage your home life, and make time for yourself and your goals.

I use my planner mostly for work, although occasionally I add in personal items that I might have to accomplish during the work day. The perfect planner for me has a weekly layout with enough space to write down everything I need to do each day, as well as space for weekly goals and other notes.

I’ve also used Blue Sky’s Monthly/Weekly Planners in the past. In my opinion, it’s an excellent weekly planner. This straightforward planner works so well for my needs!

Keep reading for a full list of the best planners for working moms- you’re sure to find one that is perfect for you!

Why Every Working Mom Should Have a Planner

A planner is a great tool to help you manage your time and achieve your goals in life. While calendars on our phones are convenient for quick scheduling, they don’t enhance productivity and time management like a proper planner can. Especially if you’re a busy working mom, using an effective planner will allow you to keep track of everything you need to do, prioritize important tasks, and plan for the future.

Here are some top reasons why you should consider getting a high-quality planner:

• Scheduling Made Easy. A planner is the easiest way to keep track of your daily schedule and make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. You can never go wrong with writing down what you need to do for each day and reviewing your schedule at the end of the day.

• Prioritize Your Tasks. As a working mom, your top priority is your family, but you also have to make time for work and taking care of yourself. A planner will help you balance all three top priorities by keeping track of what’s going on every day and reminding you about important events that you might otherwise forget.

• Organize Your Life. Get your errands, personal goals, and work-related tasks out of your head and onto a paper planner! Once you start writing it all down, you’ll be amazed at how much more free space is left in your brain for other things.

• Track Your Progress. You know that feeling when you have a lot to do and aren’t sure where to start? A planner can help you track your progress on a daily basis through weekly goals and monthly milestones. When you see how much you accomplish every day, week, and month, it will motivate you to push yourself even further!

What Makes a Good Planner for a Working Mom?

There are certain elements that make a planner better and more functional for working moms over others. When you find the right one for your needs, it will help organize your day and keep you focused on taking care of yourself, your family, and everything else.

Here are some top qualities to look for when choosing a planner:

• Space to Write Down Your To-Dos. Make sure that there is enough space in each day’s schedule to write down everything you need to get done. If you can, look for a planner with the following: bullet points, checklists, to-do lists, and number of tasks per day.

• Space for Yearly, Monthly and Weekly Goals. Look at the planner’s overall design and layout. Did I mention that I love Blue Sky’s planners? The planner has a full checklist for your annual goals as well as plenty of notes sections to keep track of your monthly goals (i.e., top family goals, top work goals, top self-care goals).

• Space for Notes. You might also want to look at the planner’s notes section. A good planner should have space where you can write down miscellaneous information, like quick notes from a work meeting or errands that have to get done.

• Important Dates and Holidays. Let’s be real, as busy moms we often forget when there is a holiday coming up. It’s crucial that any planner you get has reminders of important dates and holidays so you can plan accordingly if you need to.

Where Can I Find a Good Planner?

You can find a planner in most local bookstores and on Amazon. Even pharmacies, such as CVS Pharmacy, sell planners and in fact, that is where I buy my planner.

The prices for planners range depending on how detailed the planner is and what you’re looking for. You can find a planner for as little as $10 or as much as $35. All depends on what your needs are and how detailed you need it.

Best Planners for Working Moms in 2023

Now that I’ve talked about the top reasons to use a planner and what to look for in a planner, let’s focus on what some of the top planners for working moms are.

1. Best Weekly Planner: Day Designer Weekly Planner

This weekly planner is one of the BEST options out there for professionals. Here’s why:

• It includes goal setting worksheets, an annual overview, and monthly calendars.
• It has weekly planning pages, as well as To-Do pages that are non-dated with hourly scheduling from 7am to 7pm.
• It comes with a large Notes section.
• It incorporates Weekly Inspirational quotes to keep you motivated.
• The Day Designer planner also comes with bonus Expenses Tracker Pages, Favorites Lists, Gift Idea Pages, Thank You Note Records, Packing Checklists, Entertaining Checklists and Bucket Lists!
• As if all that wasn’t enough, they come in beautiful styles and colors!

Cons of the Day Designer:

• This planner is pretty pricey, with the full size averaging $76!! That being said, this planner is often sold out at the beginning of the year, so it must be worth it!

2. Best Printable Planner: Mama’s Got Time Ultimate Planner & Organizer

Printable planners are so useful because you can print which pages you want and as many as you want, pop them into a binder, and organize the pages how you want. They offer a level of customization that store-bought planners often don’t have, and are usually a better value and much cheaper.

The Mama’s Got Time Ultimate Planner & Organizer is chock full of value! This 140-page planner includes everything a busy mom needs to plan her days and organize her home, so you can reduce overwhelm and have more time for yourself. It’s also pretty and has a nice design.

Some of the goodies in this planner include:

• dated and undated daily, weekly, and monthly planning pages,
• goal-setting pages,
• cleaning schedules,
• meal planner,
• self-care planner,
• budget planner,
• travel planner,
• and even chore charts and homework planners for your kids!

And it’s one of the most affordable options on this list.

Some of the cons of this planner:

It’s a printable pdf so you’re limited if you don’t have a printer. Thankfully, pdf-editing apps like Goodnotes make it easy to write on pdfs as you would paper. You’ll save paper and have the convenience of having your planner on your tablet.

3. Most Functional Planner: Blue Sky Weekly/Monthly Planners

My top pick for functionality is the Blue Sky Weekly/Monthly Planner. I started using Blue Sky planners two years ago after my close friend recommended them to me. At the time, I was overwhelmed with work and family life, and barely had time for myself, so sorting out my schedule was top priority.

Blue Sky planners are great because:

• They come in multiple fun designs.
• They are sold at CVS Pharmacy or on Amazon so they are easy to find.
• As mentioned above, the daily pages have lots of space to write your daily to-dos and notes.
• They have tabs to quickly find the month of the year you’re in.
• Has a list of important holidays and reminders throughout the planner.
• Small enough to carry around with you (mine is 8.5 x 11)

What it’s missing:

• Inspirational quotes, although this is more of a nice-to-have.
• More space to write out weekly goals or top priority items.

4. Best Planner for Home and Family Organization: Amy Knapp Family Organizer

You can tell Amy’s Knapp’s Family Organizer was made by a busy mom. It includes helpful items like a grocery list and plenty of space to keep track of appointments, projects, and school activities.

Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer pros:

• Features more space to write than the usual planner, so that you can keep track of appointments, house projects, kids’ birthdays and other special events
• Covers 17 months beginning in August (tracking the academic calendar)
• Includes monthly and weekly spreads
• Storage pocket for holding receipts and notes
• Tear-off grocery lists and menus
• Goal-setting pages
• Motivational quotes
• Colorful stickers you can use to highlight important items

Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer cons:

• Lacking tabs to quickly find the month or section you’re looking for

5. Best Fit-In-Your-Purse Planner: Mommy-do Daily Planner

This small planner packs a punch! This is the best mom planner if you’re looking for something that will fit in your purse. The Mommy-do planner is designed to help moms organize their busy lives, track their’s child’s important milestones, and prioritize their own self-care.

Benefits of the Mommy-do Daily Planner:

• Small enough to fit in your purse
• Has to-do lists for daily agendas, routines, exercise and self-care
• Includes a 5 year activity and development planner from the CDC to track your child’s progress and milestones
• Incorporates additional resources such as meal planning pages, cleaning schedules and a monthly budget tracker

Drawbacks of the Mommy-do Daily Planner:

• Does not include dates and important holidays (you fill in the date yourself), but some people may prefer to have an undated planner that they can pick up from wherever they want

6. Best Planner for Mompreneurs: Clever Fox Planner PRO

Get your business and your house in order with this incredibly comprehensive planner! Its layout allows you to organize and prioritize your daily to-dos, keep track of your habits, and take note of your personal development.

What’s to love about the Clever Fox Planner PRO:

• Has space to track your daily tasks, goals, and priorities
• Includes a yearly and monthly goals section
• Has tools for self-development including an Advanced Awareness and Self-Discovery section and Vision Board
• Allows you to reflect on your progress through Weekly Reflections and Monthly Reviews
• Comes in many different attractive colors

Disadvantages of the Clever Fox Planner PRO:

• Pricey for a planner, currently over $38 at the time of this post. However, based on the raving reviews, it appears to be worth it!

7. Best Quality Planner: Erin Condren Life Planner

If you’re looking for more luxury in your planner, look no further than the Erin Condren planner. Not only are they visually appealing, but they are made in the USA from high-quality materials, including durable aluminum spiral coil and thick Mohawk paper that prevents ink bleeding. You’re lookin’ at the Porsche of planners.

What’s great about the Erin Condren Weekly Planner:

• Has a unique vertical layout for weekly planning allowing you to break up tasks based on your needs (ie. between morning/afternoon/night or business/home/personal)
• The covers are interchangeable
• Comes in a variety of beautiful artsy designs
• Includes yearly, monthly and weekly goal planning
• Has tabbed monthly calendars
• Includes great features such as inspirational quotes, productivity pages, and stickers

Cons of the Erin Condren Weekly Planner:

• Like the planner above, the price of Erin Condren planners is STEEP, over $50 as of the time of this post! But it seems you get what you pay for with this planner- its durable and incredibly useful to get motivated and organize your life

8. Best Daily Planner: Blue Sky Day Designer Planner

This is another great daily and monthly planner from Blue Sky. Designed specifically for a modern woman’s busy and chaotic life, the Day Designer Planner allows you to plan each day in detail to help you stay ahead of your many to-dos.

What I love about the Day Designer Planner:

• Has a daily layout with separate sections for your schedule, to-do list, and Top 3 priorities
• The schedule section has hour by hour scheduling, perfect for keeping track of appointments
• Includes goal setting for personal, family, career, and financial goals
• Comes with 6 extra monthly pages for long term planning
• Has an extra section for notes on each day

What I wish the Day Designer Planner had:

• It’s a January to December planner, so it’s not ideal if you’re looking for an academic year planner.

9. Best Design: bloom Daily Planner

The bloom Daily Planner makes it fun to stay organized! It comes in 24 beautiful designs and includes bonus inspirational features to help motivate you all year long.

Benefits of the bloom Daily Planner:

• Comes in a variety of unique colorful patterns
• Has 2 page monthly spreads and plenty of space in weekly planning for keeping track of priorities and daily tasks
• Weekly pages include a mini monthly calendar and holidays and daylights saving times notifications
• Includes over 20 “life coaching” pages, such as purpose and values worksheets, a bill payment log, and monthly task tracker
• Comes with a magnetic bookmark and fun stickers

Drawbacks of the bloom Daily Planner:

• Most of their planners come in the 5.5″ x 8.25″ size, which users complain is too small for their needs

10. Best Customizable Planner: The Happy Planner

This planner’s mission is literally to help you plan a happy life! Bring more positivity to your day with this upbeat and customizable planner.

The Happy Planner is great because:

• Cover and interior personalization options include different colors, sizes, layouts, and accessories
• Offers a vertical or horizontal layout for daily planning- your choice!
• Monthly layout is perfect for those who want to plan entire months in advance and focus on goal setting
• Designed around different themes including collections centered around Faith and Work from Home.

The Happy Planner’s negatives:

• Users complain about the new plastic binding’s flimsier quality (as opposed to 2022’s metal rings),
• They can be pricey, averaging $29.00 depending on the theme

11. Best Planner for Prioritizing: Tools 4 Wisdom Planner

This planner was created by a former project manager of a Fortune 500 company. It’s designed to help you get focused and break down your goals into small monthly, weekly, and daily priorities.

What’s to love about the Tools 4 Wisdom Planner:

• Includes thought-provoking questions throughout the planner to help you organize your thoughts.
• Made to last with durable, quality materials and thick paper to prevent ink-bleeding.
• Includes large, durable tabs to help you navigate easily through the planner.
• Has plenty of empty pages for note-taking.
• Comes in different hardcover or softcover designs and includes over 200 planner stickers.

Disadvantages of the Tools 4 Wisdom Planner:

• This planner is on the pricier side, ranging between $37.00-$49.00, depending on hardcover vs. softcover. However, customers seem to love the planner’s layout and durability, so it seems to be worth the hefty pricetag!

12. Best Bullet Journal: Scribbles That Matter

The Scribbles That Matter Journal are ideal for bullet journaling! It’s flexible so that you can use it for whatever you need: a planner, a space to write your thoughts, or to keep track of your goals and plans.

The Scribbles That Matter journal has some really nice features:

• High quality thick paper (no ink-bleeding) with 2 options of paper thickness for traditional journaling vs. more creative mediums.
• Includes numbered pages with dot grid and a key page/index.
• Soft and durable vegan leather cover.
• Has an elastic band to keep the journal closed securely.
• Includes nice details like 2 uniquely colored bookmark, a “Scribbler” pen and pen holder, a removable ruler with measurements, and a pocket inside the back cover.
• Affordably priced at less than $20, which makes it a great bargain compared to other planners.

Some negatives of the Scribbles that Matter journal:

• Some reviewers have complained of quality-control and delivery issues, like wrong order of numbered pages or receiving the wrong color they ordered.

13. Best Self-Care Planner: Erin Condren Designer Petite Planner

These days it’s as important to plan your own self-care as it is your daily chores and work-related tasks. The Erin Condren Designer Petite Planner is perfect for keeping you accountable and ensuring that you get the me-time you need.

What makes this planner great:

• Includes trackers for sleep, water intake, and steps taken.
• Its small size makes it easy to throw in your purse and take with you on the go.
• Has 6 months of planning and goal setting pages so you can track your progress and achieve your health-related goals.
• Comes with fun and inspirational stickers.
• Includes different cover options in beautiful, bold designs.

Some ways the Erin Condren Petite Planner could improve:

• Because of the small size, you may have to write pretty small.
• It’s only a 6-month planner, so you’ll have to buy another one halfway through the year.

Conclusion

As a working mom, choosing the right planner can be an overwhelming task. I hope this guide helps you find a planner that helps you get organized and increases your productivity in the 2023 year!

Take the first step on planning your most productive week ever and download our FREE guide “How to Plan a Stress-Free Week without Burnout” so you can have more time for yourself and your goals!

For more resources for busy moms, check out:

• The Ultimate Guide to Time Management for Working Moms
• 7 Secrets to Creating a Family Schedule- That You’ll Actually Stick To!
• The Perfect Morning Routine for Working Moms in 9 Easy Steps