Looking for the best college planner to stay organized and on top of everything? Here is a full rundown of the top planners that are useful for college students.
If you haven’t used a planner before, then you are missing out on maximizing your day and organizing your life.
Plus, it is especially important as a college student to be organized so you don’t miss an assignment, group meet-up, work, project, or practice.
Once I established a habit in middle school with a planner, it changed my life so much.
To this day, I have instilled better habits, kept myself more disciplined, and became more organized.
Without further ado, let’s jump into these amazing planners and find the best college planner for you!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information. Thank you!
Best College Planner to Keep Your Life Extremely Organized
1. Best for Time Management: At-a-Glance Planner
Pros:
- lays flat
- sturdy cover
- storage pocket
Cons:
- starts in January and ends in January (not great for academic years)
If you are a busy bee and have to organize every minute of your day (hopefully not), then this is a great tool for you!
This at-a-glance planner breaks the day down in 15-minute increments which allows you to plan all your meetings, classes, and appointments.
Moreover, if you like a minimalist design, then this one is perfect as it is styled in all black.
Also, it is a great pick for internships or young professionals.
One of my favorite things about a planner is if it lays flat or not.
Not only does it make it easier to write with, but also better to view.
In addition, I NEED my planners to be sturdy because they will be with me for the entire year.
Fortunately, this planner is both sturdy and lays flat when writing.
It is a wonderful choice if you have to balance clubs, meetings, classes, labs, work, and personal life.
2. Best for Goal Setting: Taja Planner
Pros:
- easy to carry around
- lays flat
- organized by monthly tabs
- inner pocket
- metal corners for increased durability
Cons:
- starts in January and ends in December (not great for academic years)
A cool feature that I like about this planner is the day countdown.
Next to the day, there is a countdown that shows what day it is out of the remaining days in the year.
Furthermore, there is a priority section where you can list the top goals that you need to focus on that week.
This is great for goal-setting so you can break it up in chunks weekly.
There are also a ton of extra pages for holidays, yearly overviews, contacts, notes, and more to use.
So if you have many short-term and long-term goals, then this planner will be a nice fit to assist you.
3. Best for Tasks: Frasukis Planner
Pros:
- to-do list paired with a daily overview
- include past, present, and next month’s reference
- thick paper
- round edges to protect from papercuts
Cons:
- starts from January and ends in December (not great for academic years)
- small space to jot down daily tasks
Are you interested in jotting down both daily reminders and to-dos?
If so, then this cute, floral planner is the best of both worlds.
I always love a mini daily checklist for things and tasks to complete for that day.
However, this planner does have a smaller space to write down appointments or tasks.
Although the space is limited, the checklist compensates as a task to-do list to help you keep track of priorities for the day.
I recommend this planner for those who need to keep track and do a lot in a day.
4. Best for To-Do Lists: To-Do List Planner
Pros:
- organized sections
- undated for custom planning
- lays flat
- protected corners
Cons:
- only 120 pages and not enough for the whole year
- light print
Aside from the light print that some reviewers noticed and only 120 days of planning, this planner matches all aspects of a to-do planner.
Not only does it have a dedicated section for a to-do list, but it also includes health and meal planning.
One of my favorite parts about this planner is the ‘I’m grateful for’ section located at the top.
Because gratitude makes you think about things, events, or people that make you grateful instead of dwelling on items that you don’t have.
It is a great practice to keep up and build your mental health.
Another aspect that I like about this planner is the blank undated pages.
YOU get to plan and write out what days to plan and won’t feel bad if you skip a week or two and not lose any pages.
This planner is awesome to increase awareness of your exercise, workout, and health while keeping track of your daily to-dos.
5. Best for Appointments: Ensight Planner
Pros:
- time blocking
- large overview
- lays flat
- monthly tabs
- pocket folder
- ink and bleed resistance
Cons:
- starts in January and ends in January (not great for academic years)
- from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you have a ton of meetings, appointments, and work to do daily, then this planner will keep you updated every day.
A con is that it starts at 7 am and ends at 8 pm which may be tricky for students who have early wake-ups or late meet-ups.
However, most of your day probably happens between those hours so it won’t be too big of a con.
Furthermore, the 15-minute increments will allow you to plan specifically for each block of time and use it to its maximum potential.
So if you have club meetings, classes, meetups, etc. then this appointment planner can help you utilize every section of the time blocks.
You can also plan a study day and use the time sections for different topics or subjects to review.
If you need some help studying, then hop over to 11 Genius Study Tips for Exams.
But if you are crunched on time, then check out How to Study Last Minute and Still Ace Your Test.
Another potential downside is that there isn’t space to write down when papers or projects are due or when exams are coming up.
Even though there isn’t a section for that, but you can still improvise and jot them down on your time schedule before planning ahead and organizing the dates.
Then, chunk your planner and set a plan to either write, study, or start on an assignment by pre-planning the dates to do them.
6. Best for Aesthetics: Watercolor Planner
Pros:
- storage pocket
- sticky note, ruler, and stickers set
- monthly tabs
- priorities section
- lays flat
Cons:
- starts in November and ends in December (not great for academic years)
- thin pages
If you are just breaking into planners or not feeling them, then these watercolor planners might change your mind.
There are a ton of designs to choose from and they include so many extra sticky notes and stickers to spice up your planner.
Also, there are two sizes available either a medium which is 5.5″ by 8″ or a large which is 8.5″ by 11″.
You can choose either an easy carry-around planner or a widespread planner based on your needs.
This watercolor planner is the best college planner to buy if you want to stand out from everyone else’s planner.
7. Best for Personalization: Paperage Planner
Pros:
- thick pages
- storage pocket
- ink and bleed resistance
- lays flat
- compact size
Cons:
- can get messy/unorganized
If you are looking for more flexibility or freedom, then this Paperage planner will be perfect for you.
Not only will you be able to design your day the way you want it to, but also personalize or start whenever.
However, this can go both ways.
If you don’t do well with too much freedom and prefer a more structured format, then you should choose another planner from this list.
I recommend this planner for anyone interested in bullet journaling, crafty with their projects, or who enjoys designing their own pages.
Not only will you be able to include as many features as you want, but also create it the way YOU want it to look!
Do you want to improve your grades in the upcoming year? If so, check out 13 New Year’s Resolution Ideas to Become a Straight-A Student.
Do I really need a planner…
I get it, you might have doubts about whether a planner should be your go-to.
However, a planner has helped me:
- manage my crazy, busy schedule
- held me accountable for upcoming assignments
- improve on time management
- schedule my days
- break tasks and projects into manageable chunks
- and so much more!
You can also opt for digital planners, but for me-nothing beats the real paper deal.
Try out what you like best and switch it up each year to find your best fit.
I recommend starting with something without too many features so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Then, as you get better, you can strive for a more complicated and feature-rich planner.
Finally, the best of luck to a new year of planning and hope all your goals get reached!
