It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas, although that is my favorite season – it’s planner time! Yep, it’s the time of year where new school planners start to roll out and countless college girls are tasked with the burden of picking a planner that will stick with them for the next 12-18 months.
Long gone are the days of boring, generic black planners lacking excitement and customization. Nowadays, one must dive deep to ask the hard questions – What color should my planner be? What layout works best? How big do I want it? How will this planner hold up in the abyss that is my backpack/purse/messy desk? And most importantly – Can this planner be monogrammed?
After countless Pinterest searches, blog browsing, Target trips, personal interviews, and YouTube videos, I decided to go crazy and get not one but TWO planners, one for school and one for the blog. It might seem crazy, but it works well for me because I like to keep different parts of my life separate so I don’t get too overwhelmed.
Read on as I show you the unboxing and review of my school planner, The Erin Condren Life Planner! **Get $10 off your Erin Condren order – I get $10 as well!**
Erin Condren Life Planner Unboxing
First of all, your planner comes in this ADORABLE box, which totally brightens your day when you see it sitting on your doorstep!
When you open the box, there’s already fun little things waiting for you, even before you get to the planner! The fun little goodies include a postcard, lots of stickers for multiple occasions (birthday, thank you, Valentine’s Day) and even some gift tags.
Next came the crown jewel of the box, the planner itself! For the cover I chose the scales pattern in lagoon + white and chose to have my name put at the bottom. There are over 40 designs to choose from, and most of the covers allow you to choose the color combination. You can even upload your own photo for the cover!
The cover is laminated so there’s no need to worry about it being damaged, and the covers are interchangeable so you can buy as many as you like and switch them as you see fit!
The next few pages include a decorated vellum sheet (I’m told vellum is very fancy/expensive, so I guess I’ll enjoy that page), a two-page inspirational quote, an 18-month overview, and a section with 12 empty boxes. I’m not sure what these are for, but I’ve heard other bloggers say that they like to put monthly goals down in this section!
The next 18 tabs are the monthly sections. Each section begins with an inspirational quote, then moves into a monthly overview calendar and the individual weekly pages. I opted for the vertical layout for the weekly pages, because that’s how I mentally organize my day.
However, Erin Condren just introduced the new horizontal layout that looks more like a traditional planner. Really it just comes down to how you like to organize your day when deciding what layout to pick!
In the back of each planner, there’s 4 sheets of stickers to use throughout the year! The first two pages are pre-printed, with events such as doctor’s appointments, birthdays, vacation days, and mani-pedi appointments. The other two pages are blank, so you can write whatever you want on them! There’s even a red, white, and blue “Vote!” sticker for the upcoming presidential election!
There’s also a pocket folder with a “perpetual calendar” booklet for birthdays and addresses that you’ll want to take with you from planner to planner. Finally, there’s a clear Ziplock-esque pouch in the back where you can store extra stickers, pens, or anything else you might need for your planner!
The Bottom Line
I think that the Erin Condren Life Planner is the perfect agenda for anyone with a hectic life who really enjoys organizing thoughts, assignments, and events all in one place. The planner is so colorful and fun, and the laminated cover and thick coil feel like they will really hold up to the wear and tear of daily life!
Two cons of the Life Planner are the price and the size. A basic Erin Condren Life Planner will run you about $50 plus $10 in shipping, and other features (metallic cover, rose gold spiral) will cost you even more. However, you can get a $10 discount on your Life Planner (I also get $10 as well!), so I definitely recommend using that!
Another con is the size. This planner is definitely thick because of all the features, so it’s definitely not something I would carry around with me in a small purse. However, it’s great for a larger tote or a backpack, and does not weigh too much either!
Overall, I would highly recommend the Erin Condren Life Planner to anyone who loves to organize and who carries a planner with them at all times!
Have you used an Erin Condren planner before, or are you obsessed with another planner? Let me know in the comments or on social media, and stay tuned next week for my review of my Lilly Pulitzer Planner! Got your Life Planner in the mail, but worried about how to organize it? Check out my Erin Condren organization guide here.
