Episode 283 | Host: Emilie Aries

2021 Yearly LifeTracker Planner Bossed Up

I’m an unabashed productivity nerd who prides myself on constantly trying to improve my time management and goal attainment strategies each year. That’s why I’ve spent the better part of a decade testing, optimizing, and creating our very own planner here at Bossed Up - The LifeTracker Planner - which is designed specifically for ambitious women who want to better balance their goals and experience less guilt along the way.

So up front let me say this: I’m biased when it comes to sharing my best recommendations for planners. I think ours the best for most people.

That being said, this year we wanted to dive into the competition and explore what other great planners are out there - spoiler alert: there are tons! - so we can better understand who the LifeTracker Planner is best for and who might benefit from other planners on the market.

So after carefully reviewing some of the most popular planners out there, I want to walk you through 5 great planners to set you up for success in the year ahead:

2021 Yearly LifeTracker Planner — 1. Erin Condren’s LifePlanner

Overall impression: this is a highly customize-able, solid planner option, but a bit on the pricey side for what you get.

Pros:

Super sturdy laminated front and back cover and extra-thick wire-o binding makes this thing indestructible
Monthly tabs featuring an inspiring quote / phrase each month are nice.
There are some note pages set aside at the top of each month for big picture planning, but no clear method suggested.
You can choose from 3 options for how your daily/weekly pages look.

Cons:

It’s heavy and quite thick! More than I’d want to lug around in my purse on the daily.
The laminated covers give me of a kindergarden vibe - looks a little juvenile.
Very odd choice in timing: this planner only covers November 2020 through September 2021. Is that even a full academic year? It’s certainly not an entire calendar year. Looks like there are more options on her site for further investigating.

Best for: students or folks who will likely beat up their planner.

Available at ErinCondren.com starting at $55.

2021 Yearly Goal Setting Planner — 2. Day Designer

Overall impressions: this is a luxury planner option best for those with a fancy aesthetic, but I’m not confident it would live up to it’s own good looks in practice.

Pros:

Love the sturdy cover, stylish designs, and metal corner protectors
Love the stickers and the front cover pocket
Lined daily pages with built-in TO DO lists add structure for those who don’t like making their own.

Cons:

There are downsides to treating your goals as too precious. Life is messy. Goal pursuit gets messy. Would I be willing to brainstorm/plan/scratch things out in here? Probably not. The pursuit of polished perfection could seriously get in the way of making the most of your goals with this planner.
This planner features weekly quotes and not a single one of them is from a woman until MAY - nearly halfway through the year!
Almost half the interior pages are at the end of the planner where they drop in a bunch of note pages and budget tracking sheets, which feel like an afterthought. If you track your spending using any digital methods, this feels like a big waste of space, especially because this planner is NOT light.
There’s almost no space for monthly big-picture planning at the top of each month, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Best for: the very neat, aesthetically-minded, fashionista.

Available at DayDesigner.com, starting at $59.

Yearly Planner — 3. Ban.do Wellness Planner

Overall impression: a creative and fun wellness-focused take on a planner for the non-planner lovers in your life.

Pros:

This planner is more of an activity booklet and wellness zine than a daily planner, and it breaks things down across a variety of wellness topics, from menstruation to mental health, nutrition, self-care, and more.
You can easily pick it up and put it down whenever you like. There’s no real order or method to the madness, and no need to stick to it on a daily basis.
The retro trapper-keeper style and compact design is adorable and fun!

Cons:

It’s not really for the goal-getter who’s looking for a consistent method for making their goals a reality.

Best for: the non-linear lady who really doesn’t want to use a planner regularly.

Available here starting at $30.

2021 Bossed Up Passion Planner Review — 4. Passion Planner

Overall impression: I truly don’t get the appeal of this thing, which has all the excitement of a heavy accounting ledger for your life.

Pros:

Affordable: at $35, it’s definitely on the more affordable side of the bunch, considering that it does include 12 months of weekly and monthly planner pages.
They do offer their own “Passion Roadmap” methodology, I just find the flowchart style visual mapping process they recommend to be disorganized and lacking in substance and science.
I do like their integration of weekly quotes, weekly personal and work TO DO lists, and weekly blank planning space.

Cons:

With monotone cover designs, black and white interior pages, and monthly tabs you have to buy and stick on yourself, the aesthetic appeal is seriously lacking. Not an inspiring space to dream and plan.
The daily pages break down by the half hour, from 6 am to 10:30 pm. Why?! Unless you don’t use a digital calendar like Outlook or GoogleCalendar, this seems like a real waste of daily planning space. This planner prioritizes time blocking over breaking down goals into action steps. Those who like to make your own use of blank daily pages may find this design seriously limiting.
Offering monthly reflection pages with two pages of Q&A journaling feels like overkill. I personally don’t have time each month for a full-out written journal-style reflection. I want a place plan ahead, not look back. No space for month-ahead planning.

Best for: the person who wants a weekly calendar that breaks down hourly activities.

Available at www.passionplanner.com starting at $35.

Bossed Up LifeTracker Planner — 5. The LifeTracker Planner

Overall impression: This planner balances substance with style, and comes with an active accountability community to help you stay on track when the going gets tough.

Pros:

The science-backed method behind the monthly LifeTracker planning pages is the real magic of this planner, since it’s specifically informed by the psychology of goal attainment and how women can mitigate guilt and maintain focus throughout the year.
The notes pages and “brain dump” sections at the top of each month allow for free-wheeling big-picture planning when life feels messy and all over the place, and is then transformed into a more structured, prioritized plan in the LifeTracker before diving into monthly and weekly planning pages.
Q&A style end of quarter reflections exercises pair beautifully with live quarterly accountability calls all year long, so you can maintain focused momentum for three months before checking in, zooming out, and getting a bigger-picture view of your progress thus far.
Each January, hit the ground running with 3 live Master Classes that cover the science behind the LifeTracker method so you can kick-start the new year strategically and with an accountability community of support right by your side!
Join the Bossed Up Courage Community Facebook group for even more community interaction - include weekly Fierce Friday checkins to celebrate your small wins along the way and keep your momentum going!
With 3 beautiful hardcover styles to choose, sturdy monthly tabs, and strong wire-o binding that lasts, there’s a planner design for every woman on the rise.
Great value: for only $34.99, you get a ton of real community support, a science-backed method, and a dynamic design.

Cons:

No hour-by-hour breakdown. If you are looking for a paper planner to replace your GoogleCalendar or Outlook calendar, this ain’t it. Our daily pages offer an open-ended, unlined design for you to make your own magic out of them.
Limited stock: each year we sell out and then we’re out - that’s it. Last year we sold out on Jan. 5, so this year we ordered a few hundred more, but they’re going fast!

Best for: the person who’s serious about pursuing big goals as strategically as possible.

Available at www.bossedup.org/lifetrackerplanner starting at $45.