Daily vs Weekly Planner: Which should you choose?

It’s an age-old question. Daily vs. weekly planner? Which should you choose?

If you’re a planner person you know it can be hard to decide which system is right for you. On top of it, you might need a different type of planner at different times in your life. Different seasons call for different systems.

First, you’ve got to understand the basic types of planner formats. Let’s talk about the differences between a daily and a weekly planner.

All planners come in a combination of daily, weekly layouts, and/or monthly layouts. At one time, I thought that to be perfectly organized, I needed to make use of all three formats. I tried to compile them into one planner! Epic fail. I can tell you from experience, that’s total overkill.

The two main planner formats are daily and weekly. Deciding between these two options will ultimately help you pick the perfect planner for 2022!

Benefits of a Daily Planner

A daily planner is great for those with a lot of variable tasks. It’s excessive for those with a consistent daily routine. I’ve found that when I’m in a slower season, a daily planner is just too much.

I’ve successfully used a daily planner when I’ve had busy, busy days, lots of meetings, and so many appointments that I need to keep my schedule in front of me at all times. Otherwise, I have to set 20 alarms on my phone each day to remind myself where I need to be and what I need to be doing.

In busier seasons of life, it’s so much easier to write your schedule out in a daily planner!

Benefits of a Weekly Planner

A weekly planner is great for those with a lot of appointments OR tasks. It’s not great for those who want to make notes on a daily basis.

I’ve successfully used a weekly planner when I had a static daily routine and a lot of appointments. Right after I sold the Day Designer company, I found myself with a lot of repetitive tasks, no variable tasks, and a focus on kids’ appointments. The weekly was perfect for this. I didn’t have to do a lot of long-term, big picture planning, and I relied heavily on routines to make our household run.

Weekly planners are best when I’m focused on managing multiple people’s schedules and working on longer-term projects. It’s in these seasons that I want to see my entire week on one page!

So how do you decide which planner is right for you?

Use this little quiz to determine if a daily or weekly planner is right for you.

A daily planner might be right for you if…

• You have busy and varied days with lots of appointments, tasks and meetings! 
• You like to plan your day in detail.
• You like to time-block your day.
• You want to track meals, hydration, workout, or other habits!
• You like to write EVERYTHING down – notes, to-dos, all of it!
• You have large hand-writing.
• You have sticky notes and pieces of scrap paper all over the place.
• You don’t care if the planner is large, you love the space!

A weekly planner might be right for you if…

• You have a regular daily routine or repetitive tasks throughout your days!  
• You like having a full view of your entire week.
• You need to track appointments and meetings for yourself.
• You manage multiple people’s schedules – your kids, a partner, or other loved ones! 
• You work on projects over multiple days or weeks at a time.
• You don’t like flipping back and forth between pages throughout the week! 
• You only write down what’s necessary, keeping your task and to-do lists to the essentials! 
• You need a portable, lightweight planner.

In general, a weekly planner helps you plan in advance and manage multiple schedules and projects over time. A daily planner helps keep track of every little detail, manage your time, and write down tasks and habits.

Which sounds more like you?

If you find yourself answering yes to ALL the questions, it might be worth investing in a few different planner pieces. Our notepad collection provides flexible planning options. I always have a few notepads on hand. I’ll grab a Project LIst Organizer if I need to outline a specific project. The Prep Day Notepad helps me get organized before the week starts. This set allows you to turn your daily planner into a weekly and a weekly planner into a daily.

In other words, maybe you don’t have to decide between daily and weekly. You can have both!

Still not sure?

Are you still debating daily vs weekly? Use our sample pages to try each format! Spend a few days or weeks with the systems. Notice what you like about each planner format. Consider if one planner type makes you feel more organized or a bit more relaxed. Do you have enough room to write down all that you want to? Try it out!

• Click here to download the free Day on One Page sample page
• Click here to download the free Week on One Page sample page

Different seasons call for different systems! And those seasons can change quickly. If you have a particularly busy month or task at work, grab a daily planning tool to help you manage. If you need to be thinking long-term about a project or find yourself juggling a busy week of appointments, snag a weekly planning tool.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match your planners, notepads, and accessories. The power of a planning system in customization! Share below: are you on team daily or team weekly?