I’ve been using a paper planner for years now to help me stay organized, and track my progress towards goals. A paper planner really works for me! I recently bought my Erin Condren Life Planner for 2021 and wanted to share my thoughts on it with you in case you are making a decision on a new planner. Here’s my 2021 Erin Condren Life Planner review:
8 YEARS USING A LIFE PLANNER
I really look forward to getting my new planner each year. It’s exciting seeing the improvements and changes that have been made from the previous year, and reading others’ reviews. This will be my 8th year using an Erin Condren Life Planner and, even after all this time, I still really love starting the year with a clean, new life planner.
My favorite thing about the life planner is that it’s always super beautiful. Each year, there is a new colorful theme that is so bright and fun. It’s really important for me to like the way that my planner looks. A bright, colorful planner keeps me excited to use it. Your planner can’t work for you if you don’t use it — so for me, the design of the planner is super important.
PERSONALIZING YOUR PLANNER
If you aren’t familiar with Erin Condren planners, definitely check them out. The have a new minimalistic line that looks really sleek and professional, but for me, I’m in love with their colorful planners.
Basically when you order a Life Planner, you can personalize it a lot — from the cover design and text, to internal layout, coil color, and color themes — there’s a lot of options to pick from.
The site is pretty easy to navigate, and it walks you through each step. I always choose the colorful version of the year’s signature theme in the horizontal version
If you are making your first purchase with Erin Condren, create an account through my link for $10 off your order.
Right now is the perfect time to buy your 2021 Erin Condren Life Planner because it’s the Friend & Family sale today — get 25% off of your order! The sale is over now, but if you sign up for the rewards program, you’ll be notified of future promos.
HOW I USE MY LIFE PLANNER
Throughout the years, I’ve used my planner to help me plan and organize my weeks, and to achieve my larger goals.
Here are some posts where I show how I use my Planner:
- How I Use My Erin Condren Life Planner To Make A Budget
- How I Lost 30 lbs in 3 Months
- How I Used My Erin Condren Life Planner to Move to Southern California
- How I Plan My Blog Posts with my Erin Condren Life Planner
My Life Planner is a place for me to be creative, and to think about my week/month and my goals. I like to set out time each Sunday to map out the next week and really think about what I’m going to accomplish.
During quarantine/self-isolation, you may think having a planner isn’t very useful. Even though a lot of events are canceled and you may not have as many plans to write in your calendar, I still find it really nice to have my planner. For me, it’s a place to write down little celebrations or things to be grateful for. It can feel overwhelming or like everything is out of control sometimes, but I have so much to be thankful for and I want my planner to be a positive place to document that.
2021 Erin Condren Planner Decoration
This year I haven’t been using many deco stickers or kits; instead I’ve been doing little doodles with my favorite pens to give little accents. It’s an easy way to add a little personalization and be creative without the additional sticker cost. I did purchase a kit for my birthday from Hello Petite Paper which was a fun addition. If you are really creative, you could even make your own stickers.
I also like to use my mini photo printer to add picture memories to my planner. Those kind of decorations make each planner really special to look back at.
WHAT I ORDERED – 2021 ERIN CONDREN LIFE PLANNER
If you saw my 2021 Erin Condren Life Planner Launch post, you know this was the first year I didn’t buy my planner at launch. Even though I wasn’t able to get the seed bead gwp, I’m glad I waited because I was able to get the new Hello Kitty items with my order.
Here’s everything in my order:
Life Planner
I ordered the Layers theme Life Planner in the colorful, horizontal version. The cover is customized with “MuffinChanel 2021”, and I upgraded to the gold coil. This is basically the same version I order ever single year. I love it and it really works for me. I ordered the January 2021 – December 2021 version.
Sticker Books
There are two sticker books to choose from this year, and I ordered both — the Layers Sticker Book and Flower Power Sticker Book.
Snap-In Stylized Sticky Notes
These sticky notes are the best; they’ve definitely improved over the years. They used to not be very sticky and curl up on the edges, but now they are perfect. I use them each week for pre-planning. It’s super easy to jot down a note or an appointment and move it around my week without committing in pen.
Hello Kitty x Erin Condren
I think the Erin Condren and Hello Kitty collaboration is really cute. I wanted to get a few of the pieces and I’m really happy with my order. I got the Sticky Note Booklet, the Sticker Pack Trio, and the Glitter Pouch.
The Sticky Note booklet is really cute; it comes with three pads of Hello Kitty sticky note pads each with her wearing a different color bow, and then some flag notes. The Sticker Pack has three sheets of rainbow Hello Kitty, bows, and box stickers.
2021 ERIN CONDREN LIFE PLANNER WALK THROUGH
The Life Planner arrives in its own gift box with colorful tissue paper. I really like this presentation, and it makes a nice storage box if you like to keep your planner once the year is over.
Like I mentioned, I chose the colorful Layers theme in the horizontal version. There’s a space in the front to write your name and contact information if your planner gets misplaced. You can also use their wet erase markers to write on the insider front cover. I never do that anymore since I’m nervous the marker will transfer onto the cover page.
The 2021 calendar spread is right in the beginning. I think it’s nice to be able to see the year at a glance here. I usually take my circle stickers and mark off special dates — birthdays or planned trips.
I use this section for my larger goals for the year — health, financial, personal, or career goals. I like how there are different colored sections, but that it’s mostly blank so I can customize it how I like.
The monthly view looks a lot cleaner this year. I like the Layers theme details, but I think the fonts and the line work make everything look really crisp. I like how the notes column doesn’t have any color this year.
I love how the notes section for each month is now after the monthly calendar. Now, the monthly tab takes you to the calendar (which makes sense), and then the notes page is after. I don’t use this section that much anymore.
I like how there isn’t that asterisk logo in each of the month headings. I think it looks a lot cleaner and less distracting.
There are a lot of lined pages in the back which is great for random notes, but I am going to miss the dot grid; I used that so much to make tracking sheets for my weight loss and for tracking my skincare routine.
Theres a 2022 calendar in the back with lots of lines. This could be great for planning future weddings, or graduations. 2022 seems super far to me now, but it’s just around the corner.
I love the stickers in the back of the planner. They have gotten so much better and there are a lot of options to choose from.
The planner comes with a perpetual calendar — great for jotting down all those birthdays and anniversaries, and then moving it into your next planner each year. I actually never use this anymore, but it’s nice to have if it’s your first planner.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
These life planners are not inexpensive — my entire order was $131 — you can definitely find planners for much less, so is the Erin Condren Life Planner worth it?
Personally, the Erin Condren planner is familiar. I’ve been using it for years; it’s beautiful, and I’m excited to use it every day. It works for me. I have tried similar (less expensive) planners, but they weren’t as pretty to me and ultimately, I wasn’t motivated to keep up with them. I love the design and supported accessories for the life planner, so for me, they are worth the cost. I like to think of it as an investment in my future.
If you are the same way and will be more inspired to keep up with your planner if it’s customized and beautiful, then Erin Condren is a good option. The paper quality is good, the personalization is so much fun, and the customization options are better than you can easily find at a local store. Plus, most stickers are designed specifically to fit the Erin Condren Life Planner, so if you enjoy decorating with stickers you will have a lot of options.
If you don’t care as much about customizing and personalization, I would try out a less-expensive planner first to see how that works with your planning style. If you do want to try out Erin Condren for the first time, use my link for $10 off your order.
I’m really happy with all that I ordered, and I’m looking forward to my 2021 Erin Condren Planner!
