2017 Gift Guide: 25 Best Planners and Accessories

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When I was researching products for my organizational system (the one I implemented this year), I came across awesome options for planners and some really cute accessories!  It was tough to choose which ones to get.  And then, just recently, one of my friends told me that she was planning to “get organized” for 2018.  So, this gift guide was born!  

I’ve rounded up a bunch of functional and stylish planners and accessories for that person in your life that is getting (or staying) organized (and that might even be you!)

If you'd like a peek into my simple and easy-to-implement organizational system, please take 10 minutes to watch a short video about it here.

Planners

1.  A nice sized (7" x9.5") planner featuring one day per page.   Beautiful to look at with a pretty, blush pink cover with black, white and gold splatters.  2018 Luxe Page-A-Day Splatter Planner (12 months: January-December 2018):  $49.95 at papersource.com.

2.  A planner that's nice to look at with a simple, intuitive layout.  Features thick, 70 lb. pure white Mohawk Via paper, and one page per day.  This planner contains space for schedules, to-do's, notes and meals, full month views, and hourly schedules from 6 am to 9 pm.  Measures a convenient 7" x 9":  Emily Ley Paper 2018 Calendar Weekly Simplified Planner (shown in "Happy Stripe"):  $48.00 on Amazon.com.

3.  This 17-month 8" x 10" planner features a beautiful light blue leatherette cover with the whimsical saying "let me pencil you in" in gold letters.  2017-2018 Pencil You In Planner:  $34.95 at papersource.com.

4.  Rifle Paper Company makes the most beautiful planners.  This planner features a 17 month calendar, a hard cover, and an interior pocket for stashing important papers.  You won't mind pulling this out at your meeting to jot down notes:  Rifle Paper Company 17 Month Agenda 2018 (Spiral Planner) in Lively Floral:  $34.00 at Amazon.com.

5.  A funny cover that'll have you smiling before that first cup of coffee.  A no-frills weekly planner that measures 5" x 7":  2018 Coffee Weekly Planner; $12.99 at papyrusonline.com.

6.  A fabulous, hard bound, cloth cover planner in coral with gold foil lettering.  In a petite size (5 1/4" x 7 3/4") that's perfect for stashing in your handbag.  A great choice for a stylish, portable planner at a reasonable price:  Rifle Paper Company 12-Month Coral Tabbed Agenda:  $30.00 at nordstrom.com.

7.  A gorgeous, sophisticated planner in navy with gold accents.  Measures 8 7/8" x 6 3/4" and features interior pockets.  Lilly Pulitzer 17 month Large Agenda 2017-2018 (August 2017-December 2018 and shown in "Flamenco Navy"):  $30.00 at Amazon.com.

8.  If your focus is on tracking stuff on your to-do list, this is the perfect planner for you.  You can track your most important tasks by week, break them down by day, and then review your progress in the weekly review.  This is a highly rated planner on Amazon; it's garnered 4.7 out of 5 stars over 328 reviews:  Intelligent Change Productivity Planner-Daily Planner-Non Dated 5" x 8":  $24.99 at Amazon.com.

 

9.  The Erin Condren Company allows you to completely personalize your "Life Planner".  Choose the cover design style and page layout.  The planner pictured below is one that I personalized on the website:  Custom Quote Life Planner:  $65.00 at erincondren.com.

 

10.  A cute planner/agenda that includes yearly, weekly and monthly views along with color coded month tabs to keep things easily accessible.  From the creator's own description, this planner includes:  

  • the cutest sticker pages of all time

  • awesome artwork throughout

  • a bunch of super fun holidays

  • extra notes pages

  • fun weekend to-dos

  • so many compliments

How could you resist?  ban.do 17-Month Medium Agenda-No Bad Days:  $28.00 at macys.com.

11.  A chic planner in bright pink and gold lettering with the saying "she's always running fashionably late".  Features monthly and weekly spreads, as well as a section for contacts and pages to jot down notes and ideas and a lay-flat design:  Kate Spade New York Medium 17-Month Agenda:  $30.00 at nordstrom.com.

12.  This is a fabulous, luxe gift for that special person when cost is not a consideration.  I read about this and was intrigued; the Moleskine brand has created their "Smart Writing System" that will transfer the stuff you write down in their planner into your digital device!  Amazing!  The planner is made with special paper that works in conjunction with their Smart Pen (all part of their "Smart Writing System").  The planner itself is not expensive:  Moleskine Smart Planner: $29.95 at us.moleskine.com.  However, for the planner to work with your digital device, it will require the Moleskine Smart Writing System:  $199.00 at Amazon.com.

 

13.  A minimalistic planner with French flair and classic style.  The planner is dateless so you can start whenever you want!  This set, available on Amazon.com, comes with an AZHOA brand mechanical pencil and 5-color post-it flags:  Mon Journal Diary Set including AHZOA Pencil and AHZOA 5 Colors post-it flags:  $20.99 on Amazon.com.

 

14.  A beautiful linen cover planner in a small, hand held 5.25" x 7.7" size.  Matches whatever color handbag you're carrying--it's available in neutral gray and beige:  2018 Ardium Fabric Journal:  $37.95 at mochithings.com.

 

15.  I saved the best for last!  I've been through many planners, and finally settled on the Self Journal (I'm on my second journal).  It incorporates all of the stuff I wanted into one planner (thank you to the creators of this journal!).  It includes a 90 day plan, which you break down into action steps.  There's also a monthly calendar, and a two page spread dedicated to each day.   Each journal contains enough pages for 90 days, and is undated, so you can start at any time.  You can skip days, say, if you're not feeling well enough to journal, or you forgot to pack it on your vacation.  It comes with a simple, classy, fabric cover:  Self Journal (available in November):  $31.99 at bestself.co/products/self-journal.  

 

Accessories:

1.  I love this chic pencil case by Kate Spade.  With my organizational system, I use old-school pencils and tote around a pencil case to keep them sharp.  This one comes with two pencils, a ruler, an eraser, and a pencil sharpener:   what do you say pencil case:  $24.00 at nordstrom.com.

 

2.  I love novelty pencils.  I know you can buy the basic yellow ones at Wal-Mart for, like, $2, but why, when you can get these instead?  A set of 6 colored pencils (the barrel is colored, but the lead is the standard HB) with cute sayings topped with a black eraser:  Vibe Squad Pencil Set:  $9.95 at papyrusonline.com.

 

3.  A pencil tin that protects your pencil tips from breaking in your tote bag (I like my pencils really sharp, so I need a hard pencil case as opposed to a fabric one).  This one sports a vintage bicycle design and comes with 10 pencils (five of each design) and a sharpener:  Cavallini Vintage Bicycles Pencil Tin:  $12.95 at papersource.com.

4.  You may as well have fun while you're writing!  Uber cute pencil set:  ban.do Compliment Pencil Set-Assorted Set of 10:  $10.00 at shopbop.com.

5.  Spice up your planner entries with bright colors!  Ultra smooth pens write like a dream and available in bold, vibrant hues.  They're perfect for drawing and doodling in your planner:  ban.do x Uchida le pen 6-Pack-Rainbow:  $15.00 at bando.com.

6.  These pens are too cute for words.  Who wouldn't fall in love with these?  C-Pioneer 4pcs Rabbit Gel Ink Rollerball Pens:  $4.99 at Amazon.com.

 

7.  A gorgeous pen that you won't mind pulling out of your handbag:  A white/gold pen in a polka-dot pattern with black ink. Packaged in a striped gift box, perfect for gift giving:  Kate Spade New York Gold Dots Ballpoint Pen:  $25.20 at shopbop.com.

 

8.  OK, I promise this is my last pick for a writing instrument.  But who can resist a cute kitty peeking out of a box?  The cat is the eraser and the pencil is a standard #2:  Cat in Box Pencil:  $2.95 at papersource.com.

 

9.  These eraser toppers are 1000x cuter than those standard pink, boring ones.  They're so cute I'm not sure I'd actually erase stuff with it!  Comes in a 24-pack with 8 different baby animal designs (calf, piglet, dragon, mouse, kitten, colt, chick and ram):  Wee Ones Eraser Topper:  $7.55 at raymondgeddes.com.

 

10.  I know, I know, a pencil sharpener seems so....boring.  But trust me on this one.  My son came home from his first day of school in 5th grade raving about this pencil sharpener.  He insisted I buy one, and I don't regret it.  There is no comparison--other pencil sharpeners simply don't sharpen as precisely as this one (did I mention I like my pencils really sharp?) . And the reviews don't lie; 4.3 stars out of 5 on Amazon across 810 reviews:  Carl Angel 5 Pencil Sharpener:  $16.42 on Amazon.com.

That's it, folks!  Thank you for reading all the way to the end.  If you found this post helpful, please share it! 

And...if you happen to be looking for gift ideas for teenage boys who love sports, check out my gift guide here.

Happy Holidays!