Is the Simplified Planner Worth It? Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy
Is the Simplified Planner worth it? I answer that and ALL your questions about the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley so you can see how it compares to my other planner reviews. Here’s everything you need to know about the Simplified Planner so you can decide if it’s worth your money.
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Simplified Planner Reviews
The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley is available in several options: the daily Simplified Planner, the weekly Simplified Planner, the Dapperdesk daily planner, the monthly planner and the Teacher Planner . I’ve written separate planner reviews for each planner because they are very different and all gorgeous! Each planner review contains:
- Lots of pictures to walk you through the latest version of my personal planners
- planner specifications from the company’s website
- creative ideas on how to use the layouts and extra notebooks
- side by side comparisons between the daily coiled and the weekly bookbound planners
- the best pens to use
- favorite supplies and accessories to use
- and the bottom line review…is it worth the money?
Daily Simplified Planner Review: Clean and Colorful Planning to Simplify Your Home, Life and Mind – a coil bound planner with pops of color with a page per day for weekdays and Saturday and Sunday share a page (the bottom planner with the gold coil and thick colorful stripes in photo above)
Weekly Simplified Planner Review: Simplify Your Life and Schedule – a hardbound planner with pops of color with a page per week (the top planner with blue and white pinstripe cover in photo above)
Dapperdesk Review: Best Daily Planner for Working Moms and Dads and People with Busy Weekends – a bookbound planner with a soft vegan leather cover with a page per day for every day of the week (the blush pink planner in the middle of the stack in photo above)
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The 2023 Simplifed Planners launch on September 16, 2022 and they are gorgeous! I’ve shown the daily planners below which are coiled but the weekly planners are available in the same covers but in a bookbound format.
2023 Daily, Simplified Planner, Happy Stripe
2023 Daily, Simplified Planner, Bees in Bloom
2023 Daily, Simplified Planner, Charlotte Street
2023 Daily, Simplified Planner, Mint Mandalay
2023 Daily, Simplified Planner, Butterfly Garden
2023 Daily, Simplified Planner, Navy Bluebonnets
The Dapperdesk daily planner covers for 2023. These sell out quick!
2023 Daily, Dapperdesk Planner, Cognac
2023 Daily, Dapperdesk Planner, Lilac
There are 2 cover options for the monthly Simplified Planner.
2023 Monthly, Simplified Planner, Sage Silk Scarf
2023 Monthly, Simplified Planner, Gold Pineapples
The teacher planner comes in only one size and one cover option for 2022-2023.
2022-2023 Simplified Teacher Planner
How does the Simplified Planner work?
The daily and the weekly Simplified Planner have “prep work” pages to help you simplify your planning routine. The prep work pages walk you through what worked last year, what didn’t work and establishing new weekly routines, and daily morning and evening routines (as shown in the photo above). The Dapperdesk planner does not have any of these prep work pages.
The daily and the weekly Simplified Planners also have 4 preprinted tasks on Sunday (as shown in the photo above). These are the 4 things Emily Ley recommends for getting ready for the week ahead to make the week run smoother. (The Dapperdesk planner does not have any of these preprinted tasks on Sundays.)
The preprinted Sunday tasks help you simplify your planning because they are all things we need to do. Once you get in a good routine of doing these on Sunday, you can develop a solid habit. I like to call this my weekly reset so it is like a fresh start for my week.
How can the Simplified Planner simplify my life?
The daily Simplified Planner and the weekly Simplified Planner have a Simplicity Challenge included in the prep work pages. The Simplicity Challenge includes a list of short, impactful and actionable tasks you can do to simplify your life. They are things we may not take the time to do but can make a difference, little by little when you add them up. The Dapperdesk planner does not have prep work pages so does not include the Simplicity Challenge.
There are also Simplicity Tips at the top of all the monthly calendars in the daily Simplified Planner and the weekly Simplified Planner. Tasks may be the same as what’s written on the Simplicity Challenge on the prep work, but the little tip at the top of the calendar reminds you to do it! The Dapperdesk planner does not have the Simplicity tip at the top of the monthly calendars.
Free simplicity challenges on Instagram
How to use the Simplified Planner
How to track time and color code your tasks to meet your goals – I write about this in the daily review
Simplified Planner Comparisons
ln the Ultimate Planner comparison, I compare various planners from 11 different companies (I’m in the process of updating for 2022-2023) to help you find the perfect planner to meet your needs. Plus free downloadable comparison chart.
Daily Simplified Planner vs Weekly Simplified Planner
DAILY SIMPLIFIED PLANNER VS DAILY DAY DESIGNER
I think the daily Simplified Planner* is better for:
- paper quality is better at 105 gsm, bright white and smooth to write on
- if you want to carry the planner with you to and from work/school (the daily SP is 7″x9″ vs flagship daily DD is 9″ x 9.75″ and weighs 2.5 pounds)
- you like pops of color in your planner
- you like worksheets to help you simplify your life (tips, routines, and simplicity challenge)
- you like open space for notes to track whatever you like
- you like colorful hand drawn stickers
- smaller space forces you to abbreviate, keep your list small and focused, in other words to simplify your schedule!
I think the flagship size daily Day Designer* is better:
- if you don’t mind Day Designer paper is slightly thinner at 100 gsm paper to have more space to write in (regular printer paper is 80 gsm usually as a point of reference)
- you need a lot of space to write down tasks as they come to you/want space for brain dumps
- you need goalsetting pages
- you need a bigger planner that you can leave on your desk or at home (but they do have a mini version too if you need portability)
- you prefer minimalist daily pages (gray font with gold tabs)
- you like worksheets to help you set meaningful goals and break them down to get them done
- you like dedicated spaces on your daily pages for top 3 priorities, menu, what’s due, gratitude, dinner, etc.
You can see pictures inside and check out my full Day Designer review here.
SIMPLIFIED PLANNER VS ERIN CONDREN PLANNERS
The Simplified Planner and Erin Condren planners are both great planners and have high quality paper but very different in styles and variety of planners.
The Simplified Planners are right for you if:
- you like small pops of bright color
- you want Simplicity tips in your planner and reminders in your email for how to simplify your life
- you like prep work pages to help you develop effective routines
- you need a smaller or book bound weekly planner
- you get overwhelmed by too many choices (3 planner styles to choose from and a few covers in each)
- you want ample space on your daily pages for your schedule, to do list and notes
The Erin Condren planners are right for you if:
- you like more graphics, style and design in your planner or different color options (harmony neutral, harmony colorful, in bloom or colorblends)
- you like being able to customize your planner (layout, personalized cover, color scheme, additional pages).
- you are inspired by the creativity of the community of Erin Condren fans (be careful not to fall into the comparison trap though, you do you!)
- you like having a wide variety of planners and styles to choose from and combine together for your perfect productivity system
SIMPLIFIED PLANNER VS SIMPLIFIED PLANNER AT TARGET
The signature Simplified Planner is only available on Emily Ley’s website. The signature Simplified Planner:
- has better paper quality (if you like using gel pens, I’d recommend the signature planners)
- has better binding quality (pages are easier to turn in the coil bound planners)
- is more expensive
- can only be ordered online
- has matching notebooks for the covers
The Simplified Planner on Amazon, Target or Office Depot:
- has thinner paper quality which means there will be heavier shadowing/possibly bleed through if you like gel pens
- is less expensive
- has a binder option not available in the signature line
- has different coordinating accessories with different cover options than signature line
Simplified Planner discount codes and Black Friday sales
Get $10 off Simplifed Planner coupon here
Black Friday Deals on Planners
What are the best pens to use in the Simplified Planner?
Simplified changed their paper type in 2022-2023 so I will do another pen test when I receive my planner! I talk about best pens to use in last year’s planner with more pictures in my Daily Simplified Planner review
But in a nutshell, I really do like the pens on Simplified’s site. I prefer the Pilot Precise pens since I like a fine point but the rollerballs feel nice in your hand and coordinate well with the covers.
Are there Simplified Planner free printables?
Yes! The selection changes so I’m just linking to the free printables here so you can grab what you need.
Are the planners restocked once they are sold out?
No! You have to get the Simplified Planners when they first go on sale if you can. Once they run out of a particular cover or planner, they are gone for good. They change cover styles as well year to year so you can’t be sure the same cover will be available. The Dapperdesk planners in particular sell out quickly because usually there is less stock of those.
Their products and accessories like notebooks, stickers, pens, etc. may be restocked but not the planners themselves.
What is their refund policy?
Simplified Planners Return Policy
What are the pros and cons of the Simplified Planner?
See pros and cons of the Daily Simplified Planner here
See pros and cons of the Weekly Simplified Planner here
See pros and cons of the Dapperdesk Planner here
How do you use the daily and the weekly together?
I feel best when I can use a weekly layout to see an overview of and plan out my week and a daily to track what actually need to be/gets done.
You can read more about how I use the weekly Simplified Planner and Daily Simplified together here.
what are the differences in the daily simplified planner vs the dapperdesk planner?
Check out the differences between the Daily Simplified Planner and Dapperdesk Planner here.
Is the Simplified Planner Worth It? Are Emily Ley Planners Worth It?
Yes, if you commit to using it! I always say planners are worth it if you use it and it helps you manage your busy life. We have so much stress carried around in the tasks we have weighing on our minds. So planners really help get those tasks out of our heads and into a manageable system. So we can get things done and have more fun!
The Simplified Planners in particular are lovely for their simple and minimalist design with just a few pops of color. They allow you to write down what you need to, when you need it and you aren’t constrained by a lot of unfilled boxes. They can easily adapt with what you need it to record and manage during the year. I think they really help you simplify and the best at dealing with overwhelm. The daily allows you to manage busy days when a lot is in your mind. And the weeklies have plenty of notes pages which makes it great for bullet journaling in. The Dapperdesk is best for working professionals who need a full page for their Saturday and Sunday schedules. And the teacher planner is wonderful for teachers (and people who need a large, grid style planner to categorize their tasks).