Using the right planner makes a difference in how productive your day goes. If you choose the wrong planner, you will find yourself not using it. It takes trial and error for most people to discover what type of planner works best for them.
Weekly or daily format? Small or large? Ring bound or permanent bound? The Clever Fox Planner and Panda Planner are both A5 sized planners with a permanent binding. Important factors you’ll consider to make a choice are whether you need a weekly or daily format and how much space you need for planning each day.
Clever Fox Planner Review
- Clever Fox Planner Weekly
- Format: Weekly
- Cover colors: 10 colors
- Type: Undated (Start anytime)
- Lasts: 12 months
- Paper weight: 120 gsm
- Clever Fox Planner Pro
- Format: Weekly
- Cover colors: 10 colors
- Type: Undated (Start anytime)
- Lasts: 12 months
- Paper weight: 120 gsm
- Clever Fox Planner Daily
- Format: Daily
- Cover colors: 10 colors
- Type: Undated (Start anytime)
- Lasts: 6 months
- Paper weight: 120 gsm
Available in a range of bright colors that are designed to motivate you, the Clever Fox Planner represents numerous innovations. It’s undated so that you can begin at any time, which is a bonus because you’re going to love its features so much that you won’t be able to wait to use it.
From cover to cover, the Clever Fox Planner is designed to help you get motivated and define your goals. Most planners focus on keeping you to your schedule, but this one goes beyond. The first several pages are devoted to meaningful exercises that help you clarify what you really want.
However, it takes you beyond setting some vague aspirations. The Clever Fox Planner takes you step-by-step through the process of getting your aims into laser-sharp focus. Then, it guides you to the daily, weekly and monthly practices that will get you there. 
The Clever Fox Planner is available in three main versions: weekly, daily and pro. Busy moms can appreciate the features in each of these, and most prefer one version over the other depending upon how their day is structured. The weekly edition has entire weeks laid out on one page, Monday through Sunday.
Each day is accorded its own lined space, and there also are spaces on the two-page spread for setting goals, priorities and to-dos as well as reflecting on what went well and what could improve.
The daily version is six-months long and provides a two-page layout for each day. List your schedule by the hour while also keeping track of your habits, goals, practices and everything else. Moms with a really demanding career will appreciate the enhancements in the pro version, which is geared toward finding better work-life balance.
Whichever version you choose, you may select from several attractive cover colors like hot pink, turquoise, lavender and navy blue among others. Each planner has a pen loop and three ribbon bookmarks.
- Undated so you can begin anytime
- Mind map and goal-setting pages in the front of each planner
- Clear, concise layouts that are easy to use
- Three ribbon bookmarks
- Pen loop
- Colorful covers
- Heavy 120 gsm paper that ink won’t bleed through
- Requires more time than a basic planner, but it’s worth it
This is easily one of the best planners for busy moms. High-quality materials and construction along with a stylish look make it a winner in every category.
- Clever Fox Planner Weekly
- Clever Fox Planner Pro
- Clever Fox Planner Daily
Panda Planner Review
The Panda Planner is the best student planner for focusing on one quarter at a time.
According to the makers of Panda Planner, some studies have shown that tackling short-term goals in a three-month period boosts productivity.
This makes it even more ideal for students who are focusing on doing their best each quarter of the school year. It works well for professionals as well.
They can zero in on their short-term goals three months at a time.
By the end of the year, they will have likely accomplished the main goals of the year thanks to this helpful system for maximizing productivity.
- Time: 3 months
- Dated or Undated: Undated
- Number of Pages: N/a
- Size: A5
- Binding: Permanent
- Paper weight: 120 gsm
- Cover Type: Hardcover
- Extras: Eco-friendly, three ribbon bookmarks
In addition to being a science-based system for goal achievement, the planner was created by someone who was suffering from traumatic brain injury, lyme disease, and cancer.
He developed the planner as a way of helping him put his life back together. Principles of positive psychology and neuroscience research guided the creation of this planner.
The format of the planner consists of a monthly, weekly, and daily section.
Each time period has a section for reflection and planning. It helps keep you highly organized and focused on your goals.
The format can make it easier for breaking down your goals into even smaller steps. When planning your day, you can flip to your weekly plan to ensure you’re staying on track and getting down the most important tasks.
Scientifically-Based System: Standard planners pale in comparison to those that are scientifically-based and geared at accomplishing your goals in the most productive way possible.
The design of this planner includes space for writing what you’re grateful for, what you’re excited about, how you’ll improve, and affirmations.
Morning Review: You start the day off right with the morning review that includes gratitude, anticipation, affirmations, focus, and exercise.
It serves as a good complement to your morning routine. And if you don’t have a morning routine yet, it’s easy to start one when you use this planner. Practicing gratitude daily, as this planner encourages, helps you become happier, reduce stress, improve relationships, and make progress toward goals.
Ebooks and Video Mini-Course: One of the top benefits of the Panda Planner is it comes with free ebooks and a video mini-course you can access online. They send you the link to the website where you can access the free content with the planner shipment.
The free content is on positive psychology, happiness, productivity, and goal accomplishment. Whether you are new to this or not, you will find a nugget of helpful information in their online content.
Short: One of the downsides of this daily planner is it only has space for three months, which makes it more expensive since you have to buy 3-4 planners during the year. The Clever Fox planner is more affordable, lasting for a full 12 months.
Cost: People who are new to planning may not want to spend the amount of money on a three-month planner if they don’t know yet what type of format works best for them.
Some people thrive on weekly planners, whereas others need the depth of a daily planner. It depends on your personality and current life circumstances.
Time: It will take more time to use this planner compared to weekly planners like Clever Fox. That’s because it’s a combination of a monthly, weekly, and daily planner with each category including reflections and goal planning. Some people find it overwhelming.
Bottom Line
Overall, the Panda Planner is a great undated planner to use over a three-month period. It’s excellent for breaking down short-term goals into smaller steps and double checking that you’re scheduling the most important steps each day and week for accomplishing your top five goals of the year.
The downside is it’s on the expensive side for a planner. If you stick with it for the course of the year, it will cost you four times as much. It will take more time to fill out compared to a weekly planner too. Those who want to spend the least amount of time on planning their days may find weekly planners like Clever Fox a better match.
Insights and Takeaways
We think the Clever Fox is a better planner than the Panda Planner because it allows for more creativity and keeps you focused on the most important tasks to accomplish during the week. You will save a lot of time in the long-run thanks to the minimalist weekly format in comparison to the more in-depth daily format of the Panda Planner.
The vision board is another feature that won us over. If you like taking your planner with you everywhere you go or you use it at school, then it’s nice being able to view your vision board from your seat.
No planner works for all people, so take your needs and personality into consideration. Don’t be afraid to try different formats until you discover which works best for you.
