It’s not only a planner’s structure that matters but its design too. Erin Condren’s Life Planner is known for its beautiful design options.
You can even personalize it at an extra cost. In our Erin Condren Life Planner review, we cover what sets it apart from other planners, an overview of what customers think, and the advantages and disadvantages of this planner.
What Problem the Product Solves and What Separates It from the Rest
The Erin Condren Life Planner is designed to help improve time management. Time management is how you divide your time among different activities.
Poor time management can cause stress and decrease productivity.
It has a stylish layout for those who care about aesthetics.
This planner is also designed in a way that you can further customize its design to your liking with stickers, markers and washi tape.
The classic Erin Condren Life Planner is a coiled planner. The hardbound version, an option that was introduced a few years ago, is a great option for those who don’t want a spiral binding.
If you like using a lot of sticker sets, then the coiled option is probably the better choice for you.
The hardbound version is ideal for those who want larger boxes to write in. 
Erin Condren occasionally upgrades their Life Planner and introduces more cover options. The Hardbound Life Planner has a different design than the coiled but its structure is mostly the same.
The planner has flexibility in how you write your goals on the goal setting spread. You can use each box for monthly goals or categories like health, family, career, finances and personal development.
You can choose a 5″ x 8″ or 8″ x 10″ size. The smaller size has a horizontal weekly layout, and the larger size has a vertical weekly layout.
In comparison, the coiled LifePlanner is 7″ x 9″, falling somewhere in between the hardbound.
Erin Condren’s planners are known for being colorful, but you have neutral options in the Hardbound Life Planner too. With this planner, it’s possible to have it personalized at an extra cost. You could have your name or a short phrase on the cover of your planner.
There are inspirational quote pages throughout the planner that can help you stay motivated toward living your best life. Examples of quotes you may see in the planner:
“Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated.”
“You have everything inside you to be and do anything you want.”
“Live what you love.”
“Stop wishing; start doing.”
“Do all that you can and all that you thought you could not.”
“A little progress each day adds up to big results.”
Many planners only include one type of note pages, but the Erin Condren Life Planner has a mixture of dot, lined and blank note pages. At the end of the planner, there is a two-page spread you can use to plan the next year as well.
The Erin Condren Life Planner features flexible layouts that can work for many different people, including students and working professionals.
In the Hardbound Life Planner, you have a section for notes at the bottom of the calendar overview. You can write big-picture notes there. The coiled version doesn’t have this notes section.
In the dated versions of the Erin Condren Life Planner, holidays are automatically listed. Some of the holidays have a tiny graphic to go along with it like a heart besides “Valentine’s Day.”
Because the coil binding takes up some space in the coiled version, the boxes are larger in the hardbound version.
Features
- Lasts for 18 months
- Undated and undated options
- Horizontal or vertical layout depending on size
- Premium paper stock
- Monthly and weekly planning pages
- Hardbound version available as 5″ x 8″ and 8″ x 10″
- Coiled version is 7″ x 9″
- Customizable
- Inspirational quotes
- Goal setting spread
- Sparkling metallic personalization option
- Tabs in the coiled version
- Folder storage pouch, bookmark and four sticker sheets in the coiled version
- Coloring pages in the coiled version
- Contacts page in the coiled version
What Customers Are Saying
Customers like the flexibility this planner offers as many of the boxes aren’t labeled, so you can customize it to suit your lifestyle. They also like its beautiful, high-quality design.
Among negative customer reviews, some people didn’t like the undated version because they sometimes can’t fit all the days in the month.
Read real customer reviews here.
Things to Love
- You can add an Erin Condren stick-on folder to the hardbound version if you need a folder
- The hardbound version has a ribbon bookmark to easily find a section
- Your choice in neutral or colorful design
- High-quality paper
- Durable
- You can customize the monthly and weekly planning pages to suit your needs
- You can begin at any time of the year with the undated version
- Flexibility in planning your days and months and setting goals
- The smaller hardbound size is portable
- Beautiful design for those who care about aesthetics
- Ribbon bookmark to mark your spot
- Lined, dotted and blank notes pages for additional flexibility
- The inspirational quotes help keep you motivated
Things to Consider
- No folder in the hardbound version
- You can’t use a snap-in bookmark in the hardbound version
- Hardbound version doesn’t come with stickers
- No tabs on the hardbound version
- Some fountain pens may bleed
Conclusion
The Erin Condren Life Planner is a great choice for those who find a beautiful design important in their planners. It also offers more flexibility in planning your days than other planners.
Beginners might prefer to start with a planner that has more structure or they may have to do a little research to come up with ideas on how to structure the planner in an effective way.
The hardbound and spiral bound planners are almost exactly the same with just a few differences. Aside from the binding being different, sizes differ. The hardbound planner doesn’t come with tabs, stickers or a bookmark either. These features may or may not be important to you.
Overall, the Erin Condren Life Planner can help you manage your time effectively in a stylish way. You’ll find it’s a planner you enjoy using every day.
