Best Daily Planners For Freelancers In 2024

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You don’t have to be a stationery freak to appreciate a good, old fashion paper planner: there are plenty of studies that demonstrate that writing down your schedule for the day makes you feel way more engaged than typing it out on a laptop or your iPhone.

This is even more true for freelancers who have to plan and schedule every day of our week to stay on top of the game and not lose track of what they’re doing.

That’s why we want to give you a list of the best daily planners for freelancers that will keep you on track in 2024.

I have decided to keep this list short and on point because I know the feeling of being overwhelmed by words and choices and unable to decide. Regarding planners, you don’t need a plethora of information. You need the right ones and, most of all, the most reliable ones.

Being obsessed with planners, I know a thing or two about this essential tool, and I’m sure you will find this list valuable and usable.

What are the best Daily Planners for Freelancers?

Without further ado, this is the selection of the best daily planners for 2024 to buy and start filling immediately.

1. Moleskine

Considered the mother of all the planners out there, Moleskine is a simple, fuss-free, durable, classy, and portable daily planner. It’s ideal for freelancers, it’s available in various sizes and formats, and it’s the perfect combination of design and efficiency. You can buy a 12-month or 18-month daily planner, and the structure is the same: it shows one page per day for detailed day-to-day planning.

2. Filofax

Filofax is the perfect choice for freelancers looking for a practical and flexible daily planner: using it can be a little hard because, after a while, the pages start to break, but there’s a massive perk in buying a daily Filofax planner. You can buy the cover, and every year you only have to replace the internal pages: you invest once and use the products for years to come.

3. Hobonichi Techo Planner

If you’re looking for a minimalistic planner and want to embrace the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, we recommend the Hobonichi Techo Planner. It’s very similar to a Moleskine, but every page includes a famous Japanese quote to motivate you. It uses a special thin paper, typical of Japan, and it’s perfect to be used with a roller pen. It’s ideal for very organized and neat freelancers who love having everything under control and clean.

4. The Full Focus Planner

The name of this daily planner says it all: this Full Focus Planner is essential but useful, the best tool for freelancers needing something to record their schedule and where to take note of their tasks. For every day of the week, two pages are available: one to record tasks of every kind, the other where to write Notes. The Rituals page can be filled with notes on recurring things to do in the morning or evening and as a gratitude journal.

5. Panda Planner

Panda Planner takes almost a scientific approach to productivity by giving freelancers daily pages to write their goals, tasks, and journal. This planner is dateless, so one can start using it whenever they want, not necessarily in January. Every Panda Planner includes motivational ebooks and a video mini-course on how to skyrocket your productivity. On a side note: if you plan five days a week, there are not many daily pages in the planner.

6. The Happy Planner

The Happy Planner is one of the most exciting planners for freelancers. It’s big, it’s colorful, and it’s completely customizable. This means you can add as many pages as you want, as many daily pages as you want, and use the planner in various ways. The system works with so-called “expander disks,” so one can add as many pages and elements as they want, and the planner will expand consequently. We find it ideal for freelancers looking for a massive and beautiful planner not to carry around but to be used to schedule everything at the desk.

7. Erin Condren Petite Daily Planner

Erin Condren has been around for quite a few years now, and it’s one of the most loved planners. The Erin Condren Petite Daily Planner is the smallest version of the Life Planner, and it is ideal for people interested in using a small planner to plan all their weekly duties. It comes in 4 volumes, one for each quarter of the year; you can buy each planner individually or the entire year’s set. Each Daily Petite Planner is 5.7″ x 8.25″ (A5) and includes a monthly calendar and weekday pages. We find it ideal for freelancers looking for a functional and beautiful planner, one you can carry around without compromising on beauty.

8. Clever Fox Daily Planner

This undated daily planner is one of the best on the market, and it’s recommended to all freelancers needing a flexible tool to use for their daily needs. You can start using it at any time of the year without wasting a page; it includes an hourly schedule, main daily goal, priorities, personal to-do list, and daily productivity review section

What are the Benefits of Using a Paper Planner?

Using a paper planner seems so old-style that it’s become fashionable. The truth is that sometimes writing stuff on paper is way more effective than using technology. Think about the Apple Magic Pen: it’s been born to replicate the experience of writing on paper on a laptop, an iPad, or a smartphone, and it works so well because it gives you the feeling of actually writing on a piece of paper.

Using paper over technology is beneficial for many reasons:

1. It helps you stay focused and keep track of your tasks in a controlled way

The more tasks we have, the hardest it becomes to remember all of them. Using an online organizational tool can help, but if you work in front of a screen all day long, you get so used to your tech that constantly checking your calendar can become routine. Once something is routine, it can become hard to keep track of the things to do. That’s when a paper planner comes into use: it forces us to pay attention to something else rather than just the screen of a computer, and in doing so, it reinforces our memory.

Read Also: How to Improve Your Productivity as a Freelancer

Read Also: 400 Motivational Quotes for Freelancers

2. It integrates with online tools

Following the above, it’s clear that a paper planner integrates with online tools and apps, so it becomes the perfect complement to your setup.

Read Also: Best Tools for Project Management and Organization

3. It allows you to be creative

The biggest problem with online tools and apps is that they rarely allow you to express your creativity. A planner is a way to put your spin on repetitive tasks, give your mind space to organize things the way you like, and use your inner creativity.

Overall, getting our mind out of technology by using a paper planner is one of the best strategies to detox and being sane.

How to Choose the Best Planner for your Business?

Choosing the best paper daily planner for freelancers can be a challenging task as there are so many options available in the market. Here are some essential factors to consider to help you choose the best paper daily planner for your needs:

1. Size: The size of the planner is crucial. As a freelancer, you need a planner that is portable enough to carry around with you but also provides enough space to write down all your tasks and appointments. Consider the size that works best for you, whether it’s a pocket-size planner or a larger one.
2. Layout: The layout of the planner should suit your work style. Look for a planner that has a daily, weekly, or monthly layout that works best for your work style. Some planners may include additional features such as goal-setting pages or habit trackers, so consider what additional features are important to you.
3. Material: Consider the material of the planner. A durable cover can protect the pages from wear and tear, while a lightweight cover can make it easy to carry around with you. Choose a material that suits your needs and the environments you will be using the planner in.
4. Binding: The binding of the planner is essential as it affects the planner’s durability and flexibility. Spiral binding allows the planner to lay flat, while binding on the top or side may be more compact and convenient for carrying around.
5. Price: Consider your budget when choosing a paper planner. The price of paper planners can vary widely, so think about what features you need and how much you are willing to spend.
6. Brand and Reviews: Consider purchasing a planner from a reputable brand, and check reviews from other freelancers to see if the planner has worked for them. This can help you make an informed decision and ensure that you are purchasing a planner that suits your needs.

In summary, choosing the best paper daily planner for freelancers requires careful consideration of size, layout, material, binding, price, brand, and reviews. By taking these factors into account, you can choose a planner that works best for your needs, helping you manage your time effectively and increase your productivity as a freelancer.

As soon as you understand your needs and what type of daily planner you feel comfortable using, you can choose the one you like. There’s no need to spend much money on a planner just because it’s trendy!

The best daily planner is the one that suits your needs, and for this reason, also the cheapest planners can do their job.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.