I am SO excited to finally be getting this post up for you guys! It’s my review of the 2016 Erin Condren Life Planner!*
This is a post I wish I could have written well over a month ago so that you’d have ample time to grab one of these for yourself before the New Year [if you so desire], but it just wasn’t in the cards thanks to lost packages and shipping delays. I’m ordering my next one as soon as they launch in June. Oi.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this level of bad luck with any other order that I’ve ever placed, but even all the frustration wasn’t enough to sour my opinion of the Erin Condren brand or turn me away from using their Life Planner.
Why? Because: a) this was totally out of the norm and I’ve never had any issues with their shipping in the 5+ other orders I’ve placed prior, b) I adored my 2015 ECLP and used it every.single.day this year, and c) there are so many great changes the 2016 version!
So what’s say we take a look at some deets! And be sure to check out the link at the end of the post that you can use to sign up and get $10 off your first order!
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The Cover and Coil
In addition to being gorgeous, this planner is definitely built to last. The front and back covers are made out of a durable cardstock and a really thick laminated plastic that snaps on to what is probably the sturdiest aluminum coil I’ve ever come across. After using my planner daily for all of 2015 (including carting it around with me a tonne when I was out), I’m happy to say that both the cover and coil are fully in tact, with minimal amounts of wear.
The one change I’m SUPER happy to see in 2016 is a larger coil:
The coil in the 2015 was a little on the smaller side and I ran into a few issues by the end of the year where my cover kept partially popping off because of how bulky my planner pages became. This might not be an issue for someone who doesn’t decorate their planner, but mine was full of washi tape and stickers, which add a little bit of bulk after 52 weeks.
And speaking of popping covers and customization, one of the great things about the Erin Condren Life Planner* is the fact that you can customize the covers to have them say whatever you want (I just went with my name), AND swap them out if you ever get bored and want a change. Yup! The covers are interchangeable, and there are tonnes of awesome ones to choose from, including beautiful gold/platinum foil editions, ones you can design yourself, and seasonal new releases to help you decorate for different holidays and times of the year.
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Calendar and Layout
The Erin Condren Life Planner* comes with 3 different types of calendar pages. The year-at-a-glance (found near the very beginning of the planner):
The month-at-a-glance (found throughout the planner at the beginning of each new month; easy to find thanks to a reinforced tab; each month has a different colour theme and follows a spread that has a blank note page and inspirational quote <– new for 2016)…
And the week-at-a-glance (found directly after each month-at-a-glance)…
Now here’s where things differ quite a bit from last year’s version:
First, the little mini calendar in the top left-hand corner has been replaced by a blank space to write a “Thankful Thought,” and some of the little bubble sidebar art has been taken out. The “Weekly Goals & Notes” label has been removed and replaced with a blank flag that you can fill in yourself based on what you want to track that week. The “Meal Plans, Exercise, Daily Do’s, etc.” label has been completely removed (YAY!!!), and the “Morning, Day, and Night” labels have been removed from each section, leaving a blank space for you to fill in yourself…
This is for the vertical calendar option. New for 2016, there’s also an option to get a horizontal layout if you feel more comfortable organizing things that way. I personally love the vertical layout and how the days are divided into “chunks,” even though I never really used them in a morning/day/night fashion. For me, they’re: work/blog, errands/events, and misc/notes. It makes the most sense in my head since most of my work/blogging is done in the morning and my errands are run in the afternoon, while the evenings are generally not something that I need to plan for.
The paper is a nice heavy weight, and I never had any issues with ink bleeding through when I used Staedtler and Sharpie pens.
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Odds, Ends, and Extras
In addition to all of that, you’ll find a nice little assortment of goodies at the back of your planner. These include:
4 sheets of repositionable stickers (2 printed with different events and 2 blank)…
A “Keep It Together” folder and vinyl zip pouch to stash your things…
And a mini “Forget Me Not” perpetual calendar where you can keep track of birthdays and special events…
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Overall Thoughts
I adore this planner. I really, really do. Is it pricey? A little. Is it worth it? Absolutely. I used mine daily for the entirety of 2015 and I can’t wait to start using it for 2016. Not only is it a great tool to keep you organized, but it’s just so visually appealing that it actually makes you look forward to planning.
Plus, the amount of decorating/customizing you can do with stickers, washi tape, scrapbook paper, sticky flags, coloured pens, stamps, etc. you can do is just too.much.fun. After all, accessories are a girl’s best friend, right? ??
I basically treat my planner like ascrapbook, and I seriously get excited to sit down with it and decorate/plan out the upcoming week. I thought the price was a little crazy at first ($50 for a regular cover; $65-$75 for a foil cover), but I completely understand why it costs that much and I definitely think it’s worth the investment. The quality is amazing, and the way it inspires you is just priceless.
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For you!
And now that I’ve gone ahead and written over 1000 words about how much I love my Erin Condren Life Planner, I have a little something for you. If you like what you’ve seen and would love to have one of your own, you can click this link right >> here << to get $10 off your purchase. How it works is that if you sign up and make a purchase using my referral link, you’ll get $10 off your order and I’ll get $10 credited to my account. Everyone wins!
But enough of my rambling! I’m sorry this post was so epically long, but I’m kind of obsessed with this thing and just wanted to share the love ?
Do you use a planner? Is it paper or electronic?
If you have a paper planner, what kind are you using for 2016
More places to find me!
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Disclosure: This post contains referral links. It is not sponsored, nor did I receive any kind of compensation for my time. I purchased the planner with my own money and chose to review it because I genuinely adore it.
I WILL NEVER order from Erin Condren again. I have had to check on my order which has still not been completed. I received no email letting me know my partial order had shipped. Once I emailed back, they said they were sending the complete order. I get it….. still missing one personalized clutch and the three gift cards for my nieces christmas gifts. Now they are saying I have to print the gift cards electronically. I don’t have a printer working currently that is why I ordered the physical gift cards. I would cancel the order and get a competitor planner for my nieces but I am sure they would screw that up as well. I spent over $350 on my order placed 11/24/16. What a mess. Glad yours turned out positive.
So…just found the world of Erin Condren…think I’m in love…
How do you handle each section in the week portion being unlined? I LOVE everything else, but I can’t write straight to save my life and I’m too OCD about it, so should I be worried…..
My writing can be a little crooked too, but I find that the boxes are narrow enough that I don’t have a chance to get TOO crazy. Erasable pens help too! I love the ones from Frixion.
I ordered one last week. I cannot wait to receive it.
I just ordered mine and I am super excited to get it! Thanks for the promo code 🙂
Is the $10 off still active? When I go to checkout it doesn’t show up.
It should be, Nicole! When you sign up for an account using that link, you’ll get an e-mail sent to you with a code that you enter in at checkout.
I ordered my very first EC planner a few weeks ago and can’t wait to start using it! I went with the hourly version as it seemed like the best one to keep my days organized. I love the idea of treating my planner like a scrapbook! Does this mean you keep all your old planners?! Or what did you do with them? I’m always curious to know what others do!
Super excited for you! You’re going to love it 😀 And yeah I definitely keep mine. 2015 was my first year with the ECLP, but I have some older planners that I’ve been hanging onto as well.
Definitely a paper girl. I’ve tried the electronic route, and it doesn’t work as well for me. The physical aspect of having a calendar is definitely what helps me to stay organized. This year, I am using the Get To Work Book. It kind of reminds me of the EC planner (I had one in 2013) but has more of a simple design, which I love! I am hoping to spend lots of time in the next week getting it “ready” for 2016!
Hehe! I think that’s what all of us planning enthusiasts will be doing this week. That’s what I’ve been up to for the past couple of days, and I don’t know about you, but I find it so relaxing and therapeutic.
It’s probably the one week we truly look forward to with our planners! Haha. And I think it helps me ease into the new year. Nothing like getting a new planner ready – feels like you are giving yourself a fresh new start.
I REALLY want/need one of these babies! Call me crazy but I would create my own ‘weekly’ planner every week on paper from scratch during the school years- drawing lines with a ruler and everything. Love the way you laid it all out in the pictures!
Love my ECLP. I got the horizontal version this year, and have gone crazy with the colored pens and stickers. I’ve always adored lists and calendars and writing things down, but you’re right about this just inspiring you. It’s awesome.
How do you like the horizontal version? I was -so- tempted to try it out, but figured I’d stick to a system that I knew.
Hey Ellen. What colored pens have you found that work? Almost all the ones I use bleed through 🙁
I’ll do a review on the horizontal version soon!! And I use either Staedtler pens (http://www.staedtler.us/en/), which have a very fine tip, or Papermate Flair pens (http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-Porous-Point-12-Pack-74423/dp/B000J09CO6), which have a medium point! Love ’em both!
I used the EC planner this year for the first time and loved it! So glad yours finally arrived!
I absolutely love my EC calender. I haven’t started decorating my 2016 calender yet but I have plans to start this week. I got a bunch of extra stickers from Etsy to make it so colorful. I would competent agree that although the price is a bit steep it is so worth the investment. I use mine every single day!
My mom is a teacher and actually got an Erin Condren planner as a gift from one of her parents. I am slightly obsessed with how durable and cute it is! I might need to get one for myself and will make sure to use your affiliate link if I do 😉
I have a feeling that you’d love it <3
Getting a little envious once again. Especially since your mention of treating the planner like a scrapbook which is something I’ve been meaning to start forever but never knew how. If I wasn’t in Germany and had some spare money I’d likely be very very tempted to place an order.
I usually get this as a Christmas gift from my parents, this year I ordered my own because I just could not wait until 5 days before the end of the year to get it. 🙂 I’m still trying to figure out a system to incorporate my blog planning in it. I do love my EC and have been using them for about 4 years!
It definitely takes a while to come up with a working system. I just use the first row “morning” boxes to plan all my blog related things.
I love my EC planner! and have used it all of 2015 too. I set aside time on Sunday and plan for the week with all my stickers, washi tape, etc. I did get my planner as soon as they launched it this year so I will definitely do that again next year. I keep wanting to pull it out and start! but I’m waiting until New Year’s weekend. 🙂 ps, I really enjoy your blog!!
Merry Christmas!
Sundays are my planning sessions as well. And I swear that I find that time so relaxing and therapeutic 😆 Hope you had a lovely Christmas, Anne!
I NEED to get back into the habit of using a handwritten day planner, but at work I have to use the Outlook online calendar so the secretaries can access it and know where I am when I’m not in the office. I think I may do a planner for blog things 🙂
It’s such a great way to stay on top of things. I have no idea how I’d manage blogging without a notebook or planner.
I asked for one for Christmas, and I SO hope it is under the tree!
BEST present to ask for! I hope you got it! 😀
I love using a paper planner! It makes blog planning so much easier. I use a Plum Paper Planner, which is like a poor man’s ECLP!
Right?! I seriously have no idea how I’d manage blogging without a planner or notebook.
Seriously you and I could be planner besties with how obsessed we are with those things. I picked up a new planner for myself in November and I CANNOT wait to use it. I’ve got highlighters, colored pens, and stickers at the ready!
I do love listing and I really like the idea of having that stuff memorialized. I actually save our wall calendars every year so I can see the shenanigans we got up to. This might be a good year for me to start saving more memories too for certain, shall we say, reasons. 🙂
I seriously love this planner – it makes me happy just to look at mine! And all the little extras are so cute too. When my girls are a little older I’ll have to get one for each of them too 🙂
Right?! I seriously love just opening mine up and glancing through it every now and again. And the fact that it’s so pretty makes me more likely to keep with it 😉
Yay! I got mine in the mail a few weeks ago but haven’t had a chance to crack it open and fill it up. That’s my plan though after Christmas!
That’s actually what I’ve been doing as well 😀