Today we’re going to talk about one of my current obsessions.
It’s something that doesn’t really have anything to do with food or fitness, but that can still impact your life in a positive way. Today we’re going to talk about my new Erin Condren Life Planner*
I was chatting with a friend the other day about how I’ve been feeling oddly relaxed lately… and I say ‘oddly’ because I’m normally somewhat scatterbrained and filled with a sort of nervous/excited/creative energy… until I use it all up, crash hard, and repeat the process all over again.
But this past week has felt a lot calmer. Things seemed to flow together a lot more smoothly and I didn’t find myself constantly thinking about what I had to do/when I was going to do it/how I was going to fit it all in/omg whaaaaaat?!? 😯 😯 My head didn’t feel nearly as cluttered, and I credit that to this little gem right here…
(for size comparison purposes next to my iPhone6)
My Erin Condren Life Planner* I was going to wait a while before doing a review so that I could figure out exactly how I wanted to use it, but that’s something that will probably keep evolving anyways, and I wanted to get this review up for you guys while the year was still young so that you could snag one up [if you see something you like] and have your socks rocked off as well. There’s a link near the end of the post where you can get $10 off your first purchase, so be sure to check that out if you’re interested!
So let’s talk deets…
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Packaging and Shipping
I love the attention to detail that goes into the Erin Condren planner, and even the box it comes in is no exception. Your planner comes wrapped up nice and snug in a decorative box along with some free stickers/labels and a gift card for $10 off your next purchase. Not too shabby at all!
My planner took about 1.5 weeks to ship out after I ordered it, which was exactly on point with the information I was given at checkout. The only downside was that the cost of shipping was inSANE. It’s not bad if you live in the States (around $8), but it’s a whopping $40 for any international orders… plus taxes. Ugh. Moving along…
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The Cover
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. You have a choice of 75 different designs to choose from (including beautiful gold and platinum foil editions), and if you’re having trouble picking just one, then you can simply buy additional covers and switch them out whenever your heart desires. Yup! The covers are interchangeable! You can also customize them to say whatever you want as well as changing the colour scheme.
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Calendar and Layout
The Erin Condren 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 the week-at-a-glance (found directly after each month-at-a-glance)… (which are not blue despite what my camera might say)…
… where each day runs vertically and is divided into a morning, day, and night section…
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this setup at first, but I actually really love it. I like how the days are still divided into ‘chunks,’ but without specific times like 8-9, 9-10, 10-11, etc. That being said, I don’t really use the morning, day, and night labels, but go with work/blog, errands/events, and misc/notes… 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. Nevertheless, I find the way that the days are divided up to be really helpful visually.
The pages are printed on 70 pound paper that’s great for both ballpoint and felt tip pens. I’ve been using Staedtler and Sharpie pens in mine and haven’t had any problem with the ink bleeding through.
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Odds and Ends
In addition to all of that, you’ll find a nice little assortment of goodies at the back of your planner. These include:
Plenty of blank note pages (both lined and unlined)…
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. It has a pretty massive cult following, and I can completely understand why. Not only is it a great tool to keep you organized, but it’s just so visually appealing that it awakens this kind of creativity in you. I’m serious. I was always a bit of a planner junkie, but the obsession kind of tapered off over the years to the point where I was [apparently inefficiently] only using them at a bare minimum.
Until I got this one…
I basically treat it 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. And now if you’ll excuse me… it’s time to go plan the upcoming week 🙂
Do you use a planner? Is it paper or electronic?
Anyone else with an Erin Condren planner? Are you as obsessed with it as I am?
More places to find me!
E-mail — [email protected]
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Disclaimer: 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.
That planner is probably the most gorgeous planner I have ever seen. It just makes you WANT to plan! I have a new planner (it’s not pretty- but it will work..until I decide I NEED pretty ..because I think I do.. 😉 ) so we will see how it goes. I am definitely the type of person who needs a planner in hand and can’t just use my phone/computer. I am a visual and hands on person, so it’s a big deal!
Seeeee, here’s the thing. I buy CUTE planners like this because, well, so cute and colorful. But then after about a day or two it starts to collect dust. But they’re so pretty!!!! I just wish I could stick to a planner. It would help me a lot to just keep some sort of balance in my life lol
Sticking to a planner can be a little tricky for me as well, but I’m telling ya… there’s something about this one that kicks me into creativity overdrive — to the point where I actually look forward to sitting down with it.
It’s probably the cute stickers lol!
You are SUCH a girl.
I’ve always wanted an Erin Condren planner… I guess its a little late for me this year but next year may have to be my year!
I adore Erin Condren products. The Life Planner was my planner for 2014 and it really helped kick me into full on planner addict mode. Washi tape, stickers, stamps.. the works! It’s a great purchase that’s worth every penny 🙂 Bummer about your shipping cost though..
Oh wow this planner looks gorgeous- I’m more of an electronic planner but this is making me consider making the switch. I completely agree about how important the visual aesthetics are. I bought a Filofax a few years ago and it was just so bleh to look at! I’m all for motivational reminders and quotes so you know I’m all over the idea of this, especially as it’s so customisable!
I tried to go the electronic route, but I’m definitely more of a paper and pen kind of girl. That and I’m a sucker for stickers, colourful post-its, and washi tape <3
This is too cute, I love the touch of your name on it!
This is my 2nd year owning an Erin Condren planner and I LOVE it! You sure did a thorough review and love all of your detailed photos!
I’m on my 2nd EC planner and I completely love it. I think the layout is so much better than other planners. I especially like the weekly layout with the list in the margin. I have not gotten into the whole scrapbooking look yet because I write so much crap in there that I need as much room as possible 🙂 But I was in Target the other day and those colored tape strips they have were pretty tempting.
That’s where I got a lot of mine and I really love them. You can also kind of use them as stickers on the days where you need to remember special events.
Every time I see one of these planners reviewed it makes me want one more. EEEk.
Uhm. Also. Btw. I will totally always ship you things if shipping is that much. GEEZ.
I’m honestly considering having it shipped to a friend in the States next year and then having them send it to me, because really… that’s just ridiculous.
It is!!! I ship things to Canadians and Australians often 🙂
I just got an Erin Condren planner too!!! Love love love it!!!!!
ummmm WHY did you post this AFTER I bought a planner? nooooooooo
I’m crying inside. And maybe a little on the outside.
But seriously this thing is gosh darn gorgeous. I’m going to have to remember them for next year’s planner!
My Erin Condren planner just shipped yesterday! As if I wasn’t waiting impatiently enough I read this and now I find myself checking the tracking information ever few hours. It’s going to be a loooong couple of days around here 🙂
😆 I can’t even tell you how many times I checked both the processing info and then the tracking one too. I recommend watching videos on YouTube to help the wait — some great ideas on there!
I have a Lilly Pulitzer planner which I ADORE and was only $27… but I’ve heard people raving about this everywhere. I think I’m going to get it next year, since the one I have runs until December 2015 🙂 I am an organizational freak, though… if it’s not in my planner it’s not happening!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
Considering I’m a tried and true planner through and through, this makes my type A heart skip a beat with delight. I love lists and calendars and would definitely get a kick out of using one of these. The perpetual birthday calendar is pretty sweet too. Saves you the trouble of rewriting those things every year. I still do it anyway though.
The calendar was actually one of my favourite parts. Now hopefully I’ll have an easier time keeping track of all the blogger birthdays out there 😛
Yes, I’m convinced. I need one of these in my life. Great review!
I am SO jealous of your planner! As a type-A person, it would be SUCH a fun thing to have. Technically I already have a 2015 planner… but I dono… I might have to splurge and get this one 😉
Confession: I totally replaced the Moleskin I already had. I regret nothing
I got an Erin Condren planner last year and absolutely loved it! It was so bright, colorful, organized, and spacious. I ended up using the notes portion at the end more than the calendar 😉 haha.
I just got my EC planner in the mail and was planning on doing my own review this week! I bought one of these planners last year and absolutely loved it. It’s so fun and colorful and I love that you can change up the covers now! I’m planning on getting one of those carry-all-clutches too so I can tote it around a little easier and not worry about it getting dirty or wet. I love the cover you chose! It’s beautiful!
I wish I had purchased more covers when I bought mine! Because doing it now would cost me another $40 in shipping 🙁
I am so happy you like it! It’s the best planner I’ve ever purchased too but didn’t realize the shipping was so much for you! I seriously don’t leave anywhere without mine. I have my schedule all color cordinated but seeing how pretty yours looks with stickers I am going to have to spice mine up!
I highly recommend watching some videos on YouTube. The amount of creativity some girls put into theirs — holy.wow. Lots of great ideas!
This planner is prrrooooobably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen 😯 . The organization makes my heart swoooooon and I’m heading over through your affiliate link to check out all the designs as soon as this comment is submitted. But girl, $40 shipping? MY GOODNESS.
It’s so pretty!!! I love it & want one, but if I’m being honest, I’d never spend that amount on a day planner, despite how fancy it is. 🙁
Love this review as I (impatiently) await my planner to come in the next couple of weeks!
Ugh the wait is horrible, eh? The 1.5 weeks felt like for.ev.er… and I may or may not have indulged my obsession by watching videos on YouTube 😆
I used to use a very similar planner (from Plum Paper) but the cost of shipping to Canadaland meant that I did not buy one this year. Instead i bought a “monthly” planner from Target for a few dollars.
I got so excited to see a planner-related post pop up this morning on your Twitter feed! Keep ’em coming. I was toying with the idea of getting an Erin Condren planner – but I couldn’t stomach the high shipping fees to Canada! I landed on a planner from Plum Paper on Etsy. I’m waiting patiently to receive it 🙂
They’re ridiculous, eh? 🙁 I do hear that they’re trying to figure out a better shipping system, so hopefully they come up with something before next year!
I love planners so my heart just sings at the thought of this! I love that it is customized with your name on the front. I have a decent planner this year but it’s far from perfect so it’s a little disappointing. Maybe next year!
Oh my gosh, it’s…it’s…gorgeous! I can see how it has a big female fan base. They should make one for the Fittys out there(see what i did there? ;))
This is too cool!! I’ll have to keep this in mind for next year, since I already have a planner for this year and it’s working out pretty well for me.
I think this is a little feminine for me but my wife would like it.
Wow, that planner is no joke! I live my life via Google calendars for the most part. Not nearly as exciting, but I can access it from every electronic device in my life at least haha.
I have one and I love it, but I don’t think I use it to its full potential. Since I got the Believe Journal I have been torn between the two and trying to figure out a way to separate them efficiently. I mainly use my planner for my work schedule which can get kind of boring, so I am trying to get more creative with it!
I keep hearing about these planners, and it’s too bad that I already purchased one for the year! Looks like a great way to stay organized and on top of things 🙂
I may or may not have replaced the Moleskine I bought for this year. Shhhh. Don’t tell it 😯
I love a pretty planner. Right now I work with the Personal Planner (new one is probably in my mailbox!) for blog/work stuff and my favorite Louis planner for my son’s stuff/life stuff. I carry the Louis one with me at all times and the blog one only during the week but this system really works for me. I love writing everything down…And can I admit that I never use the stickers that come with calendars and agendas because I hate wasting them? lol I know, crazy.
I didn’t use a planner last year – just a jumble of sticky notes – but then, things started getting out of hand – and good gosh I figured out that there’s only so much room in my noggin!!! So this year I bit the bullet and got a little yearly planner – nothing quite like this E.C. one though. However, my daughter has ALWAYS ALWAYS loved planners (I guess that’s why she is so darn organized and on top of things while I’m the opposite) and I know she would LOVE one of these – only thing is, she used her birthday money from last year to get her a fancy one this year – so I am gonna bookmark your review and next year I am gonna have to surprise her with one of these GORGEOUS Erin Condren ones – I am usually at a loss as to what are the good planners out there so thanks Amanda for this!!!
Ooo she’s going to love it, Shashi! I would have killed for a planner like this when I was younger, but I don’t even think they had them back then.
I hage an Erin condren planner which I really like. It keeps me very organized and gettings things done when I need too. I’m glad you also enjoy it!
Kind of wish I had gotten this planner now! There is always next year I suppose. I’m still into paper planners and feel like I need to actually write things down and look in a paper book. No need to change that at least for now with awesome paper planners like this 🙂
That’s such a cute planner! I always try to use one but then I never seem to have it with me when I need it haha. So right now it’s just lots of little notebooks scattered around!
My Erin Condren planner just arrived on Friday and I LOVE it. My boyfriend thinks I am insane and doesn’t understand why I don’t just use my phone. SMH, he just doesn’t get it! I remember things when I write them down plus one of my goals this year is to spend LESS time on my iPhone! Thanks for the review. I spent a good portion of Sunday going through mine and now life feels “organized” for the time being. I also ordered the weekly meal planner insert but then I wrote on it with a pen that wouldn’t erase! oops! SO I ordered another one along with the Erin Condren pens so I am anxious to get the pens now! I thought the US shipping was ridiculous but geez they robbed you:)
Some people just don’t understand 😛 I can’t use my phone either… or any online calendars. I know they’re handy, but I need things laid out in a certain way. And you can’t use stickers online. Or washi tape 😉
I have heard great things about her planners but had actually never had a chance to look inside one. I love how you personalized it and everything it includes! No wonder it’s expensive- it looks like it’ll be a great organizing tool!
I do not have the Erin Condren Planner, but you may have sold me. 🙂 A lot of people love it and I have certainly heard of it. I love the three calendars and the fact that you said it makes you feel more creative. How can you beat that? Have a great Monday.
It really is an awesome planner! I know it seems a little pricey at first, but that feeling totally goes away as soon as it comes in the mail and you start playing around with it 🙂