Looking for ideas on the best planners to use for the new year? Below, I share what to look for when it comes to creating the best planner for your needs.
Time and time again, the new year starts, and my intentions are the same. I always want to be more organized, consistent, and disciplined in my life. Well, this can’t happen until I have a planner, I tell myself.
And so it begins, the search for the best planners.
One of The Best Planners 2026
After all my years of using multiple types of planners, journals, and diaries, I finally figured out what I needed. Here, I share what to look for and how you can create the best planners for 2026.
My Instagram algorithm must be working with Google. Because last year, I got a ton of ads from a particular brand called Cloth & Paper. What I Googled during that time was “Customizable Planners.”
I was looking for a planner with inserts so I could customize each section the way I wanted. The reason for this is that at the time, I was carrying around a minimum of two planners/journals a day, sometimes even three.
One was a planner that held all my scheduling and to-dos. The other was a private journal and notebook of my daily thoughts, and the third was a gifted planner to log everything I ate and drank.
It became pretty cumbersome to carry all three around with me. And if I didn’t carry all three around, it became inconvenient when the time struck me with a thought or an idea I wanted to write down, but couldn’t because I didn’t have the appropriate planner or journal with me.
I started to wish for one planner that had multiple sections for different purposes. And that’s when I started getting bombarded with Cloth & Paper ads. I caved in and purchased their starter bundle.
However, I will say that it was expensive to say the least. I spent $100+ on a planner. That’s right, $100+. Do I regret it? Not really, because it was a 2025 purchase that I’m still able to use into the 2026 new year. Am I proud that I spent that much? Not at all.
After I made the purchase and used my planner, I found similar planners on Amazon that are way more affordable. My daughter also wanted to get a new planner for the year and did her own research. She found a similar-looking planner that I purchased from Cloth & Paper at a fraction of the price.
I purchased the Beginner Planner Bundle A5 6-Ring punch for $60. What added to that cost for a total of $117.72 were the additional inserts I bought that weren’t included in the bundle.
The Beginner Bundle that I purchased comes with the clear vinyl A5 6-Ring planner cover, weekly schedule planner inserts (Monday start), task planner inserts, graph note planner inserts (which I love), and blank side tab planner dividers. The inserts I purchased were the goal mapping planner inserts, the monthly planner sticker dividers, and the 2026 dated monthly admin planner inserts (Sunday start). I bought the planner in September 2025.
I’m happy that I chose to buy the A5 6-Ring planner.
I later discovered that many other planners and inserts use the same standard size. Once I received my planner, I also purchased a budget planner insert from Amazon. Later, I realized I could print out a 2025 monthly calendar using templates from Canva.
If you’re looking for something more affordable, I highly recommend searching for similar planners on Amazon. Here, I’ve linked a cover that is very similar to the one I currently have from Cloth & Paper. I also purchased cute magnetic cat bookmarks and the finance plan refill A5 planner bill tracker, which I’ve linked to below.
I love how customizable we can make an A5 journal to accommodate our needs. Also, I love that when I finish a month, I can remove the inserts I’ve already used and don’t need anymore.
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