Printable planners are usually around 3.7 × 6.7 inches or medium-sized. Other size options include full-letter sizes (8.5 × 11 in), half-letter sizes (5.5 × 8.5 in), as well as pocket-sized planners. The best size for you depends on how you’re planning to use it.

If you’re looking for a planner that you can use to jot down important dates and appointments, a pocket-sized planner might be ideal for you. But if you need an all-around planner that you can use to organize your professional life and keep your notes, half- and full-letter planners will work better for you.

Definitely! Planners don’t just help you keep track of your schedule and to-do lists. The very act of writing down your plans and goals, deconstructing them into achievable tasks, and ticking them off can provide much-needed stress relief and motivation (if that’s needed!). Studies have shown that using your planner to keep track of your appointments instead of your phone can positively affect your focus while completing tasks.

The main difference between a planner and a bullet journal is the way they are organized. A bullet journal can be made on a plain notebook. You have 100% control over your organization system. You can change it up as you go along, and you can get creative with it. On the other hand, a planner will give you a ready-made structure to help you organize your planning process. Having a planner is ideal if you need help structuring your day-to-day life or a big project.

Some of our top tips to use your planner more effectively include:

1. Write down everything.

At the start of the year, write down all of your important dates—birthdays, anniversaries, big events, and more on your monthly spread.

To use it on a regular basis, break down your monthly schedule into weekly chunks. Plan your week in advance, but don’t over-commit so you can still squeeze in impromptu or emergency schedules.

2. Plan out your weeks in advance.

Break down your monthly schedule into weekly chunks. Plan each week but don’t over-commit so you can still squeeze in an impromptu drink or a last minute catch-up if it pops up.

3. Don’t overfill your to-do lists.

The key with making an effective to-do list is to choose your priority items for the day so you can finish them all and feel satisfied.

4. Keep your planner visible.

Place your planner wherever it’s easy to spot so that you can easily remind yourself to use it and refer to it daily until it becomes a habit.

5. Make it more visual.

Humans are visual beings. We’re more easily engaged when things appear eye-catching. So, to keep your planner more interesting for you, use visual codes. Add color coding or icons for different categories (family, personal, work) or use washi tape and stickers to make it more personalized or unique. It's up to you.

Selling printable or digital planners is a great side hustle. But as with any product, you need some planning before you can get to the actual selling part. Our top tips include:

1. Do your market research.

Before creating any planner design, look at all the available planners out in the market. What can you offer that others do not? This often relates to your own expertise or life experience. Are you a project manager? A working mom who plans out her weekly menu or her child’s homeschooling schedule? An artist who’s used to tackling big projects? Whatever your experience, this can often elevate your product when compared to a competitor.

2. Make use of free tools.

A free editing tool like Canva is essential to building a planner that’s also business friendly. Make the most of our available templates and customize one that fits your vision, or combine a few ideas to create your unique design.

3. Maximize your design.

The best way to maximize your design is by offering it in various planner formats. Use the core elements from your signature design and apply it onto weekly, daily, or monthly formats.

4. Get creative.

Make your design creative but also easy to customize. You want whoever picks up your planner to feel inspired whenever they see it.

5. Offer both digital and printable options.

Give your customers choices to fit their needs. For digital designs, keep your planners in high-quality PDF and PNG formats. For printable options, make sure to offer your design in different sizes. Then, once the orders come in, you can easily place an order for the exact number of prints from Canva Print so you don’t need to worry about excess inventory.

The One Print, One Tree initiative is just one of the ways we are making our printing solutions more sustainable, as part of doing the most good that we can through our Two-Step Plan. So, how does it work? Simple: for every print order you make with us, we will plant one tree. For more information, visit here.