Whilst most people consider getting a planner for the new year, serious planner nerds know that the time to start thinking about this in September. Some of the most popular planners in the world go on sale around then and sometimes they (or their accessories) are sold out long before January rolls around.

Kikki.K has fallen victim to the global economic crisis, so there are no UK stores anymore. This means I won’t be using the Dream Life Planner again next year. So what to use instead? My first thought was trying out the Hobonichi Techo Cousin, but it’s so expensive, especially if you also buy a cover and then get whacked with a customs fee when it enters the UK.

So what to do? Come up with something potentially even more expensive, of course!

Over the past few years, a new planner niche has appeared: the 90 day planner. This gives people the space to do serious planning with nice tools requiring thicker paper (i.e. fountain pens and other wet inks), without it being the approximate thickness and weight of a house brick. The other advantage is that every quarter, you get to try something new and get the feeling of a fresh start, which reduces boredom and keeps you more engaged with the planner you are using to actually get work done.

I think I’ve come up with four options I’m interested in, but I’m also very open to suggestions of any alternatives (90 days or otherwise) for 2021.

The Full Focus Planner is an obvious choice. It was one of the original 90 day planners on the market and is very productivity and goal focused. My planning is all about functionality rather than stickers and washi tape, so I can see how this would be a really good fit for me.

My second choice is a little bit more of a risk in that it’s not actually out yet, so there are no reviews or evidence of its success. I’m a fan of Cal Newport and some of the ways he approaches his day – no one can argue that he gets a lot done. So his Time Block Planner coming out later this year has already caught my attention.

Best Self Co. do a range of planners and again, productivity and personal improvement is at the heart of the process, rather than just tracking meetings and organising a to do list. The book that’s classed a planner is for 6 months, so I’d probably go with the ‘journal’ which is a 13 week goal book.

The final choice is significantly less structured than the others: the Theme System Journal from Myke and Grey over at Cortex. I’ve always found their podcast discussions on systems for working interesting, so I’m naturally intrigued. Plus Myke is a pen guy, so I know that I’ll be able to use my favourite fountain pens without worry.

Anyone else thinking of doing the same thing next year? Or, perhaps more importantly, has anyone already tried it and either had amazing success or found it to be an expensive crash and burn? Let me know in the comments before I go any deeper down the planning rabbit holes and spend the equivalent of a mortgage payment on notebooks…