Erin Condren: LifePlanner Layouts, Start Months and Personalised Covers

Erin Condren makes planners, notebooks, stickers and desk accessories, with the LifePlanner as its flagship. Buyers come for the layouts, the thick coloured pages and the personalised covers.

A good Erin Condren order is mostly about choosing the right layout, the right start month and the right size. Get those three right and the planner gets used all year; get them wrong and it sits in a drawer by March.

Vertical, horizontal or hourly: choosing the LifePlanner layout

The Erin Condren LifePlanner comes in several weekly layouts, and this is the most important choice in the order.

Vertical splits each day into a column, often divided into morning, afternoon and evening. It suits people who plan by time of day or track work, school and home separately.

Horizontal gives each day a row of lines. It suits list-makers and anyone who writes a few tasks and notes per day rather than a schedule.

Hourly breaks the day into time slots. It suits appointment-heavy weeks, such as teachers, freelancers and anyone juggling meetings.

Look at your current week. If you mostly write times, go hourly; if you mostly write tasks, go horizontal. Erin Condren shows sample pages for each layout, so compare them before choosing.

Dated or undated, and which month to start

Dated Erin Condren planners have the months printed in. They are faster to use and look tidier, but lose value if you buy late.

Undated planners let you start any week and skip holidays without wasting pages. They suit anyone who plans in bursts.

Erin Condren typically offers January-start and mid-year or academic-start options. Students and teachers usually want a July or August start. Pick the start month to match when your year actually begins, not when you happen to be shopping.

Size, binding and paper

Erin Condren planners come in more than one size. The larger sizes give room for stickers and detail; a smaller size is easier to carry every day. If the planner will live in a bag, favour the smaller one.

The coiled LifePlanner opens flat and folds back on itself, which is handy on a crowded desk. Softbound planners are slimmer and lighter. Check which binding each product uses on its page.

Erin Condren paper handles most gel pens and fine markers. Very wet markers and fountain pens may show through, so test on a back page first.

Weight matters for a planner you carry daily. A coiled Erin Condren LifePlanner with a hard cover, pockets and a full sticker book is noticeably heavier than a softbound notebook, so think about where it will live.

Personalised covers and what that means for returns

Many Erin Condren products can carry your name, initials or a chosen design on the cover. It makes a good gift and a planner people are glad to pick up.

Personalised items take time to produce, so allow extra days before a birthday or the start of term. Check the production estimate on the product page.

Personalised items are also typically harder to return than stock items. Check Erin Condren's current return policy and proof spelling carefully before you pay.

Some LifePlanners use interchangeable covers. That means you can change the look next year without buying a whole new planner body.

Teacher planners, stickers and accessories

The Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner is built around lesson plans, class records and the academic year. For a teacher it beats adapting a general LifePlanner.

Sticker books, notes pages, dashboards and bookmarks add up quickly. Buy the planner first, use it for a few weeks, and then add only the accessories you find yourself missing.

Check which size each Erin Condren accessory is made for. A folder or snap-in insert made for one planner size will not fit another.

Where the Erin Condren savings are

These Erin Condren codes are listed:

Try COMEBACK20 first. Its name suggests it may be aimed at returning customers, so if it is refused, PLAN15 is the general-purpose fallback.

The $10 code wins on small orders. On a basket under $50, $10 off beats 20% off; above $50 the percentage code gives the larger saving. A full LifePlanner order is usually well past that point.

Erin Condren codes often exclude new releases, gift cards or items already on sale, and usually only one code applies per order. Read the terms on the code and check the discount at checkout.

Erin Condren tends to run bigger sales around planner launch season and holiday shopping. If you are not in a hurry, those windows are when a new LifePlanner is cheapest.

Common questions

Which Erin Condren layout is best for work?

Hourly for meeting-heavy days, vertical if you split work and home, horizontal for task lists.

Can I return a personalised Erin Condren planner?

Personalised items are usually harder to return. Check the current policy before ordering.

Does Erin Condren paper bleed?

Most gel pens and fine markers are fine. Test heavy markers on a back page.

When should I buy an academic Erin Condren planner?

In early summer, so it arrives before term, especially if it is personalised.