10 Best Planners for Working Moms Managing ALL the Things

Inside: Ten best planners for working moms to crush the new year ahead!

I was a nerd with a capital N.E.R.D. as a kid and was perfectly happy to head to the back-to-school sale each year for new notebooks.

As an adult, I’m still a nerd and now perhaps a more efficient nerd.

I have to be because #momlife. Efficiency is the name of the game.

Part of being an efficient nerd who gets stuff done is getting super organized with goals, time blocking, and a place for all of that goodness to live.

A planner!

I’m not a die-hard paper planner person. In fact, most of my planning happens online, and we’ll talk about that. But we have options for the paper enthusiasts and the digital mavens here so you can get ready to rock 2022.

Without further ado, the best planners for working moms!

10 best planners for working moms - paper and digital

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Top 10 Best Planners for Working Moms

1. Legend Planner

Where do I go when I need product reviews? Amazon. And when you search Amazon for best working mom planners, the Legend Planner Deluxe Weekly Life Planner is going to pop up with over 15,000 reviews and a 4.5-star ranking. That’s A LOT of happy.

Here’s what folks are saying and why it makes the list as one of the best planners for working moms.

Work Life Balance. A big goal of this planner is to help you create habits that stick and improve your work life balance. Working moms everywhere hear that and say “yes please!”
Design. Lots of color options that fans love along with colorful stickers to keep you organized and motivated. I’m a sucker for a happy sticker!
Quality. If you’re looking for a planner with quality thick paper, the vast majority of reviewers agree you’ve found it here.
Flexible. Another undated planner options that lets you start making changes right now. I’m here for that!

2. Purple Trail Planners

Even though I keep most of my planning on my phone and computer, I did the paper journal thing for a few years and Purple Trail was my go-to.

Here’s what I loved about this as one of the best planners for working moms.

Planner Options. Purple Trail has mom planners, lifestyle planners, teacher planners, and fitness planners. Choose the planner that includes the right sections for your busy life managing work, family, and all the things.
Customized cover. There are options to have a custom photo added to the cover of your planner or choose from one of their super cute designs. You’ll also get your name printed on the cover which the nerd in me enjoyed. Custom school supplies!
Goals! What I used this planner for more than anything was to keep track of my monthly goals and then break them into smaller chunks using the calendar. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Writing down your goals works!

Purple Trail planner with customized cover

3. Wisdom Supply Co Zero Waste Weekly Planner

The planners we’ve been talking about so far are fantastic, but one thing they all have in common? They are not 100% recyclable. The paper is for sure, the bindings have to go in the trash when you’re done.

That’s why Wisdom Supply Co Zero Waste Weekly Planner is making the list as one of the best planners for working moms. We need a sustainable option!

What else will you love?

100% Recyclable: Worth mentioning in the numbered list. The paper inside is 100% post-consumer recycled. And here’s the real kicker, the covers are made from rapidly renewable resources including help, straw, and recycled denim and cotton t-shirts. Very cool.
Corner Cuts: Instead of a bookmark to mark your week, the bottom right corner of the page is perferated so you can mark your spot and easily flip to it.
Note Space: On each weekly planning page there is an opposite page just for notes. As a writer/note taker/doodler, this is a huge plus!

4 Zero-Waste Planners - straw, denim, hemp, and wheat

4. GoGirl Planner

Here’s another Amazon fan favorite! Search on Amazon for the best working mom planners and the GoGirl Planner is going to pop up with over 7,000 reviews.

Here’s what fans love about this one.

Undated. No need to wait for January 1 to kickstart your organizational goals, you can start right now and this planner will last you YOUR year, not the calendar year.
Size. Perfect for popping in your bag and go, go, go-ing through all the busy-ness and business of your life. Three different size options are available.
Goal Oriented. Save appointment scheduling for your calendar and use this planner for habit tracking, goal setting, and priorities across all areas of your life.

Keep in mind the size point though! If you have larger handwriting this planner may not be for you.

5. Living Well Planner

Ruth Soukup of Living Well, Spending Less taught me a TON about turning my blog into a business and part of how she did that was by getting organized.

When there wasn’t a planner out there that fit her needs as a mom and business owner, she made one. Now she sells the Living Well Planner as part of her business. Very cool!

What’s to love?

Meal Planning. A unique feature of this planner is that there is a meal planning section it in so you can integrate work and life.
Project Management. Along with the goal pages, Year at a Glance, and monthly planner tools, there are pages for project management to help you break down projects into manageable tasks.
Add Ons. In addition to the fun bright colors and organizational efficiency of this planner, you can add on weekly and daily sticky note to-do lists that keep you on task.

Best Planners for Working Moms - Living Well planner with colorful stickers

6. Em & Friends Journals

Your ideal working mom planner may not be a planner at all, it might be a really great notebook that keeps you on task and remembers all the things.

I go through a ton of notebooks but the one I’m loving the most recently is by Lisa Congdon for the Em & Friends company. Why is this one great?

Inspiration. I ADORE the cover of this notebook as great get up and do the thing motivation.
Bookmark. The little ribbon bookmark saves me lots of time searching for my spot, and saves me from destroying paperclips! The fidget is real.
Blank Pages. A traditional planner is going to give you lots of prompts and calendar tools and sections to fill in. But I really love having some blank space to plan too. Brainstorm it up without restriction then get your to-do list going.

Ok Let's Do This - Working Mom Planner / Journal

7. Canva Printable Planner

Something a little different in the mix here. A printable planner!

If you want to DIY without totally DIYing, head over to Canva for a printable planner option. Here’s why this could be a good fit.

Design on a Dime: I ADORE Canva for anything and everything website design and marketing related. Through the free version you can get access to a ton of planner templates that you can then customize and mix and match to meet your needs.
Print What You Need: This isn’t a paper free option, but when you are printing out only the pages you know you need to manage your life and schedule, then you won’t be wasting pages from an existing planner.
Reduce, Reuse: When you print planner pages at home for goals, projects, meals, etc., you can put them all into a binder you already have. Then when the next year rolls around, recycle the pages and use the binder again. Ta-da!
Stickers! Did you know you can create your own stickers on Canva too? Functional and fun!

Daily Planner - printable planner sheet from Canva

8. iPhone

YUP. We’re moving onto the digital planning tools. Here’s what I love about using my iPhone as a planner.

Pocket sized! My iPhone is always with me so I can easily check a schedule, take a note, or send an email.
Synced up. My phone syncs back to my MacBook so notes and reminders aren’t floating around in the abyss. It also syncs with Calendly which is AMAZING for any small business owner doing a lot of appointment scheduling.
Paper free! This is not a zero sum ecofriendly alternative because you’re using electricity to charge your phone, but I like saving paper.
Time Blocking. When I have projects in the cooker, the best way to check them off my list is to time block for them. On my iPhone calendar I can block off hour to two hour chunks for tasks easily.

8. The Ultimate Digital Planner – Planners Collective

Keep saving paper with a digital planner that goes beyond what is already on your phone. The Ultimate Digital Planner is a digital download that you use on iPad. It looks like a paper planner and has all the bells and whistles you’re looking for (calendar, goal setting, habit tracking, project management, etc.) but digitized.

What else will you love?

The Price: Download this planner for $10.97 on Etsy and get started right away. Love that!
Hyperlinks: If you’re used to click, click, clicking to get where you want to go fast, the hyperlink features that connect you to different parts of the planner will feel super natural and easy. Hooray efficiency!
Variety: You can customize the look and feel of your digital planner with a couple of different colors, formats, and week start dates (Sunday or Monday). Working mom life does not look just one way – find what works for you.

If you don’t already use a tablet, this planner may not be for you. BUT, if a tablet and a planner are both on your wish list – ta-da! This is perfect.

The Ultimate Digital Planner - best planners for working moms

10. Skylight Calendar

I’m especially psyched about the Skylight Calendar because it’s a planner that solves for a MAJOR working mom pain point – the mental load.

“What time is Jimmy’s piano lesson?” “When does Rose have practice?” “What day are parent-teacher conferences?” “That work trip is THIS week?”

If those are questions flying around your home and you find that you are the keeper of the information, the Skylight Calendar can help. Here’s how.

Front and Center: Put this electronic calendar on your kitchen counter so the whole family can easily see what is going on when. Get that information out of your brain and into their brains!
Calendar Sync: No need to enter information in a million different places. Skylight Calendar syncs up with your existing electronic calendars so all the appointments, practices, and events are right there.
Grocery Lists: Remember the meal planning tool I talked about with the Living Well Planner? Skylight Calendar has something similar but it’s a place to keep your grocery list, and for everyone in your family to have access. That list does not need to be all on you, my friend. Share the load!