Erin Condren LifePlanner Review: The Hourly Layout

If you’re like me, then you don’t really see a point in a planner if there’s not an hourly schedule (or at least enough room to write one down). Erin Condren’s LifePlanners come in three possible layouts: Hourly Weekly, Vertical Weekly (previously reviewed here), and Horizontal Weekly. Each has its own perks and drawbacks, but the Hourly Weekly is likely the best for those who need to keep track of a bustling schedule.

Of course, it’s by Erin Condren, so the Hourly Weekly LifePlanner is full of fun colors and surprise pages that keep it from becoming rote.

When You Have a Lot of Meetings…

And appointments, social plans, and anything else, you need a detailed hourly schedule to keep you on-time and prepared. The weekly schedule spans 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, and even Saturday and Sunday have an entire column to themselves. Many weekly planners force the weekend days into one column, which can be a little difficult to write in when you have a jam-packed weekend ahead. With the LifePlanner Hourly Weekly, you have all the room in the world for your weekend plans.

Back to the point—the schedule also has two lines per hour, so you can break it down into 30-minute increments when you need to and even write down specific tasks that need to be done that hour. At the bottom of each day, there are also three blank lines for you to use however. Tasks for that day, workouts, meal plans, and even appointments after 7 p.m. can be written here. For a highly structured layout, there’s quite a bit of flexibility for you to work with.

So Color-Friendly

Erin Condren is known for being a colorful brand, and this planner is no exception. However, each month is assigned one color instead of having multiple colors on every page. This means the whole thing doesn’t look overwhelming, and is color-coding friendly. Because the majority of the week is dominated with the schedule, it can be helpful to color code the different components of your schedule (work, family, etc.).

You can even assign a specific color to each day and use it to write that day’s schedule and tasks. This can make it easier for you to break up the week visually and remember which tasks need to done on a specific day.

When Monthly Pages Become a Playground…

For the goal-oriented, the super-busy, and the control freaks who need to know what each weekend of the month has in store. Of course, there’s the traditional two-page monthly calendar spread, but before that, there are also two blank pages for you to use when planning out the month. One page is a lined notes page, and the other is completely blank (aside from a colored border, ribbon graphic heading, and a quote. Here you can write down your goals for the month and break them down into actionable steps, or just use it as an expanded to do list.

These two pages can make all the difference in how you utilize your hourly weekly layout. If you’re ever short on space one week, you can use the notes page to write down the things you need to do. And of course, if you use it for goal setting, it’s a great space to refer to when you need to refocus and a place to track your progress throughout the month.

Actually, the monthly page in this layout is a little different than the monthly page in the Vertical Weekly. The days in the calendar have lines in this planner, which is a huge help when it comes to space management and handwriting control.

It’s Like a Fun-House

If you like the ability to shake things up, then the LifePlanner’s changeable covers will bewitch you. Every single cover on a LifePlanner (and on an Erin Condren Notebook) can be easily removed and replaced with a different cover. You can buy as many covers as you like and change them whenever the mood strikes.

They’re all the same durable plastic and come in vibrant colors, fun prints, and motivating quotes. They’re a whole lot of fun and can make the LifePlanner a perfect option for you if you become easily tired of the same thing.

About That Notes Section

So Erin Condren has always been fantastic with the notes pages. They’ve always included a large section with lined, blank, and even graph paper for you to write, doodle, and brainstorm. Well, this planner still has a ton of notes pages, but they’re dispersed throughout the planner. Like previously mentioned, there are two blank pages at the start of every month, but there’s also a “MISC.” section at the back. The pages in this section have lines. They’re just sectioned into groups of three with a colored banner to set each one apart.

It can be used for things like recipes, contacts, shopping lists (for birthdays and holidays), and really anything else you can think of. It’s different from other notes sections, but since this LifePlanner doesn’t have contacts, passwords, or emergency information sections, it can be used for those, plus regular notes and brainstorming.

Basically, what I’ve been trying to say is the Hourly Weekly LifePlanner layout is lit. There’s plenty of legroom for your schedule to stretch out, and you have notes pages sprinkled through to house your random ideas, notes, and lists. Plus, it’s really fun with all of those cover options and colorful pages…It’s kind of like a stretch limo—roomy, flashy, and with just enough storage space. Who doesn’t want a stretch limo to carry them around all day?

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