The Happy Planner Review: The Happiest Planner on Earth

Of all the planners I’ve ever seen and used, The Happy Planner is the most aptly named. From the coil to the cover to the colorful pages, happiness radiates from this planner. You can feel lightheaded joy seeping into you simply by holding it and gazing at the pages. The Happy Planner is a unique planner in this way, but it also has all of the functional aspects you need from a planner.

I felt a little bit like Alice as she tumbled down the rabbit hole to the marvelous world of Wonderland. Everything was familiar but also so different and mesmerizing.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed was the coil. I’ve never seen anything like this coil in my whole planner-filled life because it’s not technically a real coil. The Happy Planner is disk-bound with several plastic, gold disks. This means that instead of a metal coil looping through hole-punched paper, there are multiple individual disks that act as a track for the paper and cover. The cover and paper essentially snap onto the disks by having notches cut into them. This means you can easily remove certain pages or add more whenever you want.

I assumed this would mean the pieces were barely holding themselves together. Contrary to my assumptions, the planner holds itself together soundly and is easy to flip through. The best part, though? Each of the disks has a heart-shaped cutout in the center. It’s all in the details, my friends.

After I finished marveling at the disk binding, I moved on to the cover. The cover is thickly laminated (like the Erin Condren LifePlanner) and comes in several cover designs for you to choose from. I chose the Hello Life cover because I love the gold dots and white background. It reminds me of New Year’s Eve confetti! The front and back covers match inside and out, so everything stays consistent and themed.

Color Schemes Worth Debating Over

The cover you choose determines the color scheme and decorative elements inside the planner. The Hello Life has the same color scheme as the Stay Golden cover, but it’s different from the others like the Watercolor and Peony covers. The Hello Life consists of turquoise, pink, gold, and seafoam. Every month has a combination of these colors, but the main color alternates from month to month. This keeps the planner consistent but also adds variety and spice. Besides different color schemes, there are also a variety of phrases to choose from like “Live What You Love”, “Every thing has Beauty”, and “Let’s Go Somewhere”.

The Happy Planner is very colorful, no matter which cover you go with. If you’re not into color, then you won’t appreciate the design elements. If you do love color, then you’ll love The Happy Planner. In addition to color, the planner is full of decorative dividers, quotes, and little hearts throughout. The tabs cycle through the color scheme as well.

Every Month is an Opportunity

Now, I’ve never been quiet about my love for monthly goal-setting and planning. It’s easily the most important part of a planner for me. I didn’t expect the Happy Planner to have any type of planning and goal setting for the months, so I was so freaking excited when that was the first thing I saw opening it up. The setup is definitely different from most other monthly goal-setting pages, but I really like the structure and writing space it provides.

Below the small monthly reference calendars at the top, the page is divided into two separate sides. On the left is the monthly “Currently” list. This has a space for you to write down something for the following:

• Reading
• Planning
• Watching
• Cooking
• Eating
• Drinking
• Pinning
• Crafting
• Going
• Loving
• Dreaming
• Feeling
• Listening
• Celebrating

This list is the perfect balance of productive and personal. You can write down the things you need to remember, like anniversaries in the “celebrating” line, and also to daydream about the future. For me, it reminds me to create a balance between working and living.

On the right side of the page, there are three different sections. First, you have a grid for the birthdays, then there’s a space for you to write down your goals for the month, and finally, a spot for the month’s important dates. This space is an excellent place to refer to throughout the month whenever you’re feeling a little off-kilter. It acts as a tool to keep you on track, focused on your goals, and placing emphasis in all areas of your life.

Then, of course, there’s the monthly calendar. It’s just what you expect from a monthly calendar: A to-do/notes column included on the left side with enough room for you to write. The Happy Planner actually has Saturdays and Sundays colored, so they stand out from the weekdays. It’s a small detail that I think aids the visual organization of your month.

A Weekly Layout With Beauty to Boot

The Happy Planner comes in a vertical weekly format. This is another way they’re similar to Erin Condren’s LifePlanner. There’s a weekly column for notes, each day’s column is divided into three sections, and the weekend days are colored like they are in the monthly calendar. The weekly layout has a lot of white space, even though the color scheme is a prominent part of the planner. You have ample space to write the meetings, tasks, and reminders for each day, and the weekly notes column is wider than most I’ve seen in other planners.

Aesthetically, the weekly layout is a balance between dainty and punchy. This is largely due to the combination of watercolor design elements, font combinations, and clear designated sections. In addition to that, each week has a slightly different design. Some have watercolor touches, some have quotes, and some have both. No matter what, though, each week has the same layout and space and keeps a running theme with its month.

Where Have All the Extra Things Gone?

Even though The Happy Planner is filled with beautiful design, functional layouts, and monthly planning pages, it lacks in one very important area: Notes pages. In the entire planner, there’s only one page for you to write notes at the very back. Just one. There aren’t any scattered throughout the planner or placed at the front either. For me, this is disheartening and a little anxiety-inducing. I often lean on my planners as a tool for notes when I’m away from my desk. Not having notes pages to fill these emergency needs is problematic, so if I were ordering this again, I’d definitely tack on a set or two of extra note pages.

The Happy Planner is also lacking in a pocket folder. I realize this is probably due to the disk binding, but I’ve become so accustomed to using the folders included in my planners that I’m not really sure what to do with my loose pieces of paper now. I guess I’ll stuff everything in my wallet? Alternatively, you can shell out $20.88 for a set of six pocket folders, which isn’t a great deal—include them with the planner!

The Relationship Between Cost and Value

The Happy Planner is incredibly affordable. The Classic version is $24.49, but if you want to purchase accessories to go along with it, your total cost will go up. I hear the sticker sets are slightly addictive. There’s also a BIG version for $34.99 and a Student Edition for $26.24. Based on the quality of the paper, the construction of the planner, and the laminated cover and tabs, I think it’s a reasonable cost. The Happy Planner is well-made. It feels durable in my hands and has pretty much everything you need.

After putting The Happy Planner to the test of my demanding life, I’m willing to say I’m a Happy Planner convert.

Follow Terra on Instagram: @terrabrown3

What about you? Do you love The Happy Planner?

Updated August 2, 2023.