There are tons of options for you when it comes to choosing a planner or notebook. It can be overwhelming and confusing, and can often lead to throwing your hands up and going on without that essential tool. Today, we’re going to take a look at the different types of bindings and uses for a variety of planners so you can find one (or a few) that work for you.
Our first stop is at the classic spiral binding. This is the same kind of notebook you may have used in school. These are usually smaller and come with lined paper. It’s clean, useful, and can be super handy when you need something to jot down notes on.
Next is the wire O-binding. This is an affordable option that’s widely used by corporations and companies across the nation. It’s really popular in the planning community, but be wary of the rings themselves–they don’t connect completely, which can lead to some troubles turning pages.
Then is the ring planner. These have 6 rings that hold any number of things–papers, dividers, folders, you name it. There are seemingly endless amounts of things you can do with these binders, and you can customize each one with a few clicks of the rings.
Finally, we have a disc-bound planner. The benefit to this type of planner is the flexibility of bending the planner over itself like a spiral-bound, but you have the option to hole punch and add in pages as you see fit, just like a ring binder.
There are a few things to consider when selecting a type of planner. First, you have to recognize which planners have limitations, what they are, and how they will impact your use of the planner itself. For example, if you feel like you’re going to want the ability to add in pages or folders, a spiral-bound notebook wouldn’t be the best choice.
Some planners have differently spaced rings or discs, so it’s worth considering what sort of hole punching you’ll need to do as well.
Beyond that, ask yourself “how do I want to break down my planner?” If you’re looking to divide your planner into notes, lists, to-do’s, or anything else, a disc or ring planner would be the road to take. If you like to look back through your planner to refresh your memory of things, a spiral-bound or wire O-binding might be your best bet, as they have pre-determined endpoints.
Remember, you don’t have to lock yourself into one type of planner for every aspect of your life. There will be moments where you find yourself leaning towards one variety or the other–don’t be afraid to branch out! One word of caution–make sure you know what works for you before you jump into the planner rabbit hole. There are tons of matching planners of every kind that can be fun to get into!
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