I don’t know about you, but I have a really difficult time choosing a planner! I’ll find one that appeals to me on a visual level, but don’t like the layout inside OR it looks “blah” but is fantastic where it concerns content. It’s a minor struggle, but a good planner can make all the difference. Well, over the course of the last year I have tried out more than my fair share of planners and want to share my top 3 with you!

The Happy Planner™ by Me and My Big Ideas is a FUN planner that allows for maximum personalization. The covers vary from simple to vibrant and the inside is the same. However, the cool thing about the inside is that you can buy accessories to use in order to decorate your planner just like a scrapbook. One of those accessories is extension pages such as the “family” planning section, which I love! So, if you enjoy scrapbooking, this planner is for you! The cost isn’t bad either. The 12-month student planner is $19.99USD, 2016-17 regular planner is $29.99USD, and the planner kit is approx. $39.99USD. Inside you will find space to write your schedule for morning, afternoon, and evening; I like this but personally find the hourly schedule a bit better. If you want to see it in action, here is a video:

This planner can be purchased online or at Michael’s Crafts!

Mead Academic Planner is pretty great! I’ll tell you why: it’s cheap, easy to use, and there are tons of options where it concerns cover style and inside style as well. My favorite (pictured below) is the Mead® 2016 – 2017 Gold & Bold Academic Weekly/Monthly Planner. While it doesn’t have a morning, noon, and night OR an hourly block option, it does have tons of space to write, either on the monthly or weekly view. Oh, and did I mention it’s cheap? When it first hits shelves, it’s approx. $12 USD; however, just a few months into the academic year, Mead puts their planners on sale because it’s a 12 month set up. This is an especially great deal for those who like using the calendar on your phone, but want a backup planner.

Image taken from Mead.com

You can check out your options and purchase a Mead planner online or in a number of retail stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.

My top planner? The Passion Planner, of course! Why does this planner win the top spot? First, the Passion Planner was created by Angelia Trinidad, a recent graduate from UCLA! Right out of college she came up with this idea, created a Kickstarter, and BOOM! people LOVED it. So, the fact that you are helping a pretty awesome person is my first reason. Second, it’s durable! Many of the spiral-bound planners end up losing pages or un-spiraling. That’s not an actual word, but YOU know what I mean! With the Passion Planner you get a sturdy cover and even sturdier interior. Further, the planner comes in both dated and undated; you can also choose from two sizes. Most important for me? The hourly block schedules! With a small army of children, a spouse, teaching, working, and going to class, I NEED an hourly planner. Also, Angelia has the pursuit of finding your passion in mind, so there are lots of spots to free write and/or plan your goals out! The cost is slightly more than the Mead Planner, but it’s honestly worth it. Cost ranges from $24.99 to $34.99USD depending on the size and cover design. However, if you want to test it out, you can buy the 2016-17 regular planner for $1 (plus shipping) and test it out while you wait on your pre-ordered 2017-18 calendar! Oh wait, did I mention – you can DOWNLOAD pages either to test run the hourly blocks or to use while you wait for your planner!?! Pretty awesome being part of the #PASHFAM! You can preview the planner here:

and purchase it online at passionplanner.com. Also check out their videos here.

So, what is your favorite planner and why? Do you prefer an app or paper? I love the passion planner so much that I am giving one away! If you want a chance to win it, this is what you need to do:

1. Be a mom in college!
2. Sign on to Instagram
3. Take a picture of yourself on campus or with your kids
4. tag @CollegeSuccessForMoms AND use the Hashtag #PashFamMomInCollege when you post that picture
5. Do all of this by Oct 10, 2016 at 10pm.

(In order to win, you need to be a mom currently attending college. I will confirm this once a winner is chosen. If the first randomly chosen person doesn’t meet this requirement, I will randomly select the next person. Anyone who uses a sexually explicit or offensive picture will be reported – no planner for you!)

Happy Planning!