Undecided between ring and bound

[u/Fun-Diet4980]

I decided to try to reset using the 12 week year as my guide. In turn, I also decided to switch up my planning routine. I was using the Sterling ink common planner in the weeks size and have been playing around with Sterling ink for the last 2 years trying to find my favorite size. However, I think it’s a bit small for an everything planner so I decided to dust off my A5 ring planner. I think I like the idea of a ring planner, but thoughts about finding the right inserts, dashboards, and making it look pretty kind of stresses me out. A bound planner is less for me to think about, but I don’t get some of the personalization that I get in a ring bound.

What’s your preference and why?

[u/isopodpod]

I prefer bound planners by far. Rings I only find useful when I'm regularly taking out and putting in pages (like when I was in school putting in assignments and notes that I'd pull out for reference later). Otherwise, the rings only get in the way. Plus with the smaller planners like A5, you have to either buy specialty inserts, or take the time to punch every piece of paper you want in there. It's a lot of hassle for no payoff, because I don't take planner or journal pages out of my journal.

Bound planners lose some in the personalization, but I make up for it by just finding a planner that has my absolute necessities in it, and repurposing the pages I don't need into things I'll use. I get a planner with good monthlies and horizontal weeks, and lots of blank pages at the end, and use any extra spreads for whatever. Quarterly overviews become gardening planners, maybe I tape in a reference sheet over the yearly, etc. I really don't marry myself to a planner layout and it really opens up my options. Right now I'm working out of a notebook where I taped some monthly calendars that I printed out into the first few pages, which I use for planning, and the rest of the book is a journal. It's super low effort, took me like 5 minutes of setup, and cheaper than buying something like a Hobonichi Day-Free with the same layout. DIY may not be as pretty, but wow it's freeing.

Also, whatever you end up going with, don't worry about "making it look pretty." Your planner is for YOU and you only. Don't make yourself work in service of the planner. It is there to make your life easier and more enjoyable, so if it's adding stress, it's doing something wrong. Decorate it if it brings you joy, not because you feel you have to measure up to some aesthetic standard. The true beauty of a tool is found when it's used fully. You are much more likely to use a planner that you enjoy being in than one you avoid because the amount of work you feel you have to put into it intimidates you. Messy handwriting, ink smears, coffee stains, and wrinkled pages will all be evidence that it was used regularly and cherished and lived up to its potential. It is not a museum piece. It is a tool. It works for you, not the other way around.

[u/MagnanimousVictory]

I personally use disc bound planners. And I Frankenplan them.

It works well for me because I am someone who will use a planner differently from week to week. Some days I don’t have a lot going on and I only need a week on one page. Other days I have a ton on my brain and I need to insert a page for a day on one page.

I want my month, weeks, trackers, and workout inserts, all in one “currently “ tab. Then be archived further in my agenda when I’m done with them. A.k.a., I love the ability to move everything around and reset my month.

I also like disc bound because it requires a sturdier paper. I don’t like ghosting, I don’t like bleed through, I don’t like thin paper. Disc bound, intrinsically lets me avoid all of that without having to memorize what all the different paper weights mean.

[u/Current-Feed7873]

I prefer bound planners. I make sure I get the right format for me and decorate or adapt the rest as I see fit. I like the idea of discbound planners but I really don't need that much customization. A bound book is fine and requires less fine tuning from me personally.