staying organized in 2026 (ban.do planner and daily journal)

Now that there is a shiny new year underway, it seems like an appropriate time to highlight some of the organizational items that will be with me throughout 2026. Planners and notebooks are essential for me to stay focused, track to-do list items, and make sure important tasks are not forgotten. Some people like to use calendars on their phone or to set various reminder alarms, but I am an old school pen and paper kind of person. Here is a closer look at my organizational tools for the year. 

Daily Journal. There used to be this daily journal that was released each year, where there was a small amount of space provided and a section to track your mood for the day. The available space was small enough that it didn't seem like an overwhelming task to write down the events of the day - but large enough that there was still some emotion being worked out. Unfortunately, a few years back, it seems that the company stopped releasing this annual journal. So...I have had to create my own. Each year in November or December, the planners are released at the dollar store. I choose one that has enough space for me to journal about my day and has enough space in the upper part of the page to write down specific goals for the week (like working out a certain number of times, a cleaning task, and so on) and track my mood for each day. This dollar store planner doesn't even have a brand name printed on it, so I have no clue who created it, but it works well for my needs. 

17 Month Planner from ban.do. My favourite brand for planners is ban.do and I have used their planners for several years. (When I am able to find them. There were a few years where I was unable to find them and the cost to have one shipped to me was too much.) These planners are fabulous because of the size, the thick cover, and all of the organizational goodies inside. The one that I have is a 17 month planner, like the one from last year, because I was once again, unable to find a 12 month version in stores. This ban.do planner has lots of space to track daily tasks, several sheets of stickers, beautiful art throughout, note pages, a book tracker, sections to track notable events, a list of important dates, and a pocket to hold onto loose items. I love that this is a planner that is both functional and fun. The stickers add a little extra colour and whimsy to my days and the actual planner pages allow me to track my appointments, assignments, and other important to-dos. This is an absolute must for me and I am so grateful to have a ban.do planner on hand for 2026. Fingers crossed it will be a joyful (and organized) year.

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Do you like to use a planner or daily journal to stay organized? How will you stay organized this year?