On the JetPens website, some notebooks are categorized as planners or journals—or both. Planners and journals can have quite a bit in common, but are there noticeable differences between the two? In this guide, we’ll discuss the characteristics that define a planner and a journal, provide examples on how to use either, and share product recommendations too.
Should I Use a Planner or a Journal?
If you’re ready to jump straight into planner or journal keeping and want to browse our planners and journals without our recommendations, we’ve summed up the gist of this guide in the table below.
| You should use a planner if… | You should use a journal if… |
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If our summarized lists don’t get you closer to deciding on a planner or journal, then keep reading to learn more about these notebook types.
What is a Planner?
A planner is a notebook that helps you organize your daily schedule. Its pages are printed with organizational layouts like daily, weekly, or monthly formats. Most daily and weekly planners also include monthly calendars for writing down deadlines, appointments, and more. Many planners are dated for a specific year, but some planners are undated so you can start writing whenever you want or skip periods of time as needed.
Some Japanese companies use the term “diary” for their products, which can lend to some confusion. In Western countries, diaries and journals tend to be interchangeable terms referring to an undated notebook with simple, writing-forward formatting. In Japan, “diary” can refer to a dated planner or an undated journal. When in doubt, carefully read the product description on the JetPens website to make sure a new notebook won’t surprise you.
Below, we describe the different planner formats and give examples on how they can be used.
Daily Planner
A sample daily layout of the Hobonichi Techo Cousin.
A daily planner dedicates one page per day, providing plenty of room for packed schedules that don’t fit in other planner formats. They also tend to have the most in common with journals because they have enough space for longer entries. Hobonichi’s daily planners are great examples of planners that can be used as journals because of their spacious pages. The Kokuyo Jibun Techo DAYs Diary uses a vertical timeline to structure your day, which makes it a good option for students with rigid schedules.
Weekly Planner
From left to right: sample weekly layouts of the Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner, Hobonichi Techo Weeks, and Kokuyo Jibun Techo.
If you like to have your entire week visible at a glance, try a weekly planner. Three weekly formats are commonly used. The Horizontal format spreads the days of the week across the left and right side of the page. The Horizontal with Memo format prints the days of the week on the left and has blank space on the right for extra notes. The Vertical format is usually accompanied by an hourly tracker that lets you section off chunks of time in your schedule. Each format is better suited for different kinds of planning, and different planners will use different formats.
For example, the Hobonichi Techo Weeks’ Horizontal with Memo pages are great for those who have a few scheduled tasks every week but need space to brainstorm. Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planners use the Horizontal format and works well for “checklist”-type users who need space to write tasks down and cross them off as they’re completed. The Kokuyo Jibun Techo and its Vertical Weekly pages are excellent for employees who need to dedicate blocks of time to specific projects.
Monthly Planner
A sample monthly layout of the .
Monthly calendars are almost always included with daily and weekly planners, but a standalone monthly planner can be useful as a project planner, deadline tracker, and more. Monthly planners are also suitable for employees who typically work on long-term projects with repeated daily or weekly tasks that don’t need to be written down. Consider using a Mark’s System Planner Binder with to keep track of household chores so you can schedule cleaning days at preferred intervals.
What is a Journal?
A journal is less of a planning tool and more of a freeform space for recording your thoughts and memories. You can imagine the difference between a planner and a journal as the difference between left- and right-brain thinking (though we will concede that left- and right-brain dominance is a myth!). Planners are geared towards analysis and are grounded in reality. Journals, on the other hand, can be a place for you to express your feelings and flex your creative muscles.
Creative Journal
You could write about your day or doodle events in your creative journal. We used the Midori MD Notebook in grid and dot grid for these entries.
A creative journal is the most open to personal interpretation. You could write down everything you accomplished that day. Others could jot down one thing they’re grateful for to help them appreciate the small things in life. Artists can add sketches and doodles next to their favorite quotes from books and poems. And if you have an overwhelming sticker and washi tape collection: you know what could use some decoration! A sturdy notebook with plenty of pages like the Midori MD Notebook is a good fit because it comes in a variety of sizes and ruling options to fit your needs.
Bullet Journal
A Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal can be used as a hybrid planner and journal.
If you browse stationery Instagram, you’re likely familiar with bullet journals. A bullet journal can be different things to different people, but at its core, it relies on a simple system of writing down tasks and marking them as complete or “migrating” them (moving them to a different day) as needed. Many bullet journalers have expanded the system to include pages like habit trackers that are beneficial to their workflow or personal growth. In this way, a bullet journal is like a hybrid planner and journal: you can use it to plan your daily schedule and keep track of the books you read at the same time.
No matter how you end up using your bullet journal, the system is meant to be flexible so it can change with you. Leuchtturm1917 worked directly with the founder of the Bullet Journal, Ryder Carroll, to develop the official notebook, which includes features like dot grid ruling, numbered pages, and more.
Page Per Day Journal
A page per day journal like the Stalogy 365Days Notebook dedicates one page for every day of the year.
A page per day journal—also known as a one day one page journal—is exactly what its name implies: it’s a journal that dedicates one page for every day of the year. It’s a good fit for writers who are still easing into the journaling habit: you can feel accomplished each time you fill out an allotted page. Or you can challenge yourself to complete a page per day journal each year. No matter what, be sure to pick a journal size that suits your habits. An A5 Stalogy 365Days Notebook is great for wordier writers, while an A6 notebook is better suited for writers who want a compact journal that can go on cafe trips.
Years Journal
The Midori 5 Year Journal lets you write about the same day over concurrent years.
Years journals are simple yet ingenious. The pages have sections allotted to cover the same day over concurrent years: for example, you would write about June 1st of 2022, 2023, and 2024 on the same page. Keeping a years journal allows you to see the way you’ve grown in small yet transformative ways. Plus, it usually requires you to be more concise, which is especially useful for writers who want to journal but have limited time to do so. Embroidered Midori 5 Years Diaries are some of our favorites because of their beautiful covers, which are a joy to keep around year after year.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has clarified the differences between planners and journals! Whether you organize daily tasks in a planner or write in a journal to relax, we hope you’re able to find the perfect notebook for you. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.
