Planner sizes and purposes

“The best system is the one that simplifies your life right now.”

Assessing Your Space Needs

The first step in choosing a size is determining what role your planner plays. Are you only tracking appointments, or do you need room for habit trackers, checklists, and extensive notes? If you prefer to keep your personal trackers (like mood or sleep) separate from your public appointments, a smaller "Everyday Carry" (EDC) might be ideal. Conversely, complex tracking often requires at least a Personal size or larger to remain legible and useful.

Matching your Lifestyle & mobility

Your daily environment is the biggest factor in portability. For those with a "home base" or a desk-centric job, an A5 size offers a wealth of space for detailed family coordination and extensive notes. However, as your mobility increases—perhaps as children get older and you no longer carry a large diaper bag—you may find yourself gravitating toward Pocket or Passport sizes. These compact systems fit easily into most handbags and are perfect for quick, on-the-go reference.

Planners as an assistant, not a burden

The ultimate goal is for your planner to feel like a helpful assistant, not an extra task on your to-do list. Your needs will shift with the seasons; for example, during summer holidays when school activities pause, your large desk planner might feel empty. 

Don't be afraid to downsize or adjust your setup during these times. Whether you use a large binder as a "brain dump" at home and a small ring planner for your daily essentials, the best system is the one that simplifies your life right now.

Disc bound planner

All printable inserts we offer at alda media are also compatible with the disc bound system.

Don’t worry to start

Since our inserts are designed very similarly for both systems, it is easy to switch from one to another. And our bundles are making it very affordable to start with your planner journey.

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How to choose the planner size that fits best for you

Available sizes here at aldan media

Everyday Carry {EDC}

The 'Everyday Carry' is the smallest size category we designed at aldan media. Planners of this size are lightweight and can easily be carried even in smaller handbags. When designing our printable inserts, we made sure that your content is the focus and can use maximum space. 

It's incredible how many great features brands like Filofax or Moterm have integrated into their top models. Besides a variety of small pockets, there are also wallets with a zipper closure. In practice, these portable all-rounders are a stylish alternative to high-end smartphones from Apple or Samsung.

For Traveler’s Notebook the ‘Everyday Carry’ {EDC} size is TN Passport {width:89mm/3.5", height: 124mm/4.88"}. {Link to TN Passport size printables}

The comparable size in this class for ring binders is Pocket {width:81mm/3.25", height: 120mm/4.75"}. {Link to Pocket size printables}

Hybrid planner

Planners in this size range can be very good for beginners. They offer significantly more space than the 'Everyday Carry' {EDC} category. Nevertheless, they can be carried relatively easily in a mid size bag. The various printable inserts allow for the secure management of a virtually maximum number of appointments per day. Here too, there are many great add-ons available that make the planner experience pleasant to luxurious.

For Traveler’s Notebook the hybrid size is TN Standard {width:110mm/4.33", height: 210mm/8.3"}. {Link to TN Standard printables}

The comparable size in this class for ring binders is Personal {w:95mm/3.7", h: 171mm/6.7"}. {Link to Personal size printables}

Desktop planner

The largest planners are in this desktop category. With these giants, you practically never reach the limits of their capacity to absorb planning content. Honestly, if you're a young mother who's already out and about with a stroller, this planner can easily be taken everywhere with you anyway. Its dimensions are smaller than many popular laptops, so it can easily fit in and carried around a large messenger bag.

The sheer number of small extensions and helpful features available to add on to a planner of this category is incredible. Even though the format is certainly too large to carry around as a portable device, this desktop planner can quickly become your go-to office assistant for everything.

Since both the Desktop Planner for Ring Binder and the Traveler's Notebook come in A5 size, we were able to design our printable inserts to be exactly the same for both.

For Traveler’s Notebook the hybrid size is TN A5 {w:148.5mm/5.8", h: 210mm/8.3"}. {Link to TN A5 printables}

The comparable size in this class for ring binders is A5 {w:148.5mm/5.8", h: 210mm/8.3"}. {Link to A5 printables}

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