Everything You Need To Know About Erin Condren Planners

In the world of planners there are some brands that stand head and shoulders above the rest and Erin Condren is one of them. 

The quality of their products means that they have a loyal following of customers who come back time and again to buy their notebooks, planners, accessories and office supplies.

I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about Erin Condren planners. Let’s start from the beginning. 

Who Is Erin Condren?

Erin Condren is a lifestyle brand which is known for its functional but fun organization accessories for use in the home, school or office. They make a range of planners, notebooks, desk organizers, pens, bags and stickers among other things. 

The goal of the company is to produce high quality organization essentials for its customers to help them achieve their goals, reduce stress and enhance their life through good organization and planning. 

Founded in 2005 by Erin Condren the company began in her children’s playroom and is now a worldwide brand. Their signature LifePlanner has sold more than 3 million copies around the world. In addition they have one million engaged followers on social media. 

They have also featured in Good Housekeeping, the New York Times, Forbes and many other publications.

Their products are sold online at Amazon, through the company’s own website and in select retail stores across the country including Target and Barnes & Noble. 

Erin Condren is synonymous with high quality products, functional but fun organization tools and a giving back ethos with their charitable partnerships. 

What Are Erin Condren Planners?

You will find many different types of planners at Erin Condren including their signature LifePlanner collection. Other specialized planners include academic, wedding, monthly, family organization and teacher lesson planners to name just a few. 

They also make coiled and softbound notebooks as well as guided journals. 

Despite the various designs and functions of each of their planners there are some commonalities across all the ranges. The quality of the materials, the thickness of the paper, the customized layouts and the ability to personalize each planner. 

Who Uses Erin Condren Planners?

The great thing about Erin Condren planners is that there is one for everyone and so many people can use them for work, at home or to plan a special occasion or event like a wedding. 

The LifePlanner is the company’s flagship product and their best seller. It can be used by anyone for work, family organization or a special project or a combination of all these things. This planner is set out as either weekly or daily planning. 

Their monthly planner is really useful if you want to plan a project, use it as a budgeting tool or for making lists of all the things you need to do every month. 

For teachers, they have their own teacher planner which is specifically for lesson planning and is set out in a weekly schedule. It can also be used by tutors and for homeschooling. 

Just as teachers have their own Erin Condren planner, so too do students with the company’s specific academic planner which has dated weekly planning. 

The Erin Condren focused planner is for minimalists and professionals. It can be either dated or undated to allow you to customize it for your own specific needs. 

Looking Inside The Erin Condren LifePlanner

The LifePlanner is made from high quality materials and was designed with 15 years of customer research and product expertise. It is a fully customizable planner system in A5 size and comes with a choice of planner inserts. 

The covers are durable and can be personalized, they are also interchangeable using a snap in system. You can choose a design that fits your own style or the function of your planner, whether it is for work or for family use. 

LifePlanner’s coil binding is made from a strong and sturdy metal and comes in a choice of colors including platinum, gold, rose gold and multicolor. All colors apart from platinum incur an extra charge of $10. 

Layout features include mini months, monthly quotes, notes and productivity pages as well as dated monthly and weekly spreads. There are additional notes in the back of the planner and a page to add all your contacts. 

When you buy an Erin Condren LifePlanner you will also get 4 sheets of planning stickers, a double-sided pocket folder, a perpetual calendar and a snap-in ruler. 

How Are Erin Condren Planners Different To Others?

So you might be thinking, well lots of planners have these things, so what makes an Erin Condren planner any different from the other brands of planners on the market? 

The first thing to note about these planners is the quality of the paper. Inside the planners you will find Mohawk 80# test weight paper which doesn’t allow any bleedthrough or ghosting on the pages. This even applies when you use markers on the planner. 

In comparison to some of its closest competitors the Erin Condren LifePlanner has a lot going for it. 

It includes most of the things that you would expect in a planner without the need to buy additional packages. But it’s not packed with ‘fluff’ either so every part of the planner is useful and functional. 

The coil binding is strong but allows the planner to be folded back on itself so reduces the amount of space it takes up on your desk. The LifePlanner also has many options for layout, designs, and interchangeable covers. 

Where To Buy Erin Condren Planners

There are many places where you can buy Erin Condren planners. You can get them from their online store or in one of their brick and mortar stores. These are located in Irvine, and Hawthorne in California, in Austin, Texas, and in Fairfax, Virginia. 

If you’re ordering online you can also buy Erin Condren planners on Amazon or Target online or go to a physical Target store. Barnes & Noble also sell them in many of their stores across the country.

While there are options about where you can purchase your planner, buying it directly from Erin Condren will give you some bonuses. When you order online directly from the company you will get the option of interchangeable covers and the option of a personalized planner.

In addition you may get some freebies such as sheets of planning stickers, and sometimes a money off coupon for your next purchase. The online store often has sales too, so you may be able to pick up a bargain. 

Finally, the company has a good reputation for dealing with any post purchase issues and their customer service will usually put things right. If you buy the planner elsewhere you may not get this level of after sales service. 

Erin Condren Planner Accessories

There are some great planner accessories that you can add to your Erin Condren planner. You can choose a snap in sheet of sticky notes in different sizes and shapes which are really fun and pretty, as well as being useful. 

A set of snap in mini bookmarks are also available. These can be placed at the top or bottom of the coil of your planner and allow you to easily and quickly find the pages that you want to open. 

Or you can mix and match the mini bookmarks at the top and bottom to differentiate between various sections of your planner. 

Another great accessory for the LifePlanner are the interchangeable covers which can be easily snapped in or out to change the look. You could choose a new cover for each season or check out the sales that Erin Condren regularly has to grab a bargain new cover. 

For some additional writing space you can buy notepads which have the same great quality paper that you’ll find in the planners. To take advantage of that great paper you can buy some of Erin Condren’s fabulous pens and markers for writing in your planner (Curious about glass pens? See our ultimate guide here). 

Are Erin Condren Planners Worth The Price?

Compared to some of the competitors in the planner market, Erin Condren may seem quite expensive (Is it worth it to spend more and splurge on a planner? Find out here). A LifePlanner costs around $65 on the company’s website, with some designs selling for $60. 

You can buy LifePlanner bundles for $85 and that includes the planner, snap in bookmarks, a snap in dashboard, a 4-pack of washi tape and a variety writing tools set. 

Other planners retail for anything between $38 such as at Plum Paper and $64 at Emily Ley. However, the planners at Erin Condren are customizable with interchangeable covers and the choice of different colored coil bindings, and they can be personalized.

The Happy Planner costs around $35, but you may need to purchase some additional packs to get the kind of setup you want. They also use the discbound system which, while convenient and versatile, not everyone is a fan of for a planner. 

An overview of the LifePlanner makes me believe that it is worth the price as you get a functional but colorful planner with most things you need without having to buy additional packs. The paper quality is very high, and the covers are interchangeable. 

What Else Do Erin Condren Make?

Although Erin Condren are most famous for their planners, they do make other organization tools for home, office and school. 

As well as planners they make notebooks which are both coiled and softbound. They also sell planner accessories, desk and office accessories, school supplies, stationery, labels, bags and pouches. 

The company also collaborates with other brands to provide designs for their products. These include Star Wars, which features on Erin Condren planners, notebooks, school and office supplies. 

Another collaboration is with Etta Vee which is a lifestyle brand of American-born artist Jessi Raulet. Etta Vee is a bold and vibrant, France-based style which now adorns many of Erin Condren’s products. 

Hello Kitty also has a range of products under the Erin Condren brand which makes them popular with younger customers. 

Summary

In short, Erin Condren is a lifestyle brand that produces a lot of different products. Among those products is the Erin Condren planner. 

In this guide, I’ve told you everything you need to know about the Erin Condren planner. I hope you’ve found this information helpful. Thanks for reading! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Erin Condren Planners Reusable?

Some parts of an Erin Condren planner are reusable. The snap in covers can be applied to a new planner and any accessories such as rulers, sticky notes or dividers that snap in can also be reused. Unfortunately the body of the planner is not reusable. 

Which Planner Is Most Like Erin Condren?

Emily Ley’s Simplified Planner is the closest you’ll find to an Erin Condren LifePlanner. It is coil bound with all the necessary sections to help you organize your work or home life. 

Why Do People Still Use Paper Planners?

Paper planners let you take a break from working with screens. Writing things down in a to-do list also makes it more likely that you will complete the tasks as they can’t simply be deleted as you might do on a screen.