I previously posted a review of the Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer Planner. That same company also does another planner in a similar layout but with a focus on doodles / journaling called The Very Busy Planner.

Quick facts

• Size: 6″ wide x 8.25″ high
• Cardstock cover
• Wire binding
• 1 page weekly spread with the 2nd page each week a mix of doodling / journaling pages
• 2 page Monthly calendar (starts on Sunday)
• USA, Canadian, UK & Australian holidays pre-printed on the monthly calendar
• Monthly goals page
• No Tabs
• Colorful inside pages

Let’s take a closer look!

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more planner videos!

The Cover

The cover is flimsy cardstock (barely thicker than copy paper) – I can see this getting damaged very easily.

There’s a pocket folder on the inside cover but the awkward design means I doubt you’ll be able to fit much in it.

Approx 0.75″ thick

Monthly Calendar

Starts Sunday (not consistent with the weekly spread).

There are different colors for the monthly calendars and weekly spreads including: purple, blue, yellow and pink.

National holidays for the USA, Australia, UK and Canada are pre-printed on the monthly spread.

Unfortunately this planner does the annoying split box rather than just restarting the numbering on the top row.

Weekly Planning

The weekly spreads starts Monday (not consistent with the monthly calendar).

I really like this weekly spread – most 1 page spreads don’t include a to do list sidebar.

The color of the sidebar varies throughout the year:

I’m not a fan of the second pages of the weekly spreads – they vary from journaling to sketching to mindfullness etc.

This planner is more creative journaling / doodling than functional planning (not my style!) If this isn’t your style either, then their Family Organizer Planner has a more functional layout.

Each month has a monthly planning page and a journaling style page e.g. gratitude, travel places to visit, things I want to learn etc.

Planner Stickers

Some decorative and functional stickers at the back…

PEN TESTING

I tried various balllpoint, gel, fine tip and marker tip pens – there was some very light ghosting on the back side of the page. I also did some highlighter and stamp swatches. The highlighters also had some ghosting and, as always, the MAMBI stamps bled through the page ?

Pros of the Planner

• Lightweight
• The wire binding mean pages can lay completely flat on their own
• Planner stickers
• Mix of functional & creative / journaling pages
• Cheap

Cons of the Planner

• No tabs
• Difficult to get outside of the USA
• The cardstock cover is thin and easily damaged
• The pocket folder is part of the front cover meaning you can’t fit much in

Would I use this planner?

No. This planner has too much decorative / journaling stuff and not enough functional planning space for my liking. I like the layout of the weekly planner but don’t really like anything else in this planner.

More planner reviews:

• Plum Paper Meal Planning Journal
• Carpe Diem Budget Planner
• Recollections Vertical Hourly Weekly Planner

Planning Tips:

• 7 Reasons why I don’t use stitched notebooks for bullet journaling
• 30 Minimalist Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads (set up the week in 10 minutes or less)
• How to do color coded weekly meal planning in less than 5 minutes using sticky notes

Browse all posts

Found this post helpful? Pin it!