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December 26, 2019

Amy Knapp’s The Very Busy Planner Review (Pros, Cons & a Video Walkthrough)

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.

amy knapps very busy planner review horizontal simple spread colorful doodles sketches a5 page size amazon

Approx 0.75″ thick

amy knapps very busy planner review horizontal simple spread colorful doodles sketches a5 page size amazon family personal work

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.

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review usa holidays pre-printed monthly calendar 2 pages

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

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review split monthly calendar boxes

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:

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review horizontal weekly spread 1 page monday start plus journal mom planner

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.

amy knapps very busy planner review horizontal simple spread colorful doodles sketches a5 page size amazon journal planner

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.

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review gratitude wellbeing

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review holiday gift list decorative cute doodle planning

Planner Stickers

Some decorative and functional stickers at the back…

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review decorating stickers amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review planner stickers

amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner review icon planner stickers

amy knapp very busy organizer planner stickers icon horizontal weekly planner creative journaling doodle layout

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 ?

amy knapps christian family organizer planner review pen testing bleed through ghosting gel ink ballpoint pros and cons

amy knapps christian family organizer planner review pen testing bleed through ghosting gel ink ballpoint pros and cons honest opinion

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

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amy knapps very busy organizer weekly planner review colorful horizontal 1 page weekly journaling doodles

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Posted In: Planner Reviews · Tagged: 2018 weekly planner, academic planner, amazon planner, amy knapp family organizer, amy knapp's very busy organizer, amy knapp's very busy organizer review, amy knapp's very busy organizer weekly planner, categorised planner, cheap planner, christian family planner, doodling planner, doodling weekly planner, family planner, horizontal 1 page weekly planner, journaling planner, journaling weekly planner, journaling weekly spread, mom planner, mum planner review, planner for journaling, planner under $50, planner with grocery list, planner with meal planning, planner with perforated pages, Weekly Planner

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Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

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