I’ve done a lot of shopping..err.. research into different types of planners for the 52 Planners in 52 weeks challenge, and one planner I came across that no one is talking about, is the Frank Planner!

I picked up this planner (which is made in New Zealand!) for just $14AUD a couple of months ago (with free shipping) – the planners are still on clearance if you wanted to grab a copy.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I purchased the planner myself and all opinions are my own.

The Frank Weekly Planner

Details

• 5.75″ wide x 8.5″ high (portable size)
• The planner is light (feels a bit heavier than my kindle)
• Gold foil <3
• 2 page horizontal weekly spread
• Week starts Monday
• 2 page monthly calendar that starts on a Monday
• Goal setting pages
• Dates a glance calendar
• Movies to watch and places to go pages at the back of the planner

Let’s take a closer look!

The cover is sturdy Kraft with gold foil accents and an elastic band to keep the planner closed

Which also extend to the inside of the front cover – love this attention to detail!

At the start of the planner is the usual dates at a glance reference page found in almost all planners with 1 key difference – the dates run vertically instead of horizontally – I really like this layout!

Followed by some intentional planning / mindset advice pages – to be honest I’m not sure if these pages are a good idea or a waste of space

Top 5 goals list and notes page

Important dates

Since this planner was made in New Zealand the dates are Australia and NZ focused so it doesn’t have things like ‘Martin Luther King’ day – something to keep this in mind if you live in the USA and this feature is important to you!

Each of the monthly cover pages feature a different quote

2 page monthly spread

The layout of the monthly spread adapts depending on the day of the week that the month ends. So for January there are 6 lines rather than splitting a box into 2 or adding the dates to the empty spaces on the top row of dates. I like that the planner doesn’t split boxes into 2 but it does mean if you used this extra space you’d have to adapt to having more or less space each month. Because of this format the boxes are a bit small – each is approx 1.5″ wide x 1″ high.

The monthly spread starts on a Monday and so does the weekly spread – finally a planner that does this! (most seem to start the week on a Sunday in the monthly spread but then a Monday on the weekly spread)

The holidays are printed on the monthly calendars as well as the reference list at the start of the planner.

There is a lined sidebar that can be used for anything.

Monthly planning pages

Each month has a ‘my focus’ section, things to look forward to this month and to do list.

The size of the things to look forward section and the to do list space should probably be reversed – the to do list space only has room for 7 tasks.

2 page weekly spread

I like this weekly spread for it’s simplicity – horizontal lined space that could be used for anything, an in built weekly checklist that has the option to split into 2 to create 2 columns if you needed and notes space you can use for anything you like!

Holidays e.g. Easter are also printed on the weekly view

At the back of the planner is a movie to watch page and places to go – more notes pages would probably have been more functional

Pros of the Frank Planner

• 1 Ribbon bookmark to hold your place
• Gold foil – need I say more?! <3
• The week and month both start on a Monday – you’d be surprised how many planners don’t start the weeks on the same day!
• In built checklist for each week
• Simple, minimalist style

Cons of the Frank Planner

• Book / glue bound – which means it’s prone to self-closing. Unless you hold the page open with one hand while you write with the other, the pages don’t lay flat (although they probably would after you’ve been using the planner for a while)
• No tabs – while the pages with the months printed on them have a black background, tabs would make it much easier to find the month you’re looking for
• A second bookmark would be ideal to keep track of the current month as well as the current week
• if you like to plan using lots of stickers the binding isn’t fat enough to accommodate for this

Overall this is an affordable, simple, minimalist planner!

Related Posts:

• Ultimate planner page size guide (with printable reference cheat sheet) 
• 130+ functional ideas to use blank notes pages of your planner or an empty notebook
• 50 Category Ideas for Color Coding Your Planner
• Planner pen testing in the Erin Condren Life Planner, Plum Paper, Happy Planner by MAMBI and Limelife Planner 
• How to choose a binding system for your planner (comparison and which one I like the most) 
• Buying a planner versus DIYing and making your own (pros and cons)