• HOME
  • Planning
    • Planner Newbie
      • New to planning? Start here
    • Planning Tips & Inspiration
    • 52 Planning Systems in 52 Weeks
      • My weekly spreads
    • Planner Index
    • Planner Reviews
      • Horizontal Weekly
      • Horizontal 1 Page Weekly + Notes
      • Vertical Weekly
      • Hourly Planners
      • Categories Weekly
      • Daily Planners
      • Discbound Planners
      • Teacher Planners
      • Planner Roundups
      • Happy Planner (MAMBI)
      • Budget Planners
    • Planner Comparisons
    • Bullet Journal
      • Bullet Journal Reviews
      • Bullet Journal Spreads
      • Bullet Journal Tips
    • Planner pens
    • Highlighters
    • Planner Stickers
    • Digital Planning
    • Household Binder
    • Stationery Shopping
    • Rachael’s Favorites
    • Blogging & Online Business
  • Graphic Design
    • Photoshop Tutorials
    • Microsoft Word
    • Microsoft Excel
    • Canva
    • Silhouette Studio
    • PicMonkey
  • SHOP
    • Shop at Etsy
    • Online Store
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • ECOURSES
    • Ebooks
      • 54 Mistakes Etsy Sellers Make (And How to Fix Them)
      • 1200 Blog Post Ideas
        • 1200 Blog Post Ideas (Exclusive Download Content)
      • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (For Any Type of Blog)
        • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (Exclusive Download Content)
    • Feedback & Testimonials
    • Planner Supplies (my sister’s shop!)
    • Shop my favorite planner supplies on Amazon
  • Learn
    • ECOURSES
      • Free Graphic Design Video Tutorials Library
      • How to Make Planner Stickers
      • How to Make Printables in Photoshop
      • How to Make Printables in Microsoft Word
      • How to Make Printables in Microsoft Excel
      • How to make digital planners and notebooks in Microsoft PowerPoint
      • How to Make Labels in Photoshop
      • How to Make Patterns in Photoshop
      • How to Make Party Printables
      • How to Write Product Descriptions
    • Ebooks
      • 54 Mistakes Etsy Sellers Make (And How to Fix Them)
      • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (For Any Type of Blog)
      • 1200 Blog Post Ideas
  • FREE
    • FREE Printables
    • Free Printables Library – Subscribers Login
  • Travel
    • Travel Planning
    • Europe
    • Australia & New Zealand
  • About
    • Browse All Posts
    • FAQ
      • What is a Printable? What happens when I purchase a printable from you?
      • Printing Tips
      • Printable Planner Stickers
      • Downloading Files
      • How to Open Zipped File Folders
      • What does EDITABLE mean?
      • Monogram Etiquette

All About Planners

Printable planners to organize your home, business and life!

January 16, 2018

Passion Planner Review – Compact and Classic Sizes (Pros, cons and video walkthrough)

After many requests from you guys for me to do a review of the Passion Planner, I finally caved and bought it!

passion planner review weekly vertical life planner hourly student minimalist gender neutral sunday start monday affordable cover

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase this planner using my affiliate link I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Let’s take a closer look!

I purchased 2 planners that were on clearance – the compact (A5) size and the classic (US letter size 8.5 x 11″).

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 related videos!

Quick Facts

  • 2 sizes
    • Compact  -A5 (5.83”x8.27”)
    • Classic – A4 (8.27”x11.69”)
  • Minimalist design – black and white
  • 2 Page weekly spread (starting on Monday or Sunday  – you choose)
  • 2 Page monthly spread (starting on Monday or Sunday  – you choose)
  • Academic and calendar year start versions
  • Dates at a glance
  • Monthly and yearly reflection questions with lines note space to write your answers
  • Ample goal setting pages
  • 20 blank pages
  • 20 graph paper pages
  • Elastic band to keep it all together
  • Gender neutral
  • Faux leather cover

They also do undated versions and limited edition covers (e.g. blue)

Price:

  • Classic (large) $35USD
  • Compact (small) $30USD

Prices current as of 2018.

Tip: If you sign up for Passion Planner’s mailing list they have frequent sales. They also give you a free printable PDF version of the planner if you help them spread the word on social media. They’ve also done annual Kickstarter launches with a reduced price on the planner (around October each year). I originally purchased the PDF file via their Kickstarter compaign (was only a couple of dollars!) then ended up purchasing the actual physical copies of the planners during their Boxing Day sale. International shipping is reasonably priced.

Compact Passion Planner

passion planner compact a5 review 2018 half letter size pros and cons video walkthrough flipthrough half hourly vertical life planner

The planner is about 1cm thick (the large size is about the same thickness)

passion planner review weekly vertical life planner hourly student minimalist gender neutral sunday start monday affordable thin lightweight cover

passion planner compact 2018 weekly vertical hourly 6am to 10pm lined goal setting focus kickstarter honest review

Dates at a Glance Pages

You have the option of Sunday or Monday week start versions. The day of the week you choose is consistent between the dates at a glance calendar, monthly calendar and the weekly spread <3

passion planner weekly planner review dates at a glance annual planning calendar 2018 academic calendar year

Passion Planning

passion planner compact 2018 weekly vertical hourly 6am to 10pm lined goal setting focus kickstarter honest review annual goal setting

Monthly calendar

2 Pages per month.

National holidays are pre-printed.

The sidebar includes sections for:

  • This month’s focus (work and personal) – these sections are a good idea but they’re so small you won’t be able to fit much in them
  • People to see
  • Places to go
  • Not to do list (love this!)

At the bottom of the page are work and personal to do lists <3 and an open-ended space on the right.

passion planner compact review 2018 monthly calendar gender neutral simple minimalist sunday monday start productivity goal setting

Instead of re-starting the numbers on the top row, an extra row is added making all of the boxes on the calendar smaller than the other months 🙁

2018 passion planner review monthly calendar 2 page work personal to do list priority task sidebar minimalist simple functional

Compact size monthly calendar boxes = 1.25″ wide x just over 1″ high. When the extra row is added the boxes become 1.25″ wide x just under 1″ high.

passion planner compact review 2018 monthly calendar gender neutral simple minimalist sunday monday start productivity goal setting focus

passion planner compact review 2018 2 page monthly calendar gender neutral simple minimalist sunday monday start productivity goal setting

Monthly Reflection

Lots of questions and plenty of lined writing space

passion planner compact review 2018 monthly calendar gender neutral simple minimalist sunday monday start productivity goal setting monthly reflection

Weekly Spread

2 pages per week. The starting day of the week is consistent with the monthly calendar. The planner comes in both Sunday and Monday week start versions.

The schedule runs from 6am to 10:30pm (including the time labels section)

passion planner compact review 2018 weekly planner 2 page vertical gender neutral simple minimalist sunday monday start productivity goal setting

The weekly spread features vertical columns for each day divided into timeslots. There’s also a large notes section. The Passion Planner website has a few different templates you can print and stick into this space if you don’t want to manually rule it up every week. My favorite is the habit tracker. You could also stick these in on one side only and use it like a flap and still plan underneath if you needed just that little bit of extra space.

The week number, month and dates are printed in the top left hand corner of the left page making it easier to find the week you’re looking for (since there’s no tabs and only 1 ribbon bookmark)

3mm line spacing height in the weekly spread – very small!

passion planner review weekly hourly vertical minimalist undated monday sunday start goal setting simple functional

End of Year Reflection

Detailed yearly reflection with plenty of lined writing space

passion planner review 2018 yearly reflection goal setting lined functional compact student mom blogger

Blank Notes Pages

Blank notes pages at the back of the planner – would’ve been better if these were lined.

passion planner review 2018 large pocket folder pros and cons video walkthrough flipthrough notes pen testing

The pocket folder is made from a smooth velvety material and is very roomy!

passion planner review 2018 large pocket folder pros and cons video walkthrough flipthrough half hourly vertical life planner

Classic (Large) Passion Planner

passion planner large review 2018 size pros and cons video walkthrough flipthrough half hourly vertical life planner

The classic size has the same layout as the compact size. except each section on the page is enlarged so there’s more room to write.

If you have large hand-writing definitely go with the classic size. Although the lines are still super close together you may need to write your list of tasks and give each a number then put the number in the daily columns as only 2 – 3 words will probably fit.

passion planner large size review 2018 weekly planner vertical half hourly gender neutral minimalist inspirational quotes pros and cons

5mm line spacing height in the weekly spread (slightly bigger than the 3mm in the compact size)

The daily columns are 2″ wide (including the time labels section)

passion planner review pros and cons 2018 weekly planner vertical half hourly sunday monday week start worth the cost

Monthly Calendar

Instead of re-starting the numbers on the top row, an extra row is added making all of the boxes on the calendar smaller than the other months 🙁

The daily calendar boxes are 2″ wide x 1.5″ high.

passion planner review kickstarter large size monthly calendar 2 page sunday or monday start pros and cons personal work roundup recommendation tips

When the extra row is added the boxes become 2″ wide x 1.25″ high.

passion planner review kickstarter large size monthly calendar 2 page sunday or monday start pros and cons personal work roundup recommendation

Large pocket folder

… With some random stickers

passion planner review 2018 large pocket folder pros and cons video walkthrough flipthrough half hourly vertical life planner student

Pen Testing

The paper of the planners is a really smooth bright white <3

I tried various gel pens, ballpoint, needle tip, marker style, highlighters, stamps etc.

There was shadowing on the highlighters and the MAMBI stamps bled through the page (as always – I’m yet to find a planner they don’t bleed through!)

For the pens, there was minor ghosting and indenting on the back of the paper but not too bad.

Overall, the pen test turned out better than most planners!

passion planner pen testing gel ballpoint highlighter stamp review marker sharpie bleed through ghosting

Pros of the Passion Planner

  • Bright white paper that is so smooth to write on
  • Affordable
  • Comes in small and large size
  • Functional weekly layout
  • Timeslots are longer than most planners
  • Half hourly timeslots which most planners rarely have
  • Gender neutral – the planner is printed entirely in black/white/grey (also ideal for color coding as no color clashes)

Cons of the Passion Planner

  • The covers are boring – just a plain solid color
  • The faux leather cover material seems to attract dust
  • The line spacing in the weekly spread is too small
  • Book bound / sewn bound – the pages don’t lay flat unless you hold one side with your hand while you write with your other hand
  • No tabs
  • The quotes on the weekly spread take up a fair bit of functional planning space – much prefer when companies out these at the bottom of the page in the footer
  • Only 1 ribbon bookmark – there really needs to be 2.1 for the monthly calendar and 1 for the weekly spread

passion planner 2018 review inspiration quotes simple minimalist half hourly vertical checklist 2 page weekly spread goal setting

Which size is right for you?

If you write big, you’ll need the large size as the line spacing is very small (one of the smallest I’ve ever seen in a planner).

Both the large and small size planners are lightweight due to the book/sewn style binding.

Monthly calendar boxes sizing:

  • Compact size = 1.25″ wide x just over 1″ high. When the extra row is added the boxes become 1.25″ wide x just under 1″ high.
  • Very generous in the classic (large) size (2″ wide x 1.5″ high). When the extra row is added the boxes become 2″ wide x 1.25″ high.

If you need something that’s portable, the large size is quite bulky (8.5 x 11″ / USA letter size). If you need a little bit of extra space you could download and print one of their add ins e.g. habit tracker and use washi tape to fix one side of the print out to the page. That way you can still write underneath – you could do this with any planner to create a bit of extra space!

Related: Ultimate planner page size guide (with printable reference cheat sheet) 

Would I use this planner?

I’ll be trying this planner in 2018. To be honest, I purchased the planner as so many of you readers emailed me requesting I do a review! I don’t really like vertical planners – especially not those with hours pre-scheduled.

I do still want to try it out and make a few hacks / modifications. I can see how this planner would be a really good fit for someone looking for a planner with half hour timeslots and plenty of goal setting space.

This planner would be ideal for a student, someone that gets distracted and needs a planner with lots of goal setting space to keep them on track, or if you need an hourly planner with more timeslots than most planners usually have (the schedule runs from 6am to 10:30pm)

If you like this notebook, it’s available on Amazon (affiliate link)

Found this post helpful? Pin it!

passion planner review compact large weekly spread half hourly vertical inside pages sunday monday week start classic vs compact

More Planner Reviews

Check out some of my other hourly planner reviews

  • Week 9: Customising the Erin Condren hourly planner for task based planning 
  • Joyful Heart Planner Review (Pros, Cons & Video Flip Through)
  • Lorna Leigh Lane Weekly Planner Review (Pros, Cons & a Video Flip through) 

Related: Choosing a planner: Horizontal versus Vertical versus Hourly planners (which is right for you?)

More planning posts

  • How to get rid of a white border when printing printable (borderless, no bleed, no scaling step by step video tutorial)
  • How I plan my week: my 6 step process 
  • Why I don’t use ring bound planners (and what I use instead) 
  • 6 Useful ways to efficiently plan your week using highlighters 
  • 50 Tips for writing a better to do list that will make you more productive

subscribe to allaboutthehouse blog to recieve access to free printables library

You may also be interested in...

  • Rainbow Color Coded Weekly Spread Using the Passion PlannerRainbow Color Coded Weekly Spread Using the Passion Planner
  • Mi Goals Weekly Planner Review (Pros, Cons & Video Walkthrough)Mi Goals Weekly Planner Review (Pros, Cons & Video Walkthrough)
  • Moleskine Weekly Planner Review (pros, cons and a video walkthough)Moleskine Weekly Planner Review (pros, cons and a video walkthough)
  • World’s Biggest Ultimate Planner Roundup (Most Comprehensive List of 300 + Daily and Weekly Planners)World’s Biggest Ultimate Planner Roundup (Most Comprehensive List of 300 + Daily and Weekly Planners)
  • The Perfect Notebook Review (Discbound Planner)The Perfect Notebook Review (Discbound Planner)
  • Minimalist black and white weekly spread in the Moleskine Weekly PlannerMinimalist black and white weekly spread in the Moleskine Weekly Planner

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Posted In: Hourly Planners, Planner Reviews, Vertical Weekly · Tagged: bookbound planner, cons of the passion planner, Daily Planner, is the passion planner right for you?, minimalist planner, monday start planners, passion planner, passion planner for 2018, passion planner review, passion planner video, planner roundup, pros of the passion planner, review of the passion planner, sunday start planners, ultimate planner review, Weekly Planner, weekly planner for school

Comments

  1. Christina B says

    January 17, 2018 at 00:27

    Hey Rachael,
    Great post! Loved it! I only wanted to share one thing; if you want to use a bound planner there’s a way to break it in—just as you would a hard bound book—so you never have to worry about it not laying flat again.

    Here’s the method: https://lifehacker.com/break-in-a-hardcover-book-without-ruining-the-spine-1509842301

    Thanks for all you do! Looking forward to your next post!

    • Rachael says

      January 17, 2018 at 20:26

      Great tip – it worked! Thanks for the link 🙂

  2. mary says

    January 20, 2018 at 00:11

    I live in the U.S. Where can I buy this? Thanks.

    • Rachael says

      January 20, 2018 at 10:51

      Hi Mary, it’s available on the Passion Planner’s website: http://www.passionplanner.com

Welcome

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.

Subscribe and join 60,000+ others on the quest to find planner peace!

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Search

Subscribe

free printables library sign up all about planners blog image graphic subscribe

Shop At Etsy

The photos and content on this site are the property of All About Planners. They are not allowed to be used without permission from All About Planners.

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Artful Agenda Digital Planner review
  • Peter Pauper Press Essentials Dot Matrix Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)
  • ARC Punch versus Happy Planner versus the Levenger 1-2-3 Punch: Which is better?
  • Clever Fox Planner Pro Weekly Review
  • Simple Christmas themed weekly spread with washi tape and stencils

Disclaimer

All About Planners is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Popular Posts

  • 130+ functional ideas to use blank notes pages of your planner or an empty notebook
  • Setting up a new planner: 70 Tasks to add
  • Planner Organization: How to color-code your planner so you’ll actually use it effectively
  • Bullet Journal Ideas: 26 Weekly Spread Layouts to Try
  • 100 things to put in your habit tracker of your planner or bullet journal (plus free printable habit tracker)

Printables

  • Learn How to Make Printables
  • How to Make Planner Stickers
  • Resources & Tools I Recommend

Subscribe to access the free Printables library

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Privacy

Copyright © 2021 All About Planners · Theme by 17th Avenue