In our busy lives, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and get caught up in everything we still need to do. Without a clear system in place, it’s common for people to lose track of priorities and fall behind on important tasks. This is where a daily planner app comes in.
They create balance in our lives by organising everything we need to accomplish in a simplified tracking manner. This makes it easier for people to stay consistent with their daily objectives. It is safe to say that for many busy professionals, planner apps have become essential tools for managing daily tasks, appointments and goals.
In addition to helping us manage our lives better, planner apps also increase our productivity levels and save us time. According to Brian Tracy’s popular book — Eat That Frog — 10 to 12 minutes of planning can save two hours of your day.
That said, while planner apps offer many benefits, not all of them are made the same way. Choosing the one that is based on your needs is the key to making it work for you. In this post, we’ll explore how to find the best daily planner app to fit your lifestyle, why you need one, some great options to consider and useful tips to help you stay consistent. Let’s jump in.
Why Do You Need a Daily Planner App?
The primary reason to use a planner app is that it helps you to stay organised and simplifies your workload. It eliminates the mental burden of trying to remember everything and makes it easier for people to keep track of multiple tasks. In addition, planner apps allow for better time management and improved task prioritisation.
With individuals actively tracking their tasks and deadlines, it enables them to better manage their time as well as identify the most essential priorities for the day. It also allows them to consistently plan ahead. This creates a more streamlined process and helps them to stay on top of everything. Thanks to this improved organisation system, it decreases stress as well as anxiety and increases overall productivity.
Another perk of these useful apps is that they help with habit formation. This is where something becomes second nature thanks to repetition. For instance, if you actively try and create a to-do list every morning, eventually you will form that habit.
Planner apps help to build those initial building blocks that lay the foundation for a habit to form. Thus, they are essential tools for task tracking, reaching goals and time management, making them a good option to consider for anyone trying to get a little more oomph out of their day.
Key Features to Look for in a Daily Planner App
When it comes to choosing the best daily planner app for your life, there are a few key features you want to look for. Here is a quick rundown:
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- Excellent task management: Look for a planner app that allows you to organise and add tasks quickly. Some bonus features you can look out for are task management features like categories, subtasks, due dates and the ability to reorder priorities based on importance.
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- Ease of use: This one is not necessarily a feature but more a quality-of-life benefit. You want the productivity app to have an easy-to-understand interface that does not have an insanely high learning curve. At the same time, you also don’t want the app to be so straightforward that it lacks many crucial features. Look for a planner app that creates a balance between the two — offering you enough features with the appropriate amount of complexity.
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- Goal tracking and to-do lists: Having the ability to set different goals can hold you accountable and allow you to see the progress you have made. As for adding to-dos, it is a simple but effective feature you don’t want to miss out on.
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- Templates and recurring priorities: Being able to create weekly templates or set recurring tasks is a game changer. Not needing to enter the same objectives every week can help save time. It is a good quality-of-life feature you will want to consider.
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- Reminders: This is another great feature to have as it helps you stay on top of deadlines.
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- Calendar integration: A daily planner app that integrates with your Google Calendar or whichever calendar app you use, ensures that everything is in one place.
How to Choose the Best Daily Planner App for You
The best way to find the right planner app for you is to look at your needs. Make a list of the components you feel the planner needs to have. For instance, if you are a busy parent who has numerous recurring tasks in a week, look for a daily planner that satisfies this need.
Or if you are a freelancer who relies a lot on your calendar, you will need a planning app that seamlessly integrates with all your appointments/meetings. The point is to think about your non-negotiables and then find an option that delivers on those components. You will also want to consider other factors such as its level of complexity, platform compatibility and pricing.
Making a list and prioritising all of the features that are important to you, will help you quickly identify the planner apps that will work with your lifestyle.
4 Tips to Help You Stay Consistent With Your Daily Planner App
Here are four best practices to help you stay consistent with using your daily planner:
1. Start Simple
First, you want to start simple. Begin with adding tasks that are more basic and gradually introduce more priorities. Avoid starting off with several complex tasks or features that can overwhelm you. Keep it simple and focus on tracking your essential priorities before you dive into everything that the planner has to offer.
2. Set Regular Check-Ins
One great tip to get you into the habit of using your daily planner is to set regular check-ins. Schedule a specific time each day/week to update and review all your priorities. You could even set it as a new task within the app that you check weekly. Just remember to add a reminder so that you are notified when it is time to start your planning session. Eventually, this will become second nature and you will check your organiser without the help of a reminder.
3. Limit Distractions
Another excellent best practice is to limit your distractions when you start planning your day. Close other browser tabs or set your notifications to silent when you are busy with your planning sessions. This will allow you to add all your daily to-do lists to your organiser without something stealing your attention and pulling you away.
4. Adjust as Needed
Try and remember that life is unpredictable and it is okay if you miss a day or two. Don’t beat yourself up about it and just continue where you left off. If unforeseen circumstances keep popping up, just adapt to them as needed. Eventually, you will get to the point where nothing can keep you away from planning your day.
3 Top Daily Planner Apps to Consider
Here’s our top picks of the best daily planner apps available:
1. Forzeit
First up on the list is Forzeit. Now, I have to warn you that there is some bias involved since we created the application. That being said, we love what we have created and truly believe it is an excellent option to consider.
Forzeit is a weekly planner that evolves around simplicity and efficiency. It employs an easy-to-use template system where users can quickly create their ideal week in a matter of minutes. This system is designed to be a quick process to eliminate the need for constantly creating the same tasks over and over every week, making it easy for users to set their weekly priorities.
It also includes other features like goal tracking, to-do lists, calendar integration and scheduling recurring tasks. Users can group similar tasks together through the help of emojis — essentially a category system. Doing so allows you to view specific tasks from that group, making it easy for you to focus on your most essential priorities.
Forzeit also has artificial intelligence features that help you stay on top of your goals. Ava — the AI system — provides you with valuable reports that allow you to see what areas in your week you can improve upon.
Think of it like having a personal assistant that keeps track of your tasks but also gives you insights into your productivity habits. It’s especially great if you’re looking for ways to tweak your schedule without manually analyzing everything yourself.
Key features:
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- Weekly template creation
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- Goal tracking and to-do list
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- Recurring task scheduling and calendar integration
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- AI feedback reports
2. Todoist
Next up is Todoist. Todist is a powerful task management tool that has been around for a long time (created in 2007). It expertly handles whatever you throw at it and is great for setting tasks both in a personal and professional setting.
With this planner app, you can effortlessly plan out your day, set deadlines as well as reminders and organise everything neatly with labels. It also provides you with the ability to perform time blocking thanks to the calendar view. Here you can keep track of everything you still need to do and any upcoming events or priorities for the month.
Todist also allows you to set a priority level for your tasks based on severity. Thanks to this nifty feature, you can easily identify the most important task and prioritise accordingly. If you are looking for a good daily planner tool, Todoist is a great option.
Key features:
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- Task tracking and time blocking
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- Ability to create projects and keep track of goals
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- Priority levels and labels
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- Integrates with a variety of tools
3. Any.do
Any.do is an easy-to-use daily planner that makes it a simplistic process to keep track of your tasks. While the planner first got its start on mobile, it quickly established itself in the industry and now also has a desktop version available.
This planner app has all the features you would expect such as task tracking, reminders, calendar integration, to-do lists and many others. One standout perk that this planner app offers is its grocery list. This allows users to quickly add shopping list items and plan out their meals for the day, making it a quick and convenient way to stay on top of grocery products.
While Any.do was initially focused more on personal use, this has changed with several major updates and now works great for both personal and professional use. This planner also makes it easy to collaborate on projects together. This is due to the chat functionality the app offers. If you are looking for the best daily planner app, Any.do is a strong contender.
Key features:
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- Grocery list
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- Chat functionality for collaborating
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- Daily planning reminder
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- Smart task suggestions based on previous tasks
What Works The Best For You
At the end of the day, the best daily planner app is the one that aligns with your unique lifestyle and habits. What works for one person might not work for someone else, and that’s perfectly fine. The key is to identify the features that matter most to you — whether it’s AI insights, weekly templates, task management or calendar integration — and find an app that delivers on those needs.
Remember, staying organized isn’t about using the most popular app, but about finding a tool that helps you stay consistent and productive in your daily life. So take your time exploring the options and choose a planner app that feels like the right fit for your routine. Once you’ve found it, you’ll be surprised by how much smoother your days can run!