M I S S M E L I A A: Planning & Medical School: Erin Condren vs. Emily Ley

I've used the same style BlueSky planner for the last- ohhh 7 years? Since high school. I loved how the covers were sturdy, the size was small, and the weekly layouts were great. I never saw the point in spending a ton on a planner (even though I'm a planning-obsessive), but through out last semester, I noticed that my planner was way too small and I had a ton of sticky notes and lists on the side to accommodate. I figured I'd try a fancier planner that could accommodate my busy schedule, and see what the hype is all about.

And so I purchased the Emily Ley Academic Simplified Planner, and the Erin Condren Life planner. Ultimately I decided to go with the Emily Ley planner because the ECLP just didn't work for my lifestyle. Being a medical student, I need more structure in my day than just a few open boxes, and I love that the Simplified Planner's layout includes time slots that go all day, as well as a box for notes, dinner, and a to-do list. The layout is simple, with lots of white space, and generally lowers my anxiety when I look at it (haha). Also, the academic part really helps, since the planner matches the school schedules.

Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE the Erin Condren as well. I love that there's so much space to decorate, personalize, and my favorite part-the coil; it seems indestructible. I even went ahead and decorated a couple of spreads, but having to be honest with myself, I won't have the time to heavily decorate once classes start. In general, the ECLP looks much busier, with lots of bright colors, quotes, and a lot going on. School has been jam packed and stressful enough that I need my planner to be very straight-forward. I do think I'll go back to the life planner though, maybe once basic sciences are over and I have more control over what I do with my hours. If the Simplified Planner had a water proof cover, a stronger coil, and thicker pages, it would be the absolute PERFECT planner.

I even thought about possibly using both planners together, the Erin Condren for general life things, and the Emily Ley for school- but why complicate things right? I can still decorate the Simplified Planner, and I fully plan on doing so.

Erin Condren Life Planner (left)