The new year is fast approaching, and it's time to start thinking about what we want to achieve in the next 12 months, personally or professionally. If you need help figuring out where to start, these are some of the best planners and journals for busy women for 2023.

But first, a planner is a great way to keep track of your goals and progress throughout the year and monitor your daily schedule. It's a perfect tool for someone who needs help sticking with their resolutions or plans. There are multiple types of planners out there, so it's essential to find one that suits your needs. A journal, on the other hand, is usually the best place to go when you want to know what someone is thinking or feeling. It can be used as a therapeutic tool to help people struggling with mental health problems and overwhelming emotions, or it can be used as an outlet for people who have experienced trauma and need to work through their feelings. Journals also provide a way for people to process their thoughts and feelings after a challenging experience.

Here are our top planner and journal picks for this new year.

Designed by business coach, entrepreneur, and author Jennifer Dawn, the Best Planner Ever Daily Planner in the 12 month-package, is for the high-achieving female who wants better work and life balance, to be organized, and to accomplish more daily. The planner helps you set your priorities, plan your week, and review goals with a weekly calendar. This planner is available in Teal, Charcoal, Yellow, Coral, Beach, Floral, Lilac, Tulips, or a Stencil cover. Available for $54.99.

The Stress-Busting Guide: How to Enhance Your Mood and Shift Your Mindset by Angela Ficken LICSW — Mental health is a big concern today. Stress can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses. The best way to combat those feelings is with a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, socializing, planning, and journaling. This digital planner/journal offers ways to live a healthy life by calming the mind and boosting moods. Available for $9.99.

Get access to trackers for habits, moods, meals, journaling prompts, and evidence-based exercises. These trackers can help people understand their routines better and make changes where necessary. The Silk and Sonder’s monthly ($24.95 a month), quarterly $19.99 a month), or annual ($15.75 a month) planner subscription is an excellent addition for those who want both an app and a paper journal/planner.

Created by Emily Ley, The Daily Simplified Planner is designed for busy women who want to stay organized without getting overwhelmed. Compared to traditional planners, the Daily Simplified Planner is broken down into chunks of time, making it manageable to track daily tasks. Features gold-wire binding, an interior pocket/folder, and heavy card stock. When you purchase a planner, you will receive access to the Simplified Coaching Video Library accessible via the EmilyLey.com login. Available for $64.00.

The Passion Planner, in the Weekly 2023 Planner Hardcover Rabbit Moonlight Rose Gold, beginning on Sunday or Monday, will help you get organized. This planner will help you maximize productivity and enhance your organization this new year. This company also supports the mission of Malala Yousafzai and her organization Malala Fund. The Malala Fund is a non-profit organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. This organization advocates for resources such as funding, education, and awareness in the development of girls worldwide. The mission is to educate and empower girls to pursue 12 years of schooling. Available for $33.14.

The MomAgenda 2023 Monthly and Weekly Engagement Calendar is a new take on what planners can offer, with a dynamic and inviting design that doesn't sacrifice function. With the ability to create your daily layout or use one of MomAgenda's pre-designed layouts, this planner is perfect for moms who need everything in one place. Cover options include French Rose, Blush Zebra, Azure Zebra, Bluestone, or Charcoal Leopard. Available for $44.00 with various upgrade options.

The Bullet Journal is a planner used to organize daily tasks and events. It can be as simple or complex as the user wants it to be. Bullet journals are not a new concept. They have been around for decades, but they have become more popular in the past few years because of how easy they are to use and how they can help people with any type of schedule or lifestyle. A bullet journal can be used by anyone who wants to keep track of their tasks, appointments, goals, and other things that need to get done on a day-to-day basis. One such favorite is Bullet Dotted Journal by String and Space. Its simple and minimalist design will help you stay focused and organized this new year. Available for $19.95.

Lilly Pulitzer Planners are available in three sizes: mini planner, medium planner, and large planner. The mini and medium planners are available in horizontal or vertical designs. The large planner comes only in a horizontal format. All of these planners are offered as hardbound or spiral-bound options. The planners come with monthly and weekly layouts on each page and space to write notes on each day’s events and to-do lists at the bottom of each week’s layout. There are also several pages at the end of each month for notes about birthdays or other important dates that must be remembered throughout the year. The Lilly Pulitzer Planner is affordable for those who want to keep track of their lives.

These planners feature a monthly and weekly layout with plenty of white space. The pages have a creative design with plenty of room to write notes. There are customizable stickers, and the pages are thick enough that you won't be able to see through them from behind. Available at a variety of prices from $25.00 to $36.00.

The Erin Condren Metallic New Year Lifeplanner is a planner that helps you plan your life. It features weekly, monthly, or yearly planning, productivity pages, stickers, and more. Coiled by hand with a strong cover that is also wet-erase and 80-pound text-weight paper, this planner is designed to keep you organized. Cover options include Gold, Platinum, Rose Gold, and Iridescent. Available for $48.00.

The 5 Minute Journal - 5 Minute Journal a Day, Daily Gratitude Journal for More Happiness, Mindfulness, Productivity & Reflection is designed to help people focus on their mental and physical health. It is a simple journaling app that asks you to answer five questions each day. The questions are:
1) What are you grateful for today?
2) What was the best moment of your day?
3) What was the worst moment of your day?
4) How could you have made today better?
5) What does your ideal day look like?

You can also set reminders for yourself, which will pop up at the designated time. The reminders include drinking water, meditating, or doing some stretches. Available for $12.39.

The Happy Planner is a planner with a monthly and weekly layout. It's designed to help people take control of their lives and simplify the planning process. Various colors, layouts, and accessories are available.

Let That Sh*t Go: A Journal for Leaving Your Bullsh*t Behind and Creating a Happy Life is for any woman who needs a little boost and humor. This journal allows readers to explore their deepest thoughts and emotions, work through their problems, find healing and let go of the past. Additionally, this journal is designed to help you find peace and happiness in your daily life. Available for $8.99.

Present, Not Perfect: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Loving Who You Are is for the busy woman who would like to learn how to slow down a bit and enjoy life’s smaller moments. This journal has prompts and space to write on each page that can help you find peace in the present moment. The journal includes a guide for setting intentions at the beginning of each week. It also serves as a place to hold thoughts and memories. Available for $10.29.

Self-Love Workbook for Women: Release Self-Doubt, Build Self-Compassion, and Embrace Who You Are is for the woman who needs help to embrace who she is. If this sounds like you, this journal helps you release self-doubt, build self-compassion, and embrace who you are. The workbook includes prompts, journaling exercises, and different creative activities that help you learn to love yourself. Available on Kindle for free, audio for free, or paperback for $9.59.

Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson and Daniel J. Siegel is focused on the neuroscience of mindfulness and its applications in everyday life. This guidebook provides scientific explanations of mindfulness practices rooted in the science of the brain, helping you understand how to make lasting changes in your life. This book is also filled with exercises that can be used to apply mindfulness techniques in daily life. Available for $10.99.

Ponderlily® Weekly Planner 2023, Midnight Blue’s the perfect gift for those who need a little help with organization and productivity. The dark blue cover is the ideal balance to the gold foil lettering creating a polished and professional look. This planner also features bright, captivating colors and a range of helpful features that will make any day just a little bit easier. This planner is a time management and goal-setting system for anyone who wants to have more control over their life. It includes features making it the perfect way to mark your goals, set your intentions, and be productive. Available with a Monday start for $49.00.

Many different planners and journals are available on the market, but some may work better than others, depending on your needs. If you're looking for a planner or journal that helps with productivity, organization, and goal-setting, then a paper planner/journal may be more up your alley. If you need something digital and can use it on your phone or computer, then a digital planner/journal may be better suited for your lifestyle.