Top Planners for 2024

So let's get to it. Once again I'll remind you that the order of planners in this Top is of no significance. My goal is to gather as many planners as possible that have been created or localised in Latvia and are available for purchase.

1. Oh My Days planner

This planner's continued publication has been taken on by Joanna Kristīne Golubeva, who invited me this past May to be one of the quote authors. And since I enjoy talking and writing (as they say, there's always something to say), I gladly agreed. The planner author's idea, to quote: "Amazing and wise women from various corners of Latvia could write an inspirational text for other people. [...] The text with your name, surname, occupation, IG or website will also appear in the planner, as well as a marked point on the map of Latvia showing where you're from."

Joanna is the Oh My Days owner, a professional training coach, and creator of the "Cockroaches" cards and more. By the way, on 28 November we have planned an online Instagram chat (I'll whisper - it'll be my first time doing an Insta LIVE).

The result is an A5 format planner in hard soft-touch covers, 3 cover colours - midnight plum, eastern apricot, elegant black. Let's say it's a ladies' collaborative creation (quotes, photographs), ably curated by Joanna.

Fairly slim and light (I have personally assessed this), monthly and weekly spread, grid and line design, unique with 12 photographs for each month and 12 original quotes from powerful women in Latvia, filled with useful information throughout the year - name days, tyre change dates (I genuinely like this - modern women are behind the wheel), school holidays, full moons, public holidays and transferred working days.

@ohmydaysplanotajs - price €30

2. ZIB* planner

My favourite for the past two years (2022, 2023) because of its colourfulness. I've never quite understood why Latvians shy away from colour (I mean vivid, saturated colours and colour combinations). So this was unambiguously my salvation, protest or whatever you want to call it - together with these ladies. And this year is no exception:

Two types - vivid flowers and dark violet; elastic closure, vibrant design, pocket on the back cover (these last three things are great features). As a user I can confirm that the colouring drawings are a great addition. Ah, how they help in boring meetings :)

@ZIBstore - planner price €25

3. Manilla planner

Another of my favourites, but from somewhat long ago now. In my view (again purely subjectively), Manilla's hallmark has always been calligraphy and its lightness across all paper products, including the planner. Previously it was more flowery (housing forests, tropics, birds and various exotic creatures); this year, let's say, in a very eco style. I don't know - a kind of planner-creation fatigue?

Four cover designs - flow, bloom, serenity, grow. Elastic closure, 2 bookmarks, nicely rounded cover corners.

@Manillalv - price €24.50

4. Dream Light Planner

I like the brand's mission: "Every product of ours is produced in Latvia. Our goal is to inspire women to fulfil their dreams and plan their everyday life peacefully, avoiding stress and overload." Peacefully - that might be precisely the word to describe this planner's visual identity as well.

Four cover designs - powder pink "In gratitude for every day", burgundy "Rejoice in every day", cream "Rejoice in every day" and elegant black with gold metal corner pieces. Remarkably good price, unchanged since 2020. Hats off for that, given the general cost-of-living increases we've seen.

@dreamlightplanner - planner price €17

5. Cloudberry planner

It looks like they've moved into the premium segment and are also targeting buyers outside Latvia - which isn't bad at all. Chunky, puffy faux leather covers in five colours, in English. The planner as an accessory.

@cloudberrypapery - planner price €89

6. My Time Manager planner

I enjoy watching things grow and develop, and this planner has maintained its style and evolved into an interesting concept - which makes me very happy. Two discrete tones - black and beige; hard covers; includes 12 women's archetypes (that's interesting); plenty of space for self-reflection and... time for yourself. Very feminine - why not ;)

@mytimemanager - planner price €23

7. ISSP planner

Now in late November reviewing the offering of planners created in Latvia, I noted that several publishers this year are not planning to publish anything - that's a little sad, because every interesting planner has its place under the sun and its own customer, regardless of the many different digital planners we use daily. It's like with postal greeting cards - the tradition of sending them has dwindled to a minimum, but someone still does it, gifting a tangible affection.

In my view, the ISSP planner is similar - it is a ritual, a tradition, year after year, unchanging, as they say, in the same place at the same time. Not for nothing is this year's planner called "Ritual". "Ritual - a correct or proven performance, a custom, a universal law or order regulating the structure of cosmic and worldly events."

As always supplemented with photographs (34 pieces), design by Artis Briedis, rabit!!, in English, very light, slim, handy, nothing superfluous. Space for notes and photographs. Mini photo gallery.

@issp.lv - planner price €24

8. GIUT Breidi planner

A newcomer to the iinuu Top, though it came to my attention at the end of last year. The only planner in the Latgalian language. Very good design (beaming pride about the region I come from), restrained black-and-white tones, pages with Latgalian poetry, monochromatic photographs capturing a feeling, a moment, the truthfulness of Latgale.

Two types - "Kuojis gaisā" (Legs in the Air) and "Tycu" (I Believe). Hard covers with scratch-free coating and gold foil embossing on the cover, many shades of grey inner pages, 208 pages total, 2 bookmarks. Concept author - Līga Springa, graphic design - Liāna Merņaka-Ņikitina, photographer - Amanda Anusāne, text editor - Muora Mortuzāne-Muravska and the Latgalian cultural news portal lakuga.lv

@giut.breidi - planner price €25.90

9. Dienradis (Day Book)

Also a newcomer - the planner's publisher is the Latvian National Cultural Centre. The planner includes photographs from the Song and Dance Festival Latvian folk costume review "Mēnesnīcā", as well as costume descriptions. The planner will provide an opportunity to return to the atmosphere of the recent Song and Dance Festival throughout the whole of 2024. It truly looks not only beautifully designed but like a proper book with rich informational material.

Completely sold out - judging by posts in the Facebook feed, within two weeks; the pre-sale price was a symbolic €7. Alas, a shame there's no additional print run.

10. RUUNA planner

Since I missed one year of the planner Top (I was lazy last year), this year there will be quite a few newcomers. And that is good. Here is another newcomer - a planner in rowan-berry red (so Latvian and simultaneously saturated) - the first I noticed. Actually this planner has four cover colours - BLACK, OLIVE, ROWAN and PINE.

No other distinguishing feature found other than - a habit trainer, where you diligently mark and track the actions you have committed to performing. It looks like the planner is aimed at both genders - gentlemen and ladies alike.

@ruunadesign - planner price €27.45

11. Mans plānotājs (My Planner)

So simply, without any pomposity: Dream. Plan. Do. Two types - minimalist and classic. Faux crocodile leather planner covers (6 colours) with 6 small pockets for storing various types of cards and other small items, as well as 2 large pockets for storing larger paper items. Pen holder and a magnetic closing mechanism. The ring-mechanism planner covers are designed to last for years, with only the inner pages needing replacing.

@mansplanotajs - planner price €27

12. Family planner

I've noticed that this year several ladies have, on their own initiative, published their own planners, sharing simple things useful throughout the year (I found Elīna Andersone's planner, Liene Strode's "Joyful Planner" and possibly others). For example, Iveta Simsone has published a planner whose pages contain many delicious recipes from her own home kitchen with complementary photographs, astrologer/tarot reader recommendations, candle colour meanings, artworks created by the author in her eldest daughter's execution, etc.

Very family-oriented and varied in content. Planner in fabric covers (2 types - black and golden), fairly thick, plenty of space for inspiration notes.

@sims2u - planner price €32

13. Planner for creative souls at heart

This one genuinely spoke to me - I must be creative enough at heart :)) Firstly, of course, because of its vivid colours. Secondly, because of the engaging concept pitch: "366 beautiful and colourful days of life full of inspiration and creative challenges for women of all ages and professions. [...] Whether you are a lawyer, a music teacher, a project manager or a photographer, this planner is exactly for you, so that every day is filled with multicoloured joy and a creative life."

Created by two creative ladies - artist Amalija Andersone and author and designer Anna Kande. An additional bonus: each illustration can be cut out, framed and displayed as a beautiful painting on the wall of your living room, bedroom, office or studio, so that inspiration and colours delight every day. A planner - mini painting gallery.

@annakande - planner price €24.99

Updated 23.12.2023.

14. Joyful Planner

The planner's creators are two ladies - Maira and Liene. As they themselves have defined the target audience: "Created for successful women, mothers." Two cover colours: "Green Peace" and "Beige Berry". Colourful inner pages and images. Time markers, name days, moon phases. Two bookmarks. Space for goals and to-dos. Blank pages for notes. An envelope at the back. As a gift: stickers with quotes.

@priekpilnaspapirlietas - planner price: €25

15. A Joy-Filled Year

The name is very similar to the previous one. The planner was created (I quote) "in love with simplicity and black and white." The most ascetic planner I've ever come across. Two cover designs - black and white, naturally. Hard binding, 2 black separator ribbons, space for notes, simple and spacious weekly spreads, hand-drawn illustrations on monthly spreads.

@darzinsmazs - planner price: €12

The IINUU planner Top has been compiled since 2015 and keeps getting more colourful, thanks to the creative planner makers right here in Latvia. I would be grateful for feedback in the comments section just below this article: Is this kind of planner overview useful to you? How, in your view, could it be done better (what is currently superfluous, or what information is missing)? Is there a planner created in Latvia that I haven't mentioned here?