It’s a (paper) planner-packed episode today!
Included topics:
- Planner buying season – mindset + shopping tips! AND, a YT video showing my 2027 planners is up!
- Upcoming planning experiences, including Planning 2027 (registration opens 10/1, with details in the newsletter). Special bonus this year – registration now also includes the brand new Nested Goals workbook (pdf).
- Reviews of two fantastic Tomoe River Paper options:
1- Aura Estelle Magnet Planner (A5 vertical weekly / $54.95 preorder) – photos from the Aura Estelle site
2- Faded Chronicle (A5 Collective / $59) – Photos from the Faded Chronicle site
If you’d like to be entered for a chance to win one of these, leave a comment below and include which one you would select. I’ll draw a winner 9/30!
82 Comments
These reviews were pretty useful, thank you. I would prefer the Chronicle.
I’d love the magnet planner. Thank you!
On the hunt for a new planner after my beloved Amplify went out of business. 🥲 Thanks for these reviews and the pod!
Hi Sarah! I’m a huge fan of your work, writing to you from São Paulo, Brazil! 🇧🇷
I’m currently reading Best Laid Plans and it has been such a lovely and inspiring read. I’m also building my own career around productivity and organisation, with a special focus on helping mums make things happen without losing themselves in the process.
So, receiving this planner from you would honestly mean so much to me. I know I would put it to very good use, and it would be extra special to have something from someone who has inspired me so much in this area.
Thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge and experience. And thank you for giving someone from your community the chance to receive it! ❤️
Carolina Ojeda
I’m in the market for a new planner and have been stuck. I think the chronicle is exactly what I’ve been looking for!
I would love the magnet planner. Thank you!
Hi Sarah! Thanks for sharing these reviews. I’ve been wanting to try out both but I would prefer the faded chronicle. I’m intrigued by the dual weekly layout. Thanks for the chance to win!
Thank you for these reviews! I’ve been looking at both of these planners actually. This year I’m using the Hobonichi Cousin this year and I’m not really suing the daily pages, so I’m looking for something else.
I’m interested in the Aura Estelle. 😊
I’m enjoying this episode (listening on my way to work but have stopped off at Starbucks) and I’m looking forward to watching the video. I like seeing all the planner options, but I’ve been really happy with my Clever Fox so I think I’m going to go with the same thing for next year!
Great episode Thanks for all you do! I would be interested in either !
Yayyy planner season is here! I would love to enter & if I’m lucky, I would love the chronicle
Hi Sarah! The Magnet planner is my favorite of the two. I love to create my own covers from fabric.
Love the vertical layout planner
Woohoo! I’d love the magnet planner!
Ooh toss my hat in the ring for the Faded Chronicle. I’d use the horizontal for work and the vertical for family/life.
Hi Sarah- Love your Podcast! I would be happy with either planner. I swear you must’ve heard my thoughts this morning. I’m trying to decide on my planner or planners for next year. Either of these Aura Estelles sound like something that might work for me.
Great episode! I would love to enter into the drawing for the Aura Estelle Magnet.
I would like to be entered for the chronicle. Long time bullet journalist, I tried a daily this year and found out I much prefer weekly spreads.
Would love to get into the planner game; the muted chronicle is gorgeous!
Thank you for the planner review, Sarah! It’s exciting to get to know new brands in the planner space. The Aura Estelle Magnet Planner looks beautiful.
I’ve been intrigued by the Aura Estelle planners! Enjoyed your podcast, as always!
Longtime reader, love your work. And I would love the Magnet planner! Greetings from Germany
Ah both vertical and horizontal! The faded chronicle sounds so interesting!
Aloha! The Magnet Planner’s weekly looks a lot like the Hobonichi weekly spread, no? I’d be curious to try out the Faded Chronicle! It’s just so different from what I’m used to (Wonderland 222 for many years, and now trying the Hobonichi Cousin Avec for the last 6 mo of 2026).
As always – love your content!
I’ve been curious about both the Aura Estelle Magnet Planner and Faded Chronicle. Thank you for sharing all the info! 🤩
I would love to try an AE. I was so tempted to purchase it at Stationery Fest but could not justify it. So it would be fun. Though I’d gladly try the other as well if I am second to pick. ◡̈
I actually did use Claude to get to where I am right now with my planner. Aside from a minor detour to Studio Neat’s Keepbook, I have been a Leuchtturm 1917 guy for…a decade? Moleskine before that. Generally some form of Bullet Journal.
However, I’ve been timeblocking (regularly) now in my notebook (I’ve done it before, always on an auxiliary throwaway sheet), and the 1917 won’t cut it for a full year – I grabbed a Stalogy (standard) in August to finish off the year on Claude’s suggestion, as their 365 would cover me for all of 2027. It’s currently my front-runner. Hobonichi and the like are too opinionated for me.
I’m digging into the four brands you mentioned here, though, as my ideal planner would be Tomoe River on a dot grid with the page count like the Stalogy 365. That Faded Chronicle could possibly work, though I think the Sterling Ink Complete *may* win out. And even over the Stalogy, as it is the closest to my system with enough flexibility to make it my own (vs. changing my system to meet the planner). Thanks for introducing these other small brands that Claude did not find. 🙂
I would love to try the Aura Estelle planner!
I am so intrigued by the Faded Chronicle! I am someone who goes back-and-forth between vertical and horizontal weekly preference, so having both as an option might bring me planner peace! Thank you so much for always bringing new options to the table and sharing them with us. I hope you enjoy your trip!
Love these reviews. Would love to try the faded chronicle, the layout seems interesting.
Hi Sarah, this is just so cool with which energy you talk about everything. A nice positivity delivery in the end of the working day. I now plan the day on the separate papers because i tend to build a lot of mess during planning with adding stuff/moving over and then i dont really want to see this anymore but now thinking of trying to commit for the whole year🙈
I would love the aura😊
I wish planner paper shopping went with pen shopping. I would like to write on the paper before purchasing!
oohh! I love both but I think I would prefer the Aura Estelle Magnet!
Both planners look beautiful and functional! I would love to try the Faded Chronicle! The layout looks awesome (I am someone who likes to see multiple views in my planner at once) and I love that it has a soft cover and is not coil bound!
I looked at this Faded Chronicle – I actually love the dual layouts – allowing me to track meals and workouts on the horizontal view and my time blocked schedule in the vertical view. I was hesitant about the paper – I’ve never used tomoe river paper, but love that the thin paper allows so many pages in one book!
That said, the Aura Estelle looks nice too. I like both, but would prefer the Faded Chronicle.
Thanks for highlighting these!
Faded Chronicle looks lovely! Love your reviews of planners! Thanks.
The Aura Estelle is exactly what I’m looking for!
Thanks for an amazing podcast! I’m interested in the Aura Estelle!!
I like both, but I prefer the faded one
I love listening to your podcast and loving the Aura Estelle planner! Those weekly views! 🙂
The Aura Estelle looks like an even more functional version of the hemlock and oak! I haven’t gotten this excited about a new planner in a while—been an H&O girlie for five years now?! The tip ins they sell look especially compelling 👀
The Aura Estelle looks really interesting!
I’d love the Aura Estelle! And I hope you had a lovely rest of your Cape trip with friends and got out of Boston today without any delays!
Hi Sarah, I would love to try to Aura Estelle. Thank you for everything you do!
Hello. I like the AE Magnet
I loved this episode! I like the Chronicle because it fits my jobs the best right now. 🤞
Canadian listener and fan! I have your book in my Audible wish list and can’t wait to listen to it. I would love to have the opportunity to try the Faded Chronicle planner. It intrigues me! Thank you for all that you do!
I would definitely pick the first one. I love that vertical layout.
I’ve been using the Hobonichi Cousin Avec for a few years, but I’d be excited to try the Aura Estelle!
Hi Sarah – I think I have to choose one book. I’d love to have the Aura Estelle – thanks so much for the possibility of winning it!!!
i love the magnet planner
The Aura Estelle looks amazing!
I’d love the Aura Estelle!
Oh, love planner season! The chronicle looks really interesting.
Both planners look amazing. Thanks so much for sharing these as possibilities!!
Thanks for reviewing these planners! I love some extra space so the Aura Estelle Magnet would be an amazing addition to my stack 🙂
Hi Sarah! I love your podcast and these reviews. I’d love the Aura Estelle Weekly Vertical Magnet Planner for my 2027 planner.
Love your podcast, Sarah! Both planners seem super interesting for totally different reasons, but I would choose the Aura Estelle Magnet Planner. Can’t wait to signup for your next course!
I love that faded chronicle planner!
Great episode! Thanks for sharing both planners. I love the faded chronicle planner–fun addition to the stack!
Hi!! I would love EITHER!! It would be a huge upgrade from what I currently use 🤣😅
The Chronicle Planner looks like a very creative layout, would love to try it!
I’d love to win the Aura Estelle Magnet Planner. Enjoyed your reviews on your podcast!
I would love the Aura Estelle Magnet Planner
The magnet planner is amazing
Wowww! Everyone wants a planner 🙂 As you know, I’m a big Franklin Planner gal, but I also think it’s important to try something new every so often. A new planner forces you to focus on your process, rather than the product. Either of these planners would be fun to try out. Please add me to the drawing!
Hi Sarah, thanks for introducing us to new planners! I’d love to try the Aura Estelle.
Such beautiful planners! Thanks for doing such thorough reviews. Love your podcast and book!
I appreciate your planner reviews, Sarah! I have been a Hobonichi cousin user for the last three years, after hearing you rave about yours. I love the Tomoe River paper but the daily pages aren’t working for me as well as they used to, so I think I need a different approach that is more weekly-oriented.
Would love to try the Aura Estelle!
Sara! I love your podcast and the videos are going great! I love to see them. I’m like you- an early riser who loves a vertical format!
I’d really like to try that Aura Estelle layout!
I love these planner review segments!
Both of these seem like excellent options. Still narrowing down my stack for 2027!
In the market for a 2027 planner so would love to try something new!
I’m really enjoying these reviews!
I’ve had the Faded Chronicle one on my list so I have a spread for my work schedule and a second one for kids schedule since I don’t always need to attend, but want to be aware of where they are. (practices, work, friend plans, etc)
I would love the Chronicle planner. Really enjoy your podcast!
I really enjoyed this episode.
I loved seeing this new to me faded chronicle planner! I would love a chance to win it!
Wow! This was a life changing episode! I realized what I want from my planner is for it to be a log book/process/journal meets to-do list that wasn’t exactly a bullet journal.
I checked out the Faded Chronicle planner mainly because I was intrigued when you described the unconventional multiple ways the weeks were repeated. I didn’t expect to fall in love with it! I would be delighted to win a Faded Chronicle and use it to experiment with my new system.
Thanks for a killer episode!
Hi, great reviews! I’d love to be entered for the Aura Estelle.
I would love to try the Aura Estelle