This or That? Dated Planner vs Undated Planner
If you’re wondering whether you should produce a DATED planner or an UNDATED planner, the first question you need to ask yourself is, Who is my planner for? and that should be followed by What is my Planner Philosophy? The answer to those two questions will lead you to the perfect planner type to create. Once you understand your customer base and how your planning philosophy can help them, it’s a no-brainer.
Need help answering those all-important questions? I’ve got you covered in two previous blog posts titled How to Develop Your Unique Planning Philosophy and 30+ Ideas to Personalize Your Planning Philosophy.
Dated planners have dates, and undated planners don’t. End of story, right?
NOPE. I mean, you’re correct in that one includes dates and one doesn’t, but there is absolutely more to the story.
Let’s dive in!
THE BASICS
DATED planners typically come in two formats:
Full calendar year — January through December
Academic year — July through June
Dated planners are the complete package. You can dive right into them and begin organizing all aspects of your life–classes, appointments, workouts, meals, school drop-offs . . . you name it!
Who are dated planners for?
Dated planners have a very wide customer base. I’d say they’re the most preferred type of planner out there. Most people looking for a planner are looking for one that includes all dates and holidays—it’s more grab and go . . . or should I say grab and plan.
UNDATED planners do not include any dates, but do include space for you to fill in the year, months, and days of the week on your own.
The benefit of an undated planner is the freedom of being able to begin using it at any time during the year–and you can start and stop more than once, depending on what you need to organize or plan, and when you need to do so.
Who are undated planners for?
Undated planners are for people who want flexibility. Perhaps they only want to use a planner to help implement a new routine, and after 90 days, they’re done. They’re free to pick up the planner again in the future without wasting pages that went unused for the dates during which they took a break.
HOW DOES THIS TIE INTO YOUR PLANNING PHILOSOPHY?
Let’s say you want to start a planner business that helps college students organize their busy lives . . .
I suggest creating a DATED planner, and you may wish to offer both versions: full calendar year and academic. With the dates already in place, students can dive right in and start adding deadlines and tasks. Providing them with an undated planner could seem daunting—they’d have to add dates and holidays before adding in their personal schedules . . . it’s best not to overload their already maxed out to-do lists!
Once you’ve established a market for your dated planners and built your customer base, you could consider adding an UNdated planner to your product line. . . . calling all procrastiplanners!
Now, you’ll need to be strategic about when you launch your dated planners and when you launch your undated planners. You don’t want one product to steal revenue from another, so I suggest launching them at different times. Dated planners have a shelf life, launch those babies first! When your dated planners sell out, or become, well, dated (pun intended) you can offer your undated planners as an alternative.
Let’s say you’re a coach (life, career, etc.) or maybe a counselor . . .
You begin working with clients throughout the year and have developed a program for them to follow that may include guided exercises or journaling, etc. You’d like to create a planner that will help your clients follow the program.
In this instance, an UNDATED planner would be your best bet. Though it won’t include dates, your planner can still include the necessary prompts that will allow your client to follow your program, and they can start and stop more than once, depending on how long the program lasts.
If your undated planner is successful, you can consider adding a dated planner to your product line, one that also includes prompts to follow your program, or other inspiration or motivational tools that align with your coaching philosophy. As I mentioned above, you will want to be strategic when it comes to launching your new product so that the two products don’t compete with each other, but instead, complement each other.
So, which planner is right for you: dated or undated?
The answer greatly depends on . . . say it with me . . .
Who is your planner for? and What is your planning philosophy?
And when the time comes to consider expanding your product line, Will your product support and further strengthen your mission and philosophy?
Nail down the answers to those questions and the rest will follow, my friends.
Have you been feeling inspired and ready to kick off the design process for your own custom planner?
I created a guide featuring 5 things your day planner MUST include . . . and it’s available now at the link below.