Life can be hectic when you’re a nurse. Keeping up with your job and hobbies and social life can seem impossible. That’s why a nurse planner is so helpful. A nursing planner will let you organize your job and your life outside of work.
Our top pick for the best nurse planner is the Erin Condren Life Planner. While it isn’t specifically designed for nurses, it has all the organizational tools you’d want in a registered nurse planner. It also has bleed-free paper and two size options.
LifePlanner | Custom Planner | Erin Condren
Beautiful and customizable, this life planner can be tailored to your exact needs!
- Yearly, monthly, and weekly plans
- 2 size options, 2 calendar options, and 4 weekly layout options
- Personalized cover with your choice of coil color
- Lots of space to take notes
- Not built specifically for nurses
Still in nursing school? Consider our very own Nursing School Planner.
The 7 Best Nurse Planners for Organization & Time Management
Erin Condren Life Planner
The Erin Condren planner is one of the most customizable options on the market. You have multiple different cover options that can be personalized, along with your choice of binding color. There are two available sizes, lengths of time, and weekly layout options. You can make plans on both a monthly and weekly basis, taking copious notes as you do.
Specs
- Size: A5 or 7”x9”
- Length: 12 or 18 months
- Dated or Undated: Dated
- Features: Super customizable, personalized cover, notes sheets, weekly overviews
LifePlanner | Custom Planner | Erin Condren
Beautiful and customizable, this life planner can be tailored to your exact needs!
- Yearly, monthly, and weekly plans
- 2 size options, 2 calendar options, and 4 weekly layout options
- Personalized cover with your choice of coil color
- Lots of space to take notes
- Not built specifically for nurses
The Template Palace Printable Nurse Planner
This printable planner is instantly available to be downloaded after your purchase. It comes with 80 pages that help you to organize your daily, weekly, and monthly schedules.
Three sizes are available to print. There are academic and course pages as well, making this ideal for nursing students or for those still studying for the NCLEX. If you’re still in school, you can see our full list of the best nursing school planners.
Specs
- Size: A4, A5, and letter
- Length: 1 year
- Dated or Undated: Undated
- Features: Digital printable PDF, self-care sheets, academic trackers, weekly planners
Nurse Planner Nurse Notebook Nursing Student Planner | Etsy
Built with nurses in mind, this planner is a great choice for those seeking a digital download!
- Academic trackers for nursing students
- Daily, weekly, and monthly planning and tracking
- Multiple notes pages and organizational tools
- Available in 3 different sizes to print
- Must be printed; not intended for digital use
Blue Sky Academic Planner
While this is an academic planner, it is an ideal choice for nursing students. It covers the academic year from July 2023 to June 2024. The weekly and monthly views both have tons of space for taking notes. You can keep track of your schedule, reminders, appointments, social plans, and to-do lists.
Specs
- Size: 5”x8”
- Length: 2023-2024 academic year
- Dated or Undated: Dated
- Features: Academic planning, extra monthly pages, scheduling, detailed notes
Blue Sky 2023-2024 Academic Year Weekly and Monthly Planner
A great choice for nursing students, this academic planner helps you stay organized during hectic times!
- 2023-2024 academic year
- Detailed weekly and monthly planning
- Yearly planning section comes with contacts and reference pages
- Organizational tabs and color coding system included
- Academic style might not appeal to non-students
Medical Scrubs Nurse Planner
The Medical Scrubs planner can be personalized with your name, choice of spiral color, and choice of size. You also have the option to choose hard or soft cover. Each weekly and monthly spread has a notes section at the bottom. Also included are sticker pages that you can use for colorful reminders and further customization.
Specs
- Size: 5.5”x8.5” or 8.5”x11”
- Length: One year
- Dated or Undated: Undated
- Features: Monthly and weekly pages, personalized cover, notes section, sticker pages
Medical Scrubs Nurse Doctor Pink Planner | Zazzle.com
Personalized with your name and other preferences, this nurse planner is built specifically for you!
- Personalized with your name, binding preference, and size preference
- Available in both soft and hard cover
- Weekly and monthly planning pages have notes sections
- Bright and fun sticker pages included
- Not as many organizational templates as some other planners
Related: Shop Our Favorite Lunch Bags for Nurses
Nurse Practitioner Planner
Similar to the previous option, this simple planner can be customized with your name and binding color. The interior includes monthly and weekly spreads where you can track your needs over time. At the end of the planner, you’ll find notes pages and some fun organizational stickers. This is a great choice if you like the beautiful brick cover design.
Specs
- Size: 5.5”x8.5” or 8.5”x11”
- Length: One year
- Dated or Undated: Undated
- Features: Personalized cover, 3 binding options, monthly and weekly spreads, stickers
Nurse Practitioner Rose Gold Glitter Personalized Planner
Another personalized template, this beautiful planner comes with monthly, weekly, and sticker pages!
- Beautiful brick cover personalized with your name
- 3 binding color choices and 2 size options
- Available in soft and hard cover
- Comes with fun stickers and extra note space at the end
- Relatively simple design without many extras
Registered Nurse Planner
This personalized planner comes with your name emblazoned on a sparkling pink cover. It is designed specifically for RNs. Inside, the weekly and monthly pages have space for you to write notes at the bottom. Like with the previous two options, there are sticker pages at the end to personalize your planner further.
Specs
- Size: 5.5”x8.5” or 8.5”x11”
- Length: One year
- Dated or Undated: Undated
- Features: Sparkly pink cover, name personalization, stickers, weekly and monthly spreads
Nurse RN Caduceus Blush Pink Personalized Name Planner | Zazzle.com
Sparkly and bright, this personalized nurse planner will appeal to anyone wanting a dazzling organizer!
- Beautiful and bright cover with 3 binding color options
- Personalized with your name and the RN symbol
- Monthly and weekly spreads with room for notes
- Stickers included at the end
- Not much room for customization or extra organizational tools
Nursing Student Planner
![TPN Nursing Student Planner [July 2023 - June 2024]](https://testprepnerds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/iPad-Devices-all-3-in-1-Mockup-01.webp)
This planner was designed specifically for nurses and nursing students in mind. A digital planner that works on both GoodNotes and Notability, this planner packs quite a punch in keeping you organized and not sweating the small stuff.
With weekly spreads that include habit tracking and prioritization and monthly spreads that include S.M.A.R.T. goal planning, this planner will help you to crush your career and personal goals.
We know that organization and optimization is only part of the equation of reaching your idealized self. This daily planner also doubles as a gratitude journal with space for affirmations. You can find your zen with beautiful, elaborate anatomy coloring pages.
Specs
- Digital PDF planner instant download
- Compatible on GoodNotes and Notability
- Weekly and monthly planning and goal tracking
- Gratitude journal and affirmations
- Elaborate anatomy coloring pages
TPN Nursing Student Planner [July 2023 - June 2024]
Imagine a digital planner that keeps you organized, goal-setting, and mindful - now you can have it all - weekly and monthly spreads, SMART goal setting and reflection, and even affirmation and journaling to keep you grounded.
Planning Tips for Nurses
Consider Color-Coding
It’s a good idea to color-code your planner. Everyone will have a different key that works for them. But for example, you might write your work schedule and side gigs in a different color than your social schedule. Appointments might have another color, and so on. For those looking for extra income, consider these nurse side hustles.
If you’re a nursing student, color coding is even more important. That will make it much easier to go through your notes and find what you’re looking for. Here are some tips on how to color code your planner.
Set Aside Time to Plan Your Week Ahead
Yes, we all want to make the most of our weekends, but setting aside a little time on Saturday or Sunday can make the week much smoother. Figure out what your schedule looks like for the week. When are you making time for hobbies, self care, or socialization?
You can plan things like when you’ll run errands, when you’ll see friends, and how you’ll commute to work. You can also block out times for leisure and rest. Make sure you have enough time to relax while still fulfilling your obligations. Learn more about the ins and outs of effective time blocking.
Keep Everything in One Planner
It can be tempting to have a thousand notebooks for a thousand parts of your life. But why? It’s much easier to organize everything in one place. Not only can you keep your schedules in your planner, but you can also keep to-do lists, goals, grocery lists, reminders, and other notes.
By keeping everything together, you streamline your life. It’s a lot easier to organize and shift around parts of your schedule. This can also make your desk (and mind) feel a lot less cluttered.
Nurse Planner Buying Guide
Deciding Between a Dated or an Undated Nurse Planner
Some dated planners, like the Blue Sky planner, follow a single academic year. These can be ideal for students. Other dated planners start in January and run for 12 or 18 months.
Blue Sky 2023-2024 Academic Year Weekly and Monthly Planner
A great choice for nursing students, this academic planner helps you stay organized during hectic times!
- 2023-2024 academic year
- Detailed weekly and monthly planning
- Yearly planning section comes with contacts and reference pages
- Organizational tabs and color coding system included
- Academic style might not appeal to non-students
Undated planners appeal to people who want to start using their planner at an odd time of the year. They’re also easier to reuse if you accidentally skip a week or month.
Digital Nurse Planner vs a Printed Planner
You’ll need to decide whether to get a digital or printed planner. The one that you prefer will depend on your specific needs. Some people prefer planners that they can edit through an app, while others prefer a physical hardcover planner.
Some options, like the Template Palace planner, are made to be printed. They come with multiple page size options. As soon as you purchase them, they can be downloaded. You get to customize the planner with the exact number of pages that you need. The one downside is that sometimes these planners are not designed for digital editing.
Nurse Planner Nurse Notebook Nursing Student Planner | Etsy
Built with nurses in mind, this planner is a great choice for those seeking a digital download!
- Academic trackers for nursing students
- Daily, weekly, and monthly planning and tracking
- Multiple notes pages and organizational tools
- Available in 3 different sizes to print
- Must be printed; not intended for digital use
Binding a PDF Download Planner Yourself
You can follow the instructions accompanying your nurse planner to print the pages. Many options can be printed on A4, A5, or letter size. Generally, you can place these pages into a binder with the divider tabs and organizers of your choice.
This is a fairly simple DIY project. You can make it a little more complex if you want to try glue bindings instead. But for the most part, you can place the pages in a standard binder and move on.
Nurse Planner Accessories
For additional organization and customization, it helps to get accessories. Planners like the Registered Nurse Planner come with their own sticker sheets. But you can also buy more stickers from Amazon.
When it comes to organizing and taking notes, color coding is key. There are 18 different pen colors from iBayam, as well as 6 basic neon highlighters from Amazon Basics. You can also keep all your stickers and markers in a cotton linen pencil case from iSuperb.
iSuperb Cotton Linen Pencil Case
This cute, cotton pouch is perfect for your pencils, accessories, and cosmetics.
Nursing Planners FAQ
Do digital nurse planners work on an iPad?
Some digital nurse planners are compatible with iPad, while others are not. Most often, iPad planners are based on Goodnotes technology.
What programs do digital nurse planners require?
Goodnotes is a common program required by digital nurse planners. There’s also software like Keynote and PowerPoint.
What makes a nurse planner different from an academic planner?
Academic planners tend to be focused on classes and assignments, while nurse planners focus on your job and everything outside of it.
How can you use nurse stickers with a digital nurse planner?
Digital stickers can often be downloaded to your notes app of choice. For example, there are thousands of stickers compatible with Goodnotes.
Bottom Line
A good nurse planner will help you keep everything in your life organized, from your job to your hobbies to your social life. Some planners are designed specifically for nurses, while others are more general.
Our top pick is the Erin Condren Life Planner. It is beautifully bound with your choice of multiple covers. The organizational tools make it easy to keep track of everything at once, and the layout keeps the information from being overwhelming.
LifePlanner | Custom Planner | Erin Condren
Beautiful and customizable, this life planner can be tailored to your exact needs!
- Yearly, monthly, and weekly plans
- 2 size options, 2 calendar options, and 4 weekly layout options
- Personalized cover with your choice of coil color
- Lots of space to take notes
- Not built specifically for nurses
