Nancy's Guide to Personalizing Your Planner
JUN 12, 2026
Formerly called Portrait. Short pages on the bottom with lined columns for time-blocking and list-making.
Formerly called Horizontal Week + Month. Wide horizontal rows on the middle short pages - best for list-makers and day...
Formerly called Vertical week + month. Narrow, lined columns on the middle short pages - best for time-blocking and long...
Formerly called 4 column/project. Monthly view on the left, 4 columns on the right. Ideal for organizing life by categorized...
Weekly + monthly planner with a dedicated notes section. Month grouped on the left, short pages at the bottom, and...
Weekly + monthly planner with structured 5 or 7 daily blocks. Each weekday is divided into sections, with short pages...
Formerly called Simple Month. One large monthly spread and that's it - perfect for keeping it simple.
Formerly called Pop-Up. Pops up with coil + weekly short pages on the top.
Sized perfectly for your planners.
Pouches for all of your favorite pens and can't-live-without planner tools.
Customize your planner to fit your life with our paper and plastic insert pages.
Give structure to your sketches, plans, and brilliant brainstorms.
Add color, categories, and joy to every planning session with our stickers.
Perfect for borders, lists, color coding, and time-blocking.
Our First-Ever Discbound Collection Is Almost Here We're officially entering our discbound planning era, and we can't wait to share...
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Home / Laurel Denise Blog / What Are Planner Inserts? (And How To Use Them Without Overthinking It)

Ever open your planner and think… why does this still not feel like enough?
Like… everything is written down.
And yet?? your brain is still running a full background tab situation.
When did I last water my plants?
Am I ever going to declutter that closet?
Why does this one project suddenly have 47 steps??
It’s a lot.
And sometimes you don’t need another planner.
You just need… one more place to put things.
If you’ve ever wished your planner had:
- a little more space
- one extra section
- or just… one more page for this one specific thing
That’s where inserts come in.
Planner inserts are extra pages you can add into your planner. They snap right into your binding and give you more space or structure, without starting over.
You can move them. Remove them. Ignore them for a week and come back later.
You can explore all insert options here →
This is the part people overthink.
You don’t need to.
Line up the holes with your binding, then press them in.
One at a time. A few at a time. Whatever feels right.
And if you need a visual…
oh em g, the bend and snap… works every time.
They stay in place, but you can move them anytime.

Your planner works… until life gets a little chaotic.
Instead of starting over (again), inserts let you adjust.
They help you:
- see everything at once
- stay organized
- manage multiple roles like work, kids, and life
- give things a place so your brain can chill for a second (hahaha)
It’s still your planner.
It just feels easier.
You’re not breaking your system.
You’re building on it.
You can still see everything at once.
No flipping pages. No losing your place.
Inserts fit right into your flow and work with your brain.
Busy week → add a daily breakdown
Try an appointments insert so you can map things out without cramming your weekly spread.
Work + home → separate things so your brain can breathe
Use checklist inserts or project planning pages to keep work tasks, home tasks, and everything in between from blending together.
Mental clutter → write it down somewhere that exists outside your head
Go for the 4-columns insert or swirling thoughts plastic insert. This is your “get it out of my brain immediately” space.
Shop All Laurel Denise Planner Inserts
Paper inserts
Great for writing and structured planning.
You can keep them in your planner for reference, recycle them when you’re done, or store them in that very pretty planner box you definitely didn’t throw away.
Plastic inserts
Perfect for reusable lists, sticky notes, or that one page you rewrite 47 times.
We love using an ultra fine point permanent marker on them for a smudge-free experience. When you’re ready to erase, just color over it with a dry erase marker and wipe with a paper towel.
It feels a little like planner magic.
(It kind of is.)
Curious how this actually looks in real life?
In this video, Laurel and Nancy walk through exactly how inserts work and show how to put them in step by step.
They cover:
- what planner inserts are and why you’d use them
- how to snap them in and move them around
- when to use paper vs. plastic inserts
- real-life ways to customize your planner without starting over
If you’ve ever wondered “am I doing this right?”, this will make it click (pun absolutely intended).
Not always.
But if you’ve ever thought:
“i just need a little more space”
“i wish this had one extra section”
“why am i rewriting the same thing again”
…yeah. You might.
Start with one insert.
Pick something that solves a real problem right now.
Use it for a week.
That’s it.
No overhaul. No perfect system.
If you love the idea of customizing your planner over time, inserts pair especially well with layouts like The Rose Planner.
You can experiment with different short pages, try new planning styles, and adjust month to month.
It keeps your planner feeling useful instead of rigid.
You don’t need a perfect planner.
You need one that works on a random Tuesday when everything is happening at once.
Planner inserts help you stay organized, reduce overwhelm, and feel more in control, without starting over.
Start simple.
Adjust as you go.
And if you’re curious, explore inserts that fit your planner and your life.
Because the goal isn’t perfect planning.
It’s… slightly less chaos.
JUN 11, 2026
