DIY Daily Desk Planner: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Build an A6 landscape desk planner: arrange calendar, to-do and notes widgets in Planify Pro, print double-sided, then top-bind with chipboard and 32mm wire.

Transform your daily planning into a vibrant and joyful experience with a DIY desk planner that’s bursting with cute, colorful patterns! This delightful and practical creation isn’t just about listing tasks; it’s about organizing your day with a splash of personality. With Planify Pro’s user-friendly interface, you can design a planner that sparks creativity and keeps you motivated. Imagine a world where managing work projects, household chores, and study goals becomes a visually stimulating and fulfilling process.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for a loved one or simply want to add a touch of whimsy to your own workspace, this tutorial will guide you through crafting a planner that’s both adorable and effective. Personalize every detail, from the cover design to the layout of your to-do lists and notes, ensuring it perfectly complements your unique style and needs. Let’s turn ordinary paper into a productivity powerhouse that’s as fun as it is functional. Get ready to tackle your daily tasks with a smile and a burst of colorful inspiration!

What you’ll need to prepare before crafting your daily desk planner:

Paper to print out the Notes Pages	Chipboard / Book Board	Sticker Paper
Cinch Binding Machine	32mm Binding Spines

Design Daily Desk Planner

Steps for customizing your notepad with Planify Pro

Step 1: Open Planify Pro and choose to create a new planner

Start by opening Planify Pro and selecting the option to create a new planner from the main menu.

Planify Pro open on its main menu at the start of a new planner

Choosing Create New Planner from the Planify Pro main menu

Step 2: Select the size A6 landscape

Choose A6 landscape size for your daily desk planner to ensure it fits perfectly on your desk.

Picking A6 landscape from the planner size options

The chosen A6 landscape size confirmed before the planner opens

Step 3: Click on edit layout and set it to on

Enable the edit layout mode to unlock the ability to add additional widgets, rows, or columns to your planner.

Switching the Edit Layout control on in the planner toolbar

The planner page in edit layout mode, ready for widgets, rows and columns

Step 4: Insert widgets by clicking on a widget box

Choose from available options including calendars, dated widgets, daily widgets, to-do lists, and blank notes. Click on any widget box to see all the options available.

Clicking an empty widget box to open the widget options

The widget list showing calendars, dated, daily, to-do and blank notes options

Inserting a calendar widget into the desk planner layout

Inserting a daily widget into the layout beside the calendar

Inserting a to-do list widget into the planner layout

Inserting a blank notes widget into the planner layout

Step 5: Customize size and location by clicking and dragging

Once you have all the widgets you need, customize their size and position by clicking and dragging them to your preferred locations on the planner layout.

Dragging a widget to a new position on the planner page

Resizing a widget by dragging to change its dimensions

Moving the widgets into their preferred locations on the layout

The completed widget arrangement for the A6 landscape desk planner

Step 6: Change the styling of the widgets

Personalize your planner by changing the font, color, and size of each widget to match your aesthetic preferences.

Changing the font of a widget while restyling the desk planner

Changing the colour of a widget to match the planner theme

Changing the text size of a widget while styling the planner

The finished, restyled planner page shown before export

How to export and print

Step 7: Save and Export all pages

Once you have finished customizing your notepad, click on “Save” and then “Export all pages” to prepare your design for printing.

Clicking Save once the planner design is finished

Choosing Export all pages to prepare the design for printing

Step 8: Choose export settings

Select the paper size (A4 or US letter) and check “rearrange pages” if needed for proper printing layout.

Setting the export paper size to A4 or US letter

Ticking the rearrange pages option in the export settings

Step 9: Generate PDF

Click on “Batch generate PDF” and wait for the file to export. This process may take a few moments depending on the number of pages.

Clicking Batch generate PDF to start the export

The PDF export in progress while the pages are generated

Step 10: Print your planner

Once the file is exported, you can print it out front and back. If you are unsure about printing double-sided pages, refer to a different video by Planify Pro on how to print out the inserts.

The exported planner PDF ready to open and print

Print settings prepared for printing the inserts front and back

A preview of the planner inserts before printing

The printed planner pages, front and back, ready for trimming

Binding Daily Desk Planner

Physical assembly steps

Step 1: Cut your inserts down to size (A6)

Use a paper cutter to trim your printed inserts to the exact A6 size for a professional finish.

Trimming the printed inserts down to A6 with a paper cutter

Step 2: Hole punch the inserts at the top

Carefully hole punch all the inserts along the top edge where the binding will go.

Punching binding holes along the top edge of the inserts

Step 3: Prepare chipboards for covers

You will need five chipboards in total: four for the back cover (stacked for extra sturdiness) and one for the front cover.

Preparing five chipboards: four stacked for the back cover, one for the front

The five chipboard pieces laid out ready for covering

Step 4: Apply sticker paper to chipboards

Take your sticker paper and overlap them in the middle. Then, remove the adhesive backing and carefully place the chipboards on the sticker paper.

Two sheets of sticker paper overlapped in the middle before the backing comes off

Placing the chipboards onto the exposed sticker paper adhesive

Step 5: Trim and fold the sticker paper

Cut off any excess sticker paper and carefully fold in the sides for a clean, professional edge.

Cutting off the excess sticker paper and folding the sides in

Step 6: Cover the inside of the cover

Use additional white sticker paper to cover the inside of the cover for a polished, finished look.

White sticker paper prepared to cover the inside of the cover

Applying the white sticker paper to the inside of the cover

Step 7: Score the edges with a bone folder

Use a bone folder to score the edges of the white sticker paper for crisp, clean folds.

Scoring the sticker paper edges with a bone folder for crisp folds

Step 8: Repeat for the front cover

Repeat steps 4-7 for the front cover to create a matching set.

Repeating the covering steps to build the matching front cover

Step 9: Hole punch the covers

Hole punch both the front and back covers to match the holes in your inserts.

Hole punching the front cover to match the inserts

Hole punching the thicker stacked back cover to match

Step 10: Bind with wire

Use a wire (20-30 mm in diameter) to bind the inserts, front cover, and back cover together using your binding machine.

Binding the inserts and both covers together with wire

Step 11: Complete your planner

Close the rings and flip the back cover to the back. Your daily desk planner is now complete and ready to use!

Closing the rings and flipping the back cover behind the finished planner

What you need to get started

Chipboard / Book Board	Guillotine Paper Cutter	Cinch Binding Machine
Binding Wires	Sticker Paper	Cardstock Paper

How to Make a Daily Desk Planner