10+ Must-Have Paper Planner Accessories

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New year, new planner! Decorating and personalizing my planner each week as I meal plan and prep for the week is an act of self-care that I treasure. From washi tape and planner stickers to sticky notes and personalized covers, here are 12 popular paper planner accessories to decorate, personalize, and enhance your paper planner.

Washi Tape

Washi tape is my go-to paper planner accessory. I use it to decorate each week’s spread differently depending on the season and events that week. This year I am using Erin Condren’s Softbound LifePlanner in the A5 (5.8″ x 8.3″ size), with a horizontal layout. The blank space at the top of each week is the perfect size for common 15mm wash tape!

My favorite washi tape sellers are Planner Kate and Simply Gilded. Both offer new releases often for seasons and holidays. Planner Kate sells coordinated washi tape sets of 15mm and 6mm wash for every season, holiday, and occasion. Simply Gilded is a boutique shop with gorgeous foil wash tape that screams luxury. Erin Condren also offers washi tape that coordinates with their planners.

While I have never purchased washi tape from Amazon, I have to mention that they sell it for a reasonable price. Less than the vendors above, if a splurge isn’t quite in your budget.

Planner Stickers

I tend to use functional stickers for daily life and my weekly to-do list, saving decorative stickers for holidays and important dates. Be cautious not to overdo it as too many stickers can quickly escalate into a cluttered mess of a spread.

I enjoy decorating the monthly spreads in my planner, more so than weekly, so this year I also grabbed Erin Condren’s Monthly Sticker Book and am loving the bold colors and fancy foil shine it adds to the monthly calendar.

Other than Erin Condren stickers, I love Planner Kate for their checklist sticker sheets. Planner Kate also sends a bunch of sample stickers with every order. The PK website organizes their stickers by the planners they fit, covering everything from Erin Condren to Plum Paper, and Hobonichi to Makeselife, with a splash of Happy Planner.

For more variety, at a lower price point, be sure to check out Amazon’s Planner Sticker selection. They have hundreds of sticker kits in various sizes and colors, often reasonably priced.

Stamps

I recently discovered stamps for my planner and am loving them. Stamps are a fun and easy way to add decorative or functional elements to your planner, without adding bulk. I have noticed that 52 weeks of washi tape does make my planner a bit thicker.

Stamps are also a great way to save time and stay organized. Especially if you are writing the same thing over and over, week to week or day to day.

Page Markers

There are so many different types of page markers or bookmarks for planners. The Erin Condren coiled LifePlanner comes with a snap-in ruler that is also used as a bookmark. Most softbound planners come with at least 2 ribbon bookmarks. My Clever Fox Pro planner that I’m using for tracking my running in 2024 had 3 ribbons!

Alternatively, there are magnetic page markers and clip-ons. Erin Condren has an entire webpage of page markers to choose from. I am obsessed with their Planning Metal Stencil Bookmark, with little stencils for check boxes and other small shapes, but I had to stop my shopping spree at some point. Maybe next year!

Personalized Covers

Ooh, I have to shout out to Erin Condren one more time for their beautiful interchangeable planner covers for their coiled LifePlanners. My favorites are their Halloween and Christmas covers. Unfortunately, there is little to no personalization available for the softbound planners, so I will see how that goes for 2024.

Tabs

Tabs can help you quickly flip your planner by months, or any other label you choose. Most planners come with at least monthly tabs. However, my Erin Condren Softbound Planner did not so I had to purchase monthly tabs for my 2024 planner. While I was a bit annoyed, check out these elegant white tabs with gold writing that I was able to find on Amazon. The set includes monthly tabs plus tabs for notes, to-do, lists, and important tabs.

One thing to watch out for is tabs that stick out too far past the edge of your planner and could easily be damaged in your purse or bag. This is unfortunately the case with the ones I purchased, so I am a little nervous to see how they fair over the year.

Pens

Pens are so important! The wrong pens could bleed through your paper and ruin your planner. The same goes for markers and highlighters. I always recommend high-quality paper in a planner as it is overall tougher, will last longer, and also prevents bleeding through the pages when writing.

Pens come in a variety of types and styles. Gel pens are smooth and provide bold lines, while ballpoint pens are reliable and come in a range of ink colors. Felt-tipped pens are perfect for creating precise lines and come in various point sizes. Be careful with felt-tipped pens as they can lean towards the marker side of things and bleed through thin paper.

My favorite pens are by Steadier. I bought this package of 20 colors at least 5 years ago and they still haven’t died! They have not bled through the paper of planners I have used during that time (Erin Condren, Commit 30, and Clever Fox).

Pen Holders

If you have a favorite pen for writing in your planner like I do, you may be interested in a pen holder, attached to your planner. Pen holders come in clip-ons, incorporated into elastic bands, and ones that stick onto the back page of your planner, to name a few.

Highlighters

Highlighters are an easy way to categorize and differentiate without needing a bunch of different color pens. I have found highlighters less likely to bleed through planner pages than markers. Many highlighters offer dual sides, for thinner and thicker line options when highlighting.

I swear by this flower highlighter with 5 colors in one highlighter. It’s easier for me to keep track of one writing device with 5 colors instead of separate highlighters.

Paper Clips/Binder Clips

Paper Clips are a great way to mark pages and clip important tickets or documents into your planner for safekeeping. Binder clips tend to hold more pages at once, making them ideal for clumping past planner pages.

Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are perfect for lists that need to move throughout your planner. I use them for shopping lists, to-do lists that cover a few weeks, and to keep track of gift ideas for the kids throughout the year. There are so many options for sticky notes these days, from simple post-its to color-coordinated lined sticky notes perfect for your planner size. Transparent sticky notes are another way to highlight important items, without taking up much space.

Elastic Bands

You may be thinking what? I was the same way until I realized that my softbound planner does not stay closed as nicely as my coiled. And I haven’t even started using it yet. I purchased these Erin Condren Elastic Bands on Amazon because I knew they would fit my planner. However, I have since realized that there are elastic bands with built-in pen holders and may be switching mine out soon.