How to Create Custom Digital Planner Layouts
Discover how to create custom digital planner layouts that boost productivity with planner customization, aesthetic planner spreads, and minimalist designs tailored just for you.
Key Takeaways
You don't need design skills to build a custom planner. Apps like Canva and Keynote make it surprisingly approachable.
Start with what you actually need—calendar, tasks, maybe a habit tracker—and add sections only when you feel something's missing.
The best layouts balance function and aesthetics. A planner that's pretty but hard to use won't get used. Neither will one that's ugly but efficient.
Templates are a great starting point. You don't have to build from scratch.
Why Build Your Own Layout?
Pre-made planners are convenient. Someone else did the design work, you download it, and you're ready to go. For most people, that's enough.
But sometimes they don't quite fit. Maybe there's a habit tracker you'll never use taking up space. Maybe the weekly spread doesn't match how you actually think about your week. Maybe you want a section for something specific—meal planning, client projects, therapy notes—that generic planners don't include.
That's when building your own makes sense. Not because custom is inherently better, but because your planner can match your brain instead of the other way around.
The other reason: it's kind of satisfying. There's something nice about opening a planner you designed yourself. You understand why everything is where it is because you put it there.
If you're still new to digital planning in general, start with our beginner's guide first. Get comfortable with using a planner before you try building one.
What You'll Need
You don't need to be a graphic designer. Honestly, the tools have gotten easy enough that basic computer literacy is plenty.
For designing layouts:
Canva — Free, browser-based, tons of templates and elements. This is where most people start. The learning curve is maybe 30 minutes.
Keynote (Mac/iPad) or PowerPoint — Surprisingly good for planner design. You can create pages, add shapes and text, and hyperlink everything together. If you already know how to make a slideshow, you basically know how to make a planner.
Affinity Designer or Procreate — If you want more control and have some design experience. Overkill for most people.
For using planners:
GoodNotes — Best for handwriting, handles hyperlinked PDFs well
Notability — Similar, with audio recording
Plannora — Built specifically for digital planning
For a deeper comparison, see our note-taking app guide.
For assets (stickers, icons, textures):
Etsy (search "digital planner stickers")
Canva's built-in elements
Deciding What to Include
This is the part most people overthink. They see elaborate planners on Pinterest with 47 different sections and assume that's what a "real" planner looks like.
It's not. The best planners have only what you'll actually use.
Start with the essentials:
Calendar view — Monthly, weekly, or both. Most people need at least a weekly spread.
Task list or daily page — Somewhere to write what you need to do.
Notes section — Catch-all for everything else.
That's a functional planner. Three sections. You could stop there and be fine.
Add sections only if you have a specific reason:
Habit tracker — If you're actively trying to build or break habits. Not just because other planners have them.
Goal planner — Useful if you do quarterly or annual goal-setting. Our goal planner guide goes deeper on this.
Budget tracker — If you're managing money actively, not just vaguely wanting to "be better with money."
Meal planner — If you actually meal plan. Most people who add this section never use it.
Project pages — If you have ongoing projects that need their own space.
Mood/wellness tracker — If you're working on mental health stuff and want to spot patterns.
The point is: every section should earn its place. If you add something and don't touch it for three weeks, delete it. You can always add it back later.
Building the Layout: Step by Step
Here's the actual process. I'll use Canva as the example since it's free and most accessible, but the logic applies to any tool.
1. Set up your canvas
Create a new design. For iPad planners, a good size is 2048 x 1536 pixels (landscape) or flip those for portrait. This matches iPad screen ratios well.
Some people use standard paper sizes (letter, A4) so they can print if needed. Up to you.
2. Create a home page
This is your navigation hub. It should have:
Links to each major section (Monthly, Weekly, Goals, Notes, etc.)
Maybe a quick view of the current month
Nothing else. Keep it clean.
In Canva, you can add hyperlinks to any element. Click the element → Link → select the page it should jump to.
3. Build your core spreads
Start with the pages you'll use most. For most people, that's the weekly spread.
For a weekly spread:
Days of the week with space to write
A small section for weekly priorities or goals
Maybe a notes area or habit tracker along the side
Don't cram too much in. White space is good. You want room to actually write.
For a monthly spread:
Calendar grid with the month
Space for monthly goals or events
Links back to home and to each week
4. Add navigation
Every page needs a way to get back to home and to adjacent pages. Options:
Tabs along the side or top that appear on every page
"Home" button in a corner
Arrows for next/previous page
Hyperlink everything. In Canva, Keynote, or PowerPoint, you can select any shape or text and add a link to another page in the document.
Test your navigation before you finalize. Click through the whole planner and make sure every link works and you can get anywhere from anywhere.
5. Style it (but don't overdo it)
Now's when you make it look good. But here's the thing: restraint matters.
What works:
2-3 colors maximum. Pick a palette and stick to it.
One or two fonts. A clean sans-serif for body text, maybe something decorative for headers.
Consistent spacing. Align things. Use grids.
Subtle textures or backgrounds if you want—light dots, soft paper texture.
A few icons or stickers for visual interest.
What doesn't work:
Every color at once
Decorative fonts for everything (they're hard to read)
Stickers covering every inch of space
Busy backgrounds that compete with your handwriting
The goal is a planner that feels calm to look at. If opening it stresses you out, you won't use it.
For free design elements that work well together, check out the Million Dollar Habit sticker collection or their wallpapers.
6. Export and test
Export as PDF. Import into GoodNotes, Notability, or whatever app you use. Then actually use it for a week.
You'll immediately notice what's wrong. The weekly spread doesn't have enough room. The navigation is annoying. You never look at the habit tracker. Good. Now you know what to fix.
Edit your source file, re-export, re-import. Repeat until it works.
Design Styles That Work
There's no single "right" aesthetic. But some approaches are more functional than others.
Minimalist
Lots of white space. Clean lines. Neutral colors or monochrome. Only essential elements, nothing decorative.
Pros: Easy to read, calming, focuses attention on content. Cons: Can feel sterile. Some people need more visual interest to stay engaged.
Works for: People who get overwhelmed easily. Professionals who want something clean. Anyone who prioritizes function over form.
Soft/Neutral Aesthetic
Muted colors (sage, blush, cream, taupe). Subtle textures. Simple but warm.
Pros: Feels intentional and cohesive without being busy. Photographs well if you're into that. Cons: Can look same-y if you follow too many planner accounts.
Works for: Most people, honestly. It's the safe middle ground.
Bold/Colorful
Bright colors. Fun stickers. Expressive.
Pros: Energizing. Makes planning feel less like a chore. Cons: Easy to overdo. Can become distracting.
Works for: Creative types. People who associate color with motivation. Anyone who finds minimalism boring.
Professional/Corporate
Clean sans-serif fonts. Muted blues, grays, blacks. No stickers.
Pros: Appropriate for work contexts. Looks polished. Cons: Not exactly inspiring.
Works for: Work planners. People who keep personal and professional systems separate.
The best approach? Pick one direction and commit. A planner with a clear visual identity—whatever that identity is—feels more cohesive than one that mixes everything.
Frameworks Worth Knowing
If you want your planner to support a specific productivity system, here's how some popular ones translate to layout design:
Bullet Journal method: Flexible daily logs, monthly spreads, and "collections" (themed pages for specific topics). The emphasis is on rapid logging—quick symbols for tasks, events, and notes. Build in space for migration (moving unfinished tasks forward).
More on the original system: bulletjournal.com
Time blocking: Your weekly spread becomes a schedule grid, with hours marked. You assign tasks to specific time slots rather than just listing them. See our time blocking guide.
GTD (Getting Things Done): You need sections for: Inbox (capture everything), Next Actions (by context), Projects, Waiting For, and Someday/Maybe. The weekly review is central, so build in space for that.
Eisenhower Matrix: A 2x2 grid: Urgent/Important, Important/Not Urgent, Urgent/Not Important, Neither. Some people put this on their daily or weekly spread as a decision-making tool.
You don't have to follow any of these rigidly. But knowing they exist helps you design with intention instead of just throwing sections together.
Common Mistakes
Too many sections. You add everything you might possibly want, and then half of it goes unused. Start minimal and add as needed.
No navigation. Tapping through 50 pages to find your goals section gets old fast. Hyperlink everything.
Style over function. A gorgeous planner that's hard to write in or confusing to navigate is just a pretty file you don't open.
Copying someone else's layout exactly. Their system fits their life, not yours. Use others' layouts for inspiration, but customize for your actual needs.
Never iterating. Your first version won't be perfect. Use it, notice what's annoying, and fix it. The best planners evolve.
Starting Points
If building from scratch feels overwhelming, start with a template and modify it.
Free digital planner from Million Dollar Habit — Good starting point to see how layouts are structured
GoodNotes templates — Ready to use, or study their structure
Best free planners for 2026 — More options to explore
Use a template for a few weeks. Pay attention to what you wish was different. Then either customize that template or use what you learned to build your own.
FAQ
Do I need design skills? No. Canva has templates and drag-and-drop elements. If you can make a basic slideshow, you can make a planner. It won't look like a professional designer made it, but it'll work.
How long does it take to build a planner? A basic functional layout: 2-4 hours. Something polished with nice styling: maybe a weekend. But remember, you can start simple and improve over time.
What size should I make it? For iPad: 2048 x 1536 pixels (landscape) or 1536 x 2048 (portrait). For standard paper compatibility: letter (8.5 x 11") or A4. Check what looks good on your specific device.
Can I sell planners I create? Yes, if you use your own designs or assets with commercial licenses. Canva Pro elements are licensed for commercial use. Free Canva elements have some restrictions. Check the license terms for any assets you use.
What if I don't like what I made? Edit it. Delete sections. Start over. The whole point of digital is that nothing is permanent. Your planner should evolve as you figure out what works.
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