Holistic Planner Apps

Plan your whole life, not just your work tasks. Balance everything that matters.

Open most planner apps and what do you see? Tasks. Projects. Deadlines. Maybe some calendar integration. Everything optimized for getting more work done.

But here's the thing: work isn't your whole life. Or at least, it shouldn't be. You also have health to maintain, relationships to nurture, hobbies to enjoy, personal growth to pursue, finances to manage. When was the last time your task app helped you with any of that?

Holistic planner apps take a different approach. They help you plan your entire life, not just the parts that make money. They show you where you're thriving and where you're neglecting. They give you permission to focus on things beyond the next deadline.

The holistic difference: Instead of asking "what do I need to accomplish today?" holistic planning asks "how do I want to live today?" It's a subtle shift that changes everything.

Holistic vs Traditional Planners

Aspect Traditional Planner Holistic Planner
Focus Tasks and productivity Life balance and wellbeing
Categories Work projects Life areas (health, relationships, etc.)
Success metric Tasks completed Balance achieved
Mood Pressure to produce Permission to balance
Missing a task Failure Information for adjustment

Best Holistic Planner Apps for 2026

$16/month

Sunsama

Sunsama takes a holistic approach to daily planning by forcing you to be realistic about what you can accomplish. The daily shutdown ritual encourages reflection on how you spent your time, not just what you produced.

It's more work-focused than Funtasking but still promotes balance through workload limits and intentional daily planning.

Holistic strengths:
  • + Realistic daily planning
  • + Workload warnings
  • + Daily reflection ritual
Consider:
  • - Expensive subscription
  • - Still primarily work-focused
  • - No dedicated life area tracking
Free with Premium

Notion (with templates)

Notion itself isn't holistic, but the template community has created many life planning systems. You can find wheel of life trackers, life area dashboards, and whole-life planning setups.

The downside: you have to build or customize the system yourself. It won't work out of the box like Funtasking does.

Holistic strengths:
  • + Infinitely customizable
  • + Many free templates available
  • + Can build exactly what you need
Consider:
  • - Requires significant setup
  • - Easy to over-engineer
  • - No built-in life balance features

The 8 Areas of Holistic Planning

Different frameworks exist, but most holistic planners cover similar areas:

1. Career / Work

Your job, business, or main occupation. What most planners focus on exclusively.

2. Health / Physical

Exercise, nutrition, sleep, medical care. The foundation for everything else.

3. Relationships / Social

Friends, community, social connections. Humans are social creatures; isolation is unhealthy.

4. Family

Spouse, children, parents, extended family. Often takes more time than we plan for.

5. Finances

Money management, investing, financial security. Reduces stress across other areas.

6. Personal Growth / Learning

Education, skills, self-improvement. Keeps life interesting and opens opportunities.

7. Fun / Recreation

Hobbies, play, enjoyment. Not optional; essential for sustainable living.

8. Environment / Home

Your physical space, possessions, surroundings. Affects mood and energy daily.

Important: Balance doesn't mean equal time in each area. Some areas need more attention at different life stages. Balance means intentionally choosing where to focus based on your values and current needs, not defaulting to work because that's what feels productive.

How to Start Holistic Planning

Step 1: Assess Your Current Balance

Rate each life area from 1-10. Where are you thriving? Where are you neglecting? This baseline shows you where to focus.

Step 2: Set Intentions for Each Area

You don't need goals everywhere, but have at least an intention. "Maintain" is valid for areas that are going well. "Improve" for areas that need attention.

Step 3: Connect Daily Tasks to Life Areas

When you add a task, ask: which life area does this serve? This simple question shifts your mindset from "what do I have to do" to "how am I investing my life."

Step 4: Review Weekly

Look at where you spent time. Did your actions match your intentions? Adjust for the coming week.

Ready for Holistic Planning?

Funtasking's Purpose Wheel helps you plan and balance all areas of life. Start your whole-life planning journey free.

Try Funtasking Free

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