I use mine a lot (a Moleskine) but mostly for notes in meetings. Apparently having notes in a calendar helps anchor my thoughts - what was that thing I forgot I needed to do? I think it talked about it like three weeks ago? Frantically flips through pages to find. 🤷♀️
I really love my Full Focus planner. It's a quarterly system; so, after my annual strategic planning retreat I use the tools in FFP to plan my quarter, then my weeks, and then the days.
I like that each day as 2 pages. 1 has a schedule, plus spot to write my top 3, and then space for other tasks that come up. The other is blank lines for notes.
I put it inside a leather cover my husband made so I can also have a notepad inside for more notes.
Do I own more:
a) half filled notebooks whose entries jump around in time
b) saved greeting cards
c) unworn items of clothing or
d) dashed hopes of EVER getting it all together
I admit defeat concerning planners 🤷♀️. Now it’s online calendar for meetings with a self purchased 8.5 x 11.5 spiral bound, undated, hard covered notebook that feels good to hold, for meeting and phone call notes.
Okay, confession: I’ve been an undercover planner whore for a little bit and I could never find something digital that I liked. So it was always paper planners. And that was sooooo time consuming (and trees and $$). However, this year I started using artful agenda and I’m never going back.
I have a colleague who feels the same as you. I just can't. I love begin able to look at 2 pages in completely different parts of my planner at the same time. I have a digital calendar(s) and paper planner for weekly and daily planning and tasks.
I used a bullet journal for almost this whole year and I've been able to stick to it reasonably well, and also enjoyed it. That's never happened before.
Literally just grab any blank notebook you have (ideally that you like reasonably, so it's nice to write it) and try their "rapid logging" approach. If it works for you for a few weeks, try building in more of the BuJo system (future logs, index, etc)
After I got into it I did actually buy their branded journal (and filled it!) but I wouldn't start there. And don't look up ",bullet journal" on Instagram -- that's for people who want to spend hours competitively planning in the most artistic way possible, not for someone trying to stay organized
I spend a good 12 hours putting stickers on each month, writing all my important dates and making it look nice, only to completely lose interest by about Jan 16th.
But I'll definitely be buying a 2025 one because this could be the year I actually use it!
I like the Rifle Paper Co. spiral-bound with weekly spreads. Fully half is blank space for notes, so every couple of weeks I can scribble down a couple of to-dos and pretend like that means I used it the whole year.
Despite the fact I have repeatedly failed to use any notebook more complicated than a dot or graph paper that I hand-draw weeks in--and I'm not using most of my Hobonichi Days-Free--I went all-in and got a Hobonichi Lifebook.
I’m honest to goodness trying to design a mostly-perennial 13-month calendar/planner to ensure people can reuse their planners from one year to the next.
…My most recent attempt was off by 1 week. 🙃 (ie, Instead of going from Winter Solstice to Winter Solstice, it stops a week short)
also, you can have a TERRIBLE NO GOOD pen and it still writes like a dream on Rhodia paper. Legitimately the heavyweight champion of the world when it comes to paper writing experience.
I've used this simple/cheap one for several years running. Pros: View a week at a time, has hours labeled so I can put classes/meetings/etc., but also enough room to include other to dos, etc. in it. Con - it's big (I use the larger size), and not esp pretty. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYTKHYWC/ref=twister_B0DG2PFJPY?_encoding=UTF8&th=1
I can spend SO much time looking at planners and imagining the more peaceful, organized life imaginary me will live under their dominion. So partly I just reorder this one to save me those hours. :D But also I do really like it.
At some point I thought "oh! I have a kid. They could use these pens!" it was too late.
I will not be taking questions regarding whether I have purchased any *new* colorful pens since.
But I will also note that if you only buy ONE at a time, that's certainly better than a whole SET. Right? RIGHT?
Someone here just recommended for ppl with writable tablets some sort of very sophisticated PDF (on sale now for $19 maybe?) with lots of internal hyperlinks to make it easy to go between long term and daily to do lists?
Also, I just saw another thread where one person said cheap ones at Hobby Lobby if you're going to lose it, and several people said they like customizable ones from Plum Paper https://www.plumpaper.com
So with my ADHD I went through several planner phases most years until 2020, when I started using the artful agenda app And I'm about to start my 5th year using it which is wild.
Comments
I put it inside a leather cover my husband made so I can also have a notepad inside for more notes.
Do I own more:
a) half filled notebooks whose entries jump around in time
b) saved greeting cards
c) unworn items of clothing or
d) dashed hopes of EVER getting it all together
Fat thumb syndrome
Have you tried Franklin Covey?
But I'll definitely be buying a 2025 one because this could be the year I actually use it!
https://bsky.app/profile/notebookstories.bsky.social/post/3lciexipyot2f
…My most recent attempt was off by 1 week. 🙃 (ie, Instead of going from Winter Solstice to Winter Solstice, it stops a week short)
https://www.jetpens.com/Kokuyo-Soft-Ring-Notebook-Semi-B5-Dotted-6-mm-Rule-Dark-Gray/pd/21412
What I really wish I could have would be the lovechild of Rhodia & Kokuyo!!!
I will not be taking questions regarding whether I have purchased any *new* colorful pens since.
But I will also note that if you only buy ONE at a time, that's certainly better than a whole SET. Right? RIGHT?
“You’re never going to write in this.”
https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AArnelyn++D+Calabrese&s=relevancerank&text=Arnelyn++D+Calabrese&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
Let 2025 be the year you take charge of your financial future! 🎯
https://passionplanner.com/products/weekly-2025-planner-rainbow-prisma
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083X5CKPY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title