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Monday, January 3, 2011

My current system

Here is my 2011 system so far.  This system is in its infancy and, as we all know, is subject to change.  But so far I'm really liking it!

My main planner is my Moleskine weekly vertical, which you can read all about here.  With its monthly and weekly views, this planner wins the prize for forward-planning and structuring my week.

For overflow on very busy days, I bust into my Pocket size day per page Moleskine planner.  This is the third year in a row I've used a pocket size planner for this purpose (1st year I used an Exacompta Daily Pocket, last year I switched to a Moleskine daily pocket for the hard cover and elastic strap. This year the Exacompta Daily Pocket does come in a cover with elastic strap, but this version is not available here in the UK.). 

This system is vastly different from my failed Daily + Weekly experiment.  In that system I used my daily as a satellite to my weekly, and tried to use both at the same time as my main planner.  The way I use my Pocket daily Mole is simply as that day's To Do list with any appointments filled in. I don't use it for future planning at all.  That morning (or the night before to get it out of my mind) I write everything I have to do that day.  The small page size limits me to what I can actually accomplish that day, and the small book fits in my pocket to go with me everywhere on days when I'm feeling really scattered so I can capture those fleeting thoughts and tasks before I forget them.  Most days I don't use this planner at all, but when I do need it it's a very important capture device.  Really it's a way of keeping my daily To Do lists in a bound book instead of on a scrap of paper that gets thrown away later.

My Extra Small Daily Moleskine planner is for fun things only.  Specifically, it's for things I want to write in my journal later.  The Extra Small is so tiny I can take it with me everywhere to capture those cute things my kids said, or anything I want to remember to expand on in my journal later.
My journal this year is my Quo Vadis Habana notebook with white paper and blank pages.  I regret to inform you that this notebook has been discontinued, QV will replace these with the ivory-paper Habanas that are currently available in Europe.  But, there has been such an outcry from Habana lovers (myself included) that it's possible QV may reconsider and offer the white-paper Habanas as a special edition. I hope they do!  You can read more about that here on the Quo Vadis blog's post about it.
Could I streamline this system and use fewer planners?  I'm sure I could.  But, this is a fun way for me to use more planners!  And, compartmentalizing things this way works well for me.  Some people might prefer to use a notebook for some of these functions instead of a planner, but the dated pages allow me to find information faster and easier than an undated book.

As always, this method is subject to change!  ;)

8 comments:

  1. Too many books. I would go out of my mind. And it's a very short trip to begin with.

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  2. Yeah I know. Really it's just an excuse to find a use for these cool planners that I want to use somehow, some way. I would get along just fine with only a planner and a journal. But then I'd have these cool books sitting around empty and unused, which would be a shame! ;)

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  3. I think your ideas sound great. And for most people a journal is a separate book with different content from a planner. (I would never carry a journal with me; I hide it!)
    Does your first-grader already use a planner, e.g. for his homework assignments and extracurricular activities? :) Maybe a tiny Moleskine?

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  4. Christine, LOL! No we're not into planners for the kids yet, for actual planning. But, I do give them my old planners that I didn't actually use, and they love to write, draw, and stick things into them. They call them their "important books!"

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  5. That's great, I can imagine that they love your old planners! I used to be drawn to my dad's planners too; he'd have one or two extra as gifts from companies he'd deal with, with an ugly Logo + name on them. I remember scrawling on a long, horizontal weekly desk planner, spiral-bound along the top. (Actually, this might be something I could use...maybe next year!)
    Those things are precious, Laurie - I'd keep them forever.
    PS: How much fun would be a post showing off one's childhood planners or notebooks! Do you have any, Laurie?

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  6. No, I don't think I do. All my childhood stuff is at my dad's house anyway, but I don't think he has any notebooks etc. That would be cute!

    I definitely keep my kids' books. I also let them draw in my planners I'm using (directed of course, so they don't take over the whole book) and those drawings are fun to see all year.

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  7. What a great idea, Christine! I actually have all my childhood journals. I'm afraid, my mom let the mice in the attic eat all my childhood planners (that I treasured!). My dad also gave me one of those extremely ugly 1PPD bound company diaries. And I loved them!

    Yep, we should start a Flickr-group on this ... LOL

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  8. Oh Jotje, will you please?! :)
    As far as the 1PPD company planners: I have 3 or 4 at my mom's that were not ugly at all, from a bank, but only with a logo embossed on the cover and subtle writing on the first page. I did customize them though by creating new covers, by glueing paper on it and covering it with clear plastic foil, which almost made them look like from a store. I looked through them when I was home the last time, and so many memories came back (they're from my highschool time, 1994-97). I would sometimes exchange my planner with that of a friend, and we'd write each other funny things. There'd also be little reports about our crushes, and what classes we skipped at school, amusing things teachers did and said, and lots of drawing, stickers, cut-outs from magazines, and photos. The older they get, the more amazing it is to have them.
    This year I asked my bank where I live for a free planner, and they claimed they never have any.

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