Welcome to Plannerisms

Friday, September 23, 2011

Have you chosen your 2012 planner yet?

'Tis the season to get next year's planner, if you haven't already!

Students or parents with kids in school probably already have next year's planner, or an academic-year planner to be able to plan the entire school year all in one book. 17 or 18 month planners are especially useful because you can use them to plan the school year and the rest of next year too.

Folks who use calendar-year planners are buying next year's now as future appointments start popping up into the new year.

Do you know what planner you will use next year? Have you bought it yet? Will you use the same planner as this year or are you looking for something new?

If you need some help deciding what planner to use, you're in the right place! I have lots of suggestions.

Take a look in the sidebar under Helpful Posts to see tips on choosing your planner. These posts will help you decide what format (daily, weekly, monthly), size and layout (vertical or horizontal days) will work best for you.

If you want to see reviews of specific planners, look at Browse Planner Brands and Formats.

And if you have any questions or want some advice, please leave a comment! I'll be happy to help.

So, what planner are YOU going to use in 2012?

29 comments:

  1. Still in love with my Malden, even after the honeymoon period! However, we have entered into a polyamourous relationship with a Cuban A5 for work.

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  2. Classic - Moleskine, 12 month, art collection by Matias Adolfsson :)

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  3. I'm still umming and aahing over a dodo-pad for my personal Malden. I love the A5 dodo that I got for uni. Just unsure on the size of the grid. :)

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  4. terriknits LOL!!!

    Jana I looked at the Adolfsson art covers, it and the Bakin look fantastic. Could you please describe how the design is imprinted on the cover? Is it etched, or embossed in some way?

    icclewu a heads-up about the personal size Ffx Dodo Pad insert: the grid is very small because of the proportions of the page, and there is extra space at the top and bottom of the page. It's fine if you just need to write who is where, but for any details you'll need to write really tiny! Just so you know! But there is lots of space above and below for details and of course the opposite page for notes too. :)

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  5. Still using the Woman's Success Planner! I really like the prompted weekly review section. The spaces in the weekly format are kinda small, but there are many different sections in the week-on-2-pages that it's easy to reuse them for other needs. I like how it prompts one to look at their week and month goals on a regular basis.

    It just *might* serve me for the 2012 year... :-)

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  6. Now that we're back at work and school I've given up on my Organised Mum Family Life Book, it's just too big lug around everywhere. Especially when I've had to switch to a smaller handbag to fit it in my cupboard at work (DH calls my big bag a carpet bag lol).

    At the moment I am using an Extra Small Daily Moleskine Planner which I picked up half price in August and have since been using for daily doodles. I love the size, I think it's so cute & it fits perfectly into the pocket of my handbag. Now I write in my daily appointments etc & doodle round them the following day so it's a mix of both.

    I have the 2012 Moleskine Daily Planners in extra small, pocket & large all waiting to be used next year. Which gets used for what purpose really depends how well the extra small performs over the next few months

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  7. Well, I already have WO2P for my Pocket Domino - it came with WO2P through 2012. However, I think I'll need to use something else too. I love the Filo, it works great..for everything but archiving. I just don't feel like I can really archive the looseleaf pages. Also, the weekly spaces don't give me all the room I need at times.

    So I'm thinking about getting a daily planner for 2012 and using that in conjunction with the Domino. I'm not sure how that will work, though. I'm almost positive that actual daily pages for the Domino wouldn't work, because of the archiving issue. In any case, I'm fairly certain that I will be purchasing either a daily Moleskine planner or the calendar-year equivalent of the Textagenda. I'll use the daily planner to map out my day, plan what chores I'm going to do, and record the day's events. The Pocket Domino will hold future planning, my master to-do list, and all my lists/reference notes/etc.

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  8. From what I can see, there aren't any planners available in Toronto yet other than academic ones and Moleskines (okay, and Quo Vadis refills but no Equology which I'd want)!

    Currently I'm torn between preordering a 'clementine' Ecosystem on Amazon and waiting for a Quo Vadis Equology Minister, the latter of which I'd have to buy with a cover. I'd then add the cover to my pile that I collected to return to the company in France (I have 21 now) as a statement against PVC. Ecosystem would be half the price though without the toxic waste.

    Laurie, what is your experience with pre-ordering planners on Amazon? When would I receive my planner approximately? I don't want to get it at the end of December...

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  9. Christine, my experience with pre-ordering planners on Amazon has been mixed. For a few years I have pre-ordered Moleskine planners in the spring, and they ship as soon as they are available. The benefit of doing that is a discount on the price. But when I pre-ordered the WeekDate Wall calendar, it was still on pre-order at Amazon when it was available to ship from other websites. So, I canceled my pre-order from Amazon and bought it elsewhere. So, it's impossible to say when you would actually receive your planner, but you can cancel your pre-order if you find it someplace else.

    Also Christine, I understand your issue with the PVC cover. I don't know if you can get them in Canada, but the Equology Minister is also available with the Basic cover that is 100% post-consumer recycled paper. It's bound (not refillable). http://quovadisplanners.com/covers/basic

    Bluebonnetreads I know several people (including myself) who use a Filofax as an info/reference/ lists book and a separate planner. I don't know if you've seen my reviews of the Textagenda (the calendar year version is called the Notor) and the pocket Moleskine, reading those might help you decide which will work better for you. The pocket Mole is more portable but the Textagenda has a more structured format. Textagenda: http://www.plannerisms.com/2010/10/quo-vadis-textagenda-uk-edition.html
    Pocket daily Moleskine: http://www.plannerisms.com/2011/07/my-mid-year-planner-winner-is.html

    Karen that's interesting you gave up on the Organised Mum Life Book because of the size. It is pretty chunky. I used it for a month last October and had to abandon it because the day spaces are too small for everything I need to write. But if it had days as vertical columns I would be using it because I love everything else about it, especially the 2-page month spreads and space for monthly budgets and notes. Glad the XSmall is working for you! I'll be curious to find out what you end up using next year.

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  10. Oh and meant to comment to Amy: I adore the WSP but when school started I suddenly needed a LOT more space to write each day! Otherwise it's a wonderful planner, I also love the weekly space to evaluate your week and prepare you for the next.

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  11. I'll probably just stick with Filofax for everything. In the end (even with my frustration at times with the lack of space) it's what I always go back to.

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  12. I am sticking with Filofax inserts - the month on two pages for overall planning, the week on two pages lined for future planning, and day per page for short-term planning and record keeping. The Filofax pages aren't significant or pretty. They don't provide the best layout I've ever seen. But they are functional and clean, and I can use them anyway I see fit. After trying a number of different inserts, I always come back to Filofax, so that's what I'm sticking with for 2012.

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  13. I have realized that my life - especially my work life - evolves around differnt phases.
    June, July, August and December are quiet months, or POCKET Filofax months.
    February, March, April, September, October, November are extremely busy months, hence I'm back to A5 Filofax for detailed work planning, and (instead of Filofax) I'm using the WSP for everything else. Like Amy, I love the cues for reviewing and staying on track of goals. I really like it!
    Still using Pocket Filo as list keeper and wallet. Bought the Raspberry Chameleon at the meetup in London: LOVE!

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  14. Jotje, fascinating how you rotate through different Filofax sizes throughout the year. Makes perfect sense! Do you archive your pages for the year together somehow, or separately by size?

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  15. I will probably use a moleskinne daily calendar again. I usually decorate the pages as well.

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  16. I already have my 2010 Quo Vadis Trinote, thanks to you, Sis! Thank you!!! The red looks FABULOUS with the purse you got me. I'm all grown up, and ladylike. ;) I tried to shove the 2012 insert in with the rest of the 2011, but it didn't work. I guess I'll have to practice some patience.

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  17. I've just started using the Quo Vadis Scholar 17 Academic Weekly with WO2P. LOVE the big spaces to write in! To compensate for the lack of note pages that I was used to in my old Mole week +notes, I ordered several of the blank inserts for the Scholar and I have PLENTY of room for all my daily notes (and can pop in another insert when needed). In addition to the Scholar (as my main forward planner) I also use a Textagenda for daily planning and to-do lists. This goes with me everywhere.

    I'm seriously in love with these planners!!! The paper is a joy to write on and the Scholar's big spaces with the little priority box is great. There is a sweet annual planner for 2012 up front, which I have color coded to see my year at a glance. The Quo Vadis maps and address book are quite handy as well.

    I got both in the teal colored Club cover so I can refill them year after year. Although I am a mom and not a student, the academic year is great for planning school events, etc. This planner starts in Aug 2011 and goes through Dec. 2012.

    I didn't think I would ever leave my XL Moleskine weekly with notes, but the cover holds up on this so much better. I can toss it in my bag and it is well-protected, And the paper is better for writing with a fountain pen or gel pens. I'm totally smitten!

    I am going to continue to use my large Mole daily dairy for business. I'm self employed and it's a great way to keep track of appts, and record how many hours I worked on a project so I can easily bill my clients.

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  18. LOL Sis! I'm glad you love your Trinote! Will next year be the THIRD year in a row you'll be using it?? I can't fathom such planner fidelity.

    Judy H I'd love to see photos of your pages in your daily Moleskine. Would you like to do a guest post here on Plannerisms? :)

    Kelly, I MUST KNOW MORE about your Scholar 17 and the blank inserts!! I think I read somewhere the 17-month version of the Scholar was made specifically for Barnes and Noble, is that where you got yours? And where did you get the blank inserts for it? I agree the paper in the QV planners is absolutely divine. Very interesting how you are using your Scholar and Textagenda together! I've had a lot of success this year using a weekly planner for forward planning and a daily book for today's lists and notes. If you too would like to do a guest post I would LOVE to know more about your system! :)

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  19. Laurie, I archive my inserts per year. I had some very cheap plastic binders lying around, put all A5, personal and pocket pages in them and put a large sticker with the year on the cover. I can find anything back again, at any time! (and need to, because for taxes I am obliged to keep my diaries for 7 years back!)

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  20. Jotje I'm curious how all the different size pages fit on the rings of one storage binder. Do you have to punch holes or do you put them on however they will go?

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  21. Pocket pages fit the rings, and personal pages I clip together and insert them in a plastic envelop in the appropriate place in the binder.

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  22. Laurie, I'd love to do a guest post on the Scholar and Textagenda. Let me know exactly what you are looking for and I'll get it to you.

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  23. After 20 years of using a 2-page-per-day Franklin planner, I have simplified my life and am switching to a pocket daily Moleskine in 2012 (red! Laurie, I know you don't like the red, but black is just too...serious! ;-))! It will be supplemented by a pocket week + notes Moleskine (possibly Snoopy -- haven't decided yet. What I really want is Star Wars!) that I will use for documenting events and other things already done (not for planning), such as books read, movies seen, etc. I am using that format for that purpose this year also, and it is working out great. My only remaining planner issue is whether to supplement the daily Moleskine with a looseleaf monthly view calendar (to make it easier to see longer-range planning). I really hate that the one in the Moleskine starts the week with Monday! I keep telling myself to get over it, but it's a tough hurdle after all these years of seeing the week start with Sunday!

    - Tina

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  24. Laurie--
    I am really wishing there was a way to get my hands on the A5 Time Management Week per View layout. It is only available on the FilofaxUK site.The day per page time layout is available here, but I have to see the whole week at once. I am trying to figure out if it's worth it to splurge. The Week Per Page with Notes is working all right now, and that will probably be what I will stick with if I can't get my hands on the Time Mgmt layout.
    I will be using the month on 2 pgs, regardless of what weekly format I end up with.
    Anyone over across the pond want to buy and ship those inserts to me? I will pay for actual cost and actual shipping!! :)

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  25. I'm currently using the large daily Moleskine. Sticking with that for 2012, but switching from hard cover in red to soft cover in black. New planner already ordered and received from Amazon, about $14.

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  26. Laura that's great your system is working so well that you plan to keep using it next year too! What made you decide to switch to the soft cover?

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  27. Switching to the soft cover partly to try something new... and to see if it was a bit lighter weight. I put my planner in a Franklin Covey journal cover (with pockets) & the whole thing is a little heavy.

    Re: my system... not doing the food diary part anymore. Using the planner for appointments, projects/goals & as a journal. I'm using index cards or scrap paper for my to-do lists now. I tuck them into the cover pockets.

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  28. I'm currently using a My Life Matters planner and love it. Sadly, they are not producing a 2012 version so I'm feeling a bit panicked! :)

    I like this planner because it's large (8 1/2 x 11) to accommodate my horrible handwriting and it has a workout/weight tracker. I've been using the vertical dailies to plan out our meal schedule. I am back at work part to full time this year, so I'm transitioning back into using the planner for work too.

    I am feeling drawn to the WSP but I definitely don't want a planner that is too small.

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  29. I just spoke with an ecosystem rep today—so disappointed that they are not producing 2012 calendars! What will I do? Plenty of models listed here, so my research begins . . .

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