Collins Academic 18-month weekly diary

Many thanks to Collins for giving me this diary as a sample to review!

Many academic-year diaries are aimed at students. This is the first one I've seen aimed at academic professionals.

This weekly diary has a hard cover and measures a little larger than A5 at 6 inches wide and 8 1/2 inches tall.

Inside the front cover there is a overview planner for all of the 2012-2013 academic year.

Here is the table of contents showing the huge number of information and reference pages.  There's loads of info that would be useful to professors and other academic professionals.

There's travel information for the UK with reference phone numbers:

There are four Term planners for plotting your schedule:

Here's just one example of the many information pages in the book:

The weekly format has lined but not timed day spaces with holidays printed on the days:

The weekly pages go from the beginning of July 2012 all the way through the end of December 2013.

At the end of the weekly pages there is a forward planner for 2014:

There are monthly account pages:

And an accounts summary page, and several pages for notes:

The last page of the book is for frequently used numbers, for easy reference

Inside the back cover of the book there is a year overview planner for the 2013-2014 academic year:

The book is very professional looking. There is a real ribbon page marker to mark the current week.

This planner I've shown is the 35M, which has a new look according to the website. Click here for this product's page.  I don't know if the image shown on the website is the actual cover or a removable label page.

Click here to see the entire selection of Collins academic and mid-year diaries.

Thanks again to Collins!

Moleskine 18 month planners begin today!

Today is the first day in the 2011-2012 Moleskine 18 month planners! These planners come in the super-popular Weekly Notebook format, or the Horizontal Weekly format. They come in a variety of sizes including pocket, large and extra-large.

The 18 month planners have monthly and weekly views.  They begin today, and go all the way through the end of December 2012.

If you are in need of a new planner for whatever reason, are on an academic year, are transitioning from academic to calendar year planner needs, or need to start a new planner any time between now and December, you'll want to check these planners out!


Click here to see my review of the 2011-2012 18 month Extra Large Moleskine weekly notebook.

Moleskine 18 month weekly notebook Extra Large:
















18 month weekly notebook Large:














18 month horizontal weekly Large:














18 month horizontal weekly Pocket:

Upcoming planner battle: Filofax vs. Moleskine

Coming in the next several months here on Plannerisms you can follow an epic tale of planner battles. Who will reign victorious? Only time will tell!

The contenders: my new A5 Domino Filofax in Ultra Violet, and my Extra Large Moleskine weekly notebook in the lovely lilac Dodo Pad cover.  (Click planner names for detailed posts about each.)

First up is my A5 Domino. Next week I'll begin using my new A5 Domino with the Quo Vadis Timer 21 inserts that Steve so generously sent me. These inserts have the same format as the Trinote weekly planner I've used very successfully in the past, so if the Domino fails I know it won't be because of the format. (But it's possible the weight and bulk of the book could be a deciding factor.)

My Filofax A5 week on 2 pages (July 2011-December 2012) begins the week of end June/ beginning July. I'm curiously drawn to these planner pages because I like the open spaces for the days. And, I love that US and UK holidays are pre-printed on the days, and that Indonesian holidays are indicated too. (Click on the photo for a larger view.)

My question is, if I use this format will I miss the structure of the daily columns? Or will the freedom of the open day spaces win out?

Then the smackdown will begin as my Filofax goes to battle with the extra large Moleskine weekly notebook, which begins the same week.

This will be a classic battle between a ring binder vs. a bound book planner.

The Moleskine has the following advantages over the A5 Filofax:

1) larger page size in

2) a much slimmer book with

3) a full page each week for notes.

But by then, will I be so ensconced in my Filofax that I won't want to switch? Or will the portability and page size of the Moleskine win out?

Stay tuned here on Plannerisms in the coming months to find out! :)

It's already here! My 2011-2012 Extra Large 18 month Moleskine weekly notebook

Ever since I ordered this planner yesterday from The Paperie UK I've been thinking about it nearly incessantly a lot. I expected it would arrive early next week.  Imagine my delight when it arrived TODAY!  I just ordered it yesterday!  And the shipping was free!!!

Please excuse my less-than-perfect photos taken hastily in my windowsill in my excitement about posting this as soon as possible. You can click on the photos for a larger view.

Look!  It really is the 2011-2012 planner! You guys, I have a planner that goes ALL the way through the end of next year! And it's only just March! (Yes I realize my level of excitement about this is sick.)

Once I got done hyperventilating, I ripped off the wrapper to inspect the monthly calendar situation.  You see, in my excitement last night I was surfing Moleskine websites and looked at MolekineUS to see if their 2011-2012 18 month planners are in yet.  They weren't, but they are listed as "coming soon."  (***Update: the 18 month planners are now available for purchase on MoleskineUS, click here for the product page.)   But I noticed, with alarm, they have noted: "Also included is a monthly view for the year, in column format on a 6 page spread."  Noooooo! I tried not to panic thinking my beloved months with days as squares were gone after only one publication year.

But I am extremely happy and relieved to report that the monthly calendars with days as squares are there!  Whew!

**Edited to add: I especially like the spaces at the top and bottom of the monthly calendars. In the top space I write things that are due that month, like if someone is due for a vaccine booster or if my insurance is due for renewal.  In the bottom "Notes" space I write goals or projects for the month, progress toward them, and anything else specific to that month.  Click on the photo below for a larger view.

In the Extra Large page size, the monthly calendars are especially wonderful.  You can see in the photo below that each daily square is more than an inch wide, which gives lots of space to write in each day:

(Yes my ruler is purple. What other color would it be? :) )

In the past I've abandoned the Large size weekly notebook because the day spaces are too small for my needs. I really don't think this will be a problem in this Extra Large size planner!  The day spaces are about 7 1/2 inches wide, and nearly 1 1/2 inch tall:

And I love that entire right page for lists, notes, reminders, quotes, party guest lists, whatever!

The Moleskine 18 month weekly notebook has all the international info pages that come standard in Moleskine planners including dialing codes etc.:

Something that the 18 month planners have that the 12 month planners don't are Timetable pages, of which there are two 2-page spreads like this:

This timetable is extremely handy even for those of us who are not in school ourselves. I will use it to keep track of the busy schedules of each of my family members. There's a 2-page spread each for the fall and spring semesters, so I can stay on top of who needs to be where for after-school activities.

The Extra-Large weekly notebook only comes in the soft cover, which is too bad because I prefer the hard cover. Oh well. There is a back pocket, but it doesn't have an address or reference booklet. It does contain 3 pages of handy color-coded stickers:

My biggest complaint about Moleskine planners is that I don't like black covers. I find them boring, and a little depressing.  Of course I would prefer purple.  Then I had a sudden realization: my faux leather Dodo Pad diary cover in iridescent lilac is the same size as the Extra Large Moleskine!!!!!!

But then I discovered to my extreme frustration that the Moleskine was just a tiiiiny bit too tall to fit into the cover.  So I had to butcher the cover just a little bit by ripping out the top seams of the inside flaps:

The result is that the Extra Large Moleskine fits in beautifully!  I even have easy access to the Mole's back pocket:

And I get to look at the beautiful lilac color around the edges of my weekly pages every day!  Not to mention I get to handle the softness of the cover all the time. 

Enormous planner + cover combo Win!!!

So now I have a Moleskine planner that will carry me through all of next year, in a gorgeous and soft purple cover.  You guys!!  I may have reached Planner Nirvana with this!!!

2011-2012 Moleskine 18 month planners available now (already!)!

Yesterday when I received the tweet from The Paperie UK (@thepaperie) that they have the 2011-2012 Moleskine 18 month planners (click through here to see their page) already, I could hardly believe it!  Is it that time of the year already?

Yes. Yes it is.  (It's never too early for New! Planners!)

First of all, I want to pat The Paperie on the back for offering us the chance to buy planners for next year in February. Wow!!

Second, I have to force myself not to panic-buy these planners in every size, because they do sell out very quickly.  If you wait until July when they start, they may very well be gone by then.  One year my sister decided she wanted one in August and had to search far and wide, and then was very lucky to find one at all.

I love these planners for their excellent layout (which I reviewed the 2009 version of here and the 2010 with monthly calendars here).  The week + notes format works very well for lots of people in various circumstances: students, parents, business people, anyone really.

I love that they start the week of end June/ beginning July and go all the way through the end of the following year.  That way you have a 6 month window in which to begin your planner. There's lots of reasons why this is useful.

Those of us jonesing for a new planner mid-year can start it right on the first day.

For students, teachers and parents in the US and Scotland who start school in August, you can start it then and use it for the entire school year.  Here in the UK I've discovered that many of the academic year planners begin in September, when England starts school.  That's too late for those of us who start in August.  The 18 month planners give everyone starting school in autumn the opportunity to start the planner at the beginning of the school year, no matter which month you start school.

Something else I could do with this planner is something I've thought of for awhile: begin a new planner on my birthday (in October) and use it for my entire age year.  I could label the spine with my age and "2011-2012."  I don't know many other planners that could go October to October. I don't think I'll actually do this though because it doesn't follow the academic or calendar year, so it would break up the year in an odd and not-useful way.  I have a friend whose birthday is December 31st, she could do this!  Anyway, I digress...

I hope Moleskine has kept the monthly calendars with the days as blocks to write in, instead of reverting back to the months as columns which were in the previous-years' Moleskine planners. I know there were a lot of people who cried out for the return of the monthly columns, so much so that Moleskine made them available as printouts on Moleskine.com (although I can't find that template now).  But the monthly block-calendars are so much more useful for those of us who need to visualize each month.

I love the idea of buying a planner now that will go all the way through 2012.  I have a freakish desire to plan ahead as much as possible.

I'm trying to resist buying one right now for a couple of reasons. I am really loving my Quo Vadis Minister weekly planner, and I don't have any desire to change from it.  I don't really need the Mole.  It has failed me in the past. And, I don't know what my planner needs will be in Indonesia.  My Minister might continue to work great for me all year. Or I may find new and glorious planner possibilities there.

But can I resist buying the Mole?  It appeals to me even if only for the comfort factor.

Will I?  Won't I? ...  ;)

Moleskine 18 month weekly notebook 2010-2011

There are some major changes in the 2010-2011 Moleskine 18 month weekly notebook from last year's version (which you can read my review of here).

The biggest change is that there are no more monthly planners with the months as columns. (But be aware, the description on the Moleskine US website still describes the "monthly view for the year, in column format on a 6 page spread." This no longer exists.)

In its place is the VASTLY preferable format many of us have been begging for for years: the months with the days as squares large enough to write in:
These monthly calendars go from July 2010 all the way through December 2011.


While I was at the London Book Fair talking to Silvia Salvadori at the Moleskine display, she confirmed that all 2011 Moleskine planners now have this monthly format instead of the monthly columns. She asked if that is a good thing, and I said absolutely yes. I much prefer this monthly format.

Buuuuuutttt... (and there's always a but, right?) something had to be sacrificed. In this case, the sacrifice was the future year's planning pages. In my review of the 2009-2010 Moleskine 18 month weekly notebook, I noted, "Also there are calendars with the months as columns with a line to write each day, 2 months per page, for July-December 2009, all of 2010, AND ALL of 2011. I do a lot of long-range planning so I REALLY appreciated this. Bravo Mole!!"

Well, now that extra future year is gone. The monthly calendars cover July-December of 2010, and January-December 2011, but there is no planner for 2012. In my opinion, it's a small price to pay for the improved functionality of the new monthly calendars.

There are planning calendars with the days just as numbers for July-December 2010 as well as all of 2011 and all of 2012, so you can see those dates. Thank you, Moleskine.

There's also new packaging for the 2011 Moleskine planners, to make them easier to distinguish between formats.

On the back of the label, there is additional information about the planner features:

The other usual Moleskine features are still there, including country holidays for July 2010-December 2011:
Also, the 18 month planners have time tables for class schedules:
This is a handy feature even if you yourself are not in any classes. This table could be used for recurring weekly events for yourself and/or your family. I use these tables for other things (one for financial records and the other to record my weight).

Other features are still there too like the time zones map, trips planning, and several pages for notes in the back of the book (which is wonderful).

The Moleskine 18 month weekly notebooks are now available on Amazon (where I pre-ordered mine for a great price), Moleskine US, and The Daily Planner among others. (I am not affiliated with any of these websites.)

Don't cry, little Mole!

Just because I'm in love with my Quo Vadis Minister doesn't mean the Moleskine 18 month weekly notebook is a bad planner. Actually, it's an excellent planner.

Here is a photo of the inside (which you can click on to get a better view), just in case you haven't seen one of these yet. The Moleskine layout is very clean and simple, yet there are features that show the high attention to detail. For example, I'm not sure you can see this from my slightly washed-out photo (you can in the enlarged view when you click on it), but the lines that mark the borders of the daily spaces continue straight across the page and merge seamlessly with the lines on the opposite notes page. This not only makes the page spread look great, it's also very useful if you need to continue your schedule or tasks straight over onto the notes page. Lines out of alignment would have looked jarring. It's little things like this that make a Moleskine especially pleasant to use and look at.

The top of the weekly schedule page has a large space for writing whatever you want. Personally I resented this space because I would have rather had more space for the weekends (which have very tiny spaces for Saturday and Sunday), but I know people like this space for making notes or highlighting the week's priorities or goals.

The unobtrusive lines and minimalist typeface contribute to the streamlined appearance. Holidays are not written on the page, but initials of the country having a holiday are noted on the day's space, in the corner where it won't interfere with your writing.

The mostly-blank pages allow for customization and creativity. There is nothing constraining in any way, and even the lines can be written over easily. This is a great planner for people who need open space for their days without time constraints or lines. But people (such as myself) who crave more structure can do that too. As you can see I wrote in the beginning and end dates of the week next to the month, to make it easier to find the correct date while flipping through my book. Also you can see the Filofax stickers I used to indicate important dates. (More on these stickers in a later post!)

The layout of the week on the left page and a lined page on the right works well for a lot of people in various situations. I think this would have been great while I was in school, when I didn't have many scheduled events on any particular day but did have lots of to-dos and assignments to keep track of.

This planner worked fairly well for me when I didn't have too much that I needed to write in any particular day. But when my days were very busy, I found there was just not enough room to write (especially on those tiny weekend days!). I did enjoy having an entire blank page each week, and could use it differently every week if I wanted to. Some weeks the page was full of tasks. Sometimes I had phone numbers, notes, directions, party guest lists, websites and books to check out, or whatever other random thing I needed to write down. It was nice to have a place to capture all of those jottings that might otherwise get lost. I think this is the biggest appeal of the weekly notebook format.

The usual Moleskine features apply: nice paper, sturdy binding, hard cover, elastic strap, back pocket. The corners are rounded and the book is very pleasant to use and hold. The black hard cover planners come with a removable address book, which I find very useful. The front pages include tons of international information (which I appreciate and refer to often). There is a very lame map of international time zones that is not detailed enough to be very helpful. The 18 month planner also has pages to write your class schedules for each semester. I have transformed these into charts to track my financial totals since I don't have a set weekly schedule.

Besides the main weekly notebook there are other calendar formats too: monthly views of the second half of 2009, all of 2010 and 2011 with the days as numbers. Also there are calendars with the months as columns with a line to write each day, 2 months per page, for July-December 2009, all of 2010, AND ALL of 2011. I do a lot of long-range planning so I REALLY appreciated this. Bravo Mole!!

My Mole is the large size. In the past I have used the pocket size, and it is tiny. It really would fit into a pocket, and would be a good choice for a satellite book to a larger desk planner, or for someone who doesn't need much writing space. I chose the 18 month planner because I wanted the weekly notebook with a black hard cover. The 12 month weekly notebook only has a hard cover in red (which I loooooathe. I hate that screaming red! But I must be in the minority because I know it's very popular.), or soft cover in black. So to get the black hard cover I had to go for the 18 month book. Which, interestingly, costs just about the same as the red hard cover 12 month book.

The 18 month book is great obviously for those on an academic schedule, or anybody who needs to start their planner anytime between the beginning of July and end of December.

I had this custom leather cover made for my Mole by Renaissance Art, and they did a great job. They tweaked it for the thickness of the 18 month book, and did the customization exactly how I wanted. The 18 month weekly is the same thickness as the Moleskine sketch book, so I will continue to use this cover on Mole sketchbooks, because the cover is too awesome not to use!

So there you have it, just in case you thought I was dissing the Mole. There's a lot to love about the Moleskine weekly notebook. If you want a planner without constraints and need the flexibility of a notes page every week, then this one is definitely worth checking out!