2011 Daycraft Make My Day diary

Daycraft in Hong Kong very generously sent me more of their excellent products to review.  Many thanks Daycraft!

Up first is the 2011 Make My Day diary.  You may remember my review of the 2010 Make My Day diary.  Here is my updated review of the 2011 version.

There are a few cover choices for the 2011 Make My Day diary.  On this one, the cover is gray fabric, with the yellow from the page edges spilling over the front into a puddle that says "2011 Make My Day," which is really cool-looking:

Inside, there are loads of excellent features.

There are annual calendars for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

There are pages of international holidays for several countries including the UK and US.

Here is a feature that is very nice: International guides for loads of countries with information about phone codes, emergency, driving, airports and more, with an image of each country's flag.

There are also world time zones, international calling codes and conversion tables.

There are monthly planners for September 2010 through December 2011.

The weekly section also goes from September 2010 through December 2011.  The weekly layout has the days as columns across the page, lined and untimed.  Country holidays are printed on the day spaces.  At the top right corner there is a handy reference calendar for the current month.

Here is a feature I love: embedded in the weekly section, at the beginning of each month there is a two page spread with the words Make My Day spelled out in various ways on the left page, and on the right page is a monthly planner with lines for writing that month's goals, notes, important events, bills due/ paid, or whatever you like.

At the end of the weekly section there is a forward planner for 2012.

There are pages to track your Cash Flow, to help you with your budget.

There are contacts pages for easy reference of numbers and addresses you use frequently.

There are a couple of pages for Notes.

There is a page for your Personal Information. At the back of the book there are a few pages of perforated tear-out notes for those times when you need to give someone your contact information or other small note.  Very handy!  And each little sheet says Make My Day.

The book is very small and portable: it's only 6 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches.  And despite being packed full of features, it's only 1/2 inch thick.  So you could easily carry this planner with you everywhere you go.

Some Daycraft products are available on Vera Chan's website.  Be sure to enter code "plannerisms" at checkout for 20% all products!

I have several more Daycraft products to review soon, so stay tuned!

Daycraft Make My Day diary

I have a bunch of Daycraft diaries and notebooks that I will be reviewing this month. Here is the awesome Daycraft Make My Day diary. It definitely makes my day!
This book is very eye-catching because it just looks so cool. The hard cover has black fabric that is nice to touch, and on the front there is a reflective design that says Make My Day.

This looks really cool too: the edges of the pages are black, with After Day After Day After Day inkjet-printed all around.

First of all, the book is the perfect size to go everywhere. It's 6 1/4 inches tall and 5 1/4 inches wide, so it fits into a very small bag. And yet, the almost-square shape means the book opens wide to show a roomy weekly layout, with the days as untimed columns (click on the photos for a larger view).

I love the clean, simple design. I really appreciate the current month at the top right of the page, to let me see where this week is in relation to the rest of the month.

The cream-colored paper is 70 g, and is sourced from sustainable forests. It's great to write on and very smooth.

At the beginning of each month there is a page spread like the one shown below.


Each month there is a picture of different things spelling out Make My Day. One month it's spelled out with legos. Another month it's with french fries. Another month it's with flowers. This really adds to the personality of the book and is fun.

The right page has the month calendar at the bottom with most of the page having lined space to write in. Having a page at the beginning of each month is great for that month's goals, lists, bills to pay, whatever I need to remember for that month. Great feature!

There is also a 2010 overview planner with four months to a view. I always like having monthly calendars in my planner to be able to see what's coming up.There is also a forward planner for all of 2011 with the same four months to view setup:

There are reference calendars for all of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012:
There is a list of international holidays, including the US and UK:
Something that is an absolute requirement for me in a planner: International dialing codes!

Below is a feature that I really like and appreciate: an International Airport Guide. This is great information for any traveler: it lists numerous airports around the world and gives you the website for reference, how far it is from the city center, about how much it should cost to get a cab to the city (essential for avoiding being ripped off!!), whether there is a train from the airport to the city center, duty free limitations, etc. Wow!!! I love this feature. (Click for larger view):
There are international conversion tables, and a C-F temperature conversion chart (which I refer to often and always need to have with me).

In the back of the planner there is a page for your personal information. And, here is another feature I love: the last several pages of the book are perforated tear-out mini-notes for those moments when you need a scrap of paper to write your number or email address on and give to someone. And each little piece of paper says Make My Day! Very clever.

This is a cool-looking little book with tons of personality that's packed with useful international information. It has an excellent weekly layout with monthly planning calendars. It's a very portable size with a nice-feeling cover. Overall it's an excellent planner and an awesome book!

Daycraft is the #1 brand of planners and notebooks in Hong Kong, but they don't have a US distributor yet. So go to your local bookstore and tell them that they MUST start carrying this brand, because their products are fantastic!

I recently received another box of more Daycraft planners and notebooks to review! Woo hoo! So stay tuned to Plannerisms, loads more Daycraft reviews to come!