Old Blind Dogs

This has nothing to do with planners, but I wanted to say I just got back from seeing my very favorite band, the Old Blind Dogs, play LIVE, and they were spectacular!! It was by far the best live gig I've ever seen.  And how wonderful for me to get to see them here in Scotland.  They played a great mix of songs from their new CD and older ones. Over the years I've listened to their CDs while I was in such far flung locations as Washington DC, Russia and Albania.  Hearing those songs live took me back on a journey through my own personal history: there was my favorite song I listened to so often when my daughter was a baby in Moscow; here was the song from their first album I bought; I sang along with them to MacPherson's rant, which my kids and I danced to at full volume in our living room in Albania. So many great songs, and so many happy memories attached to them.

Several times during the show I thought to myself, "HOW are they DOING that??"  I've never seen instruments played like that before, wow. They are all amazing musicians.

As if they weren't great enough as musicians, it turns out they are also really nice guys!  During the break in the middle of the show they hung out and talked to us, and graciously signed copies of their new CD, which is aptly named (in my circumstances) Wherever Yet May Be. It took restraint not to elbow people aside to get my copy signed!  I got to talk to Jonny Hardie, who plays the fiddle like magic, and it was all I could do not to GUSH about what a huge OBD fan I am!!  I tried my hardest not to completely embarrass myself in front of him.  Then I saw Aaron Jones (who plays this very cool stringed instrument called a bouzouki and also sings) and Fraser Stone (who is amazing on percussion) and wanted to chat them up a little bit.  I follow Aaron on Twitter (and you should too: @The2Duos) and awhile back I tweeted him that I was really looking forward to the show. He kindly replied and said to say hi to him at the show--he's the one who stands, Fraser's the one who sits.  So when I met Aaron, being the smartass I am I said, "So which one of you is Aaron, the one who stands or the one who sits?"  Aaron actually remembered tweeting me that and looked at me and said, "Ah!  I expected a giant Filofax!"  He and Fraser very kindly took the time to chat with me for a few minutes, and again I had to force myself not to gush.  These guys are great!

So if you ever find yourself lucky enough to have the opportunity to see Old Blind Dogs, don't miss it.  They are amazing.  And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you must get their new CD Wherever Yet May Be, and check out their older stuff too.

Thanks for a spectacular show guys!  I look forward to listening to your new CD while I'm in Indonesia, and beyond that "wherever yet may be."  :)

Nancy's Filofax + Moleskine cahier combination

Many thanks to Nancy for sharing her brilliant method of combining her Filofax with a Moleskine cahier as her daily planner!  I absolutely love this method!

Nancy posted this comment on my Location Notebook post:

"I just started using a pocket-sized Moleskine cahier so I could have one day-per-two pages for my pocket-sized Urban Filofax. On the right side I write the numbers 7 through 9 (7am - 9pm), with the date at the top, and then fill in the page with my day. I only fill out a template for one page at a time. On the left side I write notes - to do's, observations, etc. I wanted more space, with no rings, than the Filo pre-printed pages afforded. Oh, and I wanted it blank (no lines). So I take the little cahier, with doodle-friendly, paper-bag-brown cover, and attach it to the inside back cover of my filo with a paperclip clamp at the bottom (what are they called?). I attach the clip so the book flips open to the current page - love it! The notebook actually stays wedged in there without the clip, but the clip makes me feel more secure and I don't have to think about holding it in place when I swing open my planner to get at the billfold in the check-out line. ANYWAY... maybe you could piggyback a cahier to your notebook? They come in packs of three, so there's always more if you fill up the first one."

I think this is absolute genius! I love how it solves so many issues all at once.  There's the permanence of having all her reference info on the Filofax rings, yet she is able to have the larger page size of the Moleskine AND two pages per day!!

Check out her AWESOME customization of her Urban Filofax!!

"I decided not to worry about any damage the clip might do to my FF because (a) it is denim, not leather, and (b) I've decided to adopt the 'Wreck Your Journal' philosophy and really commit to thrashing my planner in the name of good, hard living.  'Hard' as in well-used, not as in a candidate for re-hab.

Enclosed find four pics showing the cahier addition, including a sample page for tomorrow (the two pages will be covered with notes, eureka moments, post-its and drawings by the end of the day).  If I feel like writing at length, I remove the cahier and write in subsequent pages until I feel like stopping.  And then I can just start the daily page at the next blank page."

Nancy, this is fantastic, and inspirational.  Thank you for sharing it with us!!

Update: Moleskine pocket daily planner

I am happy to report that more than a week later, my Moleskine pocket daily planner experiment (which you can read about here) is going great!

There are two main reasons why this is working so well for me: the pocket size, and the monthly calendars.

1) The pocket size is great for so many reasons. It's easy to carry in my bag, and around the house with me (which I've been doing constantly lately). And the daily page is the perfect size: smaller would be too small, and bigger would cause me to write more things than I'd be able to accomplish in one day.

2) The monthly calendars have solved my planning-ahead issues with the daily planner. In fact, I find myself planning ahead even better than with a week view because I can easily see what's coming up beyond the current week and plan accordingly.  Even though the spaces are small, I just write tiny and it's fine. I'm using these monthly calendars intensely as the weeks until our move count down.

I've been using this planner constantly for the past week while my moving plans are really gearing up.  The page size is big enough to capture those little tasks that I need to write down before they slip my mind completely.  And I'm so busy, and scattered, that I carry my planner around in my pocket to refer to and write in often.

I'm utilizing the method I used back in 2005 when I used an A6 size day per page planner for the entire (!!!) year: sticky notes inside the front and back covers for my longer-term (beyond today) lists and notes that don't belong on the day pages.

This is key so that I don't have to rely on flipping back through daily pages to see undone tasks or goals. This was a big factor in the failure of my large Moleskine day per page planner.  Sticky notes inside the covers gives me only two places to look when I need to refer to lists and notes, and they stay there until they are done.

This is working especially well for my multiple-step-process lists of things that need to happen chronologically.  Rather than break these task lists into "To Call" or "To Do," it's more helpful for me to see all the steps in the order in which I need to do them to reach the end result. Whenever I do a task that's on a sticky note, I record it on the day's page when I did it so I have a record of what I did when.  This record is already proving extremely valuable when I need to reference when I spoke to that person about X, when I mailed that payment, etc.

I know Moleskines are famous for their durability, but I'm already worried about my planner's ability to survive the year under such heavy use.  Partly for that reason (but mostly because I love the look and feel of the leather) I ordered the rustically gorgeous Renaissance Art leather cover (which you can click here to see).  I am getting a little desperate for it to arrive!  I have a leather cover from Ren Art for my large Moleskine notebook, and I love the way it looks and feels.

I'm really enjoying using my pocket daily Mole! It's working great for me, and really helping me keep everything straight during this very busy time.

In fact, I even had a dream about it a few nights ago! In my dream I was digging through my bag to find my planner and pulled out a book with a very pretty lavender-colored cover, lavender elastic strap and pagemarker ribbon, and even the pages were a gorgeous light lavender color.  Sounds like the perfect book for me, right??  But when I opened it, I couldn't find the information I was looking for, and nothing in it made sense. I remember thinking in my dream, where's my black planner?  So I dug around in my bag some more and pulled out my pocket Mole planner! I opened it to today's page and found my day neatly outlined and detailed, and immediately felt in control.

Dreaming about my planner!  I need to get out more, right??

Location notebook

Now that I am preparing to move to a new destination, there is a lot of information to record such as: addresses of important places like schools, banks and doctor's offices; points of interest I'll want to check out while I'm there; contact information for people I'm meeting; and loads of other info.

In the past I've always created a new section in my Filofax for this type of information, so that I can use it while I'm there and then when I move away I just remove and archive the section. But this time I'm thinking of using a pocket-size notebook for this information instead.  I'm not using my Filofax as my planner, so having an information section in it is not as convenient as it would be as an all-in-one planner and guide book.  And since I'm trying to downsize these days, it would be more bag-friendly to use a small notebook for this info.

As always when using a notebook, the issues of filling it too much or not enough arise. What will I do if I fill up the notebook?  Well, I doubt I will since I rarely ever fill a notebook. The opposite problem happens to me much more often: if I only use a couple of pages, the rest of the notebook is wasted (since I would hate to use a notebook for two unrelated topics!).

What about you? Have you ever used a notebook for information about a specific location?  How did it go?

CNN diary and notebooks by Letts

Get ready to be impressed: here is the new line of CNN notebooks and diary from Letts!

First of all, let me say many thanks to Letts for sending me these products as samples to review. They are exquisite. And thank you especially for the personalization on the leather covers! Not only do they look exceptionally nice, having my name on them prevented my husband from pocketing them for himself! He did however stake his claim on the linen-covered notebook, which I thought was only fair.  It says a lot about these books that my husband is so interested in them! He normally doesn't even notice notebooks and things like that.

I'll get on with the details because there is SO much to tell you about these books.  Let me just point out how cool it is that CNN has partnered with Letts to create this line of products geared towards people who travel and/ or work internationally.  Falling into that category myself, I can tell you that these products are not only very functional but also extremely useful for anyone who travels to other countries.

The CNN notebooks and diary are available at www.cnnlife.com.  They come in a very nice gift box, shown above. The CNN Life products include a linen-covered notebook (the CNN LifePlus), a smaller leather-bound notebook (CNN LifeStyle), and a pocket size leather-bound diary (CNN LifeLine).

First let me rave for just a minute about the leather on these books.  It is smooth and soft to the touch, and even has that nice leather smell to it. All three of these books are extremely classy and professional-looking.  They have an understated, unique look that will get attention.

First, let me take you through the CNN LifePlus notebook, which is the large linen-covered one.  (Click here for the CNN LifePlus product page.)

This book measures 15.4 cm by 21.4 cm.  The cover is flexible yet firm.  Inside the cover there is a time zones map:

Followed by a page to enter your personal information, then an annual planner that you can use for any year:

The notebook pages themselves have a unique layout.  There is blank space at the top of the page and lined space in the bottom half.  I don't know the exact weight of the paper, but my guess is at least 80 gsm and possibly higher. The paper is thick, exceptionally smooth, and a very subtle shade of cream.

Along the edge of the right page is a dot pattern, which I've shown a closer view of below (and which you can click on for an even closer look):

In the top row of dots, you circle the day of the week.  In the middle row, you circle the dot indicating the month. And in the bottom row you circle the day. It's an ingenious design to help you note the date very quickly so you can get on with your note-taking. To the right of the dots you can circle Client or Personal to classify your notes.

At the back of the book are several pages of cultural guides for doing business in various countries. I find these absolutely fascinating, and extremely accurate.

When I read the guide to US business culture (I'm from the US), I thought yep, that's right on. When my husband read the Russia one (after having worked in Russia for 3 years) he said it's entirely accurate. I read the India one (I lived next door in Nepal for two years awhile back) and again thought it was right on the mark.  And when I read the UK one (where I'm currently living) I thought, no wonder!  People do not realize how very different British culture is from American.  These business culture guides are extremely useful for international business travelers, and indeed could make or break the success of your business experience overseas.

In the very back of the book are references for finding CNN online (with lots of website options), on television or on your mobile so you can stay connected and informed wherever you are in the world.

Next up is the CNN LifeStyle notebook with the sumptuous black leather cover. (Click here for the CNN LifeStyle notebook product page):

This notebook measures 12.5 cm by 14.5 cm, making it very portable. This book also has the annual planner that can be used for any year:

Inside there is a section with city information for various cities around the world. There are city features and insights, information on local media, time zones and dialing codes. And here is something I find fascinating: you can use your smartphone to scan the black and white square to get a map of the city!  Wow!  Very useful when you're on the go.

The notebook pages are blank, and at the right side there is the dot design to note the date and Client/ Personal.  Again the light cream colored paper is very thick and smooth.  There is a ribbon (actual ribbon) placemarker.

At the back of the book there is the information on how to connect with CNN wherever you are.

Last but certainly not least is the CNN LifeLine pocket diary. (Click here for the CNN LifeLine diary product page.):

This also has the wonderfully smooth leather cover.  And look at that personalization! It looks so nice!!!

This diary measures 8.5 cm by 15.2 cm. It is small and slim enough to take with you absolutely everywhere so you never miss the opportunity to schedule your appointments or capture information.

Inside the front cover is the time zone map as shown above in the large LifePlus notebook.  There is a page to write in your personal information, then a two-page spread with the current year's planner:

At the beginning of each month there is a featured city with information on airports, holidays, climate, time zones, currency and dialing codes.  And included is that digital square that can give you a city map on your smartphone!

The weekly layout is very efficient.  It consists of a week + notes format with the days on the left page and the right page lined for notes. At the bottom of the right page are reference calendars for last/ this/ next month, with the current week in bold.  The diary has a ribbon (actual ribbon) placemarker and the same light cream colored, super-smooth paper as the notebooks.

There are several blank pages in the back of the book for notes, then there is space to note your important dates:

There is a page about CNN Traveler (www.cnntraveler.com) which has excellent stories about locations all over the world. In the very back of the book is the information on connecting with CNN online, on tv an on your mobile as in the other CNN books.

As I said before, these books are very classy and sophisticated-looking.  They have a very professional yet cool appearance. They would make an excellent gift for any traveler, or something you should get for yourself if you are an international professional.

These books arrived just when my husband and I discovered we will soon head back into the international arena, so we appreciate them that much more. Many thanks again to Letts for these excellent products!

Here are the links again for your easy reference:

The CNN Life notebooks and diary are available at www.cnnlife.com

Other Letts products can be found at www.letts.co.uk

The CNN Traveler website is www.cnntraveler.com

The main CNN news website is www.cnn.com

New experiment: Moleskine Pocket size day-per-page planner

Yesterday I was so inspired by my friend's use of her day-per-page planner that I decided to try my Pocket size Moleskine day per page planner.

I figured she, like me, is a stay-at-home-mom.  She has somehow figured out how to plan ahead with a day-per-page diary and effectively manage her family. Surely I can figure it out too?

So the first thing I did was add monthly tabs like I did on my Mole last year.

These really help me find specific days in my book, and I also use them to mark the beginning of each month so I can write monthly goals on the first day of the month and refer to them later.

For a minute I considered using daily pages in my Filofax, but then decided to go with the Pocket Moleskine instead. This has a lot to do with my recent effort to minimize the amount and weight of stuff I carry around on a daily basis. Last weekend we took a road trip to Edinburgh where, as usual, I found myself carrying a huge heavy bag filled with stuff, not to mention my big puffy coat, hat, scarf, gloves etc. I felt very encumbered by too many accoutrements. I'm currently trying to streamline.

My Pocket Mole is so small and light, I can easily carry it with me everywhere and not even notice the weight.  Unlike my Filofax, which is a lot bigger:

And thicker:

But for all that weight and bulk, the difference in page size is negligible (especially considering I can't write in the rings area of the Filofax but I can write all the way to the middle of the Moleskine book:

Now that the Moleskine planners have monthly calendars, the usefulness of it as an actual planner goes up exponentially.  The monthly calendars in the Pocket Mole are small, but still write-able.

You may remember my failed experiment with my large Moleskine day per page planner. And my other failures with day per page planners in general. How will this time be any different?  Well, I don't know if it will be. But what is different this time:

1) I've had a mental shift. I'm focusing more on each day rather than a week at a time.

2) I'm using my Filofax for my lists, so they don't get lost in my daily pages.

3) This is something I've been thinking of for a long time, actually. You may remember I listed my Pocket Daily Moleskine as a contender in my Ideal Planner post awhile back.

4) I love the portability and relatively large page size of the pocket Mole.

I'm excited about this experiment!  See, I told you my planner journey is not over!  :)

Paperblanks diary in the wild

Today I went to a friend's house for coffee.  At one point during the conversation she pulled her diary out of her bag--imagine my surprise and delight when I saw it's the exact Paperblanks day-per-page diary I featured here and gave away!!  It was exactly the same size and cover.

I love seeing diaries in use "in the wild," which for some reason doesn't happen all that often for me. I'm so curious to know how other people use their diaries.

She said she is a major list-maker, but I didn't get the chance to quiz her on where she writes her lists: in her diary on the daily pages?  In a separate notebook?  (Day-per-page users out there: where do YOU write your lists??)

Seeing her use her day-per-page diary got me thinking about trying again with mine, but this time my Pocket size daily Moleskine (which is very portable yet has a big enough page size for all my daily details). 

Hmmm...