Quo Vadis ABP1 day per page planner

Here is the day per page planner I will use for 2013:

I'm so sure, I even cancelled the poll asking which DPP planner I should use for 2013. The choices were between this one, my large Moleskine Star Wars day per page, or the Undercover UK day per page.  The Quo Vadis ABP1 is the clear winner, and I'll show you why.

The ABP1 is an A5 size (5 1/4 by 8 1/4 inches) day per page planner/ diary. Like all Quo Vadis products, it has the spectacularly smooth paper I love (in white, which I really really love). And it just keeps getting better. 

It came with the removable Quo Vadis bookmark/ elastic strap, which is now black and looks great. I like it much better than the brown and tan strap on the other QV bookmark I have. 

I ordered the Soho cover, which is a soft leather-like cover. It looks super-classy, and feels soft and is nice to hold. I'm very tactile, so a soft-feeling cover is very important to me.

The format is awesome: a timed column at the left that has a line for every half hour from 7 am to 10:30 pm, with two lines above 7am for early mornings. To the right is a large Notes area. At the bottom of the page is a section for phone calls and emails, and reference calendars.

I wasn't sure when I looked at the website if holidays were printed on the day spaces, so I was very happy to discover that all major holidays for the US, UK and Canada are printed on the day spaces as well as major religious holidays, solstices, equinoxes, and phases of the moon. I'm extremely happy about this!

I was also extremely happy to discover there is an anno-planner for all of 2013 at the front of the book, and another one for all of 2014 at the back of the book.  Fantastic!!

There are also reference calendars for all of 2013 and 2014.

There is a detailed and very useful time zones map, and maps of Canada and the US.

Address pages are bound-in, which I will definitely use for contacts, sticking in business cards, long-term notes and reference info.

Here is a view of what the two-page spread looks like. And look!  It stays open flat all by itself!!  Wonderful!!!

The ABP1 has the same page size as the large Moleskine day per page planner, but for me the ABP1 has several advantages over the Moleskine. All the features noted above: smooth white paper, soft-touch cover, holidays printed on the day spaces.  But there are a couple other things that really tipped this for me.

One is that the ABP1 has a refillable cover, which creates these pockets inside the front and back covers.  The Moleskine has a back pocket, but it's a full-width one so anything I put in there disappears. With these, any papers I put in the pockets are still visible, so I don't forget about them.

But the real deciding point was the weight. The ABP1 is noticeably slimmer and definitely lighter than the hard cover large Moleskine daily.

ABP1 at left, Large Moleskine daily at right

Moleskine on top, ABP1 on bottom

I chose the ABP1 over the Undercover UK one because they are about the same weight, but the ABP1 has a larger page size (not to mention the smooth white paper I love so much).

End of dilemma.  I get the full A5 size page in a lighter book with a soft cover, smooth white paper, holidays printed on the days, and front and back pockets. Not to mention I love the daily format.

Now the hard part will be waiting until January 1 to use this planner!  Does anyone know where I can get a 2012 ABP1???

As far as I know, the ABP1 is sold only in the US and Canada. I ordered mine from Alkos, click here for their product page.

You won't find this planner on the Quo Vadis website. I think it's endangered. It was discontinued for 2010 and brought back due to popular demand. In my opinion, this is the best day per page planner that Quo Vadis makes. I hope it's around for many years to come. I'll be asking my mom to bring one with her every year when she comes to visit!!

**Edited to add: reader Elsa very generously sent me her 2012 ABP1 that she didn't use this year, so I can start using this excellent size and format right away!  I am SO happy to have found this planner and am excited to use it right now!  As a trade for her ABP1 I sent her the 2013 ABP2 that I won't be using (because I'll be using the 2013 ABP1 instead).

So now I'm on a campaign begging Quo Vadis not to discontinue the ABP1! I love that it has this large page size and super smooth paper in such a lightweight book. It's a winner!!

**Update: This planner is hard to find, but you CAN get the 2014 ABP1 at Classic Office Products for US and international shipping, click here for the ordering page. If you are in Canada you can order the ABP1 from Quo Vadis Canada.  (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Quo Vadis or Classic Office Products)

Need suggestions! Day Per Page planner conundrum

Ok everybody, I need some help here. I'm trying to decide what day per page planner to use for 2013. I need your suggestions!

For the past two years I've used a Moleskine pocket size day per page planner. While I love the portability, the page size has consistently proved to be just too small. I'm not going to do that to myself again.

Moleskine pocket day per page

My favorite size for a day per page planner/ diary is 12 x 17 cm, 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches. This is the size of the Quo Vadis Textagenda and the Undercover UK day per page diary. I've tried the Textagenda but I really need times down the side of the page.

Quo Vadis Textagenda format

I like the Undercover UK diary, but it's not perfect. I wish the cover were softer to touch, the paper smoother (and white, ideally) and that there were maps.

Undercover UK

But the Undercover UK is a definite contender because it's the perfect size (portable yet large page size) and I love the purple cover.

Undercover UK

My real dilemma begins when I consider my Large Moleskine Star Wars day per page planner. I'm a huge Star Wars fan!  The negatives are the book is large and heavy to carry around, the cover doesn't have a soft feel in my hands, and the paper isn't the greatest.  But, it's Star Wars!!  And, I'd never have to worry about running out of page space each day.

Definitely wins points for coolness!

To add to the conundrum, my mom arrives today and is bringing with her the Quo Vadis ABP1 day per page planner. I can hardly wait to check it out! It will have the super-smooth white Clairefontaine paper that I love, maps which I also love, and I ordered the Soho cover which is soft to touch. It should be lighter than the large Moleskine because it's a soft cover. But for the same size book, would I wish I were using the Star Wars one instead??

Quo Vadis does make the same layout in my Perfect Size, the ABP2. I ordered it and thought it would be the absolutely perfect planner for me, but it turned out to be a devastating Fail. Click here to read the heartbreaking details if you dare.  I get more and more disappointed as that post goes along!

Quo Vadis ABP2

My favorite day per page planner I've ever used is this one, click here to read the details.

My all-time favorite

There were so many things about it I loved: the fuzzy cover was so nice to hold; the paper was white and super-smooth; I loved the international information and full-color maps; and the A6 size was very portable.  Unfortunately this company doesn't make their daily in A6 size anymore, only A5. If they still made the A6 I would most likely go for that one.

The only thing I've found that's close to this is the Aspinal A6 Italian leather diary, but it's out of my price range.

So my friends, I need your help!  Should I use the cool but heavy Star Wars planner, the soft and smooth Quo Vadis ABP1, or the ok but not perfect Undercover UK?  Or, do you have another suggestion for me?  Please vote in the sidebar and add any comments here.

Thank you for your suggestions!!

Daycraft new Desk Calendar

This is the new monthly Desk Calendar from Daycraft! It's a very nice addition to the Daycraft lineup.

The cover is soft PU and comes in a variety of colors. It stands up on its own:

Each month has a page:

There's also a list of International Holidays:

There are stickers that you can use to highlight holidays or important days:

This calendar would look great on any desk at home or work.

Many thanks to Daycraft for sending me this calendar as a sample to review!  Daycraft now has free worldwide shipping so you can get their cool products wherever you are!

Just for the heck of it, I'm going to give this calendar away to anyone who wants it. The first person to email me asking for it, gets it.  Laurie (at) plannerisms (dot) com  :) 

Congratulations to Libbi, she was the first to email me so she wins this cool calendar!  :)

Daycraft My Travel Notebook

Here is the new My Travel Notebook from Daycraft. This is an A6 size, hard backed notebook with an elastic closure strap:

Inside the front cover is a space to write your name:

The pages are squared:

with degrees like latitude and longitude on a map:

The paper is thick and off-white, with rounded corners.

Inside the back cover is a pocket:

This would be a great travel notebook: the hard cover and elastic strap make it perfect for traveling, the paper is great to write on and the back pocket is great for all those little mementos and tickets.

Many thanks again to Daycraft for sending me this notebook as a sample to review!

When were you happiest with your planner?

Here is another post I've been thinking about for awhile but didn't know if there would be any interest. But a Twitter conversation the other day with Rori spurred me on to post it.

We were talking about why I feel the need to have an emotional connection with my planner. Her very good point was, it's something that goes everywhere with you all day, and you look at it and handle it all the time. And, it helps you in your life. It's normal, and probably important, to feel a connection to your planner.

Then she asked, when did you last feel a real, emotional connection with your planner?

What an awesome question.

For me there have been two planners I've felt a deep emotional connection with. They were very different from each other, and at very different times in my life.

The most recent was my A6 size day per page Time Traveler planner I used the year my daughter was born, which you can read all about here. That was a time when I really didn't have much to plan, but I had little details to record each day of the cute things she did and all those baby firsts. I loved the way the fuzzy faux-suede cover felt in my hands. I loved that little book.

The time before that when I was most happy with my planner was when I first got my Buckingham Filofax and used it in grad school.  My planning needs were pretty simple (compared to now at least). The only person I had to keep track of was myself, and the only things I needed to keep track of were school things. After I graduated, and especially after my kids were born, the Filofax just didn't fit my needs anymore.

The happiest I've been with a planner in a long time is my self-drawn weekly + monthly planner I've been using this year. It functions perfectly for me. But the only thing I don't like about it is that it's hand-drawn, and I prefer printed. Also I want maps, international info etc. Luckily my 2013 Plannerisms planners will be printed soon and they will have all this good stuff in them, so I'm looking forward to that!!

Meanwhile I'm still searching for a day per page planner that I can connect with. I'd love a soft or fuzzy cover. I want an open, unstructured format. I want it to be approximately 12 x 17 cm , between A6 and A5 sizes. These are hard to find!

When was the last time you were happiest with your planner and/ or felt a strong emotional connection to it?

Planner Quagmire

Has this ever happened to you:

You get so bogged down in planner frustration that you want to give up on planners altogether. Maybe you've had an epic Planner Fail or two.  Maybe you've even tried calling the dog, to no avail. The whole aggravating experience has put you off planners, and now you're struggling through your days, plannerless.

That, my friends, is a Planner Quagmire. And let me tell you, it blows.

So how do you haul yourself out of a Planner Quagmire?

The key is to figure out what you want and need from your planner. Do you need mainly to schedule appointments and events? Or do you need to write your lists alongside your schedule? Do you want to record things in your planner too, or just plan?

Once you've decided your planner's main purpose, you can think about  what the planner itself needs to be.  It helps me to make lists.

Which format do you need? What size do you need?  What else do you need from it?  Fountain pen friendly paper? A ring binder system? Write it down.

Then, go a little deeper. What would you LIKE your planner to be? Pretty? Professional-looking? Cool? Cute? Fun? Serious?  List the characteristics of your ideal planner.

Then, list features you would like it to have. International pages and maps? Goal-setting pages? Lots of pages for notes? Or do you want a streamlined planner with none of these?

Then ask yourself some hard questions. Are you in a Planner Quagmire because what you REALLY want is too expensive or otherwise out of your reach, and nothing else will do it for you?

Or do you need a professional planner for work, but what you REALLY want is something cute and fun or otherwise more "you?"

When you have figured out what you actually need and want from your planner, then you are ready to search for it.

Look through the reviews here on Plannerisms for ideas. Google. Go to the bookstore if you are lucky enough to live near one that stocks planners. 

You might find you need to make your own planner. Draw it up in a notebook (I recommend a Leuchtturm dots notebook, that's what I use for making my own planners).  Visit DIYPlanner.com for ideas.  Check out Steve and Ray's plethora of printable planners on Philofaxy.

And if you still can't find what you're looking for, email me!  I don't know all the planners out there, but I know a lot of them, and I'm bound to have suggestions for you.

Whatever you do, don't despair!  A Planner Quagmire is not insurmountable.  With some thought and maybe a little planner research, you'll find the perfect planner for you. Or if you don't, you can make it yourself.  :)

Have you pulled yourself out of a Planner Quagmire? What got you out of it?

Daycraft Signature Chromatic weekly diary

This is a new weekly planner from Daycraft, the 2013 Signature Chromatic Diary. This one is A5 size, but they also come in A6 size, and in a variety of cover colors. Click here to see the full range of Signature Chromatic diaries.

This planner is packed with features, detailed below. Click on photos for a larger view.

Planning calendars

International holidays

International information

Gift ideas and special dates

Month on two pages calendars at the beginning of each month, embedded in the weeks

Monthly calendars for the future year

Vertical weekly format

Income and expenses pages

Venue lists

Contacts pages

Notes pages

The colored cover is super-soft and flexible, and the book lays flat easily. The white paper is very smooth and excellent for writing.  There is a ribbon page marker to mark your place.

Daycraft now has free worldwide shipping! You can see their entire product range at http://www.daycraft.com.hk/.

**Edited to add: please note when you click through to their website their prices are in Hong Kong dollars. You can go to XE currency conversion to convert it into your currency. The price of this planner is 259 HKD which is approximately $33 USD. Considering the shipping is free, that's not bad.

Many thanks to Daycraft for sending me this excellent planner as a sample to review!