2011 WeekDate planner

Now that I have my 2011 WeekDate planner in my hands, I wanted to follow up on my previous post about WeekDate and show you some photos of some of the features.  If you haven't read my previous post about WeekDate, please click here to read my post about the planners and the company in general, then come back here for the specifics on the 2011 WeekDate weekly planner.

First, a little background: when I wrote my first post about WeekDate, I was absolutely smitten with these planners and decided I had to have one.  They were available for pre-order, but by the time they were shipped I would be already living in the UK, so I needed international shipping (WeekDate is based in the US).  At that time, the cost for international shipping was prohibitively high.  We are talking, $35 for a $37 planner.  This put it out of my price range and I was very disappointed that it looked like I would have to miss out on the chance to try this planner.

But then suddenly, WeekDate announced they were drastically lowering international shipping rates!  Now to ship one of their planners to the UK costs under 13 dollars, which put it firmly back into my price range so I ordered one up immediately!!  I had my eye on the gorgeous Fireworks cover and wanted to order it ASAP before they ran out.  (Last year most of the 2010 WeekDate planners sold out in the fall, so I knew I had to act fast to get the cover I wanted.)

I had some PayPal difficulties since I have a US PayPal account but a UK shipping address, which apparently doesn't fly with PP.  I emailed WeekDate (during what was the middle of the night their time) to ask if they knew a way around it.  But then I decided to go ahead and order, and have it shipped to my sister who could then send it on to me in the UK.  When the folks at WeekDate got to work the next morning, they saw my email and my order in the system, and quickly emailed me back to say they could send it to me in the UK and generously further discount my shipping, giving me the US shipping rate to show their appreciation for my previous WeekDate post.  So, heaps of praise and many thanks to WeekDate for the shipping discount and their fantastic customer service!!

More WeekDate joy: the 2011 WeekDate planners were expected to ship August 15 but were ready and shipping out eleven days EARLY.  Which meant that when I arrived at my new home here in Scotland, my WeekDate planner was ALREADY here waiting for me!!  You can imagine what an exciting homecoming surprise that was for me!!  They even threw in a couple extra of the super-cool WeekDate pencils for me.  Thank you WeekDate!

When I was looking at the website before my WeekDate planner arrived I had some questions like, are holidays pre-printed on the day spaces?  Where are the Phone and Annual record cards located in the planner?  What are some of the other features?  And how exactly does this all work?  I am happy to answer all of these questions below!

Okay, I'll shut up now and show you some photos!

Here is the absolutely gorgeous Fireworks cover!  It makes me happy every time I look at it!

When you open up the WeekDate, here is what it looks like, with the Weekly section closed. Recurring monthly events go in the top section.  In the bottom section, there is space for weekly recurring events for each day of the week.  Also in the bottom section, at the left is a spot to record those things that happen on a specific date every month, like your rent due on the first day of the month or bills due on the 15th.  Click on the photo for a larger view:

You can see in my enthusiasm to try it out I've already written in some recurring events, like trash pickup on odd weeks and recycling pickup on even weeks (week numbers are printed on the weekly pages for easy reference).  Also, the local farmer's market happens every third Saturday of the month.  It's a very exciting concept that monthly and weekly recurring events only need to be written once!  Then if something changes, I erase it and write in the new day or time, only once!

Here is the WeekDate open in all its glory:

The back sides of the weekly pages are lined for WeekDate Whatever: lists, notes, reminders, financial records, anything!

US holidays are pre-printed on the daily spaces, as are solstices and equinoxes (click on the photo for a larger view):

Even reminders like Tax Day are pre-printed!  This is a very nice feature.

The right lower corner of the weekly page has the month indicated, making it very easy to find the month you are looking for when flipping through your planner.  Also, the edge of the page tears off to find the current week instantly.

The first day of a new month is indicated on the day space (see Sept 1 on the Thursday space):

By now you've seen How It Works, so you know how the monthly and weekly color coding corresponds. One question I had was regarding the 4th and 5th week, and Last week and how they relate.  Below you can see a photo illustrating the answer.  This is a photo of the last week of July 2011.  If you look at the monthly overview calendar at the left, you can see the layout of the month.  You can see by the color coding that Monday through Thursday are the Fourth Monday-Thursday of the month.  Friday-Sunday are the Fifth Friday-Sunday of the month.  And the entire week is highlighted in the date space as the Last of the month.  I'm fascinated by how this works!!  Click on the photo for a larger view.

 

I also like that lined area on the left, under the monthly reference calendar.  It's very useful for things specific to that week like important reminders, weekly totals for groceries/ gas/ Starbucks, this week's main goals, mantras, or anything else you need to keep visible.

An annual reference calendar for all of 2011 is on the back cover on the outside of the planner, which is excellent for quick-reference without even opening the planner:

A reference calendar for all of 2012 is printed on the last page of the weekly planner:

You can write your contacts on the Phone card for quick reference, and can move the card to your new WeekDate planner the following year. The Phone card is located in a clear pocket when you first open the WeekDate, for easy access:

You can write birthdays, anniversaries, reminders to renew your insurance premiums, and any other annually recurring events on the Annuals card.  This lives in a clear pocket at the back of the planner behind the weekly pages:

If you are interested in a 2011 WeekDate planner, you should hurry to order yours soon!  Last year many of the 2010 weekly planner cover styles sold out in early autumn, and they completely sold out of all the 2010 weekly planners and monthly wall planners the FIRST WEEK of January!  I noticed on their website that the 2011 planners are selling quickly and especially the Fireworks, Tangy Turquoise and Eleven cover styles are going fast.

WeekDate products are sold only online, at http://www.weekdate.com/products.htm