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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| Quo Vadis ABP2 |
My favorite day per page planner I've ever used is this one, click here to read the details.
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| My all-time favorite |
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!!
Paperblanks! Midi size Day Per Page.
ReplyDeleteDespite being the perfect size, I have ruled out Paperblanks because the day per page planners do not give Saturday and Sunday their own page, they share a page. Too bad, because their covers are gorgeous!
DeleteHave you tried Cartesio? They're available from The Journal Shop (http://www.thejournalshop.com/). I don't know if you're a fountain pen afficionada, but my Cartesio notebooks aren't so great with fountain pens, but the books are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion! But I'm going to be really picky here: I don't like the multi-language. I find it too distracting. Plus the large is A5, and I already have two A5s to choose from. The Pocket is too small. Otherwise they do look really nice!
DeleteBTW before someone suggests Ciak: I don't like the elastic going across the book instead of vertically. It makes the corners stick up. And they also have the multi-language thing going on. English-only for me.
DeleteThanks for suggestions!!
Go with the starwars one. I bought it for my fiancee and now i'm considering stealing it to use myself! It's perfect and, to be fair, not TOO heavy... not quite break-your-back heavy (therefore definitely practical)
ReplyDeleteVery true. I usually put a leather cover on my Moleskine because the plain cover is boring. But with the coolness of the Star Wars cover I wouldn't do that, so the book would be slimmer and lighter than I'm currently used to. Hmmmmm.
DeleteIt looks to me like there's only one - the textagenda. You love everything about it except for the time slots. Maybe you could put the times down the side like in the mole and use the lined spaces up top for something else like reoccurring tasks or habits you need to track (just ignore the numbers). I don't think you really want to use the large mole as your everyday planner - you just want to use it so maybe you could think of a different way to use it. Maybe I'm way off but this is what I'm feeling from all the posts I've read.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have a pocket mole, a textagenda, a large mole and a Letts of London A6 that I've spent much time going 'round and 'round with. I feel your pain!!!
I have to admit, the Textagenda would be perfect if it were just an open format. The size and the paper are ideal. But I've tried using it where I write the times down the sides, and there is so much wasted space at the top that the usable page size is equivalent to the Pocket Daily Moleskine! So, it's not a contender despite the things I like about it.
DeleteI would love to use a Star Wars planner, but I know from past experience that I find a hardcover A5 too heavy to carry everywhere. I'm just wondering if the Star Wars aspect will balance out the negatives (which aren't horribly negative, admittedly).
I know with myself, everytime I try to be logical about my planners it just doesn't work - in the end go with the one that you have the strongest feelings about. At least that one will last a while. ;)
DeleteYou're definitely right about that! Especially for a day per page planner, that I use all day every day, I feel like I need to LOVE it. And I'm such a tactile person, often I gravitate toward what feels best in my hands. I'm really curious to check out the ABP1 when it gets here, because it will be the softest cover and smoothest paper, which might tip the odds in its favor.
DeleteLaurie,
ReplyDeleteWhile I like the size and format of the Quo Vadis Textagenda (make that love), the paper is just too thin for my taste. I often have to grab whatever is near me to write in my planner (crayons, Sharpie's, etc) so I like a thicker paper.
I think you should go for the cool factor and get the Darth Vader. Why not, right!
Oh I've already got the Darth Vader! I have a stack of planners for 2013, it's just a matter of deciding which to use. I want to use one day per page planner the whole year, which would be a huge feat for me!
DeleteLaurie, in a strange way you have a similar problem to my husband, in his case was that he was never happy in his job until he worked for himself. You will never be happy with your planner unless you make it yourself.... just a thought
ReplyDeleteActually you've hit the nail on the head, more than you realize. I designed a couple of different Plannerisms daily planners, but my publisher can only do the weekly this year. Hopefully the daily ones will be published in the future if the weekly ones take off, but for 2013 at least I have to find one that's already published.
DeleteAnd, I've self-drawn weeklies plenty of times but it's just too much for a daily. First of all, notebooks don't come with that many pages so I couldn't get a whole year in just one book. And, I want features already in.
I'll hold out hope that my Plannerisms dailies will be published for 2014!
can't wait to see them
DeleteNo one has suggested a binder yet? Something from Filofax, where you can you choose from different layouts or even print your own?
ReplyDeleteThanks but no, definitely no Filofax. I've been down that road too many times! Especially for a day per page, I need a permanently bound book.
DeleteSounds familiar! I keep switching between books and binders... at least you know which side of the fence you need to stay on :-)
DeleteI don't know beans about them, but ran across these on etsy when I was looking at sketch books: http://www.etsy.com/shop/nauli/search?search_query=day+planner&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ref=shop_search
ReplyDeleteI love the retro look of those covers! But, the book is too small at 3/7 x 5.3 inches, I need a bigger daily page. Thanks for the suggestion though!
DeleteWant to use the Force, do you. Deny yourself you must not. Cool the Star Wars one is, and use it you should. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL Rori!!!!!!
DeleteThe Undercover UK because the page format is so clean and open and the binder is relatively small. Paste in your own maps and Star War pics and put another cover on it if you have to. Other than that I've got nothing but the At A Glance standard diary 6 1/2 x 4 1/2. Is it time for another make your own?
ReplyDeleteLaurie,
ReplyDeleteWhy not make your own??? Clearly your other one was working for you. Find a blank book and personalize it=)
Can't wait to find out what you do,
PM
Did you already rule out Franklin Covey's day per page format in the Compact size? The size is close to your ideal, and you could carry only a few months at a time in a slim binder to keep the bulk and weight down. But that's just my pragmatic side talking... I'm going over to the Dark Side myself :-) (Actually, the Rebel Alliance side -- I got the pocket size.)
ReplyDeleteSorry Laurie can't help you but wanted to say I so feel your pain. Still searching for my Holy Grail planner and when nothing else is quite right I get so frustrated. xx
ReplyDeleteI've decided!! Easy decision:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.plannerisms.com/2012/10/quo-vadis-abp1-day-per-page-planner.html
I hope your Plannerisms planner could be a little bit colorful, like Erin Condren's. :-) Im not gonna buy a 2013 planner until I see your Plannerisms planner!
ReplyDeleteThe inside pages won't be multi-colored like the EC, but there will be several cover colors to choose from. :)
DeleteThat is great as I don't like a black colored cover lol :p
DeleteI've just ordered this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.moleskineus.com/mb513bs-moleskine-2013-daily-planner-box-set.html
...to augment my on-line calendar. For the last 2 yrs I've had the large 400pg Moleskine day per page - Just too heavy to keep carrying around!
Have you thought about this planner?
I just ordered the box set: http://www.moleskineus.com/mb513bs-moleskine-2013-daily-planner-box-set.html
ReplyDelete- as I've been carrying around this:
http://www.moleskineus.com/mbl513d-moleskine-2013-large-daily-planner.html
for 2 years - just too heavy!
Have you considered the volant?
I don't consider this to be an option because the page size is the same as the pocket daily I've been using for the past two years. The page is just too small, I need a larger page size. This set is a great option for people who want a page per day in a thin pocket size book though!
DeleteI decided to make my own DPP after all! Post about it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.plannerisms.com/2012/12/paperblanks-midi-ventaglio-rosso.html