Do you make your own planner?

[DavidB]

I assume, then, that many of us here are familiar with the Hipster PDA / Do-It Yourself planner web site: DIYPlanner.com because of this interesting thread elsewhere on the fountain pen network.

 

I have struggled for years to decide on a planning system that works for my work patterns, mostly to no avail. Franklin-Covey planners had the best looking pre-printed forms, and I stuck with them for far too long, mostly leaving empty pages behind as the days passed and all I did was write down appointment times.

 

I recently have started working on a "Getting Things Done" theme of DIY planner creation and am encouraged by the DIY planner web site to really think about how I work (identifying my work patterns) before putting the planner together. What I mostly require is some way of tracking tasks and projects and juggling them all in a very dynamic workplace. The only real writing I do at work is perpetually REwriting TO DO lists and recording data in a lab notebook, which are not tasks that the Franklin or DayTimer (or any other pre-printed) planner system are suited for because I run out of space on the pre-printed page with very small lines.

 

So, tell all! How many of us make our OWN planners?

 

David B

[tdcackler]

I make my own, thanks to the DIY gang. In fact, it's their fault I'm here. So if you don't like me, blame them!

[kpfeifle]

Thanks to you...I'm thinking about it. Just spent a half hour looking at the site! I'm thinking of maybe going with an 8.5 x 11 format, but I'm not sure what type of notebook to get.

[JimStrutton]

In a word, PocketMod

 

Works great for me http://www.pocketmod.com/

 

Jim

[Brerarnold]

I used a Day Runner for many years and was happy with it. Originally, I bought into the whole system, but found I did not use a lot of the forms. Ended up with the calendar, the pre-drilled notepad, and the address book. The address book being alphabetically tabbed, it was a handy place to insert notes on various subjects, to which I could easily refer later on.

 

Then came the Palm. I prefer using this for calendar and contacts, as it is searchable and I can use categories. I also make considerable use of the HanDBase relational database. Great program; couldn't get along nearly so well without it. Pocket Chess is pretty swell, too.

 

But the Palm was never very good for taking notes. For quite a while, I carried an A4-sized folio. But after reading some threads here about planners, I became nostalgic for the old DayRunner. Nice leather binding, and a great size for carrying around in the hand. I still had some of the old pre-drilled note-pads around, so I started carrying it again, just as a notebook. Handy little pockets for business cards, etc. And I find the 5x8 size perfect for much of the note-jotting I do. This is primarily for professional use.

 

For personal use, there is a Reporter's Moleskine in my hip pocket. This is more-or-less a journal; musings, poetry, any of the stuff that I might be thinking about at any given moment that I want to write down.

 

But I don't want to be always digging into my hip pocket for every little thing, so I have one of Levenger's shirt pocket briefcases in (where else?) my shirt pocket. I always have a to-do list running there, and various other quick notes. Nice place to tuck receipts, etc. I have had some personalized 3x5 cards made up, business-card style, so in addition to jotting notes, they are also useful for handing out.

 

In sum, no one tool does everything I need done, so my "system" comprises various components, digital and written. It has been developed over the course of many years, components added at various times. The Moleskine and shirt pocket briefcase are the most recent additions, both motivated by something I saw on this site. I used the Moleskine for a month before realizing that, as much as I loved it for what I was using it for, it did not entirely replace the old top-spiral notepad I used to carry in my shirt pocket, which was so convenient. The shirt pocket briefcase more than replaces it, adding functionality that the old pad did not have.

 

I use some Moleskine "hacks", as seen on the PigPog site. Margins and Post-It tabs are very useful. I suppose this is the closest I come to the DIY method. The rest is "assemble it yourself." :-)

[jpolaski]

I dearly wanted to try the DIY planner, but I find it IMPOSSIBLE to find the correct binder size. Does anyone know WHERE I can find a 5.5 X 8.5 binder? I'd prefer a three hole punched planner cover, but I find that that is just completely out of the question, as everyonje has their own special binder for their inserts, and good luck finding a punch for those.

 

In the meantime, it's a Shirt Pocket briefcase for me!

[Friend of Pens]

(This post is a bit of a rant, and ending up much longer that I expected. I must have stronger opinions than I thought. )

 

Brerarnold, I currently have/buy the Franklin system, although like you I don't use the bulk of the forms provided and wind up carrying a lot of extra (blank) paper around. And now that I've gotten into FPs, I've discovered how much I'd prefer to use different paper, as all of my pens currently bleed through (some to an extreme amount.) I generally start thinking about switching planning systems around the time my refill is due to expire, and then panic because I inevitably have future appointments I need to jot down, and wind up buying the next refill to save time.

 

My biggest complaint about the DIY planner movement is that you need to DIY! Specifically, I like having one page per day, with all the months assembled with handy heavy-duty tabs, and future calendar pages at-the-ready so I can jot down, say, a birthday or an important meeting for a month not currently in my planner.* In college and graduate school I became highly dependent upon the Week-at-a-Glance academic calendars (runs August-July) to keep my life in order. There were slim, convenient, and cheap! The DIY approach seems to be most of these things, but I can't see myself duplicating the parts of the Franklin system that I like (two daily pages, future calendars) on FP-friendly paper, and then somehow convincing myself that I've saved time and money in the process. As I see it, I would need to:

 

> purchase the paper I like

> print pages and future calendars, so I'm not filling it out by hand each month

> cut to fit my binder (I like the small size of Franklin's "Pocket" planner, 3 1/2" x 6 3/4" pages, I think)

> punch holes in everything (Franklin-proprietary ring system, of course!)

 

At this point, it becomes easier for me to justify spending the $35+shipping annually to buy their basic refill and suffer through inadequate paper! The time-and-money-saved argument breaks down early for me when I duplicate the Franklin functionality with my own custom forms.

 

I've looked with envious drool at the Levenger Circa system but have trouble getting past the 100% "Levenger tax" that seems to be their calling card. And again, you're getting "vendor lock" when you choose this system, as you're stuck with fancy binders, another custom ring system and hole punch, and an apparent requirement to use no less than 60# paper (most likely to withstand the inserting/removal process.)

 

To finally wrap this up I'd say that I use a pre-printed system, but "under duress." I would truly like to be able to go all DIY-planner on my life -- especially since it would give me an excuse to go paper-shopping -- but I don't see how this is feasible for someone to DIY without a great time-and-money outlay than one of the many commercial systems out there. Even omitting all the junk I don't use from the Franklin refills, I'm unable to beat the convenience.

 

------

 

On a completely tangential note in this post-of-many-tangents, I'd like to put in a plug for one of my favorite places to pick up random stuff on the cheap, American Science and Surplus who, as I write this, have these and these ring-style planner binders in their catalog. I have no affiliation with AS&S other than being a long-time satisfied customer, and generally their prices on closeouts and discontinued items can't be beat. If anyone is getting into the DIY movement and wants to find a source for cheap supplies, I'd bookmark AS&S and check them often. (And their catalogs are a fun read no matter what.) Supplies are limited, as they say, so it's worth checking back often to see what they have in stock.

 

------

 

* For those who don't know, the Franklin system advocates only carrying the current month, the next month, and perhaps the prior month in your planner at any given time, with single page calendars for future months. As you drop in a new month, you are supposed to transfer over information from these planning pages into the "real" daily pages. In this way you keep your binder slimmer, and are only hauling around what you usually need at any given time.

 

Edited for speeling erors

Edited April 13, 2007 by Friend of Pens

[JaDy]

I use the PsyPlan planner. Several versions available: several sizes, DIY or pay, monthly or annual. I use the 3x5 Wire-O version. See PsyPlan. Okay, it's an astrological planner. So what, I just ignore the astrology part (I'm an astrology scientist, not an astrologer). Another okay: I'm the programmer, chairman of Psychic Planner Inc., and chief bottle washer. But really, I eat my own dog food.

Edited April 29, 2007 by JaDy

[Richard]

I realize this is heretical, but my planner is called iCal. I really like its infinitely expandable "pages" and its ability to coordinate things. I publish my calendar to those with whom I need to interact, and they publish theirs -- so we're always in sync. iCal can send me an email when I need to get somthing done by a certain time/date, so I don't have to keep checking to see what's coming up.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/shared/ical.jpg

[dcjacobson]

I've been using a Day-Timer since 1988. I started out with the ring-binder size, but it was too big. I switched to the pocket-sized, two pages per day. Too much blank space--I guess I'm not that busy.

 

I've switched to the 2-page-per-week format, with the entire year in one book. It is perfect for me. Compact, less than 1/4" thick. And I've always like the quality of Day-Timer products.

 

I'm afraid anything labled "hipster" is just too hip for me!

 

Good luck,

Don

Edited April 13, 2007 by dcjacobson

[tdcackler]

QUOTE

I realize this is heretical, but my planner is called iCal.

 

Not really. I use Google Calendar and print the pages off three months at a time. I print off other forms that I don't need to keep online or what have you. Besides, I need something to use my fountain pen on!

[flexiblefine]

QUOTE

Does anyone know WHERE I can find a 5.5 X 8.5 binder?

This may sound silly... But I get mine at Office Depot. Plain 3-ring binder in black, in the 5.5 x 8.5 "classic" size. Try your local office supply store.

 

I think some of the DayRunner binders are 3-ring, too. Again, your local office supply place is probably a good bet.

[tdcackler]

QUOTE

QUOTE Does anyone know WHERE I can find a 5.5 X 8.5 binder? This may sound silly... But I get mine at Office Depot. Plain 3-ring binder in black, in the 5.5 x 8.5 "classic" size. Try your local office supply store.   I think some of the DayRunner binders are 3-ring, too. Again, your local office supply place is probably a good bet.   Yes, most Office Supply Stores carry a simple classic size, 3 ring binder.

Edited April 13, 2007 by JediGamer

[Tricia]

QUOTE (Friend of Pens @ Apr 13 2007, 04:22 PM)

... And again, you're getting "vendor lock" when you choose this system, as you're stuck with fancy binders, another custom ring system and hole punch, and an apparent requirement to use no less than 60# paper (most likely to withstand the inserting/removal process.) ...

The Levenger Circa system (which I use and love) is a fancy version of Rollabind, so you can purchase needed things from them as well. Of course, once you've purchased the punch and binding disks, then you can use whatever paper and covers you want, with the only limitation that said papers and covers have to fit the punch.

 

(And, imo, one of the fun things about DIY is that you, well, DIY. )

 

I use the DIYPlanner templates quite a lot. My day is such that I don't have a lot of meetings and appointments during the day, so regular planning systems tend not to work for me.

 

[Friend of Pens]

QUOTE (Tricia @ Apr 13 2007, 02:00 PM)

The Levenger Circa system (which I use and love) is a fancy version of Rollabind, so you can purchase needed things from them as well.

I was not aware of this! And I've even glanced at Rollabind stuff before, but never made the connection.

[cowboyjack]

Levenger Circa notebook starter pack & hole puncher.

 

diyplanner.com forms.

 

HP 32# paper.

 

Grid 3 x 5 cards or small grided Moleskine, depending on how I feel.

 

Hard to beat.

 

I mostly use 5.5 x 8.5 size forms and paper in a Circa binder for my calendar, addresses, David Allen GTD Project lists, etc.

 

Use the hipster or small Moleskine for on-the-go capture and/or immediate task lists/shopping/errand lists.

 

I think it is perfectly reasonable to change systems from time to time. Why not?

[Ray]

I use Clairefontaine A5 notebooks and implement a version of Bill Westerman's GSD system.

 

Ray

[Blorgy]

QUOTE (Ray @ Apr 15 2007, 07:11 AM)

I use Clairefontaine A5 notebooks and implement a version of Bill Westerman's GSD system. Ray

I like writing on Clairefontaine paper too, which is why I use a Quo Vadis Prenote "Agenda Planning Diary".

I ignore the printed columns, and I write across the whole page, which is about 8.25 inches wide.

[Tricia]

Forgot to mention that Pendemonium has a few Clairefontaine "Clairing" notebooks - Clairefontaine with rings like Circa. Perfect!

 

Supply is limited, though. (No affiliation, just a happy customer.)

 

[WilliamK]

I am using a DIY that I found on pigpog, maybe. It's a pocket Moleskine where the left page is divided into horizontal thirds, Monday thru Wednesday. The right page gets Thursday thru Sunday, with Saturday and Sunday sharing the bottom third of the page. The calendar takes up just over half of the pages, and the rest are open for notes, lists, etc. It's a workable idea, and I'm trying to decide if I'm going to do it next year, or try something else. I might change from a ruled to gridded notebook next time, or go from pocket size to the next size up, but there's still time to make that decision.

 

Back in college, I used a small DayRunner until I lost it. A friend gave me a large leather three-ring organizer for graduation, and I used it as a calendar for a long time. A company that I worked for briefly gave me another DayRunner, which I still have in unused condition. Then, I bought a Visor Platinum, but got tired of having to use Graffiti to enter text. Thanks to this site, I was introduced to the DIY planner sites. Funny what you can learn on the internet.