Loving the Kate Spade Calendar (a.k.a. Planner Angst Averted)

Hi everyone!

I was having terrible planner angst since the beginning of 2014.

I normally used the Cotton Cream WO2P but didn't like that they weren't white.  My sister got me a Personal sized planner from Ever New, a store out of Melbourne that has stores in Manila, that had a dated 2014 diary and I was using that since the beginning of the year.  (I actually chose it myself, thanks dear!).  As you will see from the photo below, it's so very pretty. The diary pages are nice and simple.  However, the weekends are crammed together.  I thought I could live with that but I wasn't very comfortable with it.

So pretty!

Clean and simple pages

When I got the Pink Domino, it was the same deal.  I was used to the Filofax format, but just didn't like the weekends 'squooshed' together.

And then, I decided to use the Kate Spade 2014 Calendar, and I have to say, it's perfect for my needs!

I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about -- the Monthlies are incorporated into the weeks, the Weeklies have equal spaces for each day, and I just realized I prefer the 'Notes' section to be at the end of the week rather than before the Monday.  I don't even mind that Sat/Sun have smaller spaces on the monthlies.

'Cover' page for March

March spread

Clean Weekly spread

I put off using it for a bit because the paper is so thick and it would bulk up my planner too much.  Or so I thought.  The format and layout of the Kate Spade Calendar completely makes up for the thickness of the paper.

Shows thickness of 2014 Calendar alone.

As you can see, quite hefty.

The upside is that you can stamp and highlight to your heart's content and it wouldn't bleed or show-through the next pages.

I've been in Planner Peace since I started using it which is barely a week ago.

My one and only complaint:  this Calendar format will completely spoil me for any other.  I'm already on the lookout for 2015's inserts (is that crazy?).   I've found a few I like -- Life is Crafted, Piaric, Organized Mum and Bowlful of Lemons.  Of course there's also Etsy.

I don't like printing and cutting my own pages though, I'm just rubbish at it.  If you have any suggestions on pre-printed diary formats you love, I would love to hear about them.

And more importantly, does anyone make Monthlies incorporated into the Weeklies?

Thanks for visiting!

PS:  You may ask where the Kate Spade planner is, and why am I not using it.  That's a whole new story in itself.

What's New in 2014?

Hi everyone!

There are a few things I'm doing differently this year in my planner pages.  I wanted to try out a few new things to see if I would be more productive and organized.  And I think I may be.

Here's what I've been up to:

Using a Monthly Diary.  I tried this before and didn't keep up with it.  The grids are really pretty small for what I thought I wanted to write in there so I knew I had to change things up if I wanted it to work.

I use them to --

(1) Color-code events/appointments with stickers.  If you'll notice, I just put the sticker on the date so it doesn't take up too much room on the grid.  The sticker just alerts me to something important for that day and I'd still go to my weekly pages for the details.

(2) A very mini journal of what happened that day.  This has worked splendidly for me.  I now know when certain things happened, where I was, or who I saw.

Decorating my pages.  I've been doing it this year and I'm enjoying it.  It's a little bit of work, but they make the pages look colorful.  Also, it's another 'creative outlet' for me. (:

Next week's pages

Using the Frixion 0.38 Slim erasable pens.  I wanted to make my pages neat and tidy so I got the Frixions in the colors I use to color-code.  I actually only got them this week so I have yet to see if they work for me, but so far, so good.

I prefer a 0.4 mm or smaller tip for my writing and these fit the bill. I couldn't find a brown in the Slim though so it's the odd one out in the photo.  The Muji erasables were in 0.5 mm and just didn't suit my writing.  My daughter has them now.

Doing these new things is a little bit more involved but does make planning more fun and colorful.  I wonder if I can keep this up, ha ha.

What new things are you doing in 2014?

Thanks for stopping by!