Plan, Planner… Plannest?
By Joanna Cuenco
LAST year might seem like it was just yesterday. But suddenly, we’re almost at the end of the first month of the new year. Have you filled your days and your planner with appointments, reminders and other things to do? Were you one of those who were on an almost rabid hunt for stickers to fill up a booklet and acquire a “free” planner given away by coffee shops?
Notice the quote, unquote around the word free: At an average of P180 for a beverage to earn a sticker, and having to collect around 12 to 18 stickers to get the planner, you may have spent over P3,000 for that planner. A free planner is a great incentive if you really do drink that much pricey coffee with friends or clients. If you got one with natural progression, good for you. Let’s just hope that you weren’t one of those pushy people who forced all their friends to get a drink for stickers toward the almighty planner. If you were, it may have been no accident when one of your friends spilled some of his hot coffee on you.
For those who haven’t gotten a planner yet, and prefer writing on paper to scheduling things on a smartphone, here are a few options, none of which costs P3,000.
Moleskine Lego Limited Edition Planner
Lovers of the colorful plastic bricks may feel a rush of nostalgia with this planner. It features a real Lego plate, Lego stickers and construction grids to draw models that can then be assembled with actual bricks. It’s made by Moleskine, known for decades for its quality and durability. For more basic planners, there are plenty of other designs on the Moleskine website, in daily or weekly formats and in different sizes.
Havaianas Planner
With a bright cover, it brightens up any desk. It’s also easy to blindly rummage for it among the dozens of other stuff inside a bag, with its textured cover that looks and feels similar to a Havaianas flip-flop. This handy planner is only about half the size of an iPad mini and very lightweight, great for people on the go. It’s unfortunately already out of stock since it was on promo with purchase, but color, weight and size are good things to keep in mind when shopping for a planner.
Belle de Jour Planner
This planner targeted toward ladies not only helps keep track of your schedule, but also helps with things like vacation planning, tracking and budgeting of gifts for those wedding and birthday invitations, and keeping track of the monthly visitor. Available at belledejourpowerplanner.com or at most large bookstores.
Tips:
Choosing a planner requires a little thought. It’s meant to last you an entire year, so pick one that really works for you. Here are some things to consider when choosing your best planner:
Size and weight. If you’re not the type to carry roomy bags, are you okay with carrying a larger and heavier one? If you find it too bulky, the planner might just end up gathering dust in a corner of your room.
Daily, weekly and monthly formats. Do you want an entire page dedicated to one day, a quick overview of your whole week, or something to help you remember the most important days of the month?
Line size. If you have large handwriting, a planner with larger lines or unlined pages might work better for you.
Pockets. If you want to be able to keep Post-its or little slips of paper in the planner, find one that can hold them.
Ink. Once you have your planner, it’s time to make entries. If you like being able to easily discern business and personal agenda, consider using pens in different colors: black for work and red for personal, for example.
