Here Comes Planner Season
The transition from summer to fall is one of my favorites. I am lucky to live in a place that has distinct seasons and northeastern Minnesota is absolutely gorgeous in the fall. It’s also the best time of year for outdoor activities, not too hot or too cold, not as many bugs, and the water in Lake Superior is warm enough for swimming. When I was a kid growing up out west the transition of the aspens and the cottonwoods created blazes of color in the evergreen forests.
August is my birthday month, and it always make me a little nostalgic for childhood and going to school. Being a stationery nerd from a young age, school supply shopping was obviously a ton of fun. I saved up my allowance one year to pick up a pack of Pilot Precise pens, which were the height of luxury to my fourteen year old self. Sometimes I would get a special academic year planner, although I do remember my high school providing them to students. They were simple affairs with a week on two pages and a list of school events already written. Despite the popularity of digital calendars, I always kept a paper planner of some kind throughout university. I wasn’t quite clued in on the wide and varied world of the online stationery community, so I usually utilized what I could get at Staples or Office Depot. One of my must-buys was a desk calendar so I could lay out all of my due dates for the entire semester. Filling that out settled me in for the semester.
Nowadays, while I am eagerly awaiting a return to sweater weather and pumpkin-flavored things, I also reflect on how my planning system is going. After all, August begins the teasers for 2025 planners, especially from Hobonichi, and many planners begin to roll out in September. The sky is the limit it seems when it comes to planners and their layouts. I’m considering what worked and what didn’t work about my choices for 2024 as I gear up for planner season.
This year I used two planners, a work planner and a personal planner.
A Midori MD A4 Diary with monthly pages was selected for my work planner. I picked this planner up from Vanness during a sale, the price was right and I’d been enjoying using a Midori MD A6 notebook for writing. I’d always admired the aesthetic of these notebooks. The Midori planners are beautifully minimalistic. The monthly calendar pages are laid out with just a few lines to make the calendar grid. The days are numbered. There is plenty of space around the calendar in the margins to make notes. The rest of the notebook is made up of pages with the blue grid pattern common to Midori MD notebooks.
A past picture with the stark light of my office.
What is working?
This planner had a ton of flexibility due to the fact that it was just monthly calendars and layout. I was able to experiment with different layouts bullet journal style in the back pages. It’s definitely changed as the months went on.
Midori MD paper is great. Ink writes a little dryer on this paper, but it also dries quickly.
What isn’t working?
The size. A4 was too big for my workspace. It was difficult to wrangle on my desk. I turn my papers sideways in order to write on them, so the notebook would end up taking the entire desk when I was working in it. Additionally, I couldn’t leave it open to make notes throughout the day because otherwise I’d have no room to work on anything else.
Will I get it again? No, I don’t think I’ll be trying this one again. I’m not writing off the whole line of Midori MD Diary planners, but I would definitely go with a smaller size. Now that I’ve been in my new job for about six months I have realized I need a little bit more structure in the book. It would also probably be best if it was more portable. I often take minutes and meetings and it would be nice to have that all in one place at all times.
What am I considering? I am very fond of my A6 Sterling Ink Common Planner. I am considering getting one for work (or the academic planner which starts this month). The only question that remains is what size. I’m leaning toward B6 size, just because it’s not a size I have used before. It will also make it distinct from any other notebooks that I may use. The options are expansive however, Sterling Ink makes the common planner in many sizes from A5 all the way down to Passport TN sized.
My personal planner was the aforementioned A6 Sterling Ink Common Planner. For this year I used the compact size which is about 1/2 inch thick and has 120 note pages in the back after the monthly and weekly layout pages. The planners have a faux leather cover (mine is blue) and it’s been holding up really well. Stickers even stick to it just fine.
I like how clean the layout is - no frills, just the basics.
What is working?
I like how I have both monthly and weekly layouts in the same book. Having the monthly layouts has really helped me plan my weekends and trips in advance. Travel is something I have been missing for the past few years and I was having a good time easing back into it.
The tracking pages at the front were very useful. I’ve never been much of a habit tracker, but I borrowed from Cortex’s Theme System to create a hybrid one for myself. I could track if I’d worked on that project or not.
The notes pages have been really useful to keep track of ink lists, notes for my trips, and anything else that I want to be able to reference easily over the course of the year.
What isn’t working?
When I chose this one I wasn’t sure what I would use the notes pages for. I think I have a better idea now of what I would like to use them for. Only problem is, I don’t have enough for my purposes.
Not many plans for December yet, but it gives a chance to look at the simple monthly layout as well.
Will I get it again? Yes, but I am going to be getting a different version. Just like the Hobonichi A6 has the split-year books, Sterling Ink has made one as well. I like the idea of that since it will be the same size as the one I currently have, but will have enough note pages for six months of journal writing (in theory). That’s my plan for when the books go on sale next month.
Are you excited for planner season? I know sometimes I get caught up in the hype, but I do love seeing other people’s systems.
Currently Inked
Ferris Wheel Press Purple Jade Rabbit - Kaweco x Galen Leather Sport Carmine 14K BB ‘journaler’ - My header ink for the month is this delicate purple with silver shimmer. I did also use this as the header color for January, but I don’t mind the repeat. This ink shows off so beautifully in the wide nibs. It’s a subtle contrast to the other inks I chose to start the month.
Wearingeul 1984 - Kaweco liliput fireblue 14K M ‘journaler’ - I was drooling over this ink when Wearingeul started teasing it last month. It’s a color that I really enjoy - a dark, elegant red with red shimmer. They also have gotten me with the theming. George Orwell’s 1984 was a major turning point in my literary education in high school. This ink is inspiring me to revisit the book again.
Colorverse Standard Model LE Photon - Kaweco Art Sport Terrazzo B ‘imperial’ - I love this ink set. I always feel a little bit like a mad scientist when I pull out the case and select an ink. Honestly, it’s Colorverse’s wildest special edition to date. I still haven’t used all of the inks. This one is a mint green and I’m really enjoying it. It’s been a nice bright pop of color in my notebooks. I used this combo a lot doing some research this week.
Robert Oster x Endless Pens Ghost - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K BB CSI - I bought this ink last Halloween because I was on a spooky themed ink kick. I love writing and reading ghost stories so a ghost themed ink seemed an appropriate addition to my collection. This ink surprised me when I first swatched it for being such a dark gray. Yet, I’m really enjoying it as a counterpoint to the brighter inks I’m using this week. The shimmer particles appear to be very fine which makes it look dusty. Very ethereal. I’d like to try it in a narrower nib as well to see how it looks.
Diamine Velvet Emerald - Kaweco liliput copper M stub - This ink is from the 2023 Inkvent calendar, and it’s my first time actually inking it. I am very pleased with this ink. It has a little bit of red sheen and is a green-leaning teal. This combo makes me just want to pick up and keep writing. A lot of drafting happening with this little pen this week.
Ferris Wheel Press Russet Typeface - Ferris Wheel Press Carousel Billowing Blush M - Part of the new set that is inspired by a letterpress shop. This one really reminds me of rust on old metal. It has pretty shading. I think I will definitely be revisiting this ink when I need some autumn colors.
Ferris Wheel Press Galeforce Green - Ferris Wheel Press Carousel Feathered Flight M - The next entry into the the ferritales set inspired by the Three Little Pigs. This one is a muted green with multicolor shimmer. I really enjoyed writing with this one. Ferris Wheel Press has been hitting it out of the park this year with the soft, muted colors. I think green inks are starting to grow on me.