Moving to a Planner

Part of my 2016 ‘make myself better’ effort involved using a planner.  There were a few reasons for an attempt to move back to pen and paper.  It’s been over 18 months since I started with a Planner, and now is a time to share the pages I’ve created and the give an update on what works for me.

The first planner I purchased was a relatively cheap import from Amazon.  Even though it was a relatively cheaply made planner, its leatherette feel was okay, and it has stood up to 18 months of regular use fairly well. For a pen for the planner, after playing with a few cheaper pens, I went for the (moderately) more expensive Cross Tech 3+. This is a nice two color (red/black) pen, with a mechanical pencil and a touch screen top.  I’ve never had an issue with the pen and it holds really nicely.

For 2018, I’ve splurged on a Filofax Finsbury planner.  This will allow me to split my day job from my personal/side projects into a different planner.  I’ll still take both with me to work, but I’ll be able to pull out the appropriate one when needed.  My first opinion on the Filofax Finsbury is that the pockets are nearly not as functional (pockets, etc) as my first cheap one.  Since it is real leather, it will likely soften and become more convenient.

The form factor that I have a strong preference for is the A5 size.  A5 (5.8 x 8.3 in) is almost the same size as Half Letter/Statement/Memo (5.5 x 8.5 in).  So it allows me to use either formal A5 or generate cut a letter page in half.  This has opened up a range of custom options that for generating pages.  In coming posts, I’ll be highlighting those pages and making them available.