For years I have been a moleskine skeptic. I am a self-proclaimed planner-person and felt the moleskine was too blank for me to be able to put any method to the madness spewing out of my brain. Also, I have been using the same style of Quo Vadis planner since high school and felt it would be unfaithful of me to use a moleskine because the planner is perfect. Allow me to explain.
1. The pebbled leather-like cover is beautiful, easy to find when digging around blindly in my bag AND protects the goods from my daily coffee spills. Back in high school, I started with basic black. Then, I went with red for a few years. This year, sky blue. Next year, mustard. I know, I know — you care.
2. It is a weekly planner, but there is still ample room to write on each day. Unlike most people, I don't put my daily lists directly in my planner, instead the planner is more for due dates and important events. I keep lists written on a baby legal pad (I have been relentlessly taunted for using them but they are so handy!) that fits perfectly inside. I don't rip the paper off each day, but simply fold it over the top. This means I can look back — all the way to the first week of January in my current pad — and figure out if I need to transfer any old to-dos onto today's list.
3.5 I am neurotic.
3. There are rippable edges so you can directly open to this week.
4. There are strong pockets on the inside front and back covers that actually hold paper.
I can preach planners all day, so if you are as nerdy as I am about organization we can talk privately.
Back to the moleskine. First off, why the extra "e?" Secondly, I cracked and bought one the second week of this semester. With so many projects and ideas filling my head, the moleskine has become my savior and is perfect for a designer working on multiple projects. I label the top right corners of each page with a little letter (r = renovate|style, v = VOX, etc.) to keep my sketches and ideas super organized. I'm sure I could buy a bunch of little ones, but I like the idea of having everything in one place. I am proud to say that I am no longer terrified of plain-paper notebooks and realize that for the creative nature of design work, a structureless idea-catcher like the moleskine is the perfect way to make ideas tangible.
Now please, don't let this post give you the wrong idea about me. Yes, I am obnoxiously organized when it comes to school and work and professional things of this nature. However, I am certainly not this crazy in other aspects of my life, in fact I am often described as "laid-back." This scheduling-frenzy and list-madness is in direct relation to how crazy busy I am (and all of you, I'm sure) at this point in my life. And the fact that if I am not this organized I. WILL. DIE. At least that's how I feel on those horrific occasions when I misplace the quo.
2 comments:
I think you should write the quo people a letter and get a lifetime supply of planners. You must be their number one fan. If anyone out there is more in love with that planner, I would be afraid.
I am intensely jealous of your organization. As hard as I try, my organization attempts generally falter after a few weeks. Maybe it's because I'm just forgetful (ask my roommate) or that there is too much going on. Whatever the reason, organization and I have gone our separate ways. So, bravo for holding on to those skills!
Post a Comment