Complete guide to Simply Notebooks planners

This is a complete overview of Simply Notebooks planners.

Being is this industry for over 5 years I’ve learned that our planning needs are very different. We work in different places and live different lives, with or without children, we see that there is a lot of information to process, keep stuff in mind (like birthdays, special dates, various holidays), vacations (remind ourselves multiple times that we need to plan a vacation to even have one), work or school things to write down. This is all too much for a normal person to handle (not all of us have a superduper memory). That’s why I have created a multiple selections of planners to accommodate at least some people’s needs.

… our wardrobe and our mood changes each season or our place in life in general, we see things differently as we mature.

Over the years I have created dozens of new planner designs and the one thing that was always in my criteria is that the print is black and white. I do love all the colour diaries and planners that are available from various creators, but knowing myself, I might like the floral illustrations from time to time or colours popping here and there, but that’s not permanent. My taste changes from season to season and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Like our wardrobe and our mood changes each season or our place in life in general, we see things differently as we mature. So, that’s why I wanted to leave the pages to be decorated (or not) according to your own likes and dislikes.

 

WHICH PLANNER SIZE I NEED?

 

I have explained my colour choice, now let’s move on to a very important part – what size planner to choose.

During first years in Simply Notebooks history I actually didn’t have other sizes available besides A5. Only after my customers started requesting larger planners, I started to realise the importance of having large or a small planner.

Here are some of the reasons to get A4 size planners:

• you need more space to write
• bad eyesight
• large handwriting
• desk size is not an issue
• not planning on carrying it around much

Let’s be reasonable, if I don’t have space behind my desk for a large planner then I shouldn’t get a large planner. If we open up an A4 size planner we need a minimum of 31 x 43 cm of free space, the weight is about 900 grams.

Pros for getting A5 size planner:

• writing space is not an issue
• not heavy to carry around
• you need a daily planner (only in A5 size)
• suits with your regular leather covers (i.e Kikki.k A5 leather notebook holder)
• can be used as a refill

My cutest and smallest planners are A6 size, here is why you should get one:

• very light
• easy to carry around
• small handwriting
• great size for travelling
• handy to use on the go
• can be used as a refill

Here you can see approximate measurements of each size:

 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOFT AND HARD COVER ITEMS?

 

While hard cover planners have more details, the other aspect to consider is the weight of the book. Hard cover planner’s and notebooks are about 2 times heavier than soft cover items. You will be amazed how much lighter your bag is going to be if, for example for school, you get hard cover notebooks/books instead of soft cover books. It’s not grams it’s kilograms that we’re talking about. If you’re not someone who is caring books around on a daily basis, the weight shouldn’t play such a big role for you.

 

Most important part – the layout

 

As I said before, I have designed dozens of planners in the past, that’s why I have multiple layout options to choose from.

Let’s take a look at each one of them closer and see what are the pros and cons of each design. Picking the right one can be made by your previous planners purchases or by looking closely into what aspects are crucial for you.

HORIZONTAL LAYOUT WITH LINES

Horizontal layout is perfect for students, to write down classes and lessons – there are 8 lines to write on. You could add hours to it so it will work as an appointments schedule. Most of the planners out there use this kind of layout.

Line gap width is apporox. 0.5 cm

HORIZONTAL LAYOUT WITHOUT LINES

Horizontal layout without lines option is the most laid back design. There is room to write and decorate where ever you wish. Plenty of space to write with larger handwriting and perfect or those who love to sketch.

vertical layout

Vertical layout is most comprehensive one. Mostly designed for people who have a lot of appointments. Daily hours run from 8 AM until 8 PM. Also there is more space to write on weekends and the to-do list style after each day is perfect to keep in mind e-mail or calls to make during the day or to write down points that are are nor work-related.

Line gap width is apporox. 0.5 cm

week on one page layout

Week on one page is designed for mothers at home, who need to write down their to do lists and reminders. Week section is smaller.

It can even be handy for entrepreneurs, because the flow of ideas is constant and you need to write it all down!  To do lists are a must for people like me with bad memory 🙂

Monthly planner

Simplest layout to use is a monthly planner. This kind of design can be used as a second personal planner, you can write down holidays, birthdays and other special dates that you need to remember. After each month you have 5 lined pages for note taking.

additional pages 

One thing that’s important to have in a planner is a goals section and habit tracker. This will help you in your planning and to set up tasks and goals for next months.

Birthdays and special dates is good to keep handy on one page, which you can find at the beginning of the planner. Last but not least are the contacts list and passwords page.

As you noticed there are also meals and budget pages, they are available under “Family planners”. You’ll have meal planning page for each week and budget page, where you write down incomes, expenses and savings after each month. This have been very useful for me also.

WHAT’S NEXT?

When you have figured out the size and layout then picking a starting month is the easiest. I’d recommend to start the planner with next month – start from a new slate. This way you ‘ll not have any unused pages.

FYI you will have a sticker page included in the planner and a pocket. Hard cover planners have protective metal corners and elastic band. 

If you have any other questions regarding planners please contact me by e-mail liina@simplynotebooks.eu