I’ve been using technological solutions for my calendering and for managing my To Do’s (or Next Actions) for a long time now. The last paper planner I owned and used is pre-2000. My last solution was a PDA I used for planning, contacts and for my Getting Things Done system. But the PDA was stolen recently.
Time for a brand new start, and I’m switching back to paper. I know, I couldn’t believe it myself either, but it’s true.
Drawbacks of the PDA-based system
On my PDA I mainly used the standard software to manage my contacts and appointments. For my GTD system I used ListPro and SOTI pocket controller (a setup inspired by gtdfrk) and it worked out quite nice, but it had some drawbacks that made me dislike it:
- Entering data was painstakingly slow. (tap – tap – tap – tap -…)
- The screen was too small. Both for displaying lines of text as for getting an overview of the lists.
- Synchronizing was a horror. Two-way synch errors made me redo all kinds of work.
- Loss of ALL data when it got stolen. To overcome #3 I had decided to keep all data for GTD on the PDA
- No battery = no system. No system = no ubiquitous capture tool.
- Calender and contacts did synchronize with Microsoft Outlook at home (which I do not use), but not with Lotus Notes at work (which I do use).
To solve most of the issues, I’m switching back to paper. That obviously won’t solve #4, all data is still in one place, nor #6, but I did that by hand anyway. And I discovered that I like writing a lot, old-school handwriting. It’s a lot better than tapping on a screen with a stylus anyway.
Requirements for a paper based planner
Before starting to look at the different options, I made a small list of requirements for my new planner.
- Must fit in my pocket anytime
So it must have a small size (about A6-size) and it must be thin. - Week in one overview
I don’t have a lot of appointments, so I don’t need a lot of space for them. Preferably there’s also no timescale to the day, let me decide myself upon my working schedules please. - Ample space for notes
I do have a lot of thoughts and things to do, so I need a lot of space for them. - Simple and no clutter
I don’t need inspirational quotes, pictures and other clutter. I need a simple system as one of the ZTD habits prescribes. - Not expensive
I prefer not to spend a lot of money on it. The PDA was expensive, but it had navigation on it too
So the best solution is small, simple and cheap.
Comparing different planners
I’ve limited myself to commercially available ready made systems. There are a lot of DIY planner systems out there as well, but I left them out of the scope. Partly because a lot of those systems assume you have a binder available, because you owned one of the systems already. And partly because I just didn’t want to go DIY on this one, I have already enough on my mind as it is.
Before I dive into the details, I’ll give you the table with the final results. Scoring is pretty easy: Get a requirement right, you get a point. Only the first and the last requirements are a little different:
- Fitting in my pocket is divided into two sub-requirements: Small and Thin. Both score half a point.
- Price is divided in two scores: Cheap ($0 to $50) and Average ($50 to $100). Cheap scores a point, Average scores half a point.
Now onto the details and the final result.
Time/System
Time/System has a ring-based binder system for their organizer solutions. Time/System is a well established brand for organizers and has a great choice of fillings available. They claim that you gain 18.4% productivity while reducing stress by 13%. But that test was conducted over 10 years ago, and the landscape of productivity has changed immensely over that period of time.
- Fit in pocket
There are a variety of sizes available, going down from A5 to almost A6 size (Compact Planner ). I’m looking for A6 size, so they’re still in the race. The ring-based binder system does make the planner thick and uses a lot of unnecessary space. - Week in one overview
If you buy the right pages, then you’re good. - Ample space for notes
There’s space for notes or tasks for every day, even when you buy the weekly planner pages. Pretty nice. - Simple and no clutter
They refrained from putting quotes and pictures in their system, so it’s clean and simple. - Price
Ouch. Here’s one expensive system, a full system starts at $129 and a refill costs $50.
They do have a very nice feature with the to do list. You can fold it over the planner pages, making it possible to have all your actions in a central place and have them in sight all the time. Pretty clever thinking!
Final score: 3.5
FranklinCovey
FranklinCovey have both ring-bound and wire-bound systems. The system is based upon the principles of Stephen Covey as he described in his book The 7 habits of highly effective people (read more about those habits here).
- Fit in pocket
There are a variety of sizes available, in both systems. The wire-bound systems are pretty thin, however the ring-bound system is not. - Week in one overview
If you buy the right pages, then you’re good. - Ample space for notes
There’s space for notes or tasks for every day, although this could be more in my opinion. It’s there, but it’s minimal. - Simple and no clutter
Nope. The simplest system still has quotes splattered around the pages. The bigger the system gets, the more space is used for decoration and clutter. - Price
Small wire-bound planners are available for less than $50.
Somehow I expected more. I love the Eisenhower Matrix that Stephen Covey uses in his book, but I can’t find it implemented in the planners.
Final score: 4.0
Filofax
Filofax is the name with respect to organizers, at least for me it is. That might have to do with the 1990 movie Taking care of business with James Belushi. It was released in The Netherlands with Filofax as the title.
- Fit in pocket
Filofax also has a range of size available. The Pocket size is the size I’m looking for. Unfortunately the ring-bound binder makes the planner kind of thick. The thinnest system is an inch thick. - Week in one overview
As with most loose leaf systems: if you buy the right pages, then you’re good. They also have my favorite layout: Week on one page, and a full page for notes. - Ample space for notes
Like I said a full page for notes…every week! - Simple and no clutter
Yes, no quotes or pictures to fill up otherwise usable space. - Price
This surprised me, the small system with the basic binder is very affordable.
The binder systems only encourage procrastinating I think. If you have so much space to dump scraps of paper, business cards and other stuff, there’s hardly an incentive to get a smooth system. The movie made that clear to me (it was on television a month ago).
Final score: 4.5
Daytimer
I never heard of this brand before I have to admit. I guess they’re not so big in Europe as they are in the USA.
- Fit in pocket
Pocket size is the size I’m looking for (gee, I wonder how they found that name). The wire-bound system ends up being fairly thin, so it’s a full score on this requirement. - Week in one overview
Yep, sweet overview on two pages. - Ample space for notes
There’s space for notes on every day, although it’s rather small. - Simple and no clutter
They refrained from putting quotes and pictures in their system, so it’s clean and simple. - Price
The Pocket sized planner with weekly pages comes to a little less than $50.
A full score on all requirements. It would be nice if the layout for the pages left more space for notes though.
Final score: 5.0
Moleskine
Moleskine is known for their notebooks and sketchbooks, that have apparently been used by Picasso, Van Gogh, Hemingway and the likes. Unknown to many is that they also have a range of calender and planners solutions, in similar sizes as the notebooks..
- Fit in pocket
They come in various sizes, ranging from pocket size (9 x 14 cm or 3½ x 5½”) to extra large (19 x 25 cm or 7½ x 9¾”). The books are bound as books, so there’s no rings or wire in the middle. I kind of like that! - Week in one overview
The “12 month weekly planner notebook” has my favorite layout: Week on one side, space for notes on the other side. - Ample space for notes
Yep, every week an entire page. And then some in the back. - Simple and no clutter
Only in the early pages are some unnecessary pages with timezones and stuff. - Price
This is great! These little books are not expensive at all, around 10 to 20 bucks depending on where you buy (Amazon has them too).
A full score on this one as well! I have the luxury of choice now.
Final score: 5.0
X47
X47 is a German company that has a nifty solution for their organizers. They have a binder system, but without the rings. Instead they use small booklets that are held in place by a rod that slides into position. They have it animated on their site.
- Fit in pocket
One of the sizes is even called A6 (Germans just love standards). And due to their binding system, the planner is very thin as well! And quite elegant at the same time. - Week in one overview
If you buy the right pages, then you’re good. - Ample space for notes
If you buy the right pages, then you’re good. You get a booklet (in the binder) for notes. - Simple and no clutter
Clutterfree, and only whitespace to be found. - Price
Ka-ching! This is very expensive, the basic system is available for around €150, but a typical system is around € 210 ($220 to $320).
Unfortunately the site is only available in German, French and Chinese (I think). English is still under construction, which frankly is kind of stupid in my opinion. If not for price, this system would be on top.
Final score: 4.0
Quo Vadis
Another unknown brand for me. I stumbled on this site, through comments on an article I found somewhere (nope, can’t remember which). I doubt that they’re available in Europe, their site doesn’t even have a shop.
- Fit in pocket
Quo Vadis has a lot of different systems and different sizes. I looked at the Space17 in particular, due to size and thickness. It scores on both accounts. - Week in one overview
Space17 has my favorite layout. I could do without the time schedule on the days. - Ample space for notes
A page for every week, gotta love that. - Simple and no clutter
It’s so clean, it’s almost boring. I don’t even think they have international holidays in there. - Price
And it’s available for a bargain as well.
The only setback? It looks cheap too!
Final score: 5.0
Succes Organizing system
This is a system that’s in stores in the Netherlands. The site is strange though, the focus is primarily on leather and it seems like the fillings are only accessories.
- Fit in pocket
There is a small size available, I looked at the Compact system. But every system is a ring-bound system, which makes it too thick. - Week in one overview
If you buy the right pages, then you’re good. - Ample space for notes
There are separate pages for notes…if you buy them. - Simple and no clutter
Another clean and simple system. - Price
Due to the expensive binders this system scores only half a point. But it’s available for under $100.
Final score: 4.0
Rite in the Rain
Rite in the Rain has one distinctive feature. It’s contents are made on water resistant paper. This makes it a perfect solution if you need to take notes while you’re outside and when it rains. And it’s environmentally friendly as well, no chemicals or plastics are used on the paper.
- Fit in pocket
Nope. The smallest size for planners is simply too big for my purposes, and because it’s a ring-bound system it’s also too thick. - Week in one overview
Yep, that is if you buy those pages. There’s not an awful lot of choice, but it is available. - Ample space for notes
Yes, but that is if you buy those pages. - Simple and no clutter
Nothing but lines and date numbers. - Price
It’s not overly expensive, but it’s not cheap either. Water resistant pages drive up the cost I guess.
This system deserves a place here, because it’s unique. Co-developed with soldiers, it’s a perfect solution if you work outdoor and might need to check your planner in the rain. That won’t happen for me. I now realize that size is a knock-out criterion…
Final score: 3.5
Planner pads
The site looks amateuristic, but the product is quite nice. A lot of though has gone to the page layout, and it shows. They use a kind of funneling technique to draw your attention to all the relevant stuff that you might need in a planner.
- Fit in pocket
The system is thin, but the size I’m looking for is not available. - Week in one overview
Yes, the design has the week in one overview. Along with other relevant stuff. - Ample space for notes
That’s incorporated in the design too. - Simple and no clutter
Only the elements of the design are on the pages, nothing more. - Price
The price is in the Cheap section with $25 to $30.
My fellow GTD-blogger Stephen of HDBizBlog has made DIY planner pages, inspired by this design (amongst other inspirations). Take a look at the pages through the ad on the right “Raw data in. Information out.” if you’re interested. If you decide to buy them (for a couple of bucks) I earn some change as well
Final score: 4.5
Top 3 and the final choice
There are 3 systems that have a perfect score of 5.0. They are:
In the end I chose the planner by Moleskine. It won the race from Daytimer because it isn’t a wire-bound system and it won from Quo Vadis on aesthetics.
As soon as I made the decision I went out to find the planner, but around Christmas planners for 2008 are mostly sold out. As was the Moleskine planner, but in the end I found one (the last one) in a local shop. Two weeks in, I’m using it a lot and I particularly like the notes page every week, it’s a great place to store next actions and put down some thoughts.
Now to see if I’m going to miss the digital benefits. Moleskine is pretty analog after all.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Great comparison !
Huge work, congrats for this post.
(little precision Quo Vadis is a french brand and available in Europe more easily than in the US I think)
Very interesting article.
I been using paper and PDA(always loved writing with a fountainpen and/or roller ball) for sometime. Major problems of PDA are exactly as you have itemised and you really do grow to dislike the machine/system because of these shortfalls. Finding the right paper system is equally difficult and occasionally costly as the only real way to try out is to buy and use. I have like you always maintained a Filofax system.
Tried and liked very much Quo Vadis (French system) but it didn’t have enough note/to dos capacity. Tried left and returned to Daytimer but left it again. Tried Time/System (expensive) not enough room between the lines to write clearly with a fountain pen. Moleskine 18 month planner (just finished) really, really liked although ran short of note-taking space occasionally.
For 2008 I am running in A5 the Filofax Time management system with additional sheets from Filofax and DIY Planner. I also have a large Moleskine 2008 planner – there is something extremely satisfying about writing on good paper!!
A further thought regarding paper – writing things down as opposed to tapping them in – seems to lock them into memory much better.
Really enjoy reading about others’ systems as there are many useful ideas as well as clarification of one’s own thinking.
Regards
Charles
Thanks for this great, concise overview!
Although I’m not using the Quo Vadis planners anymore (did so about 15 years ago) I’d like to note that they also sell “Prestige” variants that have a superb layout and are printed on really classy paper – much different from their cheap looking standard product.
This is a great overview!
Right now I’m using the system from Levenger called Cirka, it’s also quite good. Very flexible, great for the DIYplanner crowd. It is compatible with another system called Rollabind. Perhaps you’d like to check it out at their site. http://levenger.com/circa
And wow… I wish I hadn’t read about the X47 system. Right now I can feel an almost physical urge to buy one of these babies. Sigh….
Regards
Jens Poder
Great review, I love paper planners! To meet checking existing appointments and making new ones is just not fast enough on a PDA, its basically instant with a paper calendar. Like you I don’t have a ton of appointments and wanted a notes area. My planner doesn’t have an area for notes specifically but each day has a two-column layout so I just use the left side for appointments and right side for notes.
I ended up with at at-a-glance planner which is a popular brand in america but I guess not widely available in europe. (http://www.ataglance.com)
One big difference in my standards though was that I am ONLY interested in wirebound planners. I lay out my planner in front of me while I work to stay on top of my appointments so I need one that will lay flat.
I have never used an electronic planner. I just love my paper planner too much!
I get a very inexpensive one from a department store, which is fine for my purposes. I have one that has lots of room for notes for each date, and it slips inconspicuously into the diaper bag I carry wherever my son and I go. In fact, it’s actually a student planner, dated from August through July. I chose it because that was the period I needed one for when I started working on my blog.
I also carry a separate notebook with me, but it’s for other things, such as post ideas, etc, that tend to come to me when I am not near my laptop.
And I agree with Laura–it has to be able to lay flat, as well in my case as be able to “fold”, due to the difficulties of pushing a stroller and holding the planner with one hand, and holding the pen in the other.
Great report!
Wow! This is the authoritative post on paper planners. I have never seen such a side-by-side comparison. Good luck with the the Moleskine, and thanks for the shout out.
Daytimer and Moleskin seem to be great bets for the small budget. Great article, very concise, good presentation,thanks!
Jonathan » You’re right, they’re french indeed. Strangely enough if you try to find local retailers, you have to choose a US state first. It takes quite some navigation to get to European sites. But maybe that’s because I used the .com site. Anyway, I stand corrected.
CWDOS » Wow, that’s a lot of systems! I so agree with you on the writing vs. tapping.
Rolf F. Katzenberger » If I’m right the Space17 planner is part of the (Exacompta) Prestige collection. The other products in that collection look better, but this particular one doesn’t (in my opinion).
Jens Poder » That Circa system resembles a Rolodex
I can see the flexibility and it looks great for DIY purposes as well.
Laura » They don’t seem to be available outside the US indeed. If you need your planner to lay flat, than wirebound is the right choice. I don’t need to stay on top of my appointments that much as I have only 3 per day tops. I usually review them the day before or in the morning, along with the three tasks I really want to finish that day, and that’s enough for me.
Jennifer » If love the stroller picture and the storage in the diaper bag
I bought a Moleskine notebook for ideas and thoughts about my blog too, and it has a soft cover so it can fold. When I’m pushing that stroller with my son for instance, or in the supermarket, or in the car, or … well anywhere.
Thanks, Wordsmith and @Stephen! Somehow Akismet marked your comments as spam, not sure why though.
Great post and research – I had started looking around for 2008 system of choice…but this saved me a lot of click-work – thanks – and I went for the 18 month soft cover moleskine (mid-size) – liked the idea of the pocket but too small as a planner but still best in the notebook form.
Also having a look around the site and will be back regularly.
Niall
Excellent job on the comparison. I took a little different approach with the moleskine. I use two facing pages and divide it into eight squares. Seven of the squares are for the days of the week and are further divided into four sections. The top section is for special notes about that day (vacation day or a birthday), the next section is for appointment I have in the AM, next, you guessed it, is for PM appointments. The last section is for specific tasks I want to accomplish for that day. It works out to 3-4 lines for each of the above four sections, for each day. The eight square on this page is for activities which I am waiting on. I place the date, persons name and activity for which I am waiting. I realize none of these ideas are all that original and are highly plagiarized from other GTD forums.
All of a sudden everyone’s a junkie for paper. I’ve been a paper fanatic forever, so it’s wonderful to have company.
I actually use Outlook to keep my calendar, but I use a simple Word doc to track all of my GTD NAs, which for me is the meat of what would go into a planner. I’m able to fit all of them on one side of the page (the type is, I admit, rather small), divided by context naturally, in two columns, with a third column in the middle to track time and mark “hardscape” commitments like meetings.
I’ve been doing this for about two years and it works like a charm. I typically print a fresh version every evening. I keep a simple log of work done on the back, so that I can feel like I’ve accomplished something–sometimes it’s also handy to go back and figure out when XYZ action got completed.
The best bit is, it takes .5 seconds to update. I hand-write in new NAs as they come up during the day and “cross off” completed ones with a highlighter, so I can see what was there before I crossed.
I also enjoy the intimidation of my colleagues when they see my giant list (per GTD orthodoxy, it’s very complete, and the sheer size of it freaks my co-workers out a little).
Lodewijk, A great discussion of the paper planner market. You did forget one non-standard one: build your own with a Circa or Rollabind. Anyway, not a bad slip, and BTW, this article has been Dugg…by me! http://tinyurl.com/2ejbqr
Crap, wrong URL.
Here is the Digg article: http://tinyurl.com/2wzho6
I love paper planners much more than PDA or other electronic planning system. As calendar I use a Moleskine too, but for notes and other plannings than appointments, I found the perfect solution for me: the ZPM-System by Classei (http://classei.eu/zpm-system.0.html). Classei offers a mini notetaking wallet with an additional calendar. The ZPM planner is available for 9,30 EUR, a new calendar costs only 3,70 EUR.
@Lodewijk: It’s funny how the Quo vadis stuff seems to vary among the countries in which it is sold. I didn’t mean the Exacompta “Prestige” you commented on, but actually the “Prestige” variants of some Quo Vadis planners. You can find them e.g. when you search amazon.de: http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_ss_w?__mk_de_DE=%C5M%C5Z%D5%D1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=quo+vadis+prestige&Go.x=9&Go.y=11&Go=Go
The layout is a lot cleaner than the regular one, and the paper doesn’t look as cheap.
A very impressive article. I really enjoyed the section on some of the European versions, not available over here. I have seen that rod system used elsewhere but I can’t remember where.
I use a very simple system of Want to Do List, coupled with Outlook at work. I also use a large planning calendar on my desk.
Nick
Excellent post – good research on a topic that not many trendy and ‘busy’ people want to face…
I added it here: http://del.icio.us/jacques.soudan/Productivity – why? See my 2 posts of Sept. 12
pretty nice research and cmparison on the different system. I would like to add one though: for those that like the idea of the X47 I think the X17 is a must look at. It certainly did convince me spending a total of less than EUR 40 on this baby with some aditional square notes inserts: http://www.myx17.com/shop/product_info.php?info=p42_A6-ModeSkin-mit-Kalender.html
btw the company is a subsid of X47.
Cheers, Rolf
sorry, forgot the link to the product home: http://www.myx17.com/
Cheers, Rolf
The one you forgot in your chart was/is the hPDA. It works with the DIY planner pages, but is much cheaper. I, personally, use the hPDA sized DIY planner pages at the moment (customized quite a few) and it works great. I used to use a notebook (I will get a moleskin one day) when I needed something else, but now the 3×5 blank cards work great. Price is great as well… 3×5 cards and a clip are WAY under the $50 price catagory and printing cards/paper planner pages are cheap as well. I have a few customized pages I created with OpenOffice Draw and Inkscape.
I used Daytimers a long time ago and found they were really great, but over priced (IMHO) for what I got. I still have the leather wallet/case and am thinking of using it with my hPDA if I change to larger cards (4×6 instead of 3×5).
For the GTD aspect, I use ThinkingRock to imput all my thoughts and it prints a nice “booklet” that I can slip inside my hPDA. This gives me a few days look ahead on projects and what I need to be doing.
Since all these programs and such are free, my whole system only costs me the ink to print my templates and a few blank cards.
Meet PocketMod.com, the cheapest, tiniest, lightest DIY planner you’ll ever find.
I spent a grueling few months debating the digital vs. analog question and stumbled upon this site in my “research”. In the end I ordered the Circa system from Levenger and bought the Moleskine planner. I was coveting the German X47…but reticent to spend that much money. I have weird body chemistry that seems to mess up electronics, and I just prefer the tactile aesthetics of paper planners.
Finally….convinced that I would never be satisfied with anything else once I laid eyes on the coveted X47…I ordered it. I had to enlist the help of a local business-person who is a native of Germany…since the ordering part of the site is not in English. I must report….I adore this planner! I have a week spread in front of me, plenty of room for notes, no annoying spirals or metal rings in the way, cutting my week viciously down the middle. AND I have an address book, a journal, and a notebook in the same binder…everything together as I wanted. No more carrying around three or four different books, snagging my sleeve on a warped, half-closed three-ring, bending spirals, etc. No more transferring my contacts with each new notebook. It is perfect in every way. The big expense was the leather cover (available in billions of exceptional choices)which will last forever. I am proud to report that I ordered the 2010 year calendar by MYSELF last week and have already received it. X47 has excellent customer care and service and they are a delight to work with.
Thank you for discussing my product X47. this year we will add a shop with english language – promise!
And thank you Rolf for the link to the little brother of X17 (www.x17.de). The Technology is also available from MeatWestVaco – called Lifetracker X17 from Dayrunner.
I’m a Filofax user, along with Outlook at work (compulary for this to be up-to-date during work hours).
One thing to consider if you do get a ringbinder then just set up a daily/weekly task to check you’ve input all your appointments then print out the next few weeks’ diary pages, and this can be used in place of diary refills (I have to get a year one for long-range plans, but that’s it).
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