First things first, about planners: I’d like to think us girls are very picky when it comes to planners. We could just list down the things we need to do, tasks we need to finish for the day in our phone but we opt to spend so much over planners. There are some who have the uncanny ability of managing multiple planners (I’ll never understand how and why), and spend so much over planners and the supplies they use to decorate it.
Considering my expenses and how I actually use a planner, I try as much as possible to only buy what I need. More stories under the cut and the review! 😉
Last year when I passed by the kikki.K store in Singapore, I spent more than an hour checking out planners and couldn’t decide what to get. Should I get the weekly or daily planner? Should I get the smaller, easy to carry around planner, or get the big one, etc. Should I get the ring-bind, refillable type, or the diary type? In the end, I went home w/ my new kikki.K B6 sized Daily planner. Looooved the size, couldn’t wait to use it!
While I was looking around online, the planning community seems to be popular these days. Little stationery trinkets that were popular in my childhood were “in” again, and girls from teens, young adults, even young moms and adults are into crafting and decorating their planners again.
A few things I noticed in the planner community
- Lots of enablers whenever there’s a discount deal on planners (esp
intl brandswhen it’s kikki.K) or when there’s a most wanted item up for sale 😛 (Thank goodness I’m not in the US, or I would’ve hoarded along with them!) - Frequently has way too much planners and yet they’re able to amazingly keep it updated and decorated per week
- Impulsively buys planners for own keeping or re-sale value especially w/ rare color editions of planners
- Too much decorations for me to handle. How do they have the time and how do they do it? I’ll never know!
After some months of lurking and familiarizing myself with the planner trend and community, I also tried to get with it. It was inspiring at first, hence what pushed me to do it. Maybe I’m saying this because I’ve watched too many Youtube videos from girls who are gurus at it. By then I already have the kikki.K planner which I was excited to use for next year because it’s just the perfect size.. eventually, only to realize a Daily planner isn’t gonna suit my needs. I feel there’s too much space I won’t get to use productively and it’d be best if I just sell it since it was in very good condition. 😛
So, I got rid of the kikki.K planner I had (there’ll be another one next year), but I had already bought quite a few planner supplies to last me a few years (some sticky pads, washi tapes from the previous year, page tabs and flags – this particular destashing set I’m selling in my shoppe at the moment). Around that time, my interest in decorating planners has dwindled and the thought of having to decorate my planner seemed to be a tiring task.
I still wanted a planner though, because the hype already got to me :lol:.. so after some recommendations from friends (psst, Justine!), I decided to buy the Ban.do 17 Month Agenda. She told me about another one that I forgot, but it was a lengthwise-sized planner, for a while I wanted that but since I couldn’t get it anywhere locally, I forgot about it.
Here are some features I was looking for that this Ban.do planner had that made me get it:
- Must have: Tabbed pages for months. I realized how important this is w/ the kikki.K planner. It makes browsing pages much more convenient! I wish it was a norm in smaller planners.
- Must have: Full spread calendar per month. In my kikki.K diary planner it only had a one page per year w/ all the 12 months squished into it. I couldn’t put a sticker in any of the days nor little notes on it.
- Size: The size was just right. Almost the regular size of a planner, but still compact.
- Non-refillable, hardbound type, non-ring bound planner: Never really liked those ring bound planners. It’s too big and it takes up space. I also don’t have time to deal with refilling those pages (seeing that I won’t really use up all that space w/ decorations).
- If it’s going to have any graphic design, illustration, or quirky designs inside, I must like it: After checking with the local planners and the intl ones I could find, only this one fits my preferences. The kikki.K didn’t have much design as they’re always prioritizing simplicity, and I liked it that way.
- Simplified pages but not boring. See, I’m so picky I am making a big deal of the font, color, layout a planner uses and such.
What I liked about the Ban.do Agenda Planner
- Page tabs per month
- Not-too-girly cover: Luckily, the Ban.do Agenda comes in three designs, but the contents inside are all the same.
- Florabunda cover: Floral cover. “Nah, too girly.”
- I am very busy cover: Solid pink planner (comes in other rare editions such as purple and mint green, afaik) w/ huge text of I am very busy. “Nah, too pink, and I don’t like that text.”
- Ringleader: Gold chains, comes in color white, simple details. “You had me at gold detailing on a white hardcover. Perfect!”
- These different artworks and design it has per month
- Full page calendar with enough space for notes
- Just enough space for whatever I needed to write or remember in a day (this was a planner for things to-do, tasks to accomplish, not a journal).
- Size: It’s not too big, not too small, but it was just right for everything I needed to put. Furthermore, the space does not require me to decorate it in order to fill up all that space, hehe.
Watch the walkthrough of the small Agenda Planner to see all the pages here (not my video):
There’s also a large version of the Agenda Planner and it’s ring bound/spiral bound, but it only comes in Florabunda (floral) design. Not sure if the pages are removable, or if this planner is refillable.
Few things I did not like about the Ban.do Agenda Planner
- That for this size, it is only available in 17-month format. I would’ve loved a 12-month format because that’s what I’m used to. I bought mine around December, and after all my research, it slipped my mind that the dates in this planner is from Aug 2015 to December 2016. So, you guessed that right, my Aug-Nov 2015 are unfilled and I feel it was wasted space.
- Full page calendar wasn’t completely blank. They’ve already filled out some dates.
- Only 2016 and 2017 full page calendars. Since they started with 2015, shouldn’t they have included this as well?
- Subtle hints of pink. Hahaha, I really don’t like pink but this is minor – I’ll live with it.
- Sticker sheet was included in the bound instead of being separate and could’ve been kept in the compartment of the planner. I regret tearing that page now but whatever.
For my 17-month planner format issue, I recently saw a Kate Spade 12-month format agenda planner in the same size (but no tabbed pages, stickers, boo!).
Final words about the Ban.do 2016 Agenda Planner
Would I buy it again: If they’re going to be making a 17-month planner again, probably not and I would go back to kikki.K. I really, really wish they’d consider making a 12-month agenda planner in this size (please please please!). By August 2015, should they do a 17-month planner again, there will be new ones and I wouldn’t be done with filling this planner.
However, if they do consider a 12-month planner in this size, I will reconsider only if the inside pages and designs are good (better, or simpler than this) and variety of covers like the Ringleader. (This gold accented cover is really starting to grow on me!)
Where to buy: Before when I wasn’t interesting in getting one of these, they were sold in Powerbooks. Soon as I became interested and wanted one for myself, suddenly they were all sold out (both the large and small planners!).. but I found a seller online – here or here.
Price: I purchased mine for around P1400+ in a local online shop including shipping.
Guess what! I bought 2016-17 planner! Hahaha.
This is pretty cute planner! I love the colour and the design inside!
Anna Czarina Blog
I’m in love with sparkly stuff so this one hits me right in my sweet spot! <3 Too bad I'm too lazy to write nor decorate! Haha I keep my plans on my phone. LOL
Ochi | Ochi In The City
Ahh! This is really nice. I’ve always wanted to ‘maintain’ a planner, but I really can’t seem to keep up. Apparently, I’m pretty bad at routines and habits haha 🙂
Ang cute naman ng planner mo. Hihi. I enjoyed reading this one and how you passionately design each pages. I hope to get my track regarding that matter. Hihi.
Spices + Everything Nice | http://www.ajeinomoto.com
I have always been interested in pretty notebooks and planners but when I think about it, I suck at planners. haha. I don’t know why but I used to have one and most of the pages were blank cuz I don’t really have plans for those days. That’s why I just stick to journals instead. I’m not good at decorating either and I feel like spending too much for it.
I have this same exact ban.do agenda, but I also have four more planners for 2016! My planner addiction has gotten out of hand! I already gave one to my husband (a leather-bound planner), which suits him best! Like I told Rej on Snapchat the other day, I find decorating my planners therapeutic; even more than adult coloring books. Haha! 😀
I agree w/ the last comment, compared to coloring adult coloring books, decorating planners is far more therapeutic! I had two of those books, but I gave the other one away as soon as I realized nakakatamad pala magkulay lalo na with all the complex corners ng illustration. A children’s coloring book is easier and faster to accomplish haha.
What do you us the other 4 planners for? I’m curious. Do you decorate all of them too?
They’re sitting in my desk drawer, collecting dust and cobwebs. Hahaha! I haven’t found “the one” until two weeks ago (I think), hence the accumulation of different planners in all forms and sizes. 😀 No, I only decorate the one I currently use. Convinced yet that I’m a notorious planner shopper? Hehehe
Should I thank myself for not being hyped about planners? Or should I be sad that I don’t plan to plan my life? Hahaha I tried using planner once, during college when I believed I’ll maximize the use of it, but then I became too busy, I didn’t even had the time to put my tasks in the planner. Haha it took me only a month or two then I gave up. Haha.
I don’t work with planners. I’m more into the messy type. Haha. I like random scratch papers and right my plans and ideas there. Haha. Kaya lagi sinasabi sakin ni Gerald puro basura bag ko, pero mga notes yun! Hahaha I also keep reminders and notes sa phone instead. Tsaka I don’t thin I’ll have meetings/events to attend to, kasi nasa office lang naman ako lagi. If I have a meeting, then the outlook calendar will just remind me about that haha
Reading your post makes me feel thankful I didn’t have to go all these research and stuff. Nakakaloka din pala pumili ng planner, you have to weigh in the pros and cons. Haha.
Haha yeah be thankful hindi ka nasuck in sa hype. Kada katapusan nalang ng taon, the Internet crowd goes crazy over paper and OC and design sa planners pero papel lang naman to. And yet I’m one of those people. :))
Also when you start hoarding those little notepads.. nakakaloka lalo when you start going back and assessing how much everything cost. I can’t, I can’t get in to deep with this planning shit. That’s why I just write. down. notes. Decorating it is fun and all but too time consuming, and my creativity~ doesn’t work with that kind of activity lol.
No need to be sad or embarrassed na hindi ka napasali. You simply have other methods of remembering things to do and what works best with you. 😛 Or, better term, you’re a practical person when it comes to jotting down plans and ideas. 🙂
I just remembered I’m a guy, and therefore do not decorate my planners. Haha.
This year is when I’m using a planner that’s not Moleskine or one from a coffee shop, though. I got myself a Monocle x Mark’s planner when I visited Hong Kong (http://monocle.com/shop/stationery/other/mark-s-2016-weekly-diary ) and while I can’t use some of its features (unless I go to Japan or Europe) the paper feels really nice.
Now I feel bad that I won’t be able to write a lot on it because, again, I’m a guy. Hahaha
Yeah I saw that planner from your HK haul in your last visit hahaha. Hmm how about put all your plans and activities there para lang mapuno? Lol that’s what I’d do. I noticed in other planners, even meager/rly simple/not even forgettable tasks andoon eh, medyo “eh?” sakin. :))
In my old planners, punong puno siya ng sulat pero it was hardly decorated. Sure, it was decorated.. with my chicken shit handwriting. Haha!!
I do that, and yet it still doesn’t get filled, haha. I even resorted to making it into an editorial calendar of sorts for earthings! but plans change and I get OC so no. Haha
You may need to use a erasable pen for your planner then! Frixion pens ftw! 😛
Hanapin ko nga yun. I have never heard of that. 😀
Erasable pens from Pilot! Nawawal yung ink pag exposed sa heat tapos babalik siya sa cold temperature