This year I chose the Swirls No.2 Daily Planner to replace my 2019 list a day diary (which unfortunately did not appear to have had a re-release for 2020 otherwise I would have bought it instead). We have now come to the end of Q1 and I have to see I have been very pleased with this Planner.
The Swirls No. 2 Daily Planner from Completist is both eyecatching and functional. The planner is undated so you can start using it whenever you like. It has a day per page for weekdays, and a day for the weekend. This means it is perfect for a work planner.
How I am using this Planner
The layout includes space for appointments/meetings, your to-do list and a blank section for notes. All you really need in one handy place for a work desk diary. Also the best bit – it is a lay-flat notebook.
Since I was previously using just a daily to-do list I have also changed how I plan my day and changed my routine a little bit over the past few months using this planner. Each day I plan out the next day before I leave the office for the evening. This means that when I start work again the next day I can tweak slightly if anything has changed overnight but generally speaking can get stuck into things straight-away.
There are a couple of blank pages as the front of the notebook that I am using for contact details for my team, as well as important references that I need to refer to on a regular basis.
For each individual page, I am doing the following:
- Appointments – I am using the appointments section to record both meetings and to block out chunks of time for deadlines. I am time blocking these and making use of colour-coding/categories (much like I do in my outlook calendar) so that I can see what is going on visually.
- To-Do List – For the to-do list there is already a grid and a number of checkboxes laid out. They are not quite the right size for me so I’ve had to adjust slightly. Generally speaking I write out the key to-do items in line with the checkboxes, but may also break down the items further using the lines in between. This is not as neat as I would like it to be and sometimes I run out of space on a particularly busy day. However, I am making it work and I have not found a better alternative yet. If I need a lot of extra space, I will just use a spare piece of paper instead.
- Notes and Sketches – I have not really been using this section for anything other than extra to-do list space. If I am not making much progress on my to-do list and I am feeling overwhelmed I might use it to re-write my “Before I leave” to-do list.
- Priorities Box – There is also a small “Priorities” box in the bottom left-hand corner. I would have preferred if this had been at the top as it is easily missed /forgotten about. I use this box for my Frog.
Product Details:
- 250 gsm G.F. Smith card cover
- music sheet paper
- 320 pages
- daily planner layout (52 weeks)
- A5 size
- Lay-flat binding.
- Matching Bookmark included.
- made in the UK
The Completist | £35