the zeitgeist of zoe

Well, I’ve managed to narrow my options on the Desk of Shame down to three.

Nothing like cutting it right down to the wire, as today is New Year’s Eve, but at least I’m getting there.

And I have decided one thing for sure…that I am going to have two planners this year; a large sized one for literally every aspect of my life,  that will stay somewhere the majority of the time (haven’t decided yet between leaving it at home open on my desk or toting it back & forth on weekdays to work), and a smaller more portable one for personal stuff only, that I can carry around with me 24/7/365.

I have selected the Franklin Covey Classic sized Suprema in saddle tan as my “hold everything, work and personal, bill-organizing, second brain, portable desk”  planner.  In it I will be using Franklin Covey Serenity inserts, in a One Page Per Day format.

I chose this newly released format for three reasons:

1. I can fit an entire year of 1PPD inserts in my binder (including monthly tabs), along with my subject tabs. I felt this was sort of a deal-breaker for my Everything Planner. No fishing around in the archives for dates I paid bills, etc. The whole year will be at my fingertips.

2. My beef with typical FC 1PPD formats is that the appointment part and task list essentially split the page in half, giving each only a narrow column in which to write. These new inserts separate out the sections into large blocks that each span the width of the entire page, thus giving those with large, loopy penmanship (such as myself) more room to write. So, although I am not wild about so much of the page being taken up with color/pattern, I have high hopes for the open format of these inserts. They simply have three lined sections.

The top (smallest) one I intend to use as my daily tracker (weather, mood, the BF’s schedule, whether or not I flossed…stuff like that). The middle section is designated for To Do’s using FC’s “Prioritized Daily Task List” format (which I adore) and since the majority of my work load is task-related, this being the largest of the blocks  is optimal for my needs. The bottom section (slightly smaller than the Task section) is designated “Daily Notes”, and my appointments will go here. Some days I don’t have any meetings (believe it or not)…so this is the perfect spot on those slow days for quotes, doodles, stickers and the like.

3. The set comes with tabbed months : )

That is my “Everything Brick” in a nutshell. Photos to come when the inserts arrive (should be January 4th) and I have it set up. Thank you to everyone who kept rooting for the FC Classic : ) You definitely helped me make my decision on this aspect of my planning for 2013.

Now for the smaller, personal planner that I will carry with me 24/7/365.

Yeah, not so easy to choose that one! I did, as I mentioned, narrow it down to three choices:

1. FC Compact Veronica in Latte with HPOV 2PPD. I do love these inserts the best, there is no denying that. Just enough color, plenty of room, tabbed months. Win. In the Veronica, I can fit 6 months worth of 2PPD and a small section of note paper for quotes on the fly.

The upside of using a FC binder with FC inserts is that they obviously won’t stick out that extra 1/4″ and tweak the ol’ OCD. You can also use the pen loop without fear of bending the tabs.

2. FF Personal Malden in Ochre with the same HPOV 2PPD inserts as above. Once again, I can fit 6 months of 2ppd inserts in it, however the Malden’s rings make it too tight for a section of note paper. BUT…the Malden has enough interior pockets that squeezing a FC note pad inside the back cover works just fine.

The upside to using the Malden is that I get the sleeker Filofax form factor, but still have my beloved FC inserts. Yes, they do stick out a bit but the Malden is floppy enough to adequately accommodate them so I don’t go bat shit crazy.

Side note: The good news with the first two options is, using essentially the same innards means that I can switch from the Veronica to the Malden pretty much at will, without irrevocably effing up my system.

3. FF Compact (not sure which one yet) with trimmed FC HPOV monthly tabs and FF 1PPD diary pages. Alas, FC inserts as-is will not fit into a Filofax Compact. They stick out too far to be even close to functional. But trimming & re-punching a dinky set of monthlies is no trouble, and I can fit 6 months of Filofax 1PPD’s in the Compact just fine, with a small section for note paper.

The obvious upside to this option is that it is the most lightweight and portable of the three. I do give up my HPOV inserts, but at least I get a full half year in my book, which is nothing to sneeze at considering the ultra small footprint. I still have my tabbed months and since the majority of the detailed stuff will go into the Brick, 1PPD should be more than enough page space for my carry-with planner.

3b. Another option I started kicking around this morning in the shower is a FF Compact, only this time with FC trimmed HPOV monthlies and weeklies. The reason I’m toying with this is,  if I’m already keeping a full set of deets on literally everything in the Brick, that should free up my carry-around planner for only personal, pertinent items and (in theory at least) weeklies COULD be enough. That way, not only would I get a full year in my book (which is optimal) but I also gain the ability to lay eyes on my whole week without flipping around.

True, I would have to trim & re-punch the inserts for use in a FF Compact, but doing a set of weeklies is far, far better than tackling a full year of 2PPD. For a mere $2 Staples will trim…and then I would just have to re-punch. But I have a FF Personal punch and a long weekend coming up, so why not?

Again, photos will come when I get whichever one I decide on, all set up.

This time, I’m gonna let you vote.  Fun!

Which small, portable option should I go with? Keeping in mind that I’ll also have ‘the Brick’ as a master planner holding down the fort..you tell me which one should be my 24/7/365 system?