the draw of paper planners

The Draw of Paper Planners

Oh…. the ritual of opening planner to make an entry is so heady! How many planners do I need? Going into 2025 I will start with two. I will try to devise a strategy for entries but I know that after I begin my planners will take on a life of their own.

To add to my obsession I ordered Molly McCarthy’s “The Accidental Diarist: A History of the Daily Planner in America”. It will tell me that George Washington did a version of a daily planner. However the planner as we think of them today didn’t catch on until the mid-nineteenth century, when improvements in printing technology made them more affordable to produce and buy.

As I looked for the perfect 2025 planner I went to Moleskin but couldn’t find one to inspire. I always use Filofax to keep a calendar. It affords me a calendar and space to add a few notes. Of course, I looked at the Smythson website. Their planners which they call diaries, are expensive but cost would not stop me if I were inspired. I have a small Smythson diary in my collection of blank journals. I find it is too precious to use! The search continued with other familiar styles and brands, Leuchtturm and Paperage. Finally I chose Paperage to accompany my Filofax calendar. (My Filofax calendars go back to the early 2000’s).

An addition to my note taking supplies this year is a Phomemo mini printer. I bought three of them, two for gifts and one for me. It is a fun accessory. I also bought a box of Blackwing pencils at Tombolo Book store in St. Petersburg. On New Years Day I left Tombolo’s crowded store with a shopping bag containing four books, Blackwing pencils and yet another Leuchtturm journal. It felt like getting ready for the first day of school…..it was indeed a first day…… of 2025!

The handcrafted order of my datebooks satisfies a very deep creative urge. Keeping up with a paper planner takes dedication and discipline. It is an addiction, avocation, hobby and the feed to my creative soul.