Prudence and Madness

With the number of pretty journals/organizers coming out, it’s more than tough trying to pick which ones to buy and use (and sometimes from the ones bought, even hard to pick just one to constantly use).  And actually, one of my guilty pleasures (or maybe vicious habits) is buying pretty notebooks/journals/organizers even though I don’t use all of them (yes, I am a tree-killer).  Usually it’s the nice covers that did me in, but of course, if I’m going to use it as a journal or an organizer, I need more than just a pretty cover to inspire me to write and the actual space to write the words in.  The notebook in question should also be as functional as I need it to be.

For the most part, I’ve used Starbucks planners for my organizing my disorganized (and still disorganized) self.  I consider it my standard, and so when I come across something new, I’ve to compare it to my standard.

And this time, I’m going to compare the new journal from FreeSpeech Publications called “This Journal Will Actually Change Your Life.”

First stop, of course, is the cover.

It’s the first thing that will catch your attention so this is one of those important factors which will make you buy a product.  It should appeal to your sense of beauty.  Personally, covers are important for me, especially when I’m writing creatively because it’s a source of inspiration; it can encourage me more to write especially when I feel too lazy to do it.

I love the Starbucks 2008 Planner’s soft leather cover.  I know some people are a bit puzzled by the garterized clasp, but I do see it as practical.  I don’t need a planner that’s too bulky and going soft  is definitely a plus in this case.  It looks like something you’d buy in a specialty store and not just in any other regular bookstore (though, of course, most people, at the sight of it, knew already that it’s a Starbucks planner.  But that’s another matter).  I also love that there’s a pen holder right on the inside of the soft leather binder.  That’s the right place for a pen specifically assigned to writing in my journal.

I love that FreeSpeech’s journal is in black, but I absolutely hate that “this journal will actually change your life!!! 2009″ has to be written in such big letters all over the front cover.  I know it’s their products byline.  But it would have been prettier if they chose to print it in smaller letters in the middle or even in one of the corners of the cover.  Also, I find that there’s nothing wrong in just having “My Journal 2009″ on the cover, whenever it may be written, as long as it’s not distracting.  If there’s something that I absolutely hate about this journal, it’s the letters on the cover.  Seriously.  I think they overdid the “being different” in this part.

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Okay, now I’ve to admit that I DID get into the bandwagon AGAIN and collected stickers to get my 2008 Starbucks Planner, even if I already have a planner from Powerbooks.  But I really can’t help it.  I’ve a weakness for any pretty notebook that I could write on.   I guess, despite the available advanced technology nowadays, I’m still the paper type of a person.

I remember that, when I was younger, I used to make all sorts of decoration for my school notebooks.  I cut-out letters, pictures, print-outs of favorite quotes or poetry, attach those on my notebook covers, and cover it with plastic wrap.  I’ve also put a piece of garter on some of my notebooks so that I could slip on a ballpen for it.  It’s a bit on the O.C. side, but I remember enjoying doing such things.

And so I still have that habit in me.

See how I’ve pimped my Starbucks Planner:

First thing I got rid from the planner (besides the plastic wrap, of course) was the pencil.  I’m too old for a pencil and I don’t sketch anyway, so I’ve to get rid of it (or actually, I didn’t get rid of it.  I just put it away from the planner).  And in its place I put my favorite metal-encased pen.  Looks more grown-up than having the pencil in there.

I don’t sketch, but I doodle A LOT.  That’s why I need to have paper with me all the time.  Okay, fine, I’m a tree-killer, but let it be known I use OLD paper for my doodles.  I’ve collected left over loose pages from my old college notebooks and inserted several of it in the planner.  The Notes pages provided in the planner just wouldn’t be enough for all my writings.  It is here that I write outlines for my blog entries, quotes, short reminders for some stuff that I need to do (although I use mostly the calendar for such things), and URLs which I find in newspapers or magazines that I want to visit.  Also, these pages are very useful when I’m ANGRY…I make random scratches on paper using ballpen when I’m upset.

I hate it when bookmarks peek from the pages of the book or notebook, because I sometimes get careless with where I keep my books and, in doing so, wrinkles the corners of the bookmarks (again, O.C. stuff).  I’m not fond of using clips also because I fear that, if I get careless in turning a page, it might just rip the page apart.  So, I’m glad when I discovered magnetic bookmarks.  These are bookmarks with two magnetic sides and you use “clip” the page in between.  The best part is that it doesn’t peek out from the pages of the book and doesn’t move around.  It also doesn’t have the tendency to just fall out of the book (and lose the page you’re marking).  I love it!

I’m used to having planners/notebook with envelopes in its pages and it’s where I stuff index cards, post-its, and other notes (can you imagine now how my college notebooks looked like?).  So, it’s quite annoying that the Starbucks Planner didn’t have one.  If I were to use it, I need to be able to put something in it that could hold all the little notepads, extra pens, coins, or important cards and receipts.  For that, I hunted through the bookstore shelves and found a plastic envelope that has a zipper and which is almost the perfect size and shape for the Starbucks planner.  It also helped that it’s available in green color (one of the colors in the planner, of course), so it would definitely blend in with the rest of the planner.

And the stuff that are currently in that envelope are…

…some prescription paper, in case somebody asks for a refill of their prescription (consultation is free…sometimes! hehe), my “business” cards, and the old notepad from last year’s Starbucks planner!

Okay, so I haven’t done anything really different for the planner, except to add a few things.  But those things do provide the functionality I needed from this planner.  It’s old school, but hey, I’m no techie either.  Though I’ve got my PDA and will be getting a laptop soon, I still love old-fashioned organizers.