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Mike Rohde's Custom Moleskine Planner

A completed event/task
Call was made but left a message. A downward arrow indicates I need to follow up the next day.
Deferred item.
An open task or event.
An event requiring no action.
Month

I drew out 6 months (roughly) to get me to December 31, 2006.
Week number.
Uniball Signo RT Gel 0.38mm pen. This works well with thin Moleskine paper as it doesn't bleed through like a G2, and the thin 0.38mm line dries very quickly.
iPod nano for contacts, alarms, and reading info synced by the nice shareware app Pod2Go. Also useful for music and podcasts. :-)
Standard Moleskine bookmark is handy for marking the current week.
5 3M sturdy Re-stickable Tabs (686-RYB) mark my tasklists in the back of the Moleskine Planner.
Arrow and line across multiple days indicates a multi-day event.
This section to the right of each day reserved for regular or recurring events I want to see right away.
Standard Moleskine Ruled Pocket notebook, with hand-drawn weeks through the end of 2006. I like the lined best (vs. plain or squared), because it offered lines which helped me draw out 31 weeks, yet is open and clear enough for easy viewing and writing.
Elastic strap on the Moleskine keeps loose items snug and safe inside. If I'm really worried about securing an item, I put it in the pocket on the Moleskine's inside back cover.
Day of the week with date, inside of a box. Later in the book I've omitted the boxes, but may yet add them... we'll see.
Each day gets 7 lines in this format (Sat/Sun spit one section). I really like having a full week at a glance.

I tried the 1 week per page concept on another Moleskine, but found 1 page too cramped for my needs.
Saturdays and Sundays split one day section on the bottom right page (since less is going on those days).
Did you create the whole year? Or you are drawing while using it?
Haha! This is my birthday!
Mike Rohde's Custom Moleskine Planner by Mike Rohde.
This is my customized Moleskine planner, made from a standard pocket Moleskine (ruled) to resemble the format of a Moleskine Weekly Planner.

I created this planner, because Moleskine 2006 Weekly Planners are hard to find and expensive. But beyond cost or scarcity, I thought it would be interesting to create my own planner from scratch, based on some great ideas gleaned from Bill Westerman's Miquelrius notebook:

www.flickr.com/photos/davegray/145761460/

So far, I'm very pleased with how this little book is working for my personal agenda.

For a detailed article on the system, check out PlannerHack.com:

www.plannerhack.com 
This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.

Comments

vlad.campos [deleted] says:

Cool! So we are all going back in time! Like you (I guess) I am not using my Palm anymore. IPod + iCal + Apple AB works very nice. Now I guess I'll get a moleskine to be able to make some notes on the road ;-) Very nice picture! Loved it!
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Glad to share Vlad! I think you might like a Moleskine for capturing notes and ideas when you're mobile... it boots faster from sleep than your iBook! :-)
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Romi Supastar says:

very cool mod. *two thumbs up*
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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blowout  Pro User  says:

very organized!
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Thanks Princess romi and blowout! I'm really happy with how it's working for me, which is great validation. I'll be curious to see how it morphs over time and use.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

lorenzszabo [deleted] says:

Interesting idea. I used to print out weekly views with my old favorite software "Now UpToDate" and put them into my organiser.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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mullie1 says:

Great idea of combining Moleskine with task/dates! I was thinking of doing something similar with the pre-dated Moleskine Pocket 2006 diary but your system seems more fluid. Are you inputing all of your schedule/meetings into the pages as well?
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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greatscott says:

If you're looking to get a pre-printed Moleskine for 2007, the resellers have them in stock now at regular prices. I got a large daily planner for next year, and it didn't cost $40 or more.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

mullie1: I am keeping my personal meetings and tasks I intend to complete on each day on the weekly spreads. It's going to be somewhat experimental, but I suspect by month 2 it should be pretty crystalized.

David Allen in Getting Things Done suggests keeping the agenda a sacred place only for this you _will_ do that day, so I'm trying to do this with my system (as much as I can).

greatscott: thanks for the tip. I'm still torn over buying a 2007 weekly or making one... I kind of enjoyed the experience and the extra space in the custom planner... I'd maybe lose that in the stock weekly planner... but I'll see.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Maria Papoila says:

Great idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Thanks Maria! :-)
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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jesgar  Pro User  says:

Is it only a task notebook or is it your calendar? Otherwise, what is the difference between the contents in your Moleskine and your iPod calendar?
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

jesgar, it is primarilly my calendar for daily events and tasks on the weekly 2 page spread.

I also have a dedicated tasks area in the back where I can capture tasks to be done (which then are copied to the day on which I intend to do a task).

The iPod is only for my address book, music and some other info, synced over by the Mac app Pod2Go. The calendar on the iPod is way too limiting. :-)

For more details, see the full article on my weblog:

www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/001850.html
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

vlad.campos [deleted] says:

Hi Mike, this is for you ;-)
www.flickr.com/photos/vlad_campos/154706085/
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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JustMichele  Pro User  says:

Great idea. I have a few pockets lying around that I haven't found a useful purpose for. Might try your idea. I have to comment on the pen. It's my absolute favorite. I wish I could find them in bulk.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Vlad -- you are the best! Thanks for that cool image! :-)

callmestella, glad my idea is inspiring. These uniball 0.38s are wonderful. I was actually thinking bulk order myself... :-)
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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.LETE  Pro User  says:

great!nice idea
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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mshea  Pro User  says:

I do something very similar to this. Since I only want to carry around one notebook for my notes, stories, bits of stories, story backgrounds, character backgrounds, diagrams of evil ancient spires that will one day be described in stories, diagrams of animal-shaped flintlock pistols that detailed characters will one day use to kill other detailed characters, Vigenere encryptions and decryptions, and my weekly schedule - I use a method similar to yours except with a few changes:

I don't put in lines because I'm an Edward Tufte geek - I just use the day's name and date as the separater.

I put seven days on each page so I can fit two weeks in one view. Saturday and Sunday usually don't have many things going on so they dont need much space.

I date each with just the number of the day. The whole two-page spread gets the starting day, month, and year so that archivists in 2000 years can reconstruct my schedule.

The only major problem with this system is that I only think two weeks ahead. If I have something coming up far into the future, thats a lot harder to manage.

Great stuff!

Mike
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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mshea  Pro User  says:

By the way, I just did some nasty ink tests and the the Uniball Signo 207 came out much better than a Pilot G2. It survived all sorts of chemical washing where the G2 turned light purple and faded away.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Mike, 7 days on each page is very much like the Moleskine 18 month planner (except they have lined paper on the right). I ran with that setup for a week but found it too cramped for my needs. Even my current 1 week per spread format is occasionally tight.

As for future management, I've thought about pasting in some DIY month pages for lobger term thinking — what about that?

Thanks for the test info on the Unibal Signo 207. I think the ink is the same as the RT Gel 0.38, other than the RT has a thinner nib.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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mrbrent62  Pro User  says:

So Analog!!! I still like to write with a pen... however I use a Treo650 and Powerbook for notes and calendar.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

mrbrent62 — Analog rules for my style of note-taking! I do use tech however, for my work, including iCal, OmniOutliner Pro and several other tools for notes, etc. This system is purely for personal stuff.

callmestella — you might want to check out my latest weblog post on hacking a Uniball Signo Gel RT 0.38mm cartridge to work in a G2 mini pen body:

www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/001860.html

Works really well in fact, though the ink level of the Uniball Signo is right at or above the cut line... so you need to draw that down by doing a bunch of writing first (or use a well-used cartridge).
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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anonymonk  Pro User  says:

Excellent! I'm gonna try this with an old moleskine I have lying around.

I've done the following modifications:

* Reduced day names to two letter abreviations (MO, TU, WE, TH, FR, SA, SU) - less writing while building each page.

* Reduced WEEK ## to "W ##"

* Added "MONTH YYYY" indicator to first page of each month to better indicate a month change (not sure if you do this also).

* Added a legend on the first page indicating any marks I use. I'll spell them out here, since I can't draw in the comments:

* EMPTY CIRCLE: TASK
* CHECKMARKED CIRCLE: TASK COMPLETE
* HORIZONTALLY-SLASHED CIRCLE: TASK DEFERRED
* DASH: NO ACTION REQUIRED
* DOWNTURNING ARROW: SEND TASK TO NEXT DAY
* ARROW MON/DD: SEND TASK TO DATE

I'll post some pictures once I fill it in and work with it.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

anonymonk, very cool ideas. I need to put a legend on my book too. I'd love to see your photos — be sure to link to them here in the comments.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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tvpk  Pro User  says:

I like that!

Using an iBook for internet-services and workflow mobile, I have a Mini to work at home. Mobile also I use a WM-PDA, for work a task-book for week-planning, a moleskine blank-paper for notes and my iPod for rss-feeding and music.

iCal, AB and even-t a nice tools for organizing at the Mac.

Cheers, nice stream!
Thorsten
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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Graham Ballantyne  Pro User  says:

I've only done one week so far, but here's mine.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

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teejayhanton  Pro User  says:

just got my first moleskine today. i'm researching all the suggested ways of using this thing ... thanks for sharing!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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falsefridays  Pro User  says:

even with a ruler, i couldn't make my lines look that straight.

i wish i could!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

gnb — nice!

mpmb, no problem -- glad you were inspired. I hope it works well for your needs.

falsefridays — I used my trusty clear triangle, those aren't freehand! :-)
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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lexly87 aka Duc N. Ly  Pro User  says:

I'm inspired by your post too Mike Rohde, I use a pencil because i make mistakes as i mark off the days.
I did not get my hands on the 2006 pocket planner so i'm making one to keep track of personal events of the year so far and the next half year of 2006. then i thought why not go back to 2005 and make a similar book to remember the wonderful events of my life 05'.
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

lexly87 -- thanks for the kind words! Glad my little experiment has helped you plan your life a little better in both the present, future and the past! :-)
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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kirayn2006 says:

Has anyone considered Pigma Pens? The ink is permanent and waterproof and fade proof. I tested these for use in the laboratory environment (genetic trait mapping) where the ink from Pigma pens were used to label nylon sheets for identification and withstood multiple (as many as 30 1-hour washes at 65C). I actually don't know how many total washing the ink will withstand since the labels are still intact.

They come in a variety of colors and line widths. The lab use was only with black ink.

I have really enjoyed the discussions on analog vs digital.

I am trying to decide myself, as I have been using a Palm since the Palm III (currently own a Tungsten T3). But I constantly find myself making paper lists and only referring to the Palm for the calendar.

Has anyone considered using a NoteTaker notebook for their digital notebook. One the analog side, I still can't decide between a MiquelRuis and a Moleskine. From what I can see, the MiquelRuis is glue-bound where the Moleskine is stitch-bound - has that figured into anyone's decision?
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Kirayn, I think I've used Pigmas a long time ago, but liked them. Where can you find them online?

As to your other questions, I've replied on my blogpost :-)

www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/001850.html
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

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adamboettiger says:

Mike this is interesting. Thanks for posting. The only thing I cannot see listed in your photo or anywhere in your post comments is what you're using the five tabs for or how you have them labeled. I assume one section is a data dump area that you then turn from a collector into dated tasks and events, but what section names are you using for the tabs and how many pages are you allocating for each section? Thanks!
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

The tabs are unmarked actually -- each one is for a different list such as @Home or @Autos, etc. I should probably mark them, but mainly they act as quick access points for lists -- I keep them very slim so they don't stick out of the Moleskine. :-)
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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maggs813  Pro User  says:

I'm in love. I love how there are other geeks like me out there.
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

We're everywhere! Welcome to the club! :-)
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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Massimo Soldano says:

Mike, I use quovadis planner, I've found this intresting historical note from their website.
"In 1952, a French doctor, F.G. Beltrami, invented the “one week on two pages” planner format. Up until then, appointment books were diaries, a “day per page.” Dr. Beltrami, feeling cramped and unable to plan ahead his week, month or year, took a sheet of paper and created his own personal management system. He made his first diary by stamping a grid on the white pages of a notebook. This modern diary is a combination of a calendar and a journal."
I think that stamping the lines with a customized stamp it could save some time?
What do you think?
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Massimo -- pretty interesting historical tidbit and I like the stamping idea! I'd have to create a stamp to do this, but it shure would save time drawing all of the lines. :-)
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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smoochdog says:

Wowo nice set up. I am a little behind the times and did not know you could keep contacts and other data in an IPod I thought it was just for music/video. WOW. The reason I like this idea over a blackberry is I love pen and paper and I simply don't want to be able to check my email all the time. What do you have for a phone?

My first time here Michelle
www.smoochdog.com
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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kuupoika says:

great to see analogue getting the credit it deserves...

I have personally given up on Moleskines... they look fantastic with the minimal design ethic and all... but after one totally falling apart and my latest... a large unruled one starting to tear at the spine when I am not even 1/3 the way into it...

I have returned to the 6-hole Filofax type of organiser but prefer the non-vegan PocoProfile "Fitzroy"... still has all of the quick re-booting/startup times, elastic to hold everything in, and extra sturdiness that the analogues all exhibit but with the added benefit of well crafted style from a very small company...

Unlike Moleskines they are ever expandable in their memory allocations and can easily file away archives and transfer info from one version to the next and the next... without having to manually transfer stuff from one moleskine to another... just remove a page from the archive and put in...

cheers
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

smoochdog, yep, the newer iPods and iTunes sync over from the Address Book and iCal on the Mac... not sure how deep the sync is on the PC though. It seems to work well as a small info device. As for phone, I have an el-cheapo Virgin Mobile Kyocera phone, which has my most commonly called numbers. It works very well.

kuupoika, I've heard some rumblings of lower quality Moleskines lately, but have not experienced this myself. I understand the new ones are made in China and assembled in Italy. I hope the new french ownership can improve quality.

Thanks for the note on using a Filofax. I have always loved looking at them but never bought one. I can see the advantage to a spiral 3 ring binder, as once upon a time I used one. For me the small size is key. I guess each person finds the tool to suit their needs best. :-)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

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kuupoika says:

It would be interesting to know if the move to Chinese manufacture was before or after the French ownership change... if after it may not be a good sign...

The PocoProfile (www.pocoprofile.com.au -- absolutely no affliation with me... just a very happy user) I have is a 105mm x 145mm 6 ring model called "Fritzroy" and it is brilliant to use and of course has the cool-factor of the Moleskine... the elastic band and all handmade and in a choice of colours... what more could an analogue type of guy what or need... :-)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

kuupoika, I don't know for sure but I suspect the Chinese manufacture came long before the French buyer... I believe the new buyer came along just last week or the week prior.

My guess is Modo & Modo realized they couldn't maintain things with their structure and really didn't want to expand. For them (I am guessing) the Chinese manufacture was one step toward managing the demand, and the sale of Moleskine was the next.

But what do I know, I'm only a user. :-)

The Poco Profile Fitzroy looks way cool, thanks for the link!
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

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kuupoika says:

So who are the new French owners of Moleskine... did not even know of the change until seeing it here...

the PocoProfile site is a bit daggy for finding good images of the organisers... a pretty good pic of the Fitztroy is at

www.pocoprofile.com.au/shop/product.asp?pID=3 6&cID=11

then click on the coloured pic there... and the small one at the bottom will show the inside if clicked on... a hell of searching to find these... hidden away in the section where you order online... knew I had seen them somewhere there... must have been when I bought my black one and a red one for my better half...

cheers
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

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oid xjew says:

Really nice, but why use the ruled one if you can be free in the blank moleskin notebook? ;)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Ruled lines make drawing the calendar pages MUCH easier. :-)
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

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marsrocket88 says:

Mike-

I love your idea. On on my way to Borders in a bit to see if they have a standard ruled pocket Moleskine to try this out!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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smoochdog says:

I love this. I have not synched my palm pilot with my computer in months - who cares anyway right. I couldn't even find an actual 2007 moleskine weekly calendar and so this is so incredibly perfect. I will probably take a slightly less rigid route within the days but as soon as I get the right pen I will be setting up my weeks!

I chose the grid lined paper myself something about feeling like there is more order to the choas! Cheers and thanks for the great idea!
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

marsrocket -- glad I'm still inspiring people with this idea!!

smoochdog -- yay! The tyrrany of the sync has been lifted! :-)

I'm glad to hear you are exploring other ideas to suit you better on the design -- using gridded pages was something I thought long and hard about myself and just barely went lined.

In the next book I make I'll be trying some new things, like month pages and other ideas I'm dreaming up now... the beauty of making your own book is you can keep experimenting until things are just right. :-)
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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Russell Crosswy  Pro User  says:

I was thinking about month pages and other pages.

Maybe a year page in the beginning. Print one out from diyplanner.com
or some other site or calendar could be pasted into the first page, unless you care to write out a whole year on one or two pages.

For each month use 1 or 2 pages for the whole month. Give yourself a month view, then after that the week 2-page spread for each week in that month.

I realize some weeks bleed into other months, but you could have the whole week and have it go into the next month and then have the month page next or break it up however you see fit.

Also, I was using three then two letter abbreviations for days of the week. I finally got it down to one letter. This is what I use:
M = Monday
T = Tuesday
W = Wednesday
R = Thursday
F = Friday
S = Saturday
N = Sunday

Works for me. Didn't know if anyone else would find that useful or not.

I'm considering using a pocket one for a weekly calendar as shown here. I'm also thinking about getting a large one for a daily journal type. More writing space for each day to document thoughts, musings, feelings and such. I'll most likely also pickup a 2007 large daily journal for just this task, but I want to start right now with the large daily journal, so I'll end up making my own. I've been using a 2006 pocket daily journal, one page for each day. I tried that as a calendar and it is somewhat limiting. Pretty thick to be considered pocketable.

Right now I'm using it as a history journal. I document what I did each day and time and such. Comes in handy documenting times I went to sleep and wake up. Yes, I'm a bit of a fitness nut, I use cahiers to document all the food I eat and each of my workouts.
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Russel, these are some great ideas!

I have already printed a DIYPlanner year 2006 and 2007 and placed 2006 in the front inside cover, the 2007 in the back inside cover, with tape protecting them. It's a nice reference.

As I think about the next book I need to create for 2007, I'm going to try out some new features like the Month pages between weeks that end the month. There is some challenge with months overlapping weeks, but that's not that huge of a deal IMO. I

Another approach would be putting all of the month calendars in a section before or after the weeklies, and highlight them with a tab.

Your codes for days is very minimalistic and unique, though I personally like seeing the days spelled out a bit more. :-)

I found the same issues with the Daily Pocket -- too think for easy carrying, so it became a daily diary of events for me (and for that it works really well).
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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Russell Crosswy  Pro User  says:

I thought about a section for the monthies, but I wanted the month view to be close to the weeks. I have some overlap as far as the monthly pages go, but that's fine with me. I'm using the month in use more as a visual aid than for actually writing tasks in the days of the month.

I am concerned about a potential problem. I have kept a pocket squared Moleskine on me all the time for about a year now. I use it for ideas and miscellaneous items. I'm concerned about carrying two moleskines. I've thought about using the weekly for notes as well, but I'm not completely sold on the idea. Just seems like mingling of otherwise nicely organized data. Maybe I just prefer things to be separate like that.

Also, I took the address book out of the Daily Journal and put it in the back of the weekly planner. A little tight but it works. I use the address book to help alphabetize helpful tidbits of knowledge that I want close at hand.

I've used the daily journal the past few days as a historical record of events and I'm actually filling up the pages. Seems like the perfect use for it.
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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airbagstan says:

Just thought I'd let you know how great I think your Moleskine planner is!
I decided to give it a go myself, with a few minor changes. I'm a student, and am only at University for 24 weeks of the year (this is also the only time I use a planner). So, I only draw out the 24 necessary weeks, with a double-spread inbetween each week for general notes (e.g. a project that needs doing at some point, or something that needs buying that week).
I love the fact that I can personalise it so easily, and give the design little tweaks when I find something's just not quite right with the current version.
Many thanks for starting this!
Michael, Oxford, UK
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Russell, thanks for the update -- I love that everyone can tweak the system to their needs as you are suggeting.

As to carrying two Moleskines -- what if you carried a small, pocket Cahier for your ideas? It's thin enough to not add so much bulk.

Michael, glad to hear this may work well for you! I'm really pleased to hear you're enjoying and using this flexible system. :-)
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

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krommama  Pro User  says:

Thanks for your great idea. I just started one for myself. I posted a picture of the pocket I made for the front to hold my pencil. Thanks again!
Posted 37 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Cool krom karma! I'm glad my idea was helpful. :-)
Posted 37 months ago. ( permalink )

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rebecca_pekalis says:

Do not have one yet, just ordered I am so excited, I bought two sizes.....
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

You go Rebecca! :-)
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Have now created a dedicated site for my planner hack:

www.plannerhack.com

I plan to include more info there and make this a sort of hub for all things related to setting up the hack and so on.
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

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Neil C Ford  Pro User  says:

Thanks to Moleskinerie I discovered PlannerHack and this wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing Mike.

- Neil.
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

You are so very welcome Neil! :-)
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

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Vsprtn says:

I've been searching high & low for the 2007 moleskine planner to no avail.

Today I thought of going the DIY way and making my own. A Google search brought me straight to you.

Thanks so much for the tips! It's good to know I'm not alone.
Posted 36 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Vsprtn, thanks for stopping by! I can't believe the 2007s are already getting scarce! I do hope this solution helps -- it's a little bit of work at the outset, but once you have it working, the customization possibilities are wonderful. Enjoy!
Posted 35 months ago. ( permalink )

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Paul-Wright says:

im pretty annoyed that you can't get a acedemic version of the moleskine as it would be of great help to me, so i went in search of a good custom idea, and i came to yours, hopefully you wont mind if i use your ideas :) thanks for the ideas anyway. :)

Peace.

Paul.

[edit]

i thought up the idea of having 3 days on the left hand page and on the right have notes, like the week moleskine but with a bigger space, and how can moleskine call an 18month planner an acedemic one, from july 07 to december 08, would stop half way through the year, and then what do you do until July??

Peace.

Paul.
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Go for it Paul! The beauty of doing it yourself is, you can do whatever you like... and if you change your mind, change it.
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

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Sail Whitestone says:

Great idea, Mike! Mine made its debut this week. You can get a glimpse of it here.
Posted 28 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Way cool man! :-)
Posted 28 months ago. ( permalink )

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clairrrrr  Pro User  says:

this is a great idea, especially since I can never find the perfect planner to use for juggling school, work, and life. do you also have a month view so you can see what's going on that month in a glance?
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Great to hear clairrrr! I have played with month views -- the one I find worked best was a list of dates for the entire month using 2 pages.

You can do a grid, but the squares are so small to be virtually useless.

I need to find the page experiment for monthly and get a photo up here...
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Here's the updated version of the PlannerHack with my new iPod touch, which replaces the nano:

Mike's Custom Moleskine Planner & iPod touch
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

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ruben pulido  Pro User  says:

Wonderful job, Mike.
And still running up and counting!
cheers
Posted 24 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Thanks Ruben! :-)
Posted 24 months ago. ( permalink )

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C & La  Pro User  says:

Just wanted to drop you a line and say that almost 2 years after you've uploaded this photo, people are still using it. I landed my first job recently and couldn't find a 2008 Moleskin day planner anywhere (being almost March and all). I found your blog yesterday and I went out last night and bought a Moleskin and used your mod to make my own. I am very happy with it. Very pleased with all the extra space for notes in the back, and don't think I'll ever buy a pre-made day planner again. Thanks!
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

C & La, great to hear you found and are able to use this idea, even 2 years later. In fact I think that confirms the idea is good that it's timeless.

I too love the extra space in the back -- so flexible for whatever you need. I just wrote client notes in the back of mine last week. :-)

Enjoy!
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

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nimhworks  Pro User  says:

Thanks for the tip about the uni-ball signo RT Gel 0.38 micro pen. I've been searching for a good gel pen to accompany my moleskine. Works great -- no blotting necessary!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

@nimhworks Great to hear the fine point pens work for you! There is also a Pilot G2 in a similar 0.38 size but only available in Japan and a few places in the US> I want to try them because I suspect they work as well as the Signo would.

If you find a distributor, let me know here!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

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M a n c e r a ✪ says:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8kHX-RwdQo
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

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nimhworks  Pro User  says:

Hi Mike, when I bought a pack of Uni-Ball signo 0.38, I also bought a pack of Pilot G2 0.38 (and minis). I like them very much: pigment is a bit bluer/bolder/darker than the signo, writes just as smoothly, but the ink does take longer to dry on regular moleskine paper so I use them for other purposes.

I found everything at my local OfficeMax. I guess I'm in one of those US markets. I can see why they might not stock them everywhere, but I'm very surprised they don't offer them more widely online.
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Thanks for the heads up. I have not found 0.38 G2s and have only heard through John Gruber of Daring Fireball that they occasionally appear on a site that imports them from Japan. Boy, I do hope they will appear here in Milwaukee soon. :-)
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

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ibordenz says:

Great idea(s) Mike!
I am waiting for my Moleskine's to come in the mail. I am going to use your ideas.
I love these pictures of peoples "Tricks of the Trade" as I call them. I find it really neat.

Jeff
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

@ibordenz, thanks for the note! I hope the system works for you, and remember, you get to adapt it to whatever you need! :-)

I'm just now creating a new book that will take me from May to December 2008, and I can say safely that the system has worked since originally posting the images and weblog article 2 years ago!

I think the key is that you can make it how you like, which keeps it fresh as you need it to be. :-)
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

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Deadly Tedly  Pro User  says:

When I ran across this page a few months ago, I got inspired by the thought of creating a planner that fits my own needs and style. I ended up with something that looks a lot like your layout, with a week on two pages, except that I leave a blank page spread after each week. I still draw a line across the top and bottom of the blank page spread, and in the top left margin I put the date range (ex. "Jun 16-22"), and on the top right the week number. That way I can use the blank pages for dated notes I take during phone calls and meetings. With the large notebook, I have room for a full year plus 30 or so blank pages at the back. We'll see how it works for me!

Long flight
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Sounds great! Keep me posted here! :-)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mr Ivan  Pro User  says:

Mike, this is great! Just what I was looking for to get me started.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Ivan, great! Glad this photo is helpful.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

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Sithean  Pro User  says:

You are a doll for posting this photo, and so nicely replying to everyone in detailed, helpful comments. I started analog, jumped on the digital bandwagon, and found myself reverting to the written word. I think, only then, does my mind register that the task at hand will be remembered and dealt with, and that I don't have to fret. Much appreciated, sir!
Posted 17 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

@Sithean Thanks, I'm glad to be of service! :-)
Posted 16 months ago. ( permalink )

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*janina*  Pro User  says:

a bought a red 18months for this academic year but the smaller one.
red diary

but i must say that the previous version - 5 days on one page, in bigger size, with a page for notes, was better for me
diary

what kind of diary are you planning for next year ? :-)
Posted 16 months ago. ( permalink )

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♥ China ♥ guccio  Pro User  says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Moleskine China Fan's Group - Moleskiner.cn, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

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bryan.writing says:

A week ago I sold my Centro and started using a Moleskine Cahier that my wife had lying around as my new "PDA".

I've used the G2 0.5 but found even that too messy for the Moleskine. After seeing your picture I ran out and got a Signo RT Gel 0.38 and I'm in love. I love a fine line pen that writes well but doesn't smear or bleed.

I'm also trying out your layout for now while I figure out what I'm going to do. Eventually I plan on getting a full blown Pocket Moleskine Ruled Hard-Cover book once I have my system worked out.

Thanks!
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

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ajkimmins says:

It's amazing. With all the technology out there, computers and the like will never kill the old, analog, paper and pen planner. So personal, easily customizable, try stuff until you find the right fit, start over if you have to.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

@bryan Great to hear you're using that old Cahier and using the 0.38mm pen. Pilot also makes a G2 0.38, get 'em at JetPens.com

@aaron Great to have you on board! :-)
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

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Cypher Alvarado  Pro User  says:

nice photo
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

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Metallyptica says:

I love this!!
Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )

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Mike Rohde  Pro User  says:

Thanks! I hope it works well for you!
Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )

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Lets-go-find-a-Rain_Beau says:

Oh My, I love that Idea, and I love making "To-Do"-Lists!
Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )

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G▲B says:

I envy:
Your moleskine
Your ipod
Your HandLetter
Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink )

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.feels just like you should  Pro User  says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Moleskine Shots, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

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☆§HΔY'§♣WΦЯŁÐ☆ says:

this is really great idea. I used this same set up for my school assignments
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

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noahpictures says:

Mike, I am becoming your pupil (a slow one). I adapted this Moleskine hack a week ago (I'm on my first month of GTD) and I am really liking it. Thank you for all the info. Next I will doing your Pilot G2 Mini hack. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

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The European  Pro User  says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Your Moleskine, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 4 weeks ago. ( permalink )

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view photos Uploaded on May 24, 2006
by Mike Rohde

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Part of: Design

Moleskinerie (Pool)

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