- 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? - vlad.campos
- Haha! This is my birthday! - umdevincastro
Mike Rohde's Custom Moleskine Planner
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:
Comments and faves
Austin Moody, Andreas Reinhold, DarkHawke, dgray_xplane, and 661 other people added this photo to their favorites.
vlad.campos [deleted] (73 months ago | reply)
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!
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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! :-)
Romi Supastar (73 months ago | reply)
very cool mod. *two thumbs up*
blowout (73 months ago | reply)
very organized!
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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.
lorenzszabo [deleted] (73 months ago | reply)
Interesting idea. I used to print out weekly views with my old favorite software "Now UpToDate" and put them into my organiser.
mullie1 (73 months ago | reply)
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?
greatscott (73 months ago | reply)
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.
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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.
Maria Papoila (73 months ago | reply)
Great idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
Thanks Maria! :-)
jesgar (73 months ago | reply)
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?
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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
vlad.campos [deleted] (73 months ago | reply)
Hi Mike, this is for you ;-)
www.flickr.com/photos/vlad_campos/154706085/
JustMichele (73 months ago | reply)
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.
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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... :-)
.LETE (73 months ago | reply)
great!nice idea
mshea (73 months ago | reply)
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
mshea (73 months ago | reply)
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.
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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.
mrbrent62 (73 months ago | reply)
So Analog!!! I still like to write with a pen... however I use a Treo650 and Powerbook for notes and calendar.
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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).
anonymonk (73 months ago | reply)
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.
Mike Rohde (73 months ago | reply)
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.
tvpk [deleted] (73 months ago | reply)
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
Graham Ballantyne (73 months ago | reply)
I've only done one week so far, but here's mine.
teejayhanton (72 months ago | reply)
just got my first moleskine today. i'm researching all the suggested ways of using this thing ... thanks for sharing!
falsefridays (72 months ago | reply)
even with a ruler, i couldn't make my lines look that straight.
i wish i could!
Mike Rohde (72 months ago | reply)
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! :-)
lexly87 aka Duc N. Ly (72 months ago | reply)
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'.
Mike Rohde (72 months ago | reply)
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! :-)
kirayn2006 (72 months ago | reply)
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?
Mike Rohde (72 months ago | reply)
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
adamboettiger (71 months ago | reply)
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!
Mike Rohde (71 months ago | reply)
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. :-)
maggs813 (71 months ago | reply)
I'm in love. I love how there are other geeks like me out there.
Mike Rohde (71 months ago | reply)
We're everywhere! Welcome to the club! :-)
Massimo Soldano (71 months ago | reply)
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?
Mike Rohde (71 months ago | reply)
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. :-)
smoochdog (71 months ago | reply)
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
kuupoika (71 months ago | reply)
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
Mike Rohde (70 months ago | reply)
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. :-)
kuupoika (70 months ago | reply)
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... :-)
Mike Rohde (70 months ago | reply)
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!
kuupoika (70 months ago | reply)
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
oid xjew (70 months ago | reply)
Really nice, but why use the ruled one if you can be free in the blank moleskin notebook? ;)
Mike Rohde (70 months ago | reply)
Ruled lines make drawing the calendar pages MUCH easier. :-)
marsrocket88 (69 months ago | reply)
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!
smoochdog (69 months ago | reply)
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!
Mike Rohde (69 months ago | reply)
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. :-)