A few months ago Bookbinders Design released two paper desk accessories that caught my eye; a desk calendar and a todo list. Simple enough but this sort of desk planner is something that I’ve been looking out for, without searching for it, for a while and the todo list is a welcome's partner to the calendar!
Bookbinders Design is a sponsor of the blog but I purchased these items myself.
I’ve mentioned in the past that planners, diaries, and anything in that rough category is something I’ve struggled with. Part of it is motivation to write something, part of it is concern about wasting pages with them being empty, and part of it is wanting to use all the features but not really have the opportunity or need to do so. Calendars and todo lists are hardly novel but I like the minimalism and design of this as well as, most importantly, fountain pen friendly paper!
The calendar has a fairly simply layout with a Monday start. It is a one-sided blank layout so you can start the calendar in any month of any year. It also means you have to fill the calendar out each month - the name of the month and the day numbers. There are 35 squares with the days pre-filled and space in the top right for the month title. “Monthly Planner” is written top left. This layout only poses a minor issue in months where the first of the month starts on a Sunday. In those months days 30 and 31 will have to be written in the first two squares. Because of this I have found it best to write out only the current month and not the previous (as I did here) of subsequent month in blank squares - this would just be duplicating information anyway once you start the next month.
The Calendar Planner is A4 in size once the paper has been torn off.
There paper is similar to the cloth bound notebook I reviewed from Bookbinders Design here. Except this time the paper is closer to card stock and is 170gsm! It is acid-free and age-resistant white Swedish paper. The paper has a very small hint of feathering with wet broad nibs and poorer quality inks but for the most part this isn’t noticeable. There is some roughness to the paper which can also present as rough edges to the written lines (but this isn’t feathering) similarly to parchment type paper. You won’t get much sheen on this paper as it is rather quick to absorb the ink. I don’t mind this at all as, personally, I think the quick absorption is good for a desk accessory that you might brush over.
The pad is perforated at the top to easily remove the previous month’s page and is Swiss bound with a cloth covering. The cloth covering comes in Dusty Green, Dusty Pink, Sandbrown (this one), Smoke Blue, and Sun Yellow.
The “Things To Do” notebook is nice pair to the calendar/planner. It is similarly minimal and is designed in the same way.
The title “Things To Do” heads the notebook with a table below it. There is a space for priority of the todo item (this is listed as ‘priority” ) a space to write the todo item, and then a space for a tick (listed as ”✓”).
The Todo List is 90mm by 158mm (3.54” x 6.22”).
The paper and design is the same as the calendar with 170gsm paper, Swiss bound with cloth covering in the same colour options ( Dusty Green, Dusty Pink, Sandbrown (this one), Smoke Blue, and Sun Yellow).
The back of the pads are adorned the same way with the Bookbinders Design Logo and a barcode (they do have a physical store after all!)
I like having these pads in my workflow! They work quite well for me, I think. It’s good having the month and important items at a glance on my desk. I much prefer this than having a wall calendar and I like paper that lays flat than some that I’ve seen which stand upright in a triangle - it makes it easy and quick to write on. Filling out the calendar is a fun ritual each month that honestly takes very little time. These aren’t novel products in their general concept; but they are done well, are in an aesthetic I appreciate, are fountain pen friendly, and they are in a form that works well for me and my workflow.
Check out the Monthly Calendar/Planner here and the Todo List here.
✒︎ ✑ ✒︎ ✑
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I was not compensated for this review and everything here is my own honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.