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The Writer's Lifestyle
The Handwriting Revival: The Most Radical Thing You Can Do in 2026
Culture & Craft · The Art of Writing
The Handwriting Revival:The Most Radical Thing You Can Do in 2026
Wordsworth & Black · The Writer's Lifestyle
Artificial intelligence can now write your emails. Your reports. Your cover letters. Your birthday messages to people you love. It can do so in seconds, in any tone you choose, with perfect grammar and a plausible warmth that asks nothing of you in return.
And yet — there is something happening on desks and in notebooks and in the quiet corners of people's mornings that runs directly counter to all of this. People are picking up pens. Not to sign contracts or jot a phone number on a scrap of paper. But to write. Deliberately. By hand.
In 2026, handwriting is more than a habit. It is, quietly and unmistakably, an act of resistance.
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The Science of the Written Hand
What Happens When You Write by Hand
Before we talk about culture, let's talk about what is actually happening when your pen meets the page.
Writing by hand activates the mind differently — and more deeply
Research has consistently shown that writing by hand engages the brain differently — and more deeply — than typing. When you form letters, you activate regions associated with reading, thinking, and memory simultaneously. You process information more slowly, which forces you to summarise, interpret, and make sense of what you're recording rather than simply transcribing it.
Studies comparing students who handwrote lecture notes with those who typed them found that handwriters consistently demonstrated stronger conceptual understanding of the material. Not because they wrote more, but because they wrote less — they had to make choices about what mattered.
Put simply: writing by hand makes you think better. It always has. We're just beginning to remember it.
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The hand thinks. The keyboard merely transcribes.
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The Irony of the Digital Age
The AI Paradox: Why Automation Made Handwriting Precious
There's a strange irony at the heart of the current moment. The very technology designed to make writing easier has made handwriting feel more meaningful.
When anything can be generated, the handmade becomes irreplaceable
When anything can be generated — when the average email, the standard birthday card, the routine thank-you note can be produced in a moment by a machine — the things made by hand acquire a weight they didn't carry before. A handwritten letter is now an unmistakable signal: someone was here. Someone took time. Someone thought of you.
Educators are already responding. Across schools and universities, handwritten assignments are being reintroduced — not out of nostalgia, but out of necessity. Handwriting carries individuality and nuance in a way that generated text, however polished, simply cannot. It is, at its core, proof of a human being.
The irony deepens when you consider that AI tools can now generate synthetic handwriting — crafting letterforms that mimic the wobble and flow of a real hand. They do this precisely because handwriting has become valuable. Because the thing that looks like it was written by a person, by someone who paused and considered, is the thing that resonates.
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By the Numbers
The Revival Is Real — and It's Growing
This isn't wishful thinking on the part of stationery enthusiasts. The numbers bear it out.
A global movement — not a passing trend
+15%
Fountain Pen Collectors
Growth in the global collector community in 2024 alone
+44%
Creative Journaling
Year-on-year growth in creative journaling activity
+63%
Calligraphy Searches
Increase in calligraphy-related searches globally in 2024
1B+
Journaling Views
Journaling hashtag views across social media platforms
The people leading this revival are not, by and large, the generation you might expect. Younger adults — those who grew up typing before they learned to write in cursive — are among the most enthusiastic adopters. For them, writing by hand isn't a throwback. It's a discovery. A way of reclaiming something tactile and personal in a life that has become increasingly frictionless.
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In a world of infinite content, a handwritten page is the rarest thing there is: a trace of someone actually present.
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The Irreplaceable Mark
What Your Handwriting Says That a Font Never Could
Your handwriting is yours alone. The particular slant of your letters, the pressure you apply, the way a word trails off at the end of a long day — these things are not stylistic choices. They are traces of you.
Your handwriting is a fingerprint — no font can replicate it
A typeface is universal. Your handwriting is a fingerprint. And at a moment when so much of what we produce is interchangeable — when emails sound like each other, when reports are smoothed into a corporate-approved voice — the handwritten word stands apart. It says: this came from a specific person, in a specific moment, thinking specific thoughts.
That is not a small thing. In many ways, it is everything.
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Come Back to the Page
You don't need a grand gesture to begin. You don't need to abandon your laptop or swear off digital life. The handwriting revival isn't about rejection — it's about balance. About preserving a mode of thinking and communicating that is irreplaceable.
Start with a single page a day. A journal entry written before the screen is unlocked. A letter sent to someone who deserves the effort. A notebook kept on your desk, open and waiting, ink ready.
The pen you choose, the paper you write on, the ink that carries your voice — these become part of the ritual. And over time, the ritual becomes something you reach for not out of obligation, but because of what it gives back: clarity, presence, and a few minutes of being unmistakably, irreducibly yourself.
Wordsworth & Black
Crafted for Those Who Write Beautifully
Explore our collection of fountain pens, notebooks, and inks —crafted for those who believe that the act of writing is worth doing beautifully.
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#LegacyWriting
#WordsMatter
Culture & Craft
Handwriting Revival
Your First Fountain Pen: A Thoughtful Guide to Getting Started
The Art of Writing · Beginner's Guide
Your First Fountain Pen:A Thoughtful Guide to Getting Started
Wordsworth & Black · The Writer's Lifestyle
There's a particular moment that nearly every fountain pen enthusiast remembers. It's the first time the nib met the page — that smooth, effortless glide, the way ink flowed without pressure or friction, the quiet realisation that writing could feel like this.
If you're standing at the beginning of that journey, welcome. You're in the right place. Choosing your first fountain pen doesn't need to be overwhelming. With a little guidance, it becomes what it should be: an act of self-expression before you've even written a single word.
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The Case for Writing Differently
Why a Fountain Pen?
Before we talk about nibs and ink, it's worth asking: why bother? After all, ballpoints are cheap, reliable, and entirely unremarkable — which is precisely the point.
A fountain pen invites you into a different relationship with writing. It slows you down, in the best possible way. It makes you more deliberate with your words. And because it's refillable, it's also one of the most sustainable choices you can make as a writer.
One pen, cared for properly, can last a lifetime. That's not a product — that's a companion.
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A fountain pen doesn't just write. It remembers.
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Understanding the Nib
The Heart of the Pen
The nib is where everything happens. It's the finely crafted tip that meets the page, and choosing the right one makes all the difference to how your writing feels.
The nib — where craftsmanship meets the page
For beginners, we always recommend starting with a medium nib. It's forgiving on different paper types and gives a clear sense of how a fountain pen handles. If your handwriting tends to be small and precise, a fine nib offers more control. If you love expressive, flowing script — or have ambitions towards calligraphy — a broad nib opens the ink up beautifully.
Extra Fine
Ideal for very small, precise handwriting. Minimal ink flow, maximum control. Best for detailed note-taking.
Fine
A versatile choice for neat, compact handwriting. Crisp lines with a satisfying feedback on the page.
Medium
The recommended starting point. Forgiving, smooth, and compatible with most paper types. Perfect for everyday writing.
Broad
Expressive and bold. Ideal for those drawn to calligraphy, journaling, or a more dramatic writing style.
Nibs are almost always made from steel or gold. Steel nibs write perfectly well and are where most enthusiasts begin. Gold nibs have a subtle responsiveness that adapts to the natural pressure of your hand — once you've written with one, it's difficult to go back.
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Personality in a Bottle
Choosing Your Ink
Here's where things get genuinely exciting. The world of fountain pen ink is vast, vivid, and deeply personal. You're not simply choosing a colour — you're choosing a mood, a character, a signature.
Ink is personality — choose yours deliberately
If you're new to fountain pens, start with a bottled ink from a trusted maker. Cartridge inks are convenient, but bottled inks offer far more variety. A classic blue-black is a perfect first ink: versatile, quietly professional, and strikingly beautiful on the page.
Blue-Black
Mysterious Black
Racing Green
Warm Amber
Forest Teal
From there, you might explore warm ambers, jewel-toned teals, or deep forest greens. Part of the joy is the discovery. One practical note: always check that your ink is compatible with your pen. Most quality inks are — but it's worth knowing before you fill up.
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The Right Surface
Paper Matters More Than You Think
A fountain pen and notebook are partners. A beautiful pen on poor paper is like a fine wine in a paper cup — something essential is lost.
The right paper elevates every word you write
Fountain pen-friendly paper is typically 80gsm or above, smooth enough to let the nib glide, and resistant to feathering (where ink bleeds into the fibres) and ghosting (where text shows through the page).
At Wordsworth & Black, every notebook we craft is designed with exactly these considerations in mind. Your ink should land on the page precisely where you intend it — vivid, sharp, and lasting. The right paper doesn't just support your writing; it elevates it.
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The Daily Practice
Building Your Writing Ritual
A fountain pen rewards ritual. Set aside even ten minutes a day — a journal entry, a letter, a to-do list written by hand — and you'll begin to understand why so many people describe the switch as something that changed not just their writing, but their thinking.
Ten minutes a day. That's all it takes to begin
Start small. Keep your pen on your desk, inked and ready. Let it become the first thing you reach for in the morning. Over time, the act of writing becomes less of a task and more of an anchor — a few quiet moments of clarity before the noise of the day begins.
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The pen doesn't just record your thoughts. It helps you find them.
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Begin. That's All It Takes.
Your first fountain pen is just that — your first. Most people who start here don't stop. There's a pen for every mood, an ink for every season, a notebook for every chapter of your story.
The best thing you can do is begin.
Wordsworth & Black
Find the Pen That's Right for You
Browse our collection and let our team guide you to the perfect first pen.Because the art of writing is worth getting right — from the very first word.
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Filed under #TheArtOfWriting #CraftYourMasterpiece #LegacyWriting Beginner's Guide Fountain Pens
GRATITUDE
Your 10-Day Gratitude Meter
Look deep into yourself before you answer. This is a serious question to ask someone. And plenty of people will not easily be able to answer or be honest about their answer. Isn’t that a wonder?
It’s like asking people whether or not they’re happy. The answer almost always will be relative. Happiness is relative for people, that’s true but what makes us say that we’re happy and what makes us say the opposite? Does a happiness meter exist?
The same is true for gratitude, in this context. We think that what makes us grateful now, will probably change in the day to day.
Gratitude, in this case, relies on something you will do or have done. It’s not dependent on a formula which has to be solved. It only takes a realization that something can be done to make us aware of it.
Let’s help you out.
What are you grateful for today?
There exists a Gratitude meter. We created one in order to pinpoint exactly what we could be or already are grateful for each day. Why do we do this? We believe that gratitude changes everything. We do, honestly. And it’s important for each one of us to live by it.
This idea can be taught easily too. If we can simply start our days off believing that we’re grateful for something, we can move forward with a positive attitude. We become friendlier, less prone to stress and improve our overall psychological health.
Among the many benefits of always being grateful, it’s the improvement to oneself and relationships to other people which we emphasize. If you practice this Gratitude Meter daily, 10 days at a time, we’d have encouraged an improvement within yourself.
We really do believe it. Let’s get started.
What do you need?
We recommend writing each day in your planner. Jot this down one day at a time and then reflect on them. By reflection, we mean noting each thought in your journal. What makes you thankful you have them in your life right now?
This is what we need you to keep in mind:
Day 1 -Who are you most grateful knowing today? Name a person you know that you think has the most positive influence in your life. Do you know someone like that?
Day 2 -What part of your job are you grateful for today? Every job is a blessing. If you don’t like it, simply think that someone out there is desperate enough to have it. Erase that negative thought in your head. Surely there’s something in it you liked in the first place.
Day 3 -What skill are you grateful having? Are you a writer, a baker, a technology wizard or something like that? You could possess a skill no one else can easily do. Or, perhaps you’ve decided to learn a new skill, finally.
Day 4 -What purchase are you grateful to make today? Don’t think big here. It could be something you buy every day like coffee or lunch. Nourishment will always be a blessing, as you know. What else did you buy and why decide to buy them?
Day 5 -What part of your body are you grateful for? Sounds too self-absorbed but listen. A lot of self-esteem issues could stem from your insecurities about self image. This is a process for you to closely examine what you like or don’t like, physically, about yourself.
Day 6 -What weakness do you have? But why be grateful for having a weakness? Acceptance. We’re not perfect. However, if you acknowledge you have a weakness (whatever it is), you’d be willing to work hard at improving it.
Day 7 -What moment this week are you grateful for? It doesn’t matter if that moment is fleeting. For as long as you genuinely are thankful it happened.
Day 8 -What food are you grateful to have today? Simple, right? This brings us back to Day 4 when you always have to be thankful for each and every little nourishment you give your body. It’s a MUST to always consider having food, even having little to eat, a blessing in itself.
Day 9 -What part of nature are you thankful to see today? A tree in your backyard or a lake nearby, could be an example. Some people are even grateful they live close to nature. It doesn’t matter where you live now, if you see nature everyday, include it.
Day 10 -What experience are you most grateful to have? It could have happened today or years ago. Name one and narrate why that experience mattered so much to you. It could be anything. Think hard on this part. After all, life’s full of potentially wonderful experiences to be thankful for.
Repeat the process for another 10 days. At the very least, for a few minutes of each day, you’re able to open up your heart to the magic that is Gratitude. Having this in your mind and heart will benefit you in the long term - we guarantee you become a better person at the end of each day.
Are you ready to begin?
Top Unique Planner Ideas
Planners Will Never Be Boring Again!
No matter what got you started on using a planner, there will always be one idea that you consider a favorite in terms of making it your own.
But why would you need to be creative in the first place? It's just a planner, after all.
The answer to that will depend on what you use the planner for. A lot of people devote their time into expressing their ideas along with the usual to-dos on a planner. Everyone is different and so should the ideas that you use to keep your planner as interesting as possible.
Before we run down a few unique ideas here, always remember that a planner is an organizing tool. Its basic purpose is to help you keep a structured list of important things on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. We urge you not to forget this main thesis for getting a planner. Let us begin.
Personal Quotes
It doesn't matter where the quotes come from or who authored it, adding them into your planner - daily or weekly - for a pick-me-up is always a good way to start making your planner your own. Quotes have the ability to keep you humble in many ways and grounded when we need it. It's also there to inspire you to do more things. And more importantly, get them ALL done.
Tracking Progress
There's a lot to put on here and so many things to track of not just ordinary lists. A good example is a weight loss plan or even meal plans if you're into watching the calories you eat. You can pencil down the numbers and watch yourself progressively get better. This is actually a very good habit-forming exercise.
Gratitude Meter
You should be able to know why you must thank someone for something. Add a post in your planner about the people or things you are most grateful to have in your life. If you need an exercise guide or a gratitude meter, read our previous post about Gratitude.
People Who Matter (And Their Contact Numbers)
You do have a contacts list in your phone but it is helpful to have a backup list somewhere. Why not do it in your planner? For, you know, just in case you lose the phone (and vice versa).
Business Contacts
Dedicate a space in your planner for the more important contacts such as those of your clients, your colleagues and bosses. This is the place you can write all frequently used contacts numbers, emails, addresses and such. It’s always practical to have those written down. Some even insert an actual business card. It tends to get convenient to write meeting schedules when you can see or refer to a name or number in the same space.
Meeting Notes
It is very practical to write down notes from meetings. Some will consider it good practice. Planners are just built for notes of this nature. It’s also the ample place for it - you will always know what transpired at that place, date and time; or never forget the details you need from it.
Places You’ve Stayed In
Remember what makes a hotel you stayed in extra special? It’s the fact you felt comfortable staying there. Write that experience down in your planner. It would be useful for later as a reference of where to stay and what to recommend to people.
Vacation Plans
These are the best kinds of plans. Ever. It would be the only plan anyone will excitedly go on about. Planners will always have a section dedicated for vacations, past and future. You will even find a nifty world map on some of best planners for this purpose. Use them wisely and plan out your vacations well.
Accomplishments
Planners are all about out making strides, big or small. Yes, it is their purpose to showcase how well you are at making things happen and or getting things done. Remember that accomplishments need to be written down so you’ll never forget them. It would be immortalized forever with your own words - as it happens, when it happens.
Don’t waste your planner space. Grab every idea you can find to make your planners unique and a true reflection of who you are. This is the place to find really great planners.
INCREASING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
How Planners Can Help You
What can you accomplish within a 24-hour day?
A lot, you might say. But even if you did, can you say you've accomplished "everything" you've set out to do? We hope your answer is YES.
But if you ever find yourself still wondering for the best answer to this question, you've already succumbed to poor planning practices. That's a bit of bad news right there. You haven't managed your time well enough to complete tasks you've wanted to do even if you're up to the brim with them.
It's a typical issue but one with a solution.
Time Management Woes
No one starts out in life a planning genius. Why? Keeping organized is something we typically figure out how to do ourselves. Some people become good at it and some don't. We struggle from day one because we lack the help we need.
We're not born with great time management skills, you see.
And so the question remains, how can we become organized in a way that would guarantee productivity every day of our lives? And to that we say, use a planner and surprise yourself how easily you can be transformed.
Prioritizing, organizing schedules and keeping track of your time will be a breeze once you have an idea how to get started. Let's help you out.
Having a planner is going to change your life. It'll improve it with positive changes. And it will help you stay focused on what's important- even systematize levels of it subject to your needs. Believe it or not, this is more complicated than you think.
Living in the digital age is one big distraction and we know that perfectly well. It's not easy to keep your life together when you're constantly distracted. Sound familiar? It should. Are you holding your phone right now? Then distracted is what you are.
If you have a checklist of things to do each day, you're already on track in this adventure. However, planners should contain much more than just a daily to-do list. It should be more personal and made-for-you and your life's milestones.
Planners also act as a coach and a guide for you. You grow as your pages progress. And this personal development is prompted by how well you create your steps - at your own pace. True enough, there are planners that offer that kind of flexibility.
How To Manage A Planner
One thing we know for sure is that life's unexpected. How about making that the main backdrop of your planner. You begin simply by defining a goal. Make it clear and measurable. Write it down at the beginning of the pages so you'd know where it is as you go forward. Page one in your planner should be about you and your dreams. You list them out should you have plenty of them. There's no limit.
Building a planner is a map towards achieving your goals. First of all, you're in charge of it. Yes, YOU. Simply write each goal down - what is it you want to do? What needs to be done? For example, if you want to become a singer, write down "learn one song (step one)" and "record your own voice singing it (step two)." And then you progress from there.
Next,tool up! Find the materials you need to get started on this journaling roadmap. Bear in mind that keeping a journal or planner is something you must commit to doing - meaning you should be contributing to the pages day in and day out. It follows that you get the tools you need like getting a notebook or a planner that contains monthly, weekly or daily pages with spaces for you to write on. And then get a reliable pen to write those pages with. These two are the basics. You'd need more later on.
Get started. Do not limit yourself to a single idea. You have a lifetime of experience to draw inspiration from. Also, note that keeping a planner should not pressure you into writing something, anything. Otherwise, you'd end up with random thoughts on your pages that don't make sense. Actually, planners help you get organized - both in thoughts and actions. In so doing, how you think and what you do will be carefully structured and mapped out. And YOU did that at the end of the day. Yey!
Keep at it. Don't stop. The more you progress in charting your planner, you'll realize that you'd have improved your ability to keep your day to day tasks on track. You'd become more efficient at managing your time. Your own efforts will lead you to your goals. One day, you may flip through page one again to read back on your goals and find yourself already there.
Wordsworth Planners - A Beginner’s Walkthrough
There's an app for that.
That's true. We live in a very convenient world now. The old ways of pen and paper may arguably be going extinct.
But there's a truth many planner enthusiasts would agree on - in no way do modern devices and apps stop planners from getting out of style. The reason is obvious - planners are still the most reliable productivity tool there is. If you use it well, it would strongly get you organized enough to make sense of your life.
However, if you haven't used any planner before, our planners are going to prove a good beginner's tool - all 256 pages of it. Let this walk-through convince you.
THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS
There are key elements in our planners that will make this a unique experience for every user. Even if you haven't seen it, we've made it easy to navigate through our pages. It should be a seamless experience because we've removed the usual clutter and added some nice extra features.
If you plan on using the planner regularly, you'll find that you have become more attuned to your needs, your ability to manage your time and have acquired a lifelong skill in the end.
The bonus? You've become a better version of yourself with how well you are handling your day to day and being productive in every step.
Your Wordsworth Planner will be a master plan and a testament to how far you would go to see it through. So if you don't know where to begin this process, here are the important elements of our planner you need to know:
Instructions/Users Guide - Not all planners begin with a complete user's guide. Often times, a user is left to figure out what happens at the beginning. Our planners are unique because they begin with a blueprint of the process. The premise of having a planner is to provide structure into your planning. You can use it well only if you maximize on its benefits from the start. This is why you will be taken to a core process - where you need your mind to be and how to make your planners work. The user's guide is a seminal overview. You will have to read this in order to know our real intentions for creating this planner, our mission and our ardent hopes for the user.
Benefits - There's probably a good reason why you chose our planner above all others. That's what we are banking on. This planner, in all intents and purposes, will be an asset to you and your life. The planner lists down plenty of advantages for using its system. As you read through them, we are confident in the hopes that a lot of your needs would have been checked off.
Advanced Calendar - Every planner comes with an advanced dated calendar for 2018 until 2021. It's made advanced so you can use your planner well into the future. This is also to make checking dates very convenient for the user.
World Map - A planner is never complete without a world map - ours is integrated with the time zones as a value-added feature on. This service is added to support the next page which is where you list your travel destinations and itineraries.
Travel Plans - This is the part where all future travels will have started. You can pencil in all travel goals here - even their proposed dates. It's a space where a lot of bucket list destinations will be marked in. There are two pages of dedicated spaces to get lost in. Mark these destinations and add why you're interested in them. They will serve as reminders for what you need to prepare before the travel dates. There's even room to paste in your past travel mementos and keepsakes.
Goals Mind Map - After all the necessities are done, the next step is to focus on how to set your goals - from the smallest down to your most unfulfilled big dreams. Mind mapping, if you have no idea how to begin, is a strategy to create steps in goal setting. Our mind is so easily distracted when you really think about it. Most of the time, we can't distinguish which goals should take the least precedence over another. Mind mapping helps you get to the root of it all. Once you master mind mapping techniques and dissect your goals according to actionable plans, this page will be an access point to the rest of the months, weeks and days. Make sure to lead with this in mind.
Vision Board Inspirations - There's a tagline you will find in this two-page space -"People, Places, Photos, Quotes". This will be your baseline inspiration board. Consider them a groundwork for what success should look like for you. A Vision Board is a blank space to start but as soon as you clip in photos, quotes, places, and people who will contribute to achieving a specific goal, it will become your mind's dream panel. As used in popular context, a vision board is a tool for attracting what you want to happen. This helps give your goals clarity. When you know what you want in life, you'll work tirelessly to make it happen. This is where the magic happens.
General Goals and Target dates - Those who failed to figure out their goals will get a chance to revisit this task on these six pages. However, this is where things get more serious and more personal. Goal setting in this context will be broken down into 3 facets: personal, family and friends, and the professional or the top three (3) needs of every individual. This is the proper forum to tackle plans, ambitions, actions - everything which involves your general aspirations in life. You can't miss this part because there are specific target dates to be elected for each goal. The true purpose for these dates is to hold you accountable so you don't slack off.
Specific Monthly Goals - In relation to the general goals set above, this section similarly lets you create top three (3) goals for the month. Actually, when you're not keen on making general goals and prefer to make them on a monthly basis, this is where you start. Goals are still sectioned off into the personal, family and friends, as well as the professional aspects. At the beginning of each month, you have the chance to position three goals for each section. Therefore, you'll have to do some more thinking on this process. You'll be pushed to choose the most weighted ones and their target dates for the month. Accountability always follows each goal setting so a date is mandatory at this point.
Blocked daily entries (undated) - You'll be more familiar with this section of the planner as it closely resembles a blocked calendar. There are no dates specified all throughout this full spread so you can begin any time of the month. You can tackle 30 or 31 days of tasks here. It's a summarized view of what the month will look like so this is where you mark permanent dates and events like holidays, birthdays and anniversaries.
Monthly Reflection Sheet - Your planner is also where you get to write about an important milestone in your life - as it happens, when it happens. At the end of each monthly blocked section, you have a space for writing details about what has happened in the past month."Breakthrough Moments", should you be blessed with them, can have a dedicated space in your planner forever. So don't waste this chance to check in with yourself.
Review of the Month and Plans for the next - If you're the type that enjoys reviewing your monthly activities, this is the page you'll find most appealing. We've structured it to make accurate evaluations. First, you get to celebrate your achievements for the month - a gauge as to how productive you've really become in conjunction with your monthly goals. In the off chance that you've missed out on a task, there's a space to explain why this was so. Allow for some lessons as well as newly revised plans when closing out each month. Note that this process repeats so there are 12 chances to get it right.
Weekly Overview Pages - If you find that monthly planning isn't specific enough, this weekly overview might work for you. In full spread, the weekly overview pages start off with one target focus and a space where you can enumerate action plans geared towards this focus. That will be your meter for creating your daily updates. The week begins on a Sunday and each day will start and end the same way with these assignments - gratitude statements and a daily to-do list.
To-Do List - The highlight of your daily entries would be your top priorities for the day. It's simplified according to the primary and secondary tasks. This way, you will not have any difficulty assigning what tasks should come first.
15 Waking Hours - Every day begins at 6 AM and you're then afforded 15 waking hours to be as productive as you can make your day to be. Your schedule is arranged vertically for an easy read.
Weekly Reflection Sheet - The same opportunity to review your past activities is provided in a reflection space at the bottom part of each page. It's a small but powerful add-on specifically to make reviews a daily/weekly habit.
EXTRAS
Don't be overwhelmed by what you see. As a productivity and development tool, the layout has a purpose and meaning. You're meant to explore it beyond its basic uses. So we've added in some valuable "extras":
Grid and Lined pages - There are a lot more dedicated spaces provisioned for whatever purpose. For example, this could be where you write your grocery lists. Some people use it to brush up on their drawing skills by doodling. The spaces are left blank with nothing but lines or grids on them. This is available on all our planners.
Motivational quotes - When you need a push on slow days, this will be your source of inspiration. Feel free to add your own quotes and goal-setting guides. The more you see them, the better it is for motivating you.
When opening up our planner for the first time, you'll find it resembles a laid-out storybook. As a matter of fact, it sort of is - it soon will be filled up with snippets of your life, thoughts and even musings, after all. A reader would find a piece of you on every page and might even put together a novel from your life story. We hope it serves you well, dear reader.
Life In A Planner
How Planners Improve Your Quality Of Life
Envision this: The sun touched your face early and it was nice, warm. You get out of bed not forgetting to stretch out those neck muscles. You tie your hair in a bun, changed into yoga clothes and prepare to meditate. After 30 minutes, you tidy up and fixed a healthy breakfast. With the morning TV news on, you then finished up, brushed your teeth and hurried to change into work clothes. The time was 45 minutes after 7 am. The last thing in your routine was to feed the cat, managed a kiss on its little cheek and then said a quick goodbye.
Sounds like a productive morning, right? All these things in your to-do list of morning rituals which you committed to do, got DONE. One at a time, you ticked off your tasks. When you’re self-disciplined, rituals matter a lot in your life. This was all part of your planner journey with the goal to keep repeating your mornings as best as you can.
But why a planner though? Is it important to maintain one in a digital world?
Our answer? Oh absolutely so. Actually, even more so in this fast-moving world. Sure, all your devices at hand could keep up with the changing world. Your smartphone can also easily remind you of any upcoming schedule. So why rely so heavily on a notebook?
There’s a system in planners that builds you up for becoming better at everything you do.
Lifetime Benefits of a Good Planner
Analog as it may seem, planners are and will always be a gateway for positive self- reinforcement. And it takes just one planner to change your life. If you get one - the right one for you - your present mindset can potentially turn. But it would do that with the best of intentions.
Brain Stimulation. Psychology is always behind every planner system there is. And it’s rooted on one thing only - the ability of your mind to influence routines. There exists proof that people who keep a planner, are better at remembering, organizing and mapping out thoughts. Every planner’s main methodology involves mentally stimulating yourself to produce more work. That is, when your brain gets fired up to perform a task, it segregates it into what’s important and what’s not. So consider it a daily exercise for the brain. When you keep stimulating it this way, you'll eventually trigger a mechanism within you to effectively plan a daily workload. And when your life is always revolving around schedules, plans and organizing them, this will be very helpful routine-building exercise.
Keeping Focus. Do one thing at a time and you’ll do it properly. Sounds like an antithesis for multitasking but it does have a stringent meaning in terms of why planners are effective. One can easily get into the bad habit of doing so many things at once and then spreading yourself thin on each task. You’re just not giving your best and it could lead to lousy work. Planners have a unique way of having you create priorities. An example is a TO-DO list or dot journals. This way you’re able to accomplish one task at a time and give yourself the opportunity to give your 100% on each one.
Self-Discipline and Structure. Planners are great at forming good habits. They are tools you can leverage to form rituals that promote discipline. Like the scenario on the first part of this blog, you can make yourself commit to doing one task and then doing it daily for days or months until you simply do them out of muscle memory. You can add some much needed structure in your life if you have good rituals. So tell yourself, no more lazy excuses.
Unique Health Benefits. Your planners can be used in a multitude of ways, not just to simply list things down. Utilize it for jotting down the calories in your food, for example, to form eating habits. You may also write down important doctor appointments, not just birthdays and anniversaries. There are people who successfully incorporate their prescribed exercise routines in their planners to monitor health conditions. Some even pencil in their relaxation schedules to keep their stress-levels down. In a nutshell, you can organize your planners in a manner which promotes long-term health benefits. You’ll thank yourself later, if you do.
Creative Outlet. It may be unusual for some but a unique benefit of a great planner is to give your creative side a chance to shine, if you so choose to do so. A lot of great planners out there such as this one, allow room for some embellishments like adding in a washi tape, even coloring as a highlight to indicate a task fully done. Some add structure by doodling.
If you knew the things you have to do and when to do them, you’ll be less overwhelmed. That will always be the most important benefit of a great planner. Your life would be less cluttered, always organized and eventually free from stress.
If by now you’re convinced of getting a planner, you’re already a winner, in our book.