Hacker News Reader

Comment by Arete314159 | Hacker News Reader

A really nice paper planner that works for the way I think.

For years I was around developers a lot and so they tend to push the mentality that the best tool for organization must be digital. So I tried Trello, google calendar, various habit tracking apps, etc. None of them really had everything I wanted...

Finally I am happy with a paper planner, sticky notes, wet-erase markers that make the laminate cover into a go-anywhere brainstorming tool, pretty pen colors and even stickers as a rewards for hard tasks.

You can get a "masculine" planner like they have at Levenger or Golden Coil, or a more "feminine" planner from Erin Condren, Emily Ley, Plum Paper, Limelife or Northfolk.

View on HN

I'm a convert into paper as well, I used to use google calendar, trello, various todo list applications. Paper just seems to win out because of its flexibility.

The best thing is you discover/invent more ways to use it as you use it more. You can't really add new features to an app so easily, but with paper its just a matter of writing it down. You can also break rules everywhere and your paper planner will not crash.

Yes! You don't have to wait for your planner to boot up, you don't have to have a special pen, you don't have to worry about charging a battery....plus you can doodle.

Most developers I know are obsessed with paper planners and carry their preferred model everywhere.

This is good to know! Maybe it's because I worked with mostly 20-something's in my last job, and they were always obsessed with the newest tech fad.

Do you happen to know what models these are?

Would you mind sharing which brand / model you went with? I spent too much time looking for a more masculine planner last year and finally settled on something that looks like it belongs to a teenager over something that belongs to my wife.

I went with an Erin Condren vertical layout coiled planner, which is very colorful and pretty, so I don't think that is what you are looking for ;-).

However, the same brand has a line of neutral & undecorated planners with blue/black/grey covers. This one seems like it would raise no eyebrows at work: https://www.erincondren.com/camel-customizable-vegan-leather... .

However, they offer fewer layout options in this line than they do in their more popular offerings.

Levenger, as I mentioned, also has some good options, although they are pricey. ARC (I think that's Staples' store brand?) has a line a lot of people buy. Both of these are discbound, which is a choice you either really like or don't.

Filofax & its ilk also have a lot of options that would look fine in a professional setting.

They sell "writing tools". I'm old enough to remember when those were called pens.

A quick glance at the Levenger website leads me to conclude that if you call it a "writing tool," you can add $30 to the price.

Similarly, if you call the planner cover "vegan leather" instead of "plastic"...

This but building your own ala bullet journal.

I LOVE bullet journals, and all of the youtube videos on different layouts are a wonderful rabbit hole to fall into! However, I'm finding that I like a daily layout and at present I don't have the energy to re-draw 365 days.

Also I like to write in appointments months in advance and I can't do that if I'm drawing just a few weeks ahead.

For this I have the months written on 2 pages where I can set appointments. I also dont write out daily things in advance. Just the date and what i have to do that day

Reply on news.ycombinator.com