KAISERCRAFT PLANNER 2.0 REVIEW

You might remember me reviewing the first ever planner Kaisercraft introduced into the planner world a year ago. Well, guess what? They're now back again, new and greatly improved. And when it comes to documenting your memories, this might be something you want to add to your collection in 2017. There are two different types of planners available from Kaisercraft this year - small and large. The small is similar to a Personal sized planner, and their trifold design definitely made my heart skip a beat. If only I didn't already own 324987 planners. The large is similar to last year's planner, and will be what I'm reviewing today. A full look into the newest planners and accessories are seen in the picture below:

The full range is shown above, but here's my own special spin and review on Kaisercraft's newest arrival: I received the orange planner from Kaisercraft too long ago (it was released end of November!), but with work and holidays filling my days, I've barely had time to play around with it. But now that 2017 is just around the corner, I thought it was best to start dressing it up!

There's so much included in the planner pack, and you'll have everything you need to begin the moment you take it home. All you have to do is crack open the box and the planner contains everything you need from monthly and weekly views, plastic dashboards, monthly dividers and even stickers!

You have pockets on the back of the front cover to store little bits and pieces, and a notebook at the back for notes. Your months are even set up for you to include monthly views, weekly views, monthly reviews, tabbed and all! Your monthly dividers also include a variety of designs made from quality paper for you to customise and add pictures to your heart's desire.

Here's a look at the monthly tabs and January's divider:

All months are set up the same way. On the back of the monthly divider comes your monthly views:

The pages are all undated so you can start whichever year you like. Turn another page and before you get to your weekly view, comes the monthly goals page. You'll be able to keep track of your goals and add in little notes for yourself before the weekly pages begin:

The weekly views are large enough to include photos and journal entries, and if you ever run out of pages, with it being ring binded, you can always add more! Use scrapbook paper to decorate your pages and the sticker sheet provided to spice up your spreads:

And at the end of the month, you'll be able to review your goals with the dedicated monthly review page provided!

And like I said, stickers are provided too!

This large planner is definitely an upgrade from Kaisercraft's previous, and if you loved the last one, you'll definitely love this one too. It's big enough to include everything from photos to memorabilia. Together with the complementary accessories (not provided), you'll be able to create a planner that will last a lifetime.

2017 PLANNERS

It's that super exciting time of the year again: deciding what to use for the new year. I've pondered this for at over a month, trying to allocate each planner I've collected to a suitable role. I've more or less decided on five (for the moment) planners and hopefully, I'll end up with five full ones by the end of 2017. I've learnt a few things about myself when it comes to planning, and I've come to a few conclusions:

1. I like to have everything in one: I know this highly contradicts my aim of using five different types in the New Year, but I like a challenge. So bring it.
2. I need dated planners: For the year of 2016, I've been more or less using the Bullet Journal system whereby you date your days yourself. It worked for a while, but I must admit, it gets annoying doing so, and I'm not really able to plan ahead due to the lack of forward dating available. And because of the lack of dates, I was changing my system up so frequently that my life is now everywhere. 
3. I need a diary just for journaling. It's been quite annoying not having a set place for all my journaling. I think 2016 is the year where my writings have been everywhere. I need my life to be all in one place.

Taking these points into consideration, here's a look into each of the planners I'll be using for 2017 and what I'll be using them for:

1. JOURNALING - A6 Hobonichi: This is probably my third year trying Hobonichi out, and I hope the third time's a charm. Compared to the last two years, my use of Hobonichi has always been vague - not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with it, its use faltered and was soon thrown aside or sold away. In 2017, it's role is plain and simple: journaling. Nothing more, nothing less. The page size should be enough for my daily ramblings and the grid set up will help get my journaling done without worrying whether or not my lines are coming up straight.
2. TO DO - Small Daily Moleskine: I was at first struggling to find a role for this baby. It was an impulse buy, thinking it would fit in the leather cover I bought in Toulouse, but I realised soon enough that I didn't actually have a notebook to replace my daily to do's that used to take place in an undated passport sized notebook. With it being a dated day-to-a-page, together with its small size, it will be perfect to write all my daily to-dos (without cramping), keep track of my activities and plan ahead if need be. Wonder why I never thought of this earlier!
3. EXPENSES & WORK - Kate Spade Personal Planner: I must admit, I was all for using my new Kate Spade Planner (which hasn't even arrived yet!), but then I saw the Filofax Original Burnt Orange Personal size and my fingers are getting the itch to buy them online! Either way, Kate Spade or Filofax, as this will be a ring planner, I'm sure other subjects will be added in once I discover them. But for now, both my work hours and expenses will be kept in this planner to help keep track of my life.
4. VISION PLANNER - Bloom Daily Planner: I won't be surprised if my usage of this falls off eventually. With it being a Vision planner, I know, can be taken in two ways: the literal and the metaphorical sense. As the planner is laid out like an Erin Condren / Happy Planner, it's perfect for me to make planning pretty again by using sticky notes, washi tape and the such. It will basically be the 'hobby' planner. A place to let loose, try out new materials and document my days. It won't be done on the go, with spreads created every weekend (or so I hope). This planner will also be used as the 'Vision' planner it's intended to be - setting out goals for the month, reviewing them at the end, etc. although this will be a minor part of the planner.
5. DAILY DOCUMENTATION / NOTES - MTN: Lucky last, my Midori Traveler's Notebook. It currently holds my week on one page (with grid on the other). Unlike before, I'm going to keep this diary loose. I used to decorate and put so much pressure on the spreads that it ended up being a weekend project (that eventually fell behind). I'm going to use this on-the-go and forget about trying to make things pretty. This will be my thought process (and hence, 'messy') area

And there you have it - the five finalists for 2017. Looking at the list, I could very well have compressed everything into one planner. But alas, my itchy hands have caused multiple planners to be purchased and so my brain now has to navigate through five different diaries to hopefully organise my life. Ha. Let's hope it works!

DECEMBER GOALS

So yes, I am in fact writing this up just as December is about to come to an end. But that's alright. At least I'll now be able to both write up and take a look at how my goals went for the month and for the whole year (because 2017 is just 5 days away !!).

So first thing first, a look at my December goals and how I went:

1. (TICK) Read two books: I managed finish reading one novel (Fantastic Beasts) and one self-help book (The Life Plan) so yes, this goal was in fact reached. Hurrah! I'm currently in the process of reading The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*^k but all is well if I don't get to finish that.
2. (HALF-TICK) Finish up my Travel Notebook: So I've started it... and did some pages... but work has been taking up more of my time than usual. I'm still aiming to finish it up, but I guess it'll only be done in 2017.
3. (TICK) Decide on 2017 Diaries: Ah yes, the usual end-of-year struggle. As usual, I've ended up with more than I need, but for the first time since my planning addiction started, I actually have a function for each of them. Look out for my next post for details on them all.
4. (HALF TICK) No Spend - until Nov 26th: I kinda held back in my spending this month, and there was a whole week where I did not spend a dime! I think for me, that's a great achievement. We'll discard what happened during the Boxing Day sales though...
5. (FAIL) Edit Blog Layout: I tried. Or at least I think I tried. 2017 will be the year, I promise (ha.)
6. (TICK) Keep a Notebook: I almost stopped halfway for my 'messy' notebook, but I think I finally broke through the 'trying to keep the notebook clean' stage and am using it to its full potential - messy notes and all. I'll continue with the notebook into the new year.
7. (FAIL) Calculate Holiday Expenses: But really, do I have to? We all know I spent at least $3000...

I must say, I'm actually quite surprised to know I've faired quite well this month. Not a bad way to end the month (and year). But now, to the big one - let's see how well I went with the yearly goals:

1. (FAIL) Project Life: It was working well, at first; I was up to date and super psyched to use stamps on my images. But then the pictures weren't getting printed and the weeks were passing and well... yknow..
2. (FAIL) Spend less: Well, we all know how I went with this..
3. (FAIL) Launch my digital stamp collection: Gosh, I forgot that I started this. With work 5 days (sometimes 7 days) a week, and a failure to advertise my brand - completely my own fault - this died a very quick death.
4. (FAIL) Create physical stamp sets: Because the Australian dollar never made it on par with the American dollar (and with all stamp manufacturing being in America), this never kicked off, unfortunately.
5. (FAIL) Art: I've dabbled in my art here and there, but nothing too concrete that I can be proud of.
6. Instagram: My Instagram is still full of stationery posts, but I think I'm ok with that.
7. (TICK) Read: Finally, something I can tick off in 2016. I definitely read more than a number of previous years combined, and I'm actually quite proud of myself. Go me.
8. (TICK) Graduate: Must admit, graduation wasn't even all that amazing... =/
9. (TICK) Get a job: It's amazing how far I've actually come this year in terms of finding employment in my profession. I went from a fresh graduate to a contract employee, which made me more confident in what I was doing and now a full time permanent employee at a hospital I love, and trained in more than I hoped for.
10. (FAIL) Use up my stash: Still working on this. Might take me a few more years...

Three ticks out of ten.. uhh yeh.. Let's hope 2017 fares a little better.. 2017 goals in a few days to come!