Daily Planner | Imamother

amother

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 2:30 pm

Thinking about next year's planner (one of my most used items) and wondering what other people use.
I don't like spiral bound planners as I find the spiral usually gets ruined in my bag. My planners need to be extrememly durable as they get used (and abused.)

I used MomAgenda for years and loved it- however the fact that the week started on Monday was annoying for me.
Then I found the PassionPlanner and I've been enjoying it for the past two years.
I'm a person who likes change so I'm ready to try something new.
I looked into DrivenDay and it looks great!- but the week starts on Monday- I'm not going backwards. A Sunday start is now a must.

Anon only because I'm a little obsessed with my planners and have discussed these details w/many people in my life recently.

Rubber Ducky

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 3:20 pm

I have co-produced The Balabusta's Daily Organizer for the last 10 years.

It is spiral-bound, but I take it everywhere in my purse and it makes it through the year with no problem. I use the Pocket Edition — it's 5" X 7" and fits into my purse easily. We also have a larger, 7" X 8.5" Desktop version.

Yes, we start our weeks on Sunday. Here's a link to the website: http://balabusta.us/index.html

We went to press yesterday. The new planners should be available at the end of July. I think The Balabusta's Daily Organizer is reasonably priced, durable, attractive, and has an excellent layout. Take a look. I hope you'll agree.

watergirl

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 3:42 pm

This has been a frustrating journey for me (first world problems, I know). I currently use the free with donation Heritage one from the lovely folks at Artscroll, which has been my default go-to for years.

I want the frum stuff and also purse size. I want weekly. I ordered the Driven Day one 2 years ago and sold it that same day because its the size of a medical text book. So when the new weekly one came out, I preordered it and hope it will work for me.

I need it to look nice because I need to be driven to open it and carry it. I need the pages to be nice and thick, and smooth feeling (like moleskin). I need it to not look like the one my daughter gets from her school... the DD hopefully fits the bill.

If Erin Condrin had a deal with DD, I would be all over that.

SisterSix

Thu, Jun 27 2019, 9:21 pm

I use the calendar app on my cell phone. It’s clunky in many ways but there’s no way I could ever go back to pen and paper. Not to derail but does anyone use an app that they love?

aricelli

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 10:06 am

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Its awesome!!! I love it (but can never find where I put it!) my twelfth grade daughter (whos more organized than me!) really enjoyed it. Nice to see the person behind the product

amother

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 10:16 am

The balabusta one turned me off mostly because of the paper thickness (or lack thereof). And while some people are fine with spiral- it doesn't work for me.
And superwify- the sunday one is spiral bound, no?
They just came out with one that's not spiral, but it starts with monday- and they don't have contact info on their website for me to ask if they'll be coming out with a sunday start non-spiral not huge/heavy planner...

ruchelbuckle

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 10:22 am

I also love paper planners. I use the shatra club weekly planner, I might switch to driven day.
I also find the spiral bound planners fall apart really easily. honestly, for $40, I should NOT have to be bringing it to staples to have it rebound 2 months into the year. However, it’s not a manufacturing defect on part of the company, that’s just how these spiral planners are. I found a video through google that explains how to reinforce the spiral planners using a piece of ribbon. It took me about 10 minutes to do and has help up very well since then

Rubber Ducky

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 11:20 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

The balabusta one turned me off mostly because of the paper thickness (or lack thereof). And while some people are fine with spiral- it doesn't work for me...

Thicker paper adds weight and cost to the planner. The paper is fairly opaque, enough to prevent bleed through unless you're writing with a Sharpie. And if you take it in your purse as I do, every ounce counts — the Pocket weighs about 6 1/2 oz. The Balabusta is priced at $18 for the Desktop Edition and $16 for the Pocket. We try very hard to keep our planner priced so people can afford it, while maintaining good quality.

Regarding spiral binding, for the first 4 years or so, we had a different spiral binding than the one we use now, and the current one is a different type and is stronger. I am happy with its quality.

amother

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 11:24 am

Rubber ducky- it's great that you keep costs down so people have an affordable option. This is one item that I don't mind spending on and don't mind regular weighted planner.
And I'm sure you're fine with the spiral- you make it! I'm not fine with spiral so I'm looking for an alternative.
Hatzlacha!

LovesHashem

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 11:30 am

My deal breaker is if it has a monthly spread out. Like a page where you can see the whole month.
In Israel every planner has the hebrew and english dates and holidays.

amother

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 11:36 am

aricelli wrote:

My daughter prefers spiral so you’ll never find one item thats good for all

True! That's why I didn't ask what the BEST planner is. I stated my preferences and asked for recommendations. Smile

aricelli

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 11:48 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

True! That's why I didn't ask what the BEST planner is. I stated my preferences and asked for recommendations. Smile

I posted an apology but dont see it so heres another: I thought it was someone else who didnt like the spiral! Sorry for misreading! Good luck finding what you need

Rubber Ducky

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 12:36 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

My deal breaker is if it has a monthly spread out. Like a page where you can see the whole month.
In Israel every planner has the hebrew and english dates and holidays.

In addition to weekly pages and Year-at-a Glance, the Balabusta's Daily Organizer has monthly spreads. Here's an example:

mha3484

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 12:52 pm

Thank you so much for this thread! I also bought driven day and it was too big and clunky I liked it in theory but it didnt work well in practice. The weekly version looks fantastic. I think I will try it out.

SuperWify

Fri, Jun 28 2019, 6:00 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

They have a smaller version. You can DM Rivka in instagram. She’s very sweet and helpful.