Last fall, I randomly decided to enter a giveaway hosted by Quo Vadis. All I had to do was submit which planner I’d like to win, along with which cover I would choose. I entered and then promptly forgot about it, never thinking I’d win. Then, the day after Thanksgiving I received an email saying I was one of the randomly selected winners and that my planner should arrive in a few weeks!
I’ve had the planner for a while now, just trying to find time for a review. So, without further ado, here is the Quo Vadis Journal 21 day per page planner with the Texas Cover in Bamboo Green.
The cover is listed as faux-suede, and is super soft to the touch. The green color is bright, without being over the top for any professional setting. The darker indent is simply a detail, as this book has no closure system.
Another detail of this cover that I really enjoy is that it is PVC free, which is in line with most environmental regulations. Though Kentucky doesn’t share California’s Proposition 65, it’s still nice to know that the cover is environmentally friendly. The book measures 5.25” by 8.25”. A US letter size piece of paper can fit inside if folded in half, but it does stick out. Not a deal breaker, but it would be nice if documents could be tucked in the front flap of the cover.
Inside, the first page is a title page showing that the book is the Journal 21 for 2014. You can also see that the pages have a tear out corner - there are no ribbon markers in this book. Though if I really miss that feature, I can easily add one!
The next page is a personal info page which features quite a bit of details.
Up next is a two page spread of holidays, both US and international. The US page includes holidays for 2014 and 2015 which is nice for planning ahead.
The next spread features international telephone dialing codes, which I typically have no use for but are nice to have. I do like the US time zones map, especially now that we live relatively close to a time zone border.
Then there are semi annual planner spreads for July to December 2013, January to June 2014, and July to December 2014. I’ll admit that these overwhelm me a bit - I’m sure they’ll be nice to track holidays and vacations and the like, but they are a bit busy looking to me. I’m not sure what the four tiny columns are for in each month, other than perhaps some sort of tracking system. Moon phases are noted on these pages.
Month per page calendars are next, which run from November 2013 to February 2015 which is a nice feature (I prefer a bit of overlap versus planners that strictly end on December 31). US holidays are listed, which eats into the room on some days. I do wish that these were on a two page spread per month, but the boxes are still large enough that I think they’ll work for basic forward planning. Saturday and Sunday do share a box, which shouldn’t be a deal breaker for my intended use. The monthly pages are completely separate from the daily pages, again, not a deal breaker even though I do prefer my monthly pages to correspond each month of dailies.
The daily pages are wide open, leaving PLENTY of space to use them however you’d like. 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. is listed in a dark grey/light black font down the left hand side with half-hourly lines, which are spaced at 6 mm.
The top of the page has a monthly reference calendar in blue with the current week bolded, the date, which week it is, and which day of the year it is. US holidays are listed here as well. Saturday and Sunday each get their own full page, which is a very nice feature to have.
Another nice feature is how they have included the months as shaded blocks down the side of the daily pages. Though they are not tabbed, it makes it a lot easier when flipping through to quickly see what month you are looking for. Hooray for little design features that make life easier. The daily pages do end on December 31, which isn’t a deal breaker since the monthly pages continue on to February 2015.
The next two page spread is a year planner for 2015. Again, I find this SUPER overwhelming, but I can also imagine it would be nice for blocking off vacations or larger projects. There’s really no space to write, especially on holidays, which are once again listed here. The week and moon phase is also noted.
The final seven spreads are spaces for addresses - I doubt I’ll use these but it’s a nice feature to have just in case a quick address needs to be jotted down.
The paper is listed as 72g and feels pretty smooth. I haven’t done any pen tests yet, but I imagine the paper should do just fine.
I actually haven’t started using this planner yet, as my quest for a full time job continues. My current serving shifts can easily be included in my Malden, as I don’t need any other room for work notes or tasks. But I think that I’ll try using the Journal 21 once I do find an ever elusive job, just to try and keep my work and personal lives a bit separated. I’ve mentioned before that constantly seeing my work appointments and tasks has lead to a bit of overwhelm in the past, so I’m hoping this little planner will be the perfect solution to corral my future work life without overwhelming me with the details. Of course, this all depends on where I end up working, but this is the plan as of now!
Have you ever used Quo Vadis products? How did you like them?
Pssst: This planner was won in a randomly selected giveaway and all thoughts/opinions on the book are my own.
Labels: Organization, planners
