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Moleskine Pocket Weekly Planner layout - How to make the best use of it?

Some weeks ago I decided to jump on the "back to paper" bandwagon, and bought one of the last Moleskine 2007 Pocket Weekly Planners I could find. The layout has the week on the left pages with one lined page for notes on the right hand side next to each week. I like the week-at-a-glance layout and never felt I needed a two-page spread for one week in my calendar, so this seemed perfect.
In the back, there are a measly seven additional blank pages for notes.

I read some ideas for weekly Pocket Moleskines that I wanted to adopt, like
http://czarism.com/pocket-moleskine-gtd-system
http://www.diyplanner.com/node/332

I came up with a really convoluted setup to use the planner for GTD (with some Covey-type prioritization thrown in) which tried to optimize the use of that cramped space.

The general idea was to put appontments, deadlines and recurring tasks into a two-column-layout in the calendar on the left pages while putting a next actions list (with markup for contexts) and a separate errands list, both running from the top to the bottom, in another two-column layout on the right hand pages. From the bottom up I intended to write footnotes for the calendar items and a separate "Waiting for" list. "Someday/Maybe" items should go on the separate notes pages in the back.
I had no intention to keep my projects list in this, as I didn't feel I needed it to be mobile. I wanted to keep projects online, and the address book in my cellphone.

However, when I tried to put in the first weeks and the action lists, I realized that it's probably way too small for what I wanted. It might work if you don't have many appointments and, more importantly, not too many action items.

So I'm back to the drawing board.

It looks like I'll need an additional tool like a hPDA, and the combination has been discussed in this thread: http://board.43folders.com/showthread.php?t=307

But I still don't know what to use the notes pages in the Moleskine itself (for each week and in the back) for. They'll probably still be too small for meeting notes and wasted if I only put some random phone number in there every once in a while.

Does anyone here use such a planner (or something similar in layout and size) and have any recommendations?

TOPICS: Lofi
mdl's picture

mdl, From what you wrote,...

alxwz;9064 wrote:
mdl,
From what you wrote, you seem to mean two weaks on every two-page spread. I think this wouldn't suit me well. I still like the idea to have each week accompanied by a notes page. And I still don't really feel like drawing a calendar (and number all those days and weeks), even though it might be the best way to go.

It takes all of 5 minutes to set up a calendar in a Moleskine - with the lined Moleskine, you don't even need a ruler - just draw a line on every 3rd line. (Two of the days will have four lines-the rest will have three.)

Numbering is as simple as writing M 4/23, T 4/24, W 4/25, Th 4/26, F 4/27, S 4/28, S 4/29 in each of the spaces. You can set up several months in a matter of minutes. Compared to the time necessary to locate and purchase a custom calendar planner or print out those hipster cards, this is a relative time-saver.

It's easy to set up the calendar with a notes page opposite for each week. You could have 3 pages of notes per week. Whatever you want.

I use "incubate" instead of "someday/maybe." I like the sound of incubate--it suggests ideas in germination but not yet sprouted.

 
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