Are you a die- hard Ringed planner girl? Or maybe you prefer the little books housed in Leather? Better than that, you may be, like me, a lover of both!
This short post briefly touches on the virtues and shortcomings of the latest craze in the way that people choose to plan & journal that seem to be driving paper lovers torn!
What I love about my TN: 
❤ It makes the perfect carrier for multiple hobbies!
The ability to stuff your leather journal with multiple different books each dedicated to a specific hobby is what sold me into trying it. You can literally house your hand lettering practice alongside a Tomoe river paper journal for deep thoughts or even a notebook solely dedicated to your meal plans for the week! A ringed planner often struggles with the amount of paper you can add and so limits its versatility. Overall the possibilities of using a TN is vast and one reason why I would be hard pressed to ever let it go.
What I love about my Ringed Planner: 
❤ More portable
Personally I find it really hard to take my TN out and about with me in fear of losing all the beautiful memories it contains as I use it to journal more than anything else. It also feels a bit fiddly to be searching through when you just need something quickly. That’s why my Ringed planner is perfect for everyday planning like appointments or even be used as a wallet for cash and a handy place for lists.
❤ Easier to let go
What do I mean by letting go? Not to be dramatic but isn’t it easier to let go of one piece of paper rather than a whole notebook which costs more and is often a lot harder to put together. No matter what our preference and needs are currently over time what you may find essential in your planner today may not be true in a few months when, for example, your college course starts. Therefore It’s so easy to change up a ringed planner without breaking the bank and holding much more information if your creative with the inserts you use.
I could really go on and on about this but what I would love more is if you took the chance to comment below and let me know what YOU think? Are your views to planning the same as mine? Or completely opposite? Is there something I missed? I want to know what you think and I definitely will be sharing your views in a future post.
Thank you so much for reading and hope you have a wonderful day!
Brooke x
3 comments
Hi Brooke,
Greetings from Malaysia :-). It’s me Kuna. I bought vellum inserts from your store at Etsy in June for my TN.
When I started working many years ago, I had a nice A5 sized ring planner which served me well for a good number of years. Despite using it during all those years, it was still in good condition. When my sister joined the workforce, I gave it to her. I opted for regular diaries and notebooks to plan my day to day tasks. I was at peace.
Fast forward to 2018, I got caught up with current planning system that seemed more creative and interesting compared to what I was exposed to way back in 1998. Getting a Filofax ring binder seemed too costly. The price starts from Ringgit 450 onwards here. So, I opted for an inexpensive ring binder in A5 size known as the Macaron Collection in PU leather from a local online store. I was excited planning my tasks and my colleagues and students at school complimented how nice and functional my planning system looked. They simply loved my planner.
Then came the Travellers Notebooks. I was on ETSY almost everyday trying to shop one which didn’t blow holes in my pocket. Still, the shipping and the product costs were just too much. I came across an item in a local online store that sold the regular size TN and it was Ringgit 59.90. I quickly grabbed it and got necessary inserts and began planning. It’s a pretty TN in white with pockets for cards and two secretarial pockets made from PU leather. Planning in the TN is convenient and I could carry it with me compared to my A5 planner. I still plan in both planners. My monthly planning is done in the A5 planner. I block my calendars for events and etc related to work in my A5 planner and personal events in my TN. My daily personal tasks are planned in my TN.
I am still trying out various planning styles using both planners and see how I could incorporate into both and make workable for me. I would really like to own a leather TN someday ;-)
Watching too many planning videos on YouTube left me in a dilemma and yes I jumped into the bandwagon by getting all those Washi tapes and stickers to make my planning look pretty. As time went by, I have become more careful not to spend unnecessarily on planner accessories. These days, I try to keep my planning system more functional and effective. I love everyone in the ‘Planner World’ who are gifted with talents and how they plan creatively.
Keep up the good work everyone :-)
Oh yeah, everyone loves my TN too!
I have drawers and bookcases filled with “Rings and Strings”. I use TNs for journalling and info I want to keep in perpetuity and my Ring bounds are for notes and lists and temporary info. I use a Micro TN for my wallet, with just a Monthly insert for any appointments that I might collect while I’m out, a coin/notes insert for cash and a card insert for plastic cards. I work in a mix of 5 or 6 of them at any time, and I also use them for filing documents too. I have Rings in all sizes from Mini to A4, and TNs in sizes from Nano to A5. I tried to make a decision a few years ago between the two and finally decided they both had a place in my life. I couldn’t exist without them.
I have always been a ringed planner girl i love the fact you can switch it it however you like and mix sections the dividers dont fall out and your planner lays flat but if the rings break it can be quite fiddly to replace and costly, however i did jump on th tn bandwagon i like that you can stuff it with many notebooks and it still closes, you can have dedicated notebooks for each section or you can be free to do bujo style and mix it up its easy and cost effective to replace the elastics when worn, depending on how many notebooks you have inside the cover some will lay flat sometimes things do fall out but its easy to make pockets to go inside them, another bonus is if later on the layout doesnt work for you its easy to change it. i am currently using my A6 dandelion tn which will also be in use next year , i will still keep my ringed planner and my tn as its essential to have the option of switching planners when circumstances change to have a planner that works for you with whatever life throws at you.