Finding the right diary is a big deal for me. More than it probably should be, but I need something that's nice to look at and organised in a way that makes sense for the way my mind works.
I'm incredibly demanding and specific. I'm affected by my environment so have to have things that look like I want and do what I need.
I can't even tell you how many diaries I have been through this year - I can't tell you because a) I can't remember and b) because it's pretty embarrassing.
I'm a stationery hoarder and any pretty new brand or piece of paper that catches my eye sets my heart a-flutter.
Trouble is, I want a bit of this one and a bit of that one. I'm like the Goldilocks of the nerds, looking for a diary that's just right.
In an ideal world, I'd just make one from scratch to suit exactly what I need. I did find Perfect Planners online, where you can create your diary from scratch, from size and design to all the little details, and I almost ordered one. But, being pernickety as I am, there were just a couple of things that didn't suit me - like no hard / tough cover and worry about space.
I'm one tough customer.
There's other personalised diary services but the designs haven't grabbed me or I don't like the look of the paper.
An organised diary is an organised mind and life to me and I've just ended up procrastinating for hours and days on end.
Then I had a look at Busy B.
And I was quickly torn between two of their 2016 diary designs; the floral 2016 A5 Busy B diary and the bird design 2016 Family diary.
I want space for work, for home and for play, for meeting notes and meal plans and reminders or blog post ideas.
I want a year plan at a glance and somewhere to keep notes and tickets.
I want it all!
So, both these Busy B options looked very appealing and both seemed to offer a mix of what I need but I couldn't choose between them without seeing them first.
I ordered them both and they arrived later the same day (got to love Amazon Prime) and I quickly opened the package up to admire them both and see which one stood out the most for me.
Here they are, with their key features highlighted:
What is it?: A personal diary for busy people, with two sides of the diary to help plan your own schedule and your family's, or even work and home, activities and blog posts etc - whatever you need.
First impressions: I really like the colours and the modern floral print on the cover. It's a nice size, just a tad smaller than A5 and perfect to put in your handbag and take with you.
What's inside:
Month to view pages, to plan things at a glance.
A week, repeated twice, on opposite pages plus notes/reminders columns.
A handy sleeve every quarter to keep tickets or important notes safe, and space to make general notes of things you need to remember.
Extra notes and contacts pages at the back.
Plus an elastic closure and pen loop.
Overall: This is a beautiful diary that packs a lot in despite it's relatively compact and neat size.
The dual weekly pages are perfect for giving you space for different areas of your life and the whole feel of the diary is lovely.
What is it?: A neat spiral diary that features a week across a page then has a grid format on the opposite page so you can plan out what everyone in the house will be doing each day.
First impressions: This is a decent size page wise but still has quite a slim spine so doesn't feel bulky. The colours and design are really nice and it has a good feel to it, like a compact album.
What's inside:
Space for logging important dates across the year, handy for quick reference.
A week spread across one page with a grid opposite with four columns, so you can add notes for each day for every member of the family. Or, as I was thinking, you could use the columns to make notes on daily meals, down time, chores, blog posts... whatever you fancy!
A sleeve each month to keep papers together and again, more space for notes.
A Christmas section at the end, to make Christmas card lists and log present ideas too.
Verdict: Both these diaries are beautifully designed, contain nice paper and just feel nice to hold and flick through.
They both offer something different to your general diary and the dual function is what made them appeal to me in the first place.
The Busy Diary is a good size to take out and about whilst the family diary gives you the chance to organise your thoughts and activities in more detail, with the size of the diary and the grid format.
I like the size and monthly summary charts of the first and the grid plans and extra page space of the second.
The first may be more practical for day to day so I may be swaying in that direction but the family diary is really lovely too.
Decisions, decisions!
What do you think? Which one would you pick?
* Note: I bought both these diaries myself and may very well end up keeping them both too!
Well clearly, I want them both, too! I think I'd go for the family diary personally, as I tend to leave mine at home anyway so size doesn't affect me. Both beautiful, though, as you say x
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