I hadn't considered this planner seriously before, and I'm not sure why--so I ordered one (the 8.5" by 11" Lifestyle size, but they also make a Half Size), and may I say that Uncalendar has one of the best websites/storefronts EVER. Other planner folks (*ahem* Planner Pad *ahem*) could take some notes on this user friendly interface! After you create a profile, you can log back in and track your order (Super handy for those of us who are
I got the Uncalendar pretty fast (the Uncalendar company is in Arizona, and I'm in New Mexico. How convenient...), and then almost as soon as I opened it, I came to a screeching halt. I'm going to wait a few minutes while you go look here and here and here at the insides of this planner.
Are you back? Good. Now you can understand how overwhelmed I was at the empty boxes on the left side of the weekly planning pages. I simply have NO idea how to set these up. I tried using the categories that I described in my Planner Pad post, but that was a no-go. Plus, I have to admit, that as papers go, the Uncalendar paper is marginally better than Filfoax paper--especially compared to Planner Pad paper which is an outstanding quality. This limits the pens that I can use to doodle/draw/mess in my planner, and that frustrates me; as do the primary colored boxes.
I didn't take any pictures of the Uncalendar, because the Uncalendar website shows the insides better than I can, and to be honest, I haven't written anything but dates into this planner at all. I plugged in 2 weeks worth of dates....and then did nothing else. I went back to my Planner Pad for the time being, and have NO idea what to do with my Uncalendar. I may use it as a lesson planner for my kids--any other ideas?
Now, this is not Uncalendar's fault. It is lovely, really, and the notes pages in the back of the planner are GENIUS. A whack of those can be ordered from Uncalendar by themselves, which is totally worth it folks, because these note pages rock. Just don't expect to be able to use your Lamy Safari on them.
Verdict: For me, another planner fail, but a really nice planner for visual/creative types, and if you even think this will work for you, order it. It's certainly inexpensive enough to try out, and even if it doesn't work, you can use the notes pages any way, so not a total loss for sure. The customer service from Uncalendar is spectacular, and this company is unhesitatingly recommended.
Yay! You're back! One thing that stood out for me on the video was his comment that the Uncalendar was designed for/by "creative people" (or something like that). Well, I consider myself a pretty creative person, but that layout would DRIVE ME NUTS! I need structure, I need better defined spaces. It looks like a pretty cool calendar, but it wouldn't work for me. I would rather the entire week fill out the two page spread, instead of having it crammed into the one page. Thanks for the link to the video (and I'm sure I've read Laurie's review and seen the company web site before, but thanks for those, too!).
ReplyDeleteSorry the Un didn't work for you! I'm sure you'll come up with some kind of use for it. It is very tempting to get too hyper with using the boxes. When I've used Uncalendars I have to reign myself in and not try to cram in too much! They are great planners for motivation though. I've used mine in the past purely for goal setting and tracking, for tracking financial stuff like bills due and paid and savings, exercise, etc. There's loads of ways to use an Un, and I love their gently motivational approach.
ReplyDelete@terriknits You know one of the things about Uncalendar is that I can't find people online who say how they use it! I find those articles/videos SO helpful, because people come up with ideas I wouldn't have about usage. I also like my week on 2 pages, like in the Planner Pad. Thanks for reading my blog!!
ReplyDelete@Laurie No worries, I think it will make a brilliant school/lesson planner. Also, after reading about how you use some of your other planners, I'm thinking that it would be useful in the establishment of routines/habits! Things would have to be re-written, but that's ok with me, it helps me remember things.
Thanks for reading and commenting!!
A wonderful post, Rori! I would never come across some of these planners if not for you and Laurie (Plannerisms)! At this stage of my life, I'm pretty devoted to my personal sized filofaxes (or the same sized COACH planners which takes all the same inserts) but I've flirted with various planners in the past (MyAgenda from MomAgenda, etc) but you and Laurie always come up with ones I've never seen before! Thanks for the reviews!
ReplyDeleteSorry it didn't work out with the Uncalendar. It's too spacious for me too (based on the pictures). But I am glad you had such a great experience with the company. There are very few left that really strive for great customer service, and it truly does make all the difference! Great post. =)
ReplyDelete@AspireToBe Thank you :O) Glad you enjoy my posts! How did you like the MyAgenda/MomAgenda? Those look really neat.
ReplyDelete@Kanalt I'm actually using the Un! It's working fairly well, but I wish the week was a wee bit larger actually (the days of the week spaces). Yeah, their company ROCKS! Thank you for you kind comments :D