There seems to be so many options nowadays of planners or planning systems. The other day I walked into walmart and took a look at the planner section, and man I was bombarded with more than 30 different planner options. In this blog post, I will cover everything you need to know in choosing the perfect planner for yourself. I will cover the mainstream planners currently, and pros and cons of each. In the end, it is up to you to choose the planner that best suits your needs and interests. 

• bullet journal
• hobonichi planner 
• personal planner / mossery co

Bullet journals are defined as the all in one book, for all your diary entries, to do lists, brain dumps, grocery lists, etc. It should be simple and to the point, with precise to do lists and informative pages. The system itself is easily adaptable for everyone and can benefit a majority of users, as the system itself is so open-ended and up to personal interpretation. However, this system has been glamorized and almost "perfected" so much by the studyblr/studygram community, making a bullet journal an artsy journal over its functionalities. I am aware that many studygrams spend ages creating spreads to share with his/her followers. 

I personally believe that the idea of planning is to help one make the most out of their time, and quite frankly, I think many are taking the bullet journal to the next level, it seems so they are creating more stress and work for themselves by spending so much extra time on perfecting and decorating each spread, which could have been left simply with the original to do list. In the end, it is once again up to how to choose to adapt this system, and whether it helps you save time moving forward.

pros: 

• very customizable, able to fit the needs of most people
• works as a creative outlet, although this could potentially be a con
• flexible in terms of dates, similar to a blank/undated planner
• can dedicate spreads to habits, reading, traveling, etc. All of one's desire
• unique and different from the norm
  

cons:

• almost impossible to plan ahead
• time consuming (usually time that i don't have to spend)
• almost pressuring at times, as I previously mentioned, the need to decorate or glamorize
• a perfectionist's nightmare (i think you know what i mean)

​

I am fully aware that hobonichi planners are just a form of a planner, well obviously. But I
specifically chose this to represent the idea of daily pages. It comes with monthly pages in the 
beginning, followed by weekly pages and daily pages. 

I've personally never owned one of these planners, but always considered on purchasing one, which I never did. So these pros/cons are coming from a somewhat bias source, as I am writing from my point of view

pros:

• already printed
• easy to follow through and plan ahead
• able to effectively structure out long and busy days
• perfect for people with busy lives and long to do lists
• less customizable, must stick to system
• already dated
• it opens flat when you are planning (if that bothers you, because it def does to me)

cons​

• not accessible to everyone, only available online
• may not be subjected to personal spreads/needs
• excess space for students/people with not a lot of to do's

Well, that seems to be a wrap for the hobonichi, it's all about what you need, and how much space you need to fit all your bits of your life.
​

By using personal planner and mossery co as examples, I am mainly pointing toward the generic planners, with a two page spread covering the entire week. I personally find these the best and most effective and beneficial for me personally. They have enough space for me to plan my day, but not an excess amount of space left to be blank.
​

Both of these planners are to an extent customizable, allowing you to choose between vertical and horizontal layouts. Although it' s not much, but I personally don't expect much personalization from planners. Both companies I've included also allow you to choose/customize your cover, which gives the "generic" planner a nice touch of personality and detail.

pros: 

• already preprinted, eligible to plan ahead
• perfect for normal high school students
• allows an overview of the week
• convenient, easy to carry around and plan on the go/in class
  

​
cons: 

• may be to crowded for some weeks (finals)
• not customizable to the extent of one's desire 
  
  • ​although this won't possibly be an issue, because both planners allow you to choose dot paper to be placed within, which could act as a bullet journal if you wish
    

The planning system that I currently stick to is the generic planner system. I find that the bullet journal has gone through so much modification that it's no longer helping me manage my time, but taking time away from me working. So moving forward, to benefit my own studies and tasks, I have chosen to closely stick to my dated planners, motivating me to take it on the go to jot down all tasks, as well as use it throughout the year and stay organized.

I hope this blog post helped you sort out some misconceptions/ideas of different planning systems, Don't ever be afraid to try all the systems before you decide on which one you want to use continuously. I hope you found this blog post helpful/useful in someway, and enjoy the rest of your day. 
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Over the past school year, I have really come to conclude that i'm definitely a morning person, and being on the topic of that, I haven't really been specifically making the most out of my mornings. Since the new school year is right around the corner for some people, I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you guys my ideal mornings. It is obvious that I won't able to go through this routine everyday, or even a few times a week, but I wanted to establish a morning routine that allowed me to fit everything i wanted effectively. 
​

Let me retell a typical morning of mine from the past month, when I had summer school regularly. 

                I would wake up between 5:30-6:30am without an alarm clock, then i would get out of bed and brush my teeth, wash my face, etc. Then I would go sit down at my desk, briefly clean it up, plan a little bit and get started on some studying. From whenever I begin to 7:00am, I will review/study. At 7:00 I would go make myself a simple breakfast, usually consisted of fruits with peanut butter on rice cakes. Then I'd just sit down and eat my food while checking my social medias. At 7:40am, I'll finally get up and pack my bags and head to school. 

As you can probably visualize, the routine itself doesn't seem to have such big problems, i'm not clicking snooze 50 times, i'm not checking my phone right after getting out of bed, and i'm productively getting some studying done. However, near the end of july, I seemed to notice that there's more I can get out of my mornings, and today's blog will cover just that.

Over the past week, I have done some research on establishing the most productive morning routine, and establishing habits that are beneficial in the long run. I have condensed it in a list to visualize how much I can fit into my morning without my mornings becoming stressful, but rather calming. This list is also to help my viewers/readers who are also trying to establish a productive morning routine for themselves.


1. wake up at a decently early time in the morning, without being exhausted/sleep-deprived. 
2. create a to-do list, and even better, a general outline with time stamps of what you will accomplish throughout the day. Instead of writing "finish reading", schedule it in a specific time period where you know you will be able to complete it.
3. listen to a motivating podcast, tedtalk, or anything that helps you feel more motivated and ready to make the most out of your day.
4. do some meditation, whether that's just sitting down for a few minutes and focusing on your breathe, or following a meditation app, it will definitely help you destress a little bit. 
5. exercise and move a little bit, it helps wake you up and get your heart pumping. I waited months to be able to add this to my morning routine, but it's just not realistic in my current state, adding a bit of movement/exercise will just make my mornings more stressful especially during the school year.
6. eating a healthy and filling breakfast, this could range anything from soups, noodles, toast, oatmeal, granola, cereal, etc. 
7. check your phone only after breakfast or an hour after you get up
8. declutter your desk space because we all know clean space = clean mindset
9. catch up on current events, lookout for positive news and news that will motivate you to work

After reconsidering things i'd like to accomplish in the morning and referring to the list I have created above, below is my ideal routine that i would like to try to follow for the rest of summer at least, and if it's adaptable, maybe a few times during the school year too. To be honest, sometimes I just want to get an extra hour of sleep, and just get up, eat and head to school.

6:00am wake up 
6:10-6:20am listen to a podcast, or follow a mindfulness meditation
6:20-6:30am get ready for the day
6:30-7:00am plan, declutter, make schedule while listening to something 
7:00am eat breakfast, check my phone for news + social media
7:20am carry on with the rest of my day

As you can tell, I have made my routine something extremely short and simple, something I have in mind, but doesn't need an excessive amount of effort to remember. Most of the things I already do on a daily basis, but having a routine like this makes me feel as if my day is more structured. 

That's it for this week's blog, I hope it was helpful in helping you establish your ideal morning routine. Much love. 

copyright © 2018 revisign

July was quite a stressful one, start of summer, start of summer school, and the beginning
to numerous projects I intended to work on and complete. There were a few bumps here and there  this month, but overall, it's been a great ride, and here's what I got up to this month.

               new youtube videos
               establishment of my podcasts
               lots of notetaking and studying
               good memories 
​

I uploaded quite a few times on youtube in comparison to my previous months, as I was gone on a considerably long hiatus. 

               japanese stationery haul
               how to improve your handwriting
               instagram followers control my life
               what i ate + did // #1-2
               minimalistic desk tour
               20 back to school study tips

This month, I finally got things together and started my own podcast "channel". I managed to 
upload 2 episodes featuring my tips for back to school. ie) procrastination, organization, time 
management, destress, study snacks and favourite back to school apps. 

               episode #1 // procrastination, organization and time management 
               episode #2 // how to destress, fav study snacks and bts apps

you can listen to my podcasts on one of the following platforms. click corresponding immage.

September is almost around the corner again, and last time I checked, summer just barely began. Time has surely been flying by insanely fast. In today's blog, I'm sharing some of my favourite back to school stationeries to help you stay motivated during the school year. I personally that using new stationery gives me a sense of new beginning, motivating me to work harder and study harder. 

I have sectioned this blog into writing utensils, papers/notebooks, and miscl/organization. I have also attached a few shops I like to shop at whenever I get the opportunity to. (keep in mind, I definitely prefer shopping in real life than online)

Writing Utensils

Black Pens 

muji 0.38/0.5/0.7mm gel pens
pentel energel needle tip 0.5mm gel pen
zebra sarasa 0.3/0.5/0.7mm gel pens
uniball signo dx 0.38 gel pens
pilot juice 0.38/0.5/0.7mm gel pens
muji hexagonal 0.38 gel pens

Coloured Pens

muji 0.5mm capped gel pens
zebra sarasa milk colour 0.5mm
pilot juice 0.38/0.5mm pack 
pentel energel 0.7mm gel pens
pilot frixion erasable pens 0.5mm

Mechanical Pencils

zebra z-grip advance shaker pencil 0.7mm
zebra delguard 0.5mm
muji gravity pencils 0.5mm
sanrio mechanical pencil 0.5mm

Highlighters 

zebra mildliners (4packs)
stabilo boss highlighters 
muji window highlighters
uni propus highlighters 

Brush Pens

tombow abt dual brush pens
pentel fude touch brush pens
zebra zensation brush pens
(zebra no cartridge fountain pens)

Papers and Notebooks

kokuyo campus notebook
muji lined/grid/blank notebook
whitelines dotted/grid notebook
laton notebooks

daiso b5/a5 notebook refill
muji b5/a5/a4 binder paper
muji binder dividers
muji 20ring binders (clear, recycled brown, black)

mosseryco planners
personal planners 
muji dated/undated planners

pumpkin productivity daily planner

​Miscellaneous and Organization 

muji stapler
rapeco stapler
muji to do lists 
muji acrylic organizers

Websites: amazon, zebra, muji, jetpens, etc
I am honestly not quite sure how helpful the 3 websites i've listed are, because most products can be purchased from amazon, and are often at the lowest price. If you want to invest in mildliners or other zebra pens I've listed, their official website is a good place to search, and of course, if you don't live near a muji, and would like to purchase muji products, try their official website or amazon. Lastly, jetpens is a good website to look into if you are from the US, they have free shipping on orders over $25, and have a lot of great stationeries. 

I personally do not oppose instagram accounts, but I do not recommend you purchasing from them, unless it is your last option. Their prices are often skyrocket high (compared to other major distributors), and even after applying 10% off coupon/affiliate codes. 

​That's a wrap for all of my favourite stationeries! Leave any requests for future blog posts! 

copyright © 2018 revisign