Topo Folio II Kickstarter Launch!

After two years of work, I am happy to say that the Topo Folio is live on Kickstarter!

Back it on Kickstarter!

As we use our tablets more every day, and we need more accessories to carry with them, I designed a hybrid tablet folio/sleeve to help do this in the most eco-friendly way possible. I want to have my tablet with me all the time, but I also need a charger, pencil, stand, and keyboard handy as well. This case carries it all and more.

Each TopoFolio case comes with a magnetic spine that attaches to four different custom-made inserts. The magnet also works with almost any spiral notebook.

The choice of custom made organizers are:

1. Large Zippered Pouch for extra organization

2. 30 Pencil/Pen Loop Organizer with eraser and sharpener loops

3. 2 Pocket Insert - (Keyboards, cords, usb cards, drawing supplies)

4.  Multi-Pocket (Fountain pen slots, zippered pocket, small notebooks, paperwork)

DIMENSIONS

• 12in wide by 10in tall - Perfectly fits inside backpacks

WHAT FITS INSIDE:

• Any Tablets up to 12in by 10in (Apple iPads, iPad Pros, Microsoft Surface, Amazon Fire, Etc.)

• Fidlock Waterproof Sleeve holds tablets up to 8in x 10in

• Small Laptops up to 12.5 x 10in (13in size laptops)

• Chargers

• Stylus Pens (Apple Pencil, Surface Pen, Etc.)

• Keyboard covers and Bluetooth keyboards

• Masks

• Notebooks

• Pens and Pencils

• USB Cards

• Cell Phones

• Field Notes Notebooks

• Airpods & Earbuds

• Apple AirTags and Tile Trackers

• Magnetic tablet covers

• Keys

• Powerpack

• Pocket Knives

• Flashlights

• Keys

• Wireless Mouse

• Lighter

• Reusable Silverware

PRACTICAL USES:

• Bullet Journal Supplies - Bring your notebook and supplies anywhere

• Realtors - Carry your house docs, and charge your phone/tablet while you walk

• Coffee Shop - Perfect size for smaller tables

• Airplane Travel - Case opens flat quickly for x-ray machine

• Backpack Carry - Slide into a bag to keep all your tablet supplies packed neatly

Multi-Pocket

2 Pocket Insert

30 Pencil/Pen Loop Organizer 

Large Zippered Pouch

If you like this blog and want to support me, please consider backing my new project! I don’t run ads, pop-ups, or affiliate links and want to continue working on making this a great place to find interesting and new stationery.

Thanks!

Mike :)

Hoverpens 1, 2, and Coming Soon, 3!

With the news that Hoverpen 3 is coming to Kickstarter on Feb 8, I wanted to review the first two models to show how great these pens are.

HoverPen 1.0

Image is property of Novium with permission to use.

I did a full review of the Hoverpen 1 back in 2019 when it first came to Kickstarter and was impressed with the design, construction, and delivery of this first project from Shanpo (now named Novium.) They did an amazing job perfectly balancing the pen vertically and it was a very unique desk addition.

If you would like to read my first review it is Here.

In essence, here are my feelings on this first one:

“Using magnets, the pen stand holds the Hoverpen perfectly vertical. The stand and pen are not as heavy as I expected them to be and the more I look at them, the more it feels like a trick. I feel like the pen should tip over at any minute. My kids still think it is magic, and even though I have experience working with neodymium and ceramic magnets, I kind of feel like that too!”

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The designers spent time on the packaging and shows their commitment to producing some quality products.

Hoverpen 1.0

Hoverpen 2.0 - Interstellar Edition

After raising $122,316 on Kickstarter for the first version, the guys at Novium went all-in on version 2! They quickly met their funding goal and started including a wide range of color, materials, and new accessories for the second edition. The project page is full of choices and instead of making just a pen, they offered a lead holder too, which is what I opted for $70.

The pencil is a nice addition to the line up and the spiral grip adds a nice feel. I especially like the way the pencil spins in the magnetic stand.

I lost track of all the add ons during the campaign and only opted for the black color option. I highly recommend taking some time and scrolling through the Kickstarter project page to see just how many things they offered for this pen!

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Hoverpen 3.0 - Future Edition

The third edition comes out Feb 8, 2022 and they are including a fountain pen this time along with several other improvements on the design:

• The tip of the Hoverpen is lifted off the base, creating a magical illusion - where the Hoverpen looks like it’s almost floating.

• Increased the weight for a better hand feel.

• Opened up the “ring” to let the Hoverpen be grabbed more easily.

They are offering early bird sales so I would sign up for their newsletter to take advantage of the lower price. I can’t wait to see what all they are going to share this time around!

Novium Website Kickstarter Page

UPDATE: The Kickstarter launch has funded and already raised $65,000!

Let me know if you have any questions about these pens and if you plan on backing this new project!

Mike :)

I didn’t receive anything for this review and my thoughts are my own.

Everyday Cold Pen Test - 2022

As this is the third cold pen test we have done, this was by far the most revealing test and had a clear winner at the end. At the request of a couple of readers, we used only cheap, everyday pens to see what would hold up in the winter cold weather environments. If you want to check out the previous year’s tests, The First Cold Pen Test and The Second Extreme Cold Pen Test.

If you would like me to test any additional pens please let me know and I’ll watch for negative degree weather to try them out!

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The Pens

BallPoints

• Bic Cristal Ballpoint Blue and Black Ink

• Field Notes Ballpoint Pen

• Standard Cheap Doctors Pen

Gel Ink Pens

• Muji Gel Ink Pen

• Uni-Ball Signo 207

• Uni Bal Vision Fine Point

• Pilot G-2 0.7

• Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.4 and 0.7

Marker Pens

• PaperMate Flair

• Sharpie Black Permanent Marker

• Milwaukee Inkzall Fine Point Perm. Marker

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The Test

Living in Green Bay, WI has its advantages when doing these kinds of tests…At least that’s how I choose to look at it when the temps drop this low.

I left the pens out for two sub-zero nights and tested them the next morning while they were still outside. I have found that the ink will warm up quickly when I am holding them inside and can affect the outcome.

I used one of my favorite composition notebooks from Doane Paper for the writing portion. Find it Here.

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The Results

The results surprised me as I assumed the ball point pens would not be a problem. What you don’t see in the test page are ALL of the ballpoint pens! I couldn’t get them to write at all!

The Gel Ink pens did okay after a moment of writing and the marker pens worked perfectly without any trouble at all.

The Finalists

Before the last test… The marker and gel inks clearly beat the ballpoint pens.

The Final Test

This year I decided to go a step further and freeze the pens into a block of ice for a day and see what happens :)

The Winner

While the ice block didn’t completely freeze, we did end up with a winner after I broke the pens out of the icy/watery block. The water got into all the pens and affected the writing of all the pens except for…The Sharpie Permanent Marker!

The Gel Ink pens were decent after drying them off and letting them thaw a bit, and the nock/clicker actions did freeze up so it was hard to get them to engage right away. While they still did work, I had to give the win to the Sharpie for avoiding all these extra issues.

Nothing can hold this workhorse back and is the clear winner of this year’s cold pen test.

If you have any ideas for next time, please let me know!

Thanks,

Mike

As always, I didn’t receive anything from these pen companies and my thoughts are my own.

The Great Notebook Giveaway!

I generally post a Holiday Buying Guide this time of year but instead of making you spend more money, I want to do the opposite. I want to giveaway as many notebooks as I possibly can! I have extra notebooks and some that I won’t ever use. I hope you will sign up below for a chance to win these to use, or even re-gift to someone else!

The notebooks up for grabs are:

• Field Notes - 3 pack “Snowy Evening”

• Field Notes - 2 pack “Heavy Duty”

• OC Books - Project Notebook

• Artist’s Loft - Journal

• Appointed - District Notepad

• Leuchtturm 1917 - Dotted Notebook

• Field Notes - Steno Book

• Write Notepads - Together We Build

• Doape Paper - Composition Notebook

• Moleskin - Ruled Notebook

• Moleskin - Blue Notebook

No notebooks were harmed in the making of these photos :)

Good Luck!

Mike

Let's talk about Onion Skin notebooks

While this thin style of paper isn’t new, it is relatively new in blank notebooks. I have been seeing some great notebook IG accounts showing up and they are very impressive!

Check out layora88 on IG!

The Onion Skin Journal on Instagram

Follow redsr1 on Instagram

After doing my research into these journals, one style kept showing up as a good option, The Onion Skin Journal from Remy Road. They have a lot of good choices for style, but they all include this amazing lightweight, high-density paper quality. After playing with this notebook, I highly recommend it for anyone looking to join this new journaling style.

Is that a greedy python I see?

I purchased the hardcover classic style notebook for $46. This version includes the following, from their website description:

• Reversible line and dot grid insert to guide your pen

• 320 pages of blank onion skin paper (160 sheets)

• Linen cover

• Smyth-Sewn

• Matching ribbon

• Made in America

• Fabricated by a 3rd generation bookmaker

• Fountain Pen Friendly!

Woodcase pencils work perfectly on this style of paper.

As expected, the sharpie bleed through.

General Pen Test. I didn’t do a full test because this paper isn’t intended for everything.

I don’t want to be critical of a paper like this as it isn’t intended to be suited for everyday purposes. This style of paper is made for creativity and exploration. This may come across as romantic, but this style of notebook is made for those of us that want to reach further into our creative depth to bring out something new.

I liked the pencil on this paper the most, but that is only my opinion. For fountain pens, this paper can absorb, bleed, feather, shade, and sheen. It can be frustrating if used as a regular paper, but it is a great paper to use when looking for something new and inventive.

The notebook is only 5/8in think and very light at 11oz. Hard to believe with 320 pages!

Page layout guide sheets. The other side is lined at 1/4in.

Overall I am impressed with this notebook, and look forward to using it more!

Mike

As with all my reviews, I did not receive anything for free.

10 Skill Share classes that you can use a notebook with

So now you bought all the notebooks, what are you going to do with them all?

I am constantly using paper notebooks for everything from sketching new product ideas, writing, note-taking, and daily to do lists. During the pandemic lockdown I worked on using my notebooks for more creative pursuits, and found some great Skill Share classes. They were running free 3 month promotions and after getting hooked, I still have my sub. I highly recommend the following classes to help fill up some pages in your notebooks! Enjoy :)

1. Sketching Class with Jazza

Transform the way you draw with an in-depth illustration class like no other from creative mastermind and YouTube star Jazza! 

With over five million followers on YouTube, Jazza has crafted a career out of helping others find the fun in illustration. Now, he shares his own creative process in never-before-seen detail, distilling his favorite tips, tricks, and techniques into a comprehensive masterclass for artists of all levels.

2. Sketchbook

Always Drawing is a new series from NYTimes bestselling illustrator, Mike Lowery. Mike has kept a daily sketchbook for more than 20 years and wants to help you start a daily routine of keeping one, too. And "sketchbook basics" isn't basic at all! It's geared towards artists of all skill types, from beginner to advanced students.

3. Cafe Sketching

Cafes are really the perfect sketching spots. Just imagine: interiors can be beautiful and inspiring, food sometimes looks like a piece of art, you can meet wonderful characters there.

And also it’s very comfortable to draw in a cafe! There’s always a table waiting for you, a chair, lighting, bathroom and coffee, of course. In other words, everything that an artist may need.

4. Aaron Draplin - Logo Design

Want to level up your logo design? Join acclaimed graphic designer and DDC founder Aaron Draplin for a 60-minute tour de force championing the techniques and challenges of combining type and icons into a circle, a foundational shape of graphic design.

Sketching and preparation. A modern graphic designer relying on pencil and paper? You bet! You’ll learn why “going analog” is so vital to Aaron’s artistic process, and why taking time away from the computer generates stronger ideas. Plus, Aaron will suggest specific tools to help encourage your creativity and focus as you map out your design.

5. Hand Lettering Basics

Learn the basics of hand lettering with the popular online workshop that's inspired more than 50,000 Skillshare students! Lettering artist Mary Kate McDevitt covers everything beginners need to draw, ink, and transform handwriting into artful drawings.

In this 2-hour class, Mary Kate reveals the first steps of hand lettering and shares how to concept, design, and letter phrases for any use—a poster, magazine, t-shirt, or anything else you might imagine. Over the course of 16 bite-sized video lessons, you'll learn:

• Researching and Brainstorming

• Sketching for Lettering

• Styles for Lettering

• Inking and Finalizing

6. Learn to Draw

This is an easy beginner guide that was better than most of the other drawing classes I found.

In this class, we’ll walk through basic fundamentals to build your drawing skills!

You'll learn how to see your subjects as basic shapes, how to place your subject on your paper with simple angles, and how to draw by seeing the negative space. I'll share measuring tricks that will help you draw accurately, exercises that will help you activate your creative right brain, and I'll share how you can find beautiful rhythms in your subjects.

7. Class Note-Taking

Hello! Welcome to an introduction to note taking, all about how to keep organized and effective notes. 

This beginner class is designed to teach you the basics to note taking and some tips to take your notes to the next level. It will cover everything from the basic supplies to elevating your notes to be more organized and effective. 

This class is great for anytime when you need to take notes whether it’s in school, your personal life, work environment, or just anybody who wants to take notes, this class is perfect for you!

8. Modern Watercolor Basics

Welcome to Modern Watercolor Techniques for Beginners with Ana Victoria! Here you will learn both basic watercolor techniques and fun new ways to use your paints mixed with other mediums and house hold supplies, such as salt and bleach. I will give you an in depth look into my favorite art supplies and how to use them properly. Watercolor can be intimidading, but I promise I will make it easy and fun with these tips and tricks. You will be amazed with the results you can obtain with my simple direction!

9. Art Journaling

Break out the collection of notebooks that’s taking up an entire section of your bookshelf and join YouTube star Amanda Rach Lee as she guides you through three art journaling exercises she uses all the time in her personal journals. Whether you’re an illustrator, a bujo maven, a person with a Washi tape collection that’s getting a tiny bit out of control, or somewhere in between, Amanda’s class is for the feelings in all of us — and can help you feel gratitude for your present and dream for your future.

10. Sketch An Interface For Your Mobile App

If you have ever wanted to make your own app, this intro is a good place to start learning how to design it. Also, I recommend the Studio Neat Panobook that is designed for just such an application!

Sketching is a great method that helps you communicate your ideas and demonstrate the intended layout and functionality of your application or concept.

Some of UX designers would think that the sketching step would be hard because they “Can’t draw” but the thing is: you don’t have to be an artist to sketch your ideas!

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Let me know if you have any classes I should add or if you have any artwork you would like to share!

As always, I have not received anything for recommending the classes above and my thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike :)

10 of the Best Wellness Journals on the Market

After working with several journals to find a good system, I wanted to share what I found on the market to help make a decision.

Before we get into the list, I spoke with a registered therapist recently about the use of notebooks for introspection and personal growth. She said therapists recommend using a notebook (or really any tool) to practice the act of self-reflection and organize your thoughts into a record. This standard practice is helpful to anyone that wants to see where they are, where they have been, and where they are going.

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I. Therapy Notebooks

Designed by a team of therapists, these notebooks act as mental health tools to grow and learn through self-reflection. Taken from their site “The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based notebook entries are made to help you track your emotions, become more aware of thought patterns, and grow over time specifically to reduce anxiety and manage stress.”

What I like most about these notebooks is that they don’t over-promise. A lot of notebooks like these make unrealistic claims through their marketing copy, but as this has been made by doctors, they know that this isn’t the end-all-be-all of therapy. These are well thought-out notebooks and have an muted design aesthetic.

The notebooks include:

• 100 Journal Entries you can use whenever you feel stressed or anxious.

• Structured exercises proven to help you feel less anxious and track patterns.

• 5 Check-Ins covering different therapy tools for anxiety.

• 100+ notes and tips from therapists throughout the notebook to help guide and encourage reflection.

• 270 guided pages on 8”x5” paper.

The notebook is filled with 100+ notes from therapists, one per a journal entry. They’ll help guide you as you journal, serve as additional reflection questions, and provide tips you can use anytime.

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II. Monk Manual

I have been using this notebook for over a month and genuinely like the layout and overall benefit that it provides. This notebook is more than just a standard to-do list and is built around living a more purposeful life.

The monk manual is a 90-day journal that promotes more planning and reflection rather than just filling up the day with tasks and checking them off. This notebook is very helpful if you are looking for more in life than just the short-term feeling of completing tasks, and shows you what you have accomplished while moving toward a greater goal in your life.

If you want to read more about this notebook I wrote up a full review last month Here.

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III. Full Focus Journal

This is also a 90-day planner that starts with a plan to set up and organize your life goals. This planning method, along with the weekly strategy to accomplish your goals, is intended to help relieve stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Developed by Michael Hyatt, a leadership coach, this notebook and the courses that you can join are all designed around getting the more important things done in life, not just the number of things you try to get done.

I will say that this notebook looks like it has a large marketing budget behind it and while I have not used it yet, I feel like this is made more for the business professional or team leader.

Full Focus Planner

Full Focus Planner

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IV. Bloom Meditation Journal

This notebook is a collaboration between Baron Fig the notebook company, and Justine Bloome, a well-known mindfulness expert. This book helps get into meditation and make it a daily practice and to build self-awareness.

I have several of the guided Baron Fig Notebooks and they always do an amazing job with their products. I have only used meditation apps to help but believe this notebook would be a great tool to help beginners and anyone that has trouble staying consistant.

The notebook comes with:

• Meditation Guide

• Meditation Log

• Daily Tracker

• 40 Day Challenge

• 4 Toolkits

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V. Mind Journal

This notebook is geared towards men due to the founder, Olie Aplin, designing the book for his own benefit first, and then selling it to other men that have had the same problems. This singular focus has helped him to make a solid notebook that did well on Kickstarter and I was moved by his personal story.

Features:

• 3 Months of Journaling

• Signature Check-in Tool

• 30 Life-Changing Exercises

• 3 Stages of Self-Discovery

• 264 Ruled 110gsm Ivory Pages

Once you complete the Journal, there is a second notebook called the Jotter that is designed for moving forward and is a free-form style of journaling without much in the way of guidance.

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VI. Bullet Journal (2nd Edition)

Ryder Carol is steadfast in his dedication to helping us lived well-intented lives. He has always come across as genuine and authentic without any reason to doubt his work. The bullet journal system is more than a productivity tool because it taps into a deeper thought process of self-reflection. In applying the BuJo system, you are able to get more done, so along with a feeling of self-worth, you also become more efficient. I have always been a huge fan of this system and have been using it for five years.

“Leading an intentional life is about keeping your actions aligned with your beliefs. It’s about penning a story that you believe in and that you can be proud of.”

— Ryder Carol

Ryder also wrote a book called The Bullet Journal Method and it is a great companion. The last section of the book is about the importance of reflection and he writes, “If you don’t do, if you don’t dare, then you rob the world-and yourself-of the chance to contribute something meaningful.” The time used for reflection in our journals is key to the purpose of the system. While it takes time to do this, it is one reason why it works so well and keeps us all on task at the greater life purpose.

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VII. Ink+Volt Gratitude Journal

Ink + Volt continues to impress me and I have been a long-time fan of the creator of these quality notebooks, Kate Matsudaira. I had the chance to catch up with her when she was first developing the Spark Notebook and that notebook was very well organized and perfectly designed. From there, she has designed a whole line of notebooks to help with self-improvement.

The Gratitude notebook is something that is recognized in the therapy world as a helpful tool to pick yourself up and nurture positive thinking. This notebook has a lot to offer and recommend checking out the different styles, as well as other notebook options.

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VIII. Best Self Co.

While this company only started with two people, it has grown into a full sized self-help company. I initially backed their Kickstarter in 2015 and the notebook was just okay. Since then, they have built out an entire suite of products and completely redesigned their flagship notebook called the Self Journal.

Features:

• 13 week goal planner

• 100gsm white ivory paper

• Hardcover 5.75in by 8.5in

• Includes videos and guides from website to help

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IV. Papier Wellness Journal

This notebook has a little bit of everything. While it does lack the in-depth guides that some of the notebooks above provide, it makes up for it with the number of sections. It includes:

• Goal Planning

• Wish Lists

• Daily Planning

• Meal Planning

• Gratitude Journal

• Goal Check-ins

• Reflection

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V. Blank Notebook

The number one recommended notebook by therapists is…a blank one. They don’t tell you which one, they just want you to use whatever works best for you. The act of using a single voice so that you are required to think about what you are trying to say and write so that it comes out in one direction. This is the reason there is a market for notebooks because the therapists don’t want you to get distracted, but the key point is that you get into the practice of getting your thoughts out and into some form of record keeping.

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Good luck and I hope I have helped!

As always, I have not received anything from any of the aforementioned companies and my thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike

Karst Stone Paper Review

In theory, these notebooks should be awesome, on paper, they are far from it.

Karst Sketchpad $30.

Karst Softcover Notebook A5 $25.

Karst Notepad $25.

With the Karst Stone Paper notebooks, I was intrigued by the design process of using stone to make paper. The process is very interesting and to help the planet move away from cutting down trees is a great idea…but after testing these out, I feel they are still missing something.

While the paper may work for commercial printers, to use this as a notebook is actually a pretty terrible idea. I hate to say this, but with the high cost associated with these notebooks, I don’t want anyone else to make the same mistake that I did!

The Notebooks

The first issue is using a pencil on this paper. Even one with as soft graphite as the Blackwing pencil, the tip kept catching on the soft paper. While the paper is tear-resistant, it does not do well with a sharp pencil point, and forget about using a mechanical pencil on these notebooks!

Moving on to pens, the only option to avoid problems, is a gel ink rollerball pen. Fountain pens, ballpoint, and needle point pens all fair poorly for various reasons due to the construction and coating that is put on the pages. The fountain pens skip and take forever to dry. Ballpoint pens push too hard on the soft paper, and needle point pens like the Hi Tec C catch on the paper and even created a hole!

Pens pushing through the paper to the back.

The three notebooks I purchased were much heavier than I originally thought. Even with the stone, I was surprised at just how heavy they are and all ended up being about twice the weight of a standard notebook the same size and page number.

Notepad A4 size - 1lb 5.6oz

Sketchpad - 1lb 4.4oz

A5 Softcover Notebook - 14oz

The Pencils

The unique pencils were also intriguing due to their all-graphite design. I had to wait a long time for these to be restocked so I was fairly disappointed when they did arrive. While they work okay on standard paper, they are unusable on the notebooks and even the sketch pad.

They did fair better on regular paper but they are quite soft and I would recommend them to an artist rather than a writer.

You only get 5 pencils for $22!

In Summary

I honestly don’t like writing negative reviews and I wish these notebooks and pencils could find a good use case, but I don’t see one. Even if the notebooks worked better, there is nothing special about the layouts. It is lined, dot grid or square. Nothing new in the design or use case.

If anyone disagrees with me and enjoys them, please do let me know!

As always, I purchased these items (really wish I hadn’t) and did not receive anything for free. My thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike

Monk Manual Review

Can you remember three things you accomplished three days ago?

…

Before I started using this notebook I couldn’t answer this. Over the past month I’ve made the monk manual a daily habit and I wanted to share some of the things I found and also do a thorough review on the quality and craftsmanship that has clearly gone into this book.

(My three things are listed at the end in case you want to know)

The monk manual is a 90 day journal that promotes more planning and reflection rather than just filling up the day with tasks and checking them off. This notebook is very helpful if you are looking for more in life than just the short term feeling of completing tasks, and shows you what you have accomplished while moving toward a greater goal in your life.

Intro to the Monk Manual

Monk Manual started as a Kickstarter project in October 2018 by Steven Lawson. Leaning on his background in psychology, he has built a very interesting and purpose-driven notebook layout.

Monthly

The notebook is divided into three sections, Monthly, Weekly, and Daily. This is to help plan, act, and reflect within each timeframe to help provide a more purposeful life.

Weekly

When I first started it was a bit overwhelming at first because there are no examples or guides on how to start. There is a short intro to what you will get out of using the manual, but no specific pointers on where to start. The website has a lot of good material and if you are looking to use this, I would start with their pdf guide here.

Daily

The daily pages are my favorite and where I gain the most insight to where I am trying to go in life. I have struggled over the past month to help find a new purpose for my work and by setting up a plan for the next day, it has genuinely helped me. I start my daily page with coffee in the morning, and on the second page once the day is over, I fill it out with a evening drink to relax and reflect.

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The Notebook

Getting into the construction for a bit, overall I am very happy with the design and construction. It comes wrapped beautifully like a gift and includes a few stickers along with a small pocket notebook to keep track of things throughout the day.

Monk Manual Website

Free Pocket Notebook - dot grid 3in by 5in

My favorite part of the design is the three book markers. These help mark the current month, week, and day which doesn’t sound like much, but they are very handy!

The Details

• Size - Standard A5 8.5in x 5.5in

• Weight - 1lb 3oz

• 4 Monthly page layouts, 14 weekly page layouts, 91 daily layouts, and 10 dot grid pages

• Paper - Light Cream colored and I am guessing 100gsm paper weight

• Expandable back pocket for loose pages

• No pen loop

• Cost - $38 (They offer a quarterly subscription for 20% off)

Along with the notebook comes a wealth of knowledge as the folks there are constantly creating helpful videos and blog content to help keep you going. There is also a large Facebook community of fellow ‘monks?'

Coming soon is the Sprout Journal which is designed for kids. As I have been working on my notebook my kids have offered suggestions about what I should do the next day and they have even filled out some things in their own notebooks. I am excited to see what they come up with and you can check it out here.

Personal Contract with past Mike

Overall I am very happy with this notebook and will continue using this well into the future. The page layouts are very well designed and act as a good support structure for my own personal growth.

By the way, to answer the first question, the three things I accomplished three days ago are:

1. Signed off on a new case design from the manufacturer

2. Ran 6 miles

3. Washed all the windows in and outside

If I missed anything or have any questions about the book please let me know!

Thanks for reading!

Mike :)

P.S. As always I was not paid for this review and my thoughts are my own. Cheers!

Analog - The desktop notecard productivity system.

The latest project from UGMonk is a beautiful walnut card-holder, with a simple, yet well-designed to-do system.

“We always seem to think we can get more done in a day than what’s actually possible. The physical constraints of the Analog card force you hone in the few important things to tackle each day. No more endless lists or productivity guilt.”

— Jeff Sheldon (Kickstarter Project)

Put simply, this is a to-do list desk companion with pre-printed index cards. However, behind the minimal design, is a thoroughly researched approach to getting more important things done, with fewer distractions.

As an avid bullet journaler, I see a lot of similarities to the Bullet Journal System. Using the bullet points to reflect on the days work, and ‘migrate’ the information to the next card is one tenet of the bujo system that works very well.

PICTURES

Reference card

Checklist guide and insight into the three dots on the top right.

Dot-Grid layout is on the back of each card for notes and sketches.

One issue with the heavy paper is that it soaks up fountain pen ink and feathers. I would stick to gel/ballpoint pens and pencils.

DETAILS

• Price $79 (Cardholder and 3 months worth of cards)

• Pack of 50 Cards - 35 Today, 10 Next, 5 Someday

• Card Holder Dimensions - 6.25" x 3.55" x 1.15"

• Card Dimensions - 3″x5″

• Paper - 100# smooth uncoated paper

• Metal card cover with magnetic closure

Ugmonk also has a travel case available for $32

UGMONK

I have been backing Jeff Sheldon’s projects for years and he continues to make better and better products. He moves forward from each Kickstarter project and doesn’t look back so when his inventory is gone, it is really gone. He also curates some amazing products on his site that you can find here.

INTERVIEW

Jeff was very kind in getting back to me this past week when I was bothering him with a few questions that I had and thought I would share them with you:

1. What led you to use notecards with this productivity system?
I find the physical constraints of the 3x5 cards helpful to limit how many tasks I can have on my to-do list each day. I also like the portability of the cards and being able to easily write notes or quick sketches on the back.

2. What is your background and how did you decide to begin designing and producing products.
I grew up with a passion for art and making things. Even as a kid I would spend hours building things with cardboard and whatever I could find. Later I transitioned into graphic design and fell in love with designing t-shirts. That's what led me to launch Ugmonk back in 2008. I've slowly grown Ugmonk over the past 12 years and expanded into other workspace objects like Gather and Analog, all centered around the same idea of combining form and function.

3. Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from all over. I feel like it's a mashup of Scandinavian and Japanese design as well as industrial designers like Dieter Rams and Charles and Ray Eames. Really inspiration comes from everywhere, whether it's being out in nature, exploring a new city, or browsing through old design and architecture books.

4. How did you come up with the name Ugmonk?
It was kind of a happy accident. When I launched Ugmonk in 2008 it was just supposed to be a little side project, so I didn't think too hard about names. I wanted something unique and started googling URLs that were available. "Ugmonk" happened to be available (which was just something we made up and didn't have any real meanings) so we went with it. Now 12 years later, it has become one of the best branding decisions we ever made. If you google the word "Ugmonk" there are 120,000 results that all point back to us :)

5. Any new products in the pipeline we can start to get excited about?
I'm working on some additional Analog accessories that I can share much about yet. But I'm excited to continued building out the system and seeing how people adapt Analog to their workflow.

SUMMARY

With desk real estate always a premium for me, I find these cards fit nicely into my layout. They quietly do their job reminding me to stay on task throughout the day. As I mentioned before, Jeff doesn’t restock many of his Kickstarter items and this is one that I recommend getting in on the pre-order price before it goes up!

I paid for the Analog system and did not receive anything in return for this review. My thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

MIke