The year 2020 was unprecedented and like us, it also made designers relook at their planners - a lot of them came up with undated planners, some of them tried to focus on mental health and others looked at drawing a better balance between your work and personal life. INDULGE looks at some of the unique and interesting planners.
Showing Up For Myself
Tired of the question ‘where do you see yourself 1/5/10 years from today’? So was artist Pranita Kocharekar who, through her planner, urges users to have an ‘action plan’ rather than just a ‘plan.’ “I have always been asked about my long-term plans. While it is great to have one, it is important to know what we are doing right now, what we have done until now and how we are going to achieve that plan. Through my planner, I try to encourage a growth and problem-solving mindset,” says 28-year-old Kocharekar whose debut planner was made to meet her own needs.
Price: Rs 1200
Availability: pranita-kocharekar.com
Vibe Higher
What sets The Trove’s undated planner, Vibe Higher, apart is the fact that it begins by asking its users to explore their ikigai (a Japanese term that translates to ‘a reason to live’). “I think it is important to discover what you are naturally drawn to rather than following something aimlessly,” says 27-year-old Darshani Dani who has designed her first yearly planner this year. The planner has a week-wise spread that looks at daily goals and weekly priority lists, and at the end of the month, there is a monthly reflection sheet.
Price: Rs 999
Availability: instagram.com/thetrovelifestyle
Find Your Balance
Designed by a mother of two young girls, Harini Palanisamy, The Journal Lab’s planner seeks to bring a balance between work, family and self-care. It is both a planner and a journal. On the left, it has a dedicated space to list priorities of the day and the right side is dedicated to thoughts, feelings, gratitude and highlights of the day. “These planners have been made from a mother’s perspective, so we can’t have goals only for work. The family is equally important and, although we don’t often prioritise it, so is self-care. It is all about finding balance,” says Harini.
Price: Rs 689
Availability: thejournallab.in
You Are Where You Need To Be
Carousel’s undated planner for 2021, You Are Where You Need To Be, encourages people to work at their own pace. Equipped with yearly, monthly and weekly spreads, the planner aims to help users to see the bigger picture, break it down into actionable steps, and then track their progress but without feeling overwhelmed. It focuses on habits, goals and reflections on the week gone by. Plus, there is plenty of space to jot down thoughts or doodle.
Price: Rs 1100
Availability: carousel.co.in
Make It Happen
Odd Giraffe’s Make It Happen planner looks at 12 emotional qualities, including empathy, curiosity, mindfulness, and gratitude, and encourages users to focus and work on one emotional quality every month. “We never had a theme. Our planners always revolved around optimism and joy. But 2020 has been a tough year so we thought of focusing on intentions, one for each month,” says Karan Joshi, the co-founder and chief creative officer. The dated planner focuses only on four things — goals, reflections and weekly and monthly planners. “For other things, including habits and meals, we have created a separate wellness planner called 'Feel All The Feelings',” adds Joshi.
Price: Rs 1299 onwards
Availability: oddgiraffe.com
Official Harry Potter Planner
Although themed on the world of Harry Potter, this dated planner doesn’t miss out on anything that a planner should be. “What makes it really attractive is the gold-foil print on its cover! Besides, it has a lot of DIY bookmarks and Hogwarts-themed toys,” says Surya Narayanan, Creative Director, Cover It Up. Divided into 12 sections, one for each month, it has plenty of dedicated space to jot down monthly goals, daily schedules, meal plans and to-do lists while also tracking habits and expenses. Plus, there are multiple sheets of stickers, detachable bookmarks and cutouts of iconic dialogues and characters to lighten up any workspace.
They have also launched an official FRIENDS planner for those who can't help without bringing Chandler, Joey and Rachel in their everyday conversations.
Price: Rs 2999
Availability: coveritup.com
The Ultimate Planner
“It is called The Ultimate Planner because I actually try to cover all aspects of one’s life. So, from planning your day to birthdays, events, goals for the month, meal plans, habit and budget trackers and empty spaces to jot down notes — it has everything,” says Bengaluru-based Alicia Souza who has been making planners for a while now. Other features include a period tracker, five sheets of adorable stickers, colourful tearaway tags, a pocket at the back to hold tiny essentials and not to mention, Alicia’s signature quirky and cute illustrations.
Price: Rs 1799
Availability: aliciasouza.com