With the introduction of Leuchtturm notebooks to the US market this year came a new selection of journals and planners with strong organization abilities. The 18 Month Master Book Planner takes this theme to a new level in planning and includes some extras you won’t find in other planners.
Leuchtturm's Master Book Planner Measures a whopping 8¾" x 12½" and is at home on your desk or table. The size is also consistent with some notebook computers and may fit comfortably in your laptop bag along with your computer. You can order the Leuchtturm Master Book Planner at http://www.journalingarts.com.
The first thing you’ll notice is the size. It measures 8¾” x 12¾” or 22.5 x 31.5 cm and is larger than a standard sheet of paper. You won’t be able to carry it in your pocket or purse, but you may find that it will fit alongside your computer in your laptop bag. The size makes the interior print easy to read, gives you lots of room for scheduling and gives the act of planning a sense of importance.
The Planning Pages
There are 18 months of planning that start September, 2009 through February 2011. This is different than the popular Moleskine 18 month planners that are dated July 2009 through December 2010. Because if this, it may be better suited for business than school, but would work well for students who start school in September. The additional month or two of overlap in January and February would be convenient, however, if you were migrating towards a more traditional 12 month planner for 2011.
An example of the right planning page from a 2-page spread. Vertical daily columns. small monthly calendars and plenty of room for notes.
The planning pages are laid out in a vertical planning format in 24-hour time starting with 7 and ending with 22, giving you 16 slots each day for appointments. Each week is spread across two pages with the week number in the lower corner of the right page. Below each day is a boxed area for notes that measures about 2″ x 3¾” which is more than ample. Each day is clearly noted by a large date and a smaller day. The right column has small monthly calendars for the previous month, current month and following month, with the current week shaded in gray.
Because the pages and type are larger than normal, you would think that the pages would feel overbearing, but the use of a subtle gray ink keeps things toned-down but still readable. Like all of Leuchtturm’s notebooks, the overall design is clean and orderly and will appeal to your organized side.
The Extras
Project Planner
In addition to the planning pages, you find this planner has some unique extras including a 2-page project planner for all 18 months. There are two grids, each with 14 spaces arranged vertically, spanning the dates from September 2009 through February 2001.
The Master Book Planner includes a 2-page project planner that spans 18 month.
Monthly Calendars and Monthly Planning Section
There are two sections with monthly calendars. The first includes three pages of small calendars, January 2009 through December 2011 along with their respective week numbers. There is not much room here for notes, but this format would be most useful for highlighting or color-coding weeks/months to be consistent with the Project Planner or other scheduling system.
Leuchtturms 18 Month Master Book Planner provides a 2-year overview using small monthly calendars.
The next section has vertical monthly planning, six months per 2-page spread dated September 2009 through February 2011 across six pages . Each column represents a month and indicates the date and day of the week allowing one line of planning for each day. Because of the size of the planner, this section is more useful than most allowing plenty of room for scheduling.
For more detailed monthly planning , there are vertical monthly planners with a slot for every day of each month. Because of the large size, there is plenty of room for your plans.
Blank pages for Notes
In addition to the notes sections throughout the planner, there 22 acid-free, plain, blank pages for notes, doodling, phone numbers and the like. According to Leuchtturm, as of August of 2009, the paper in all journals and planners is ink-proof, meaning that there will be no bleedthrough on the reverse. I haven’t had the chance to try this out yet, so I can’t confirm or deny it.
The expandable pocket will hold 8½" x 11", letter-sized paper without requiring it to be folded. Other items such as magazines, reports and large photos will fit, too. Items shown in the pocket are a template insert and labels that re included with the planner.
Large Envelope Hold Letter Sized Documents and More
One plus of using such a large planner, is the envelope in the back will hold an unfolded sheet of letter-sized paper in addition to thin magazines, large photos and a variety of other things.
Miscellaneous
There are also a few other features including:
- Labels and stickers for archiving
- Ribbon book mark
- 8 perforated, plain detachable sheets
- Grid and lined template insert
Final Thoughts
Leuchtturm’s Master Book 18 Month Planner is big and would work well for business and family scheduling. The large size is easy on the eyes and there is plenty of room for detailed planning and note taking. But because of its size, it is not portable or convenient to carry and is best suited for a desk or table. However, if you carry a computer in a laptop case or backpack frequently, you may find this planner convenient enough to take with you.
If you do decide to give the Leuchtturm Master Book Planner a try, you will find a clean, orderly planner which will allow you to organize even the most chaotic schedules with ease. It opens flat to give you easy access to your schedule and is large enough to hold additional items in the back pocket. The project planner allows you to see your long term plans and progress at a glance and the extra plain pages in the back give you the ability to get your thoughts and ideas on paper at a moments notice.
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