Enthusiastically, Dawn

The first planner I have for review in our Planner Series 2024 comes to us from Australia by a company called St. Belford. I became aware of this planner in 2022 when my One Word for the year was Curate. At the time I was still active on Facebook and Instagram and the brilliant marketing powers that be sent plenty of planners through my social media feeds. This one stuck out and stayed with me. When I chose the planners I most wanted to include for review, this planner was first and foremost on the list. I wanted the opportunity to have a closer look at this creation by Tom Stanford and Alex Phillips- the creators of Curation, and they promptly made that happen.

I will share the features and unique offerings along with my thoughts. I preface this with the fact that I am pretty choosy about planners- even for a former (?) Planner Tramp. I will review only planners that I think are worth your time and money. There are a lot of planners out there; I will give you a curated view of a few to help you make the best choice for YOU!

THE 2024 PLANNER THAT HELPS YOU LIVE BETTER, EVERY DAY

~St. Belford

Let’s start with the aesthetics of this planner. I was sent a beautiful blue, Vintage Denim, hardcover book that feels sturdy. It is made with high-quality faux leather. The paper is Premium 100gsm Woodfree Paper (FSC Certified). FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council and “FSC® certified paper comes from Europe’s most ecological and well-managed woodlands, and it’s totally renewable and biodegradable.” (From the FSC website). The paper is DREAMY. OK, it’s white and thick, but not too thick, and I tested ink-to-paper performance with a Sharpie S-Gel 0.7 and a Lamy Fountain Pen (medium nib) with great results. Both of these would work well on the pages of this planner. The signatures are sewn and the book lies flat. Two Ribbons are included to mark your chosen sections while using. From what I can see one ribbon matches the planner color, and the other is a more neutral color. There are three size options available and I’ve included a video below from the website which explains the differences clearly for my visual-loving YouTube friends. The main difference I see is that the A5 standard model as well as the A4 include two pages of pre-planning, while the Mini does not. I will get into that in a bit as I break down the features. A unique feature I noticed upon initial observation is that the Planner itself is numbered with the Self-Care Menu beginning on Page 2. The first page is dedicated to a word of encouragement from Alex Phillips, Curation Co-founder. The number of pages in the book I received is 283 from start to finish including 5 lined pages at the end. This may seem a minor point, but might I suggest those backlined pages would make a great index for any information you want to access at a future point. This is a small feature I think is not so small at all! Brilliantly done, in my opinion.

Every aspect of this planner has a short video available to help you decide if it is something you want to incorporate into your life at this time. Alex advises new users of Curation to use only the features that resonate with them initially. She confesses candidly, that even as the creator, she does not use all of the features consistently. I think that is great advice. She compares it to the way we don’t always use all the features on our phones. Absolutely perfect analogy! I hope that sets a few planner people free, right now! The website offers a number of free resources. If you want a look into each and every feature and how to use them, there is a written guide as well as video tutorials which range from about 2 to 7 minutes in duration.

Fitting Self-Care into Your Day

One of the strongest features is for the mind, body, and soul, and is called “My Self-Care Menu” which suggests you brainstorm 10, 30, and 60-minute time block ideas that you could do when you have the time. As a former Fitness Professional, I appreciate this bite-size approach to self-care. Taking time to choose an activity that helps you, as Stephen Covey so often said, “sharpen the saw”, is needful, but easy to put off. If I can’t do an hour’s worth of something why bother at all? But, how often do we believe we have the extra time we need to do the things that allow us to feel recreated, and refreshed? Having a list available to remind oneself and direct our attention accordingly makes good use of the something IS better than nothing attitude allowing for progress. Slow progress is better than no progress. Caring for our body, mind, and soul is non-negotiable. One of the reasons this planner was created was based on this realization.

A 2024 Bucket List page follows with 25 spots for all those things you want to do that bring a smile. The next pages are 2024 Intentions; Mission Statement and goal setting pages; Habit Curator and a Savings Curator for all 12 months (a feature I love!); 2024 Overview; Public Holidays; Monthly View for all 12 months followed by a Glossary for the 4-page-per-week spreads that make up the majority of the planner. The last pages have a 2024 Memory Bank; 2024 Reflection with prompts, and lastly a 2025 overview (followed by those last few lined pages).

The Weekly Spread – a focused, well-laid-out view of your week and priorities. Minimalist, and functional. I love the habit tracker at the top. This spread is one that I could love. The self-care heart reminds the user to schedule that important item as a priority. The uncluttered space works well to affirm priorities and a limited amount of two dos. There is just enough structure for clarity, simplicity, and sensitivity to not add too much. I give two thumbs up to the week view. This works for me.

Mental Health is a Priority

I really love that Tom and Alex are full-on supporters of organizations striving to make changes in the mental health crisis of our time. They donate a percentage of their sales to Beyond Blue and R U OK? both dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by anxiety, depression, and suicide. As many of you know my husband and I lost our only child, Katherine, to suicide in 2021 after her long, hard battle with mental health challenges so I greatly appreciate their efforts in the creation of Curation, as well as their supporting these causes even though they are in Australia, we know this is a worldwide epidemic. You can see more HERE about the causes they support. You can see more about Tom and Alex here.

My Thoughts Overall and a Request

As far as my thoughts on this planner- I believe this is one of the top planners available at this time. I love this size as well as the mini (which has a trimmer footprint). I think the details are simply and thoughtfully presented. I would use this planner if it had one change, and one change only. Sigh…I know it’s mostly those of us here in the West…but I need a Sunday start. Both due to my work (church office) and years of habit. I cannot wrap around a Monday start planner. This pains me. So, dear Tom and Alex, I know you do your homework and are running a great and successful business. Could you please do the marketing testing to see if a Sunday start planner might be available? Maybe that would be a USA thing? It is the only reason I cannot use this amazing Diary!

My Top Five Favorite Things of Curation:

1. Visuals: The size – for me, this A5 size is exactly what I love. This is an elegant, yet not too flashy diary that one could have on their desk, and out and about. The gold-foil year and Curation are tasteful, and the word itself is a powerful reminder to curate one’s life carefully, and with intention. Practical elegance visually. Two thumbs up on aesthetics externally. AND internally as well. The paper: white (my personal preference, and clean, not cluttered weekly layouts and monthly spreads.
2. No weird stories, slangy catchphrases, or excessive forcing of layouts and spreads on new planner users. The Curation pages for self-care support are realistic and can be integrated as one is ready without feeling like you are not using the planner properly. Some planners are way too bossy, they crowd ME out! I think sometimes these features can overwhelm new or returning planner users. Like a gym full of needless equipment. A good trainer knows if you provide the right environment for the client to exercise in, you can guide them well with just a few well-chosen tools. Curation succeeds to this end.
3. The pre-planner pages make sense to me, but they offer an option without those pages too, which recognizes the seasons of life and different needs at different times. One may want to use the mini (no pre-planning pages) for one year.
4. A place for intentions, goals, and milestones right up front.
5. The Habit Curator and even more- the 12-month Savings Curator.
   • I especially appreciate they provide SHORT videos for each aspect of the planner which also reveals the simplicity in implementation of the features.

If you want to try this planner for the end of 2023 there is a special October thru December option for first-timers and those who missed out on the Curation 2023 Planner. Check that out here. During October there is a special promotion to grab this planner trial size for $.99 cents (regularly $9.95). However, if you want to try it for free you can go to their FREE RESOURCES page and print it out yourself (It includes the last four months from the 2023 dated planner. It features the Self-Care Menu, Pre-Week Planners, Weekly Spreads, and End of Year Reflection).

Giveaway!

I will give one US resident the opportunity to receive this beautiful A5 Planner which I have only perused to do this review. If you are interested in winning this beautiful planner leave a comment below and tell me one goal, intention, or bucket list item that you plan to accomplish in 2024. OR share one mental health challenge you hope to manage or overcome through prioritizing and planning your course of self-care action. Alternatively, let us know which feature of this beautiful planner/diary you find most intriguing. I will choose one winner randomly from the comments here at Enthusiastically, Dawn on November 1, 2023, and reach out to the recipient to send it.

PLEASE NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that some are unable to comment – if you have any technical difficulties adding a comment to be included in the drawing for Curation Planner then kindly e-mail your comment to dawn.paoletta@gmail.com and I will include you in the giveaway. (noted: 10/23/23)

If you can’t wait and know you are ready to choose your ONE BOOK TO RULE THEM ALL 2024, here is a discount code: enthusiastic15 gets you 15% off all full-priced items (excludes sale items and discounted bundles).

Do you have any questions I can answer? Let me know!

Thank you to Tom, Alex, and the Curation Team for the opportunity to review this planner, for sending it promptly, and for the speed and priority with which communications are made at Saint Belford!

See you for the next planner review, soon! Once all planners are reviewed I will also be sharing an overview and concluding thoughts on all the planners as compared to one another! Stay tuned!