All posts by Karen Doherty

Too Many To-Dos

Posted May 14, 2013 by
in Editorial, Planning Tips | 9 comments »

I have two big time management problems:  I give myself far too many “To Dos” in one day, and set out to do a super job on everything.

My spouse has said to me: “Adequate on time is better than superlative late.”  She’s right, and when I heed her advice I do a much better job overall. But my lengthy daily to-do list ends up putting me way behind.  I have tried organizing weekly, but too many things come up unexpectedly for that to really work.  freakin-to-do-list

Like piling more on your plate that you can possibly eat, how do you manage to avoid putting more on your work plate than you can handle….particularly if there are many things to do, plus many more things you would like to do or see need to get done?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Skeuomorphs

Posted May 7, 2013 by
in Editorial | 1 comment »

Here’s a question for the group:

Apple is going to move away from skeuomorphic designs.  (Like turning the page, typing, pen or pencil icons, records, wooden shelves for books, etc.)  Basically skeuomorphs describe design elements that have no purpose in their current form but are used to give a familiarity to something from the past.

Apple’s designs will change, which means many other developers and inventors will take note, including app developers.  Apps are rapidly becoming indispensable tools and aids for living.  Skeuomorphs

Do you think the moving away from familiar but older products will have an impact on their use?  Will less and less people be able to “recognize” them, and therefore, pass them by?

 

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Filofax/Day Timer Insert Update

Posted April 30, 2013 by
in Announcements, Editorial, Where to Go? | 6 comments »

The inserts are on their way from France, and we expect delivery in early June.  The second the products are in our warehouse and ready for sale we will announce it on the blog, so look for the announcement before mid-June.exacompta_logo_white_750

We expect to have a page of these Exatime inserts on both exaclair.com (Exacompta brand page) and also on a special page on quovadisplanners.com.  This page will show the inserts in stock and link to paperbistro.com, which is our e-commerce site.

We didn’t order a large amount of stock initially–but if there is interest we’ll keep the inserts in stock and look to expand in future months.  Depending on demand, we will seriously consider making inserts here in the US.

The inserts are “Exatime 17 Etroit” Papier Ivoire, 170 x 98.   They are made with Clairefontaine paper, 85g, so it’s good for fountain pens.

Here is what we ordered:

Ref 18544E – 2013 weekly view with notes

Ref 18511E – grid notes

Ref 18515E – ruled notes

Ref 18551E – ruled notes – 5 color sheets

Ref 18516E – address pages

Ref 18523E – address separators

More soon.  Thank you for your patience!

 

 

 

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Change in the Competitive Landscape

Posted April 23, 2013 by
in Announcements, Editorial | 3 comments »

We got word earlier today that Blueline (Dominion Blueline) just purchased Letts of London and Filofax.

changeahead

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Drowning in Paper

Posted April 18, 2013 by
in Editorial, Pens, Paper & People | 3 comments »

I have a problem I don’t know quite how to resolve.  I am drowning in paper.  Businessman sinking in heap of documents

Most of my colleagues–old and young–keep everything on Outlook or on our server and never print out anything or very little.  They read files and emails online.  They can quickly parse information online in a fragmented series.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, in order to comprehend and create I need to print out relevant materials, assemble or spread it out in front of me, and take in the whole picture at once.

A plus on their side is that they can prepare very rapidly, much faster than me, with a lot less effort.  My plus is I will remember details or questions they have missed.

But, the world is moving much faster, communication and response are much faster, and it’s hard for me to keep up.  I get into work earlier and earlier to assemble, coordinate and organize.  After months of doing this, I am struggling and wonder if it is worth it.

Since I feel stretched thinner and thinner, at some point I can see myself giving up on paper and just doing the best I can with whatever detail I take in on the fly.  I don’t know that I will ever be comfortable learning and creating that way, but realistically I need to do better on time management.

Is anyone else facing this dilemma and how are you handling it?

 

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Quiver Pen Holders & Habanas

Posted April 11, 2013 by
in Announcements, Editorial | Add your comment »

Quiver pen holders are described as “thoughtfully crafted, hand-made leather pen holders for your treasured notebook.” I would agree. They are lovely writing tools. Pen holders and notebooks compliment each other, and travel along together like good friends.

Quiver got its start from notebook users who were continually frustrated with losing their favorite pen at the bottom of a bag, or forgetting it on their desk at home. Clipping it to the notebook cover was iffy, since the pen clip could break or fall off.

The pen holders are made in Mexico by the same leather crafters who make Saddleback Leather suitcases and travel bags.  Quiver designers worked directly with some of the Saddleback Leather Co. people to gain their perspective on how to construct a leather product to last many years, even down to the type and strength of the thread and stitch count.

Quiver graciously donated two pen holders to raffle off with a Habana notebook.  We have paired a black pen holder with a red Habana, and a brown pen holder with a black Habana.  Both notebooks have 90g ruled sheets.

To enter this raffle, please enter your name, email, and preferred color in the form below.

Good luck to all the entrants!  The raffle will be open until Friday, April 19th.  The winners will be sent their prizes that afternoon.

You can see Quiver pen holders and photos of them with Habanas and Rhodia Webnotebooks here.

UPDATE: Many thanks to all who entered! Our winners have been posted here.

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2014 Planners & Refills

Posted April 2, 2013 by
in Announcements, Where to Go? | 1 comment »

I have two signs of spring:  robins in my backyard, and the first emails asking where can I buy a refill?!

I have seen my first robin (actually, ten of them!) and had my first message about refills.  Spring is here. 

Here’s the answer:  we are shipping Academic year (August-July) planners to college bookstores and retailers at the end of April.  Calendar year (January-December) will start to be shipped to retailers on May31st.

Look for them on the shelves and websites about two weeks later.

Our website – quovadisplanners.com – is currently being updated with new cover styles and retail locations.  Our annual update will be done in the next 3-4 weeks.

 

 

 

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The European Paper Company – A Wonderful Place to Shop for Paper

Posted March 26, 2013 by
in Announcements, Editorial, Where to Go? | Add your comment »

Our friends at The European Paper Company  are highlighting some of Exaclair’s brands in their upcoming promotions.  They stock a lot of our products, and their site is enjoyable to explore and shop. They are knowledgeable about our products, and good people to work with.  Their other site is Vickerey.com.

On March 28th their email newsletter will feature G. Lalo stationery, especially the popular Mode de Paris.  They have a lot of new colors in stock.  If you want to beat the crowd, have a look before their promotion is received by their regular customers.

Beginning April 3rd, every order will include a complimentary Rhodia pad… until the supply runs out!

We are proud to work with The European Paper Company and highly recommend them to you.

 

 

 

 

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Alexander Wang’s Black Notebooks

Posted March 19, 2013 by
in Beautiful Creations, Pens, Paper & People, Where to Go? | 3 comments »

Alexander Wang, the renowned designer and newly appointed creative director of Balenciaga, purchased and customized black Habana notebooks.  You can see them here on his site.  In addition to modifying the corners, he added brass-edged pages.  The effect is pretty striking. 

I thought his design elements changed the personality of the basic Habana. Mr. Wang made the notebook truly his own–something we all want to do with our notebooks. 

Gfeller Casemakers, a western-style leather crafter out in Idaho, is in the process of making a custom leather cover for Habanas. Gfeller makes and stocks custom covers for some Rhodia notebooks and pads.  They complement the paper and pads quite beautifully.  Leather takes on its own character as it travels along with us every day. 

Gfeller is practically the opposite of Alexander Wang.  One exemplifies urban sophistication; the other rugged field work out in the back country.  Both use the same notebook!

Here’s a question:  should we promote customized versions of our products on our quovadisplanners.com and quovadisblog.com? I think so, but I would like to get your feedback.

Thanks so much.

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There’s a Reason You’re Always Late

Posted March 12, 2013 by
in Editorial, Planning Tips | 1 comment »

Being an INTJ, you can pretty much count on me showing up on time with everything I need.  Somebody that organized often drives other people insane.

But on the other side, people who are late, and especially habitually late, drive me nuts.  I once had an employee who was exactly 20 minutes late every morning for work.  I coached her about her tardiness.  She said she couldn’t help being late.  I said – get up 20 minutes earlier.  She did–and was still late. I changed her hours, and she was still late.  To my relief, within a few months she transferred to another office. Eventually she left the company. She could never manage to get to work on time. 

Why are people chronically late?  For some, I think,  it’s time management skills, others ambivalence, anxiety or some other internal psychological state.

According to Diana DeLonzor, author of “Never Be Late Again” (Post Madison Publishing) and a former late person, many late people tend to be both optimistic and unrealistic, she said, and this affects their perception of time. They really believe they can go for a run, pick up their clothes at the dry cleaners, buy groceries and drop off the kids at school in an hour. They remember that single shining day 10 years ago when they really did all those things in 60 minutes flat, and forget all the other times that everything took much, much longer.

Do you think this is the case–that people who are late all the time really don’t have a good grasp of time?

 

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