“More women miss out on success, not for lack of talent but because we struggle with unequal life demands, proper support and personal organization.”
-VJ Founder of NOTIQ-
- Cloth & Paper– A Woman-owned, black owned company prides themself on connecting luxury and necessity. I’ve been a fan of her products for a few years now, and the quality and craftsmen-ship does not disappoint.
- 2024 Wire-O-Bound Planner– The Spiral Bound Planner includes a Horizontal Weekly layout, offering many opportunities for personalization. Separating each month is a monthly cover page, and following each cover page are monthly overviews and monthly calendar pages. C&P includes ample note space both for weekly spreads and full pages after each month.
- My only drawback is the planner is not released until end of Nov which means it doesn’t arrive until early Dec. I like to start goal setting in Nov and planning in Dec before budgets close. Yikes….
- Archer and Olive– a Woman-owned company that creates a space for anyone who wants to support their own mental wellness through journaling and creativity. It all began when A&O Founder Bonnie Kuhl discovered the importance of art and journaling on her own personal mental health journey. I’ve used A&O journals as a creative outlet since discovering them in 2021. The paper is everything, and can take “abuse” lol from pretty much any tool. And maybe even a few coffee stains…. haha
- Undated Art Deco Weekly/Monthly Planner– Plan out your days, weeks, and months with high-quality black vegan leather and 160gsm paper. This planner contains 176 pre-printed pages of yearly, monthly and weekly spreads, to easily organize tasks, notes, events, and important reminders.
- I’ve used this specific planner since August of 2023. The binding holds up well to travel and meetings. The full year view is nice as you could very much use the planner all year long.
- Drawbacks– there are just a few note pages for monthly reflections, and none for weekly notes and reflections. I like to keep project notes, and future plans in the same sections as weekly or monthly so that’s been a bit difficult.
- Hobonichi are a Japan-based company engaged in the creation of ideas, plans, media, events, products, educational programs, and other operations focused on making people happy. 2024 will be my first year using the Hobonichi Techo Planner, so essentially more to come on how it goes.
- Hobonichi Techo A6 Lifebook– I purchased the Techo for 2024 for the following reasons:
- Each day has its own page with ample blank space,
- Stitch-binding allows the techo to lay completely flat
- Made from a light, durable paper called Tomoe River paper that feels great and allows a number of pages while still remaining compact.
- Mini calendar printed on each daily page
- A subtle 24-hour timetable with 30 minute increments is there if you need it
- Each month is printed in a different color so you can tell them apart
- Drawbacks– the quotes on each page can get a bit annoying as they aren’t ones I would necessarily choose (and I LOVE quotes). For me that’s an easy fix as I’ll cover the ones I don’t enjoy with stickers, washi or black paper and add my own quotes.
- I also enjoy a weekly view as well as the daily. This again was an easy fix as Hobonichi makes a weekly compact companion I slid in the back cover. I guess over 20 years of refining they’ve thought of the drawbacks :).
- Hobonichi Techo A6 Lifebook– I purchased the Techo for 2024 for the following reasons:
- Laurel Denise– is a woman-owned company who believes in encouragement over competition and prides herself on selling kind, joyful, and honest products. I heard about her products on one of my favorite podcasts Planners and Wine. For full transparency, I will be using this planner as my health and wellness journal/planner in 2024. I have not used their products in the past.
- I purchased the 2024 Horizontal weekly Ocean Breeze. I chose this planner as I enjoy a Sunday start page, monthly and weekly views, as well as an insert for meal planning.
- This year I conducted meal planning in Apple notes. Although it made it very easy to cut and paste, I think an analog process will help me take the mindfulness portion up a notch.
- Lastly, I plan to set some big fitness goals in 2024 (maybe even a 10k phew!!!) so I know I’ll need enough room to really plan out workouts and routines.
- I’ll definitely share thoughts as I go on this one.
- This planner could very easily be used for work planning, especially it’s goal setting and reflection portions.
- NOTIQ– is a woman-owned black-owned company founded in Texas and loved globally. NOTIQ {no-teek} inspires meaningful and elegant living with a prestigious line of sustainable and fashionable personal organization goods designed to help you stand out and grow in life management. NOTIQ’s Founder, Designer, and Artist, Vivian Jade, infuses sophistication and sustainability into her designs to spark the dreams of those who seek to become more.
- I’ve purchased work bags, stationary, and gifted many planners from this brand. The quality, usability and elegance is unmatched. I was gifted a personal consultation from a friend for this brand and actually got to meet Lady VJ! She was as elegant, charming, and humble (virtually) as she is in her videos.
- Moderno Budget System Book– Ok so here’s my confession, I’m really, really bad at tracking work-related expenses. There I said it lol…. From mileage, travel, receipts, remembering my card lets just say I must always thank my administrative assistant for putting up with my shananigans each year.
- This year, I have purchased Lady VJs Moderno budget system to do a better job tracking and retaining expense related items. Fingers crossed this works and I will definitely keep the blog up to date on my progress!
- BONUS!!!!! Lunch Bag– As a bonus, in the same order I purchased Lady VJs lunch bag system. This year as I’ve changed my eating habits, what’s served at office meetings is not always right for me. Therefore, I’ve found myself more often than not packing my lunch and snacks and sometimes even breakfast for in-office days. Although pricey, the benefits of saving and eating right balanced out the cost for me.
I hope this is helpful. If there’s a brand you love that I missed, drop it in the comments so we can keep the sharing going!
In peace,
J