My Favourite (and Least Favourite) Things About Pocket Planners

My first ever ring-bound planner was an A5 and I thought it was the perfect size for me. I loved the amount of writing space and I never felt any urge to change my planner size.

Well, that is, until a few months ago.

For some reason (*cough* YouTube and Instagram *cough*), I really wanted to try pocket size. Despite trying to convince myself that it would be too small and impractical, I finally gave in to my curiosity and ordered a Pocket Filofax Saffiano.

Now, two months in and we’re inseparable.

Switching from A5 to a tiny size like pocket definitely took some time to get adjusted and comfortable. I thought I would share my experience of downsizing my planner size by highlighting some of my favourite (and least favourite) things about using a pocket size planner.

Favourites

Front view of my pocket planner with dashboard from SortStuffOut

#1 Lots of places to get ideas and supplies

Whilst it may be small, pocket size is a widely-used planner size. Which means there are so many places where you can get pocket planner supplies such as dividers, dashboards or inserts. There are established brands like Filofax or small businesses and creators on Etsy.

Not only that, there are also endless source of ideas, tips and tricks from others in the planner community. My favourite people to follow for pocket planner inspiration are AmandaLeighPlans and LindseyScribbles (they’re on YouTube as well!)

#2 Space-saving

Living in London means living in a tiny flat, which in turn means an even tinier workspace. My A5 planner used to take up half of the desk space whenever I would leave it open.

Now, with my pocket planner, I can leave it open and it would fit comfortably next to my laptop without getting in the way.

#3 Less overwhelming and more efficient

When I was using an A5 planner, I used to write these super long and detailed to do lists. It was actually counter-productive because I would end up feeling overwhelmed and when I inevitably don’t manage to complete everything, I would feel like a failure.

Now, with my pocket planner, that’s no longer a problem. Because of the size, I am a lot more thoughtful and realistic about what I can do and accomplish in a day since I don’t have the space to schedule in too many things. It’s also very satisfying to see everything checked off at the end of the day and it provides me with the momentum to stay focused and productive for the next day.

Daily Planner No. 7 - my current go-to daily!

Now, onto things that I don’t like about pocket planners.

Least favourites

#1 Not practical for note-taking

I like taking handwritten notes during meetings, discussions or even just for planning personal projects. Putting ideas onto paper helps me structure my thoughts and improve my planning and organisation skills.

Unfortunately, pocket size doesn’t offer enough space for this. So instead, I opted to repurpose my old A5 planner for note-taking and long-term project planning.

#2 The rings get in the way

I do find that I can’t write comfortably in my pocket planner when the pages are in the rings. I did, however, find the perfect solution for this – cutting slits into the punch holes! You do have to use a heavier paper if you’re worried about pages falling out (I use 100gsm/28lbs paper and it works great!).

#3 No space for sticky notes

Standard sticky notes are usually sized at 3” x 3”. They’re too big to stick neatly on a pocket size insert, which is unfortunate for me because I LOVE sticky notes. I have seen others cut down their sticky notes but I don’t find that solution practical. Instead, I try to source for smaller-sized sticky notes such as these ones from Suatelier.

Final comments

Despite some small drawbacks, pocket is still a really great sized planner and I’m really glad I decided to try it out. If you’re considering doing the same, I hope this post has helped you and given you some things to think about.