WeekDate 2018-2019 Academic Year Planner

Anyone who has been reading my blog for awhile knows I love WeekDate planners and their Only Write It Once method! Kay Odell, the creator of WeekDate planners, is a genius. She came up with a paper planner that captures all of your recurring events in one spot so you only write them once, yet can still see them every week with no rewriting! How did she accomplish such an amazing feat you ask? Hang on and I'll show you in a sec. Let me walk you through the planner.

The academic year WeekDate planners have a slightly different layout than the calendar year ones, but the Only Write It Once concept is the same. The academic year planners measure 6.75 by 8.75 inches closed, which gives you a nice big page size but the book itself is slim and very light, much lighter than other planners of this size, so you can very easily carry it with you everywhere.

You can see lots of details and specs of the academic year WeekDate planners here. I'll also show you photos of these details too.

The outer cover is lightweight chipboard to give you a firm writing surface no matter where you are.

The inside cover comes in 6 different colors. This year's colors are black Exec, blue Breathe, green Between The Lines, pink Fizzy, orange Brazen, and (my favorite) purple Vigor, shown below!

When you open the inside cover, this is what you see: a space to write your personal details, and a welcome page:

Then! You open up to the weekly pages and see the setup in all its gloriousness (below). There are timed daily columns where you write specifics like doctor's appointments and deadlines. There's a lined area to the right of each weekly spread for lists and notes. The pagemarker flap is lined on the inside, making it the perfect space to keep things visible all the time like your year's goals, quotes, vision board, or a place to create a sticky-note dashboard:

AT THE BOTTOM is where the real magic happens. Below the days is a space that you see all the time, every week, even when you turn the pages. This space is actually the inside surface of the colored cover I showed you a minute ago. Here's a closeup:

This is where you write recurring events (in pencil obviously so you can change them when you need to). This is where you write your class schedule, after school activities, recurring meetings, trash day, rotating weekly menus, anything that happens every week. You can also write things that happen every other week and still keep track of them because the week number is printed on each week. So for example I write on Wednesdays to put out the trash on even weeks and the recycling on odd weeks.

Each day you just look up and down the column to see everything going on that day, whether they happen just on a specific day or on that day every week. So simple! So brilliant!

Each day's space is divided into 3 blocks you can use for morning/ afternoon/ evening; parents can use them for work/ personal/ family or for different family members; you can use them for school/ work/ social; or in any way that works for you.

SO. For example, say you (or your kid if you are a parent) has an activity that is on Tuesday evenings from 4-6 pm from August 14th until November 13th. On the Tuesday spot you can write the name of the activity, time, start and end dates. Now EVERY WEEK that will be visible! You don't need to rewrite it each week! When the activity comes to an end, you just erase it. And if for some reason the date changes, for example it switches to Wednesdays instead, you don't need to erase and rewrite it each week! You erase it ONCE and write it on the new day ONCE and you are done! Wow! I just love the elegant simplicity of this method. It really does make your life so much easier.

Side note: each WeekDate planner comes with a pencil and eraser. Somehow I failed to get a photo of the pencil, but the WeekDate pencils and erasers are my crazy-favorite. The pencils write so nicely, and the erasers erase so well. I hoard them. I hide them from other people. Seriously, they are great.

Look again at the right side of the bottom area and you'll see a lined space that also stays visible all the time. This is where you write things that happen on a specific date each month. This is where you write, for example, rent due on the 1st each month, etc.

Here are some other awesome features of this planner:

There's a tracker page where you can fill in the dates for each day you, for example: exercise, write pages of your dissertation, don't spend any money, or anything else you want to track. Or you can fill in each day to see your progress through your year, or days leading up to the big day (graduation, wedding, moving, starting a new job). This visual is very powerful in getting your brain to face up to reality and keep you on track!

Monthly pages! There are monthly calendars and notes pages embedded in the weeks to give you an overview of your month and a space to write your montly goals.

There are year overview calendars for 2018:

And 2019:

Here's a closeup of the pagemarker flap, with an overview reference calendar of the entire school year:

Another wonderful thing about the WeekDate Academic planners is you can cut out the pages and hole punch them to fit into a Filofax or similar brand A5 ring binder, or a Franklin Covey Classic size ring binder. The holes will go into the writing space on the pages just a little bit, but not too much. Make sure to get the colored cover punched and put in there too, so you can write your recurring events on the inside bottom of the cover. But yes it works just as well punched and put into a ring binder. I've done this in the past and love it. I haven't tried cutting out the pages to use a discbound system with it but it's a similar idea and I don't know why that wouldn't work too.

WeekDate planners are great for folks with ADHD, people juggling multiple roles, parents, students, and anyone with a busy schedule because you see everything in front of you all the time and nothing slips through the cracks!

WeekDate planners are printed in the USA and the WeekDate offices are run on solar power. 

WeekDate planners are only available at WeekDate.com and they ship worldwide! Go check them out and see all their products.

The planners have only one print run all year, and once they are sold out, they are gone for the year! Some colors sell out very fast too. For example as I write this the blue Breathe covers are already almost gone. So don't wait to grab the planner you want! These planners also make wonderful gifts. Anyone would love the gift of organization all year!

Find all the answers on their FAQs page. And be sure to find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest!

Many thanks to WeekDate for providing me with this planner as a sample to review! All opinions are my own. I love everything about this planner and the small, family-run company.

WeekDate 2016-2017 Academic year planner

Anyone who has been reading my blog over the years knows I have a special love for WeekDate planners. You can see all my posts on WeekDate planners here, scroll down to read them all.

A few years ago, WeekDate came out with an academic year version of their genius Only Write It Once system. The WeekDate planners have an amazing way to write all your weekly recurring events only once, and see them all the time alongside your daily specifics. More on that in a sec. Let me walk you through the book.

The WeekDate Academic year planners measure 6 3/4 by 8 3/4 inches, and are super slim and light so it's easy to carry in your bag. The outside cover is chipboard, which is sturdy but lightweight and gives a firm writing surface even when you are writing on the go.

Inside the chipboard cover is a colorful cover. The inside surface of this cover is where the magic happens. More on that in a mo. This is the Got It design. There are 6 different cover designs to choose from, you can see them all here.

When you open the planner, there is a page for your Personal Info:

Next there is a page with a short explanation of how to use the WeekDate planner, and their Time Tracker with fill-in bubbles to give you an easy visual of where you are in the year, or a countdown to a major event.

Here is the weekly spread. The days are timed columns. At the right is a column for that week's tasks and reminders. At the far right is a flap that you can fold in to mark your current week, and on the lined side write reminders, goals, use as a dashboard for sticky notes, etc.

Below the weekly pages is the inside of the cover I was telling you about before. This area is always visible, even when you turn the weekly pages. This is where you write weekly recurring events: class schedules, activities, meetings, which day to put out the trash, etc. This allows you to see your weekly schedule all the time, so when you turn the pages to schedule something in the future you can see what you already have scheduled and what time you have free.

Every day you look down the column to see that day's specifics and recurring events, so you always know what's going on every day. Note: use pencil on the recurring events spaces! That way you can change it seasonally or whenever your recurring events change.

Embedded in the weeks are monthly calendars with notes pages to write events, goals, notes, etc.

At the back of the planner are annual overview calendars for 2016 and 2017.

Below is another view of the flap that marks your current week. The back side is lined, this side has a reference calendar for the academic year 2016-2017.

This planner allows you to write your recurring events only once, and see them every week. This helps you plan your schedule faster and makes sure nothing slips through the cracks.

I don't have a photo, but you can also take the pages off the spiral and punch them to fit into your A5 size Filofax or Classic size Franklin Covey binder.

These planners are great for people with ADD, working parents, working students, or anyone who is juggling multiple roles. It keeps everything visible all the time so you can easily see what you have going on.

You can see the WeekDate Academic year planners here, and all the WeekDate products here.

Many thanks to WeekDate for sending me this planner as a sample to review!

A5 and Half size Academic year planners

Letts academic year planner

A friend of mine in the US contacted me yesterday to ask for recommendations for A5/ Half size academic year planners. Even though there is generally a smaller selection of planners mid year than for the calendar year, there are definitely options in this size.

I'm located in the UK so I don't know what's available in US stores, but I see folks posting online about planners they buy at Target, WalMart, and Barnes and Noble. They seem to have a decent selection, so it's worth looking there.

WeekDate's Academic year planner is A5 size. They are great if you have weekly recurring events. You can see my full review here with lots of photos and links to their product pages.

The Passion Planner has a Kickstarter campaign for their new academic year planner, you can see it here. They also have an undated version of their planner, it's here.

Moleskine's large size is nearly the same size as A5, just a little narrower. Their 18 month weekly notebook is always popular. They are easy to find on Amazon or at retailers.

Quo Vadis has a great range of academic year planners. Their Academic Minister (vertical days) or Scholar (horizontal days) weekly planners are just slightly larger than A5 but still slim and light.

There's also the Half size Uncalendar, it's undated so you can start it any time. Here is their product page and here is my review of it (from a few years ago). 

Here in the UK, A5 is the most popular planner size so there are tons of planners available, although they tend to all have the same daily or week on two pages format. I bought a Letts academic planner to check it out, and I am impressed with it. It has a week on two pages layout with space above the Monday for lists and notes. All US and UK holidays are printed in the day spaces, which is nice to not have to write those in. There are also lots of notes pages in the back: lined, grid and blank. This is the planner I bought: Letts Dazzle Academic year planner. I bought the pink one and there's no losing that thing! It's nice and bright, brighter than it shows in the photo (at the top of this post). Here is Letts full selection of academic year planners. I've ordered internationally from them before and their international shipping is pretty good.

What are your recommendations for A5 or Half size academic year planners? My friend is located in the US and would prefer not to pay international shipping. Thanks for any suggestions!

WeekDate 2015-2016 Academic year planner: new features!

The new 2015-2016 Academic year planners from WeekDate have lots of great new features!

One of the new features is the new chipboard covers that I will go on and on about in a minute.

First I want to show you the weekly layout. The whole concept of WeekDate planners is Only Write It Once: you write your recurring weekly events in the space at the bottom, and as you turn the weekly pages your recurring events always stay visible so you don't have to write them over and over each week.

I love the new, clean-looking font and timed daily columns!

At the right side of the page under the name of the month, there is a lined area to write tasks and reminders for that week. You could also list daily goals there and check them off each day as you complete them. There is a fold-out flap that is a great space to use as a dashboard to stick notes for more task lists or other things you need to keep in view all the time.

That flap folds in to mark your current week's page. There is a handy reference calendar for the school year there.

The weekly pages have US holidays printed on the day spaces. Week numbers are indicated, which I'll refer back to in a minute.

The space down below the week pages stays visible all the time. The daily columns are divided into threes so you can add times for morning/ afternoon/ evening, or different categories like school/ work/ home. This is where I can write my kids' afterschool activities, and even which weeks are garbage pickup or recycling. (Even weeks garbage, odd weeks recycling.) You write scheduled recurring events in pencil so you can easily change them seasonally. At the right is a lined space to write tasks to do each week like cleaning schedules, or to list things that happen every month like dates bills are due, to keep these always visible.

Embedded in the weeks are monthly calendars! Hooray! The page opposite the month is lined for notes, reminders, tasks and goals. The month calendars have a highlighted label at the right of the page so it's easy to find the month calendars within the weeks.

The day spaces have plenty of space to write in and have holidays printed in the day spaces. These calendars are great for overviews of due dates, deadlines and holidays.

Another new feature I love is shown below: the Time Tracker. I haven't quite decided yet how I'll use this, because there are several ways it can be used. I might circle holidays and deadlines in red, then fill in the circles as the days progress to have an easy visual as the days get closer. Or I might fill in the circles with color codes to indicate when I do cardio or strength exercises, for a quick overview on my exercise. You could use this page to track goals, progress, or as a countdown.

The paper is spectacular, nice and smooth with no show-through on the back side of the page even with my rollerball pens.

Now, the new chipboard covers: they are fantastic. They are firm so you can have a solid writing surface while holding the book in your hand. They have rounded corners so they won't catch in your bag, and a wire binding so the book lies flat and can be folded back on itself to save space. There is a peekaboo window that shows the design of the cover inside. Creative folks could decorate the outside of the chipboard using markers, stencils and/ or stickers to personalize it.

Here is the chipboard cover open showing the inside cover design. This one is the "Adventurista" design, there are several designs to choose from. The inside surface of the chipboard cover is a great place to put sticky notes, write quotes, or anything else you want to keep handy.

Here is a closer look at the Adventurista design!

Here is the inside of the back cover. I might stick one of those clear plastic pockets in there to hold papers and cards.

Here is the back of the chipboard cover, hand stamped with the WeekDate logo.

WeekDate planners are entirely made in the USA. And even with all these detail upgrades, they have stayed the same price as last year.

The planner is very lightweight, on my scale it's only 233g/ 8.3 ounces so it's easy to carry everywhere. The book is approximately A5 size, the cover is 6 1/2 inches wide (6 3/4 including the spiral binding) and 8 3/4 inches tall. It's a great size with lots of writing space and it's still easy to carry in your bag.

Thanks very much to WeekDate for sending me this planner to review! My daughter immediately wanted one when she saw it, so I ordered one up for her too. WeekDate ships worldwide, and I have to say $13.95 to ship to the UK is really good.

The WeekDate academic-year planners go from the beginning of August to the end of July. They are now shipping! WeekDate also makes January to December planners in a slightly different format that incorporates monthly recurring events too. The 2016's will be ready to ship soon so keep your eye on WeekDate.com for those!

WeekDate planners are great for people with ADD/ ADHD, those juggling work/ school/ family, and anyone who is busy because they keep everything visible all the time so nothing slips through the cracks. I'm all for a planner that makes my life easier with minimal effort!

WeekDate 2015 Academic planners

The WeekDate 2014-2015 Academic planners are now shipping!

Huge thanks to WeekDate for sending me this planner to review! I LOVE the color. This cover style is called "Rise And Shine" and is in Radiant Orchid, which is the Pantone Color of the Year. Gorgeous!!

There are several other cover styles and colors to choose from including black "No App For That," peach with white dots "Pop Up" and turquoise and white "What Goes Around." You can see all the cover styles on their ordering page (click here).

The planners have a sturdy coil binding, and a clear plastic cover front and back to keep your planner protected all year. The book measures 8 1/2 inches tall and almost 6 1/2 inches wide (including the spiral binding). It is super slim and extremely light (only 180 g/ 6.4 ounces!) so it can easily go everywhere with you in your bag.

The WeekDate Academic planners have a unique format which allows you to write recurring events only once, and still be able to see them every week. Then if a scheduled event changes, you change it once and you're done! No rewriting, ever! You can see exactly how it works in their excellent video here.

This planner starts the first of August 2014 and goes all the way through September 6, 2015. This academic-year format is great for students, or parents of kids in school so you can plan the entire school year in one book.

Below you can see the WeekDate Academic planner open. The weekly layout has all seven days as full size vertical columns, with a column for lists and notes. Below the weekly pages is the area where you write recurring events. When you turn the weekly pages, the area below stays visible all the time. You can write class and afterschool schedules, carpool, work meetings, household routines, and anything else you don't want to forget every week.

To the far right is a fold-out area for permanent information for quick reference. Or you can put sticky notes here for your task lists and any other temporary information you need to keep visible.

This flap folds in to mark your current week. It has a handy calendar for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Below is a closer look at the weekly format. US holidays are printed on the day spaces. You write your recurring events in the spaces below, then each day you look up and down the column to see everything you need to do each day. Genius!

In the back of the book are monthly calendars for August 2014 through September 2015, with US holidays printed in the day spaces.

Also in the back of the book is a reference calendar for all of 2014:

And a reference calendar for all of 2015:

There are also several pages for notes.

This hugely convenient format simplifies the whole scheduling situation. No more double-booking weeks ahead because you haven't recopied all your weekly events that far in the future yet. No more changing events week after week because a time or day changed. You write everything once, and you're done!

WeekDate also makes January-December planners (in a slightly different format), dry-erase wall planners, and more, click here to see their entire product selection. You can see more at www.WeekDate.com.

Thanks again to WeekDate for giving me the opportunity to review this awesome planner!

WeekDate 2013-2014 Academic year planner!

This is a completely new format from WeekDate, and I am extremely excited about it!

You may have seen my WeekDate reviews before (click here and scroll down to see them all). This planner is a new design, similar to the original WeekDate design, made for people with recurring weekly events but not recurring monthly events.

These planners are excellent for students and for parents with kids in school. Finally a way to easily keep up on your and your family's entire schedule, with no re-writing!

The Academic year WeekDate planners are being run as a test product this year and are in very limited quantities. I'm so happy to get one!!

The 2013-2014 Academic WeekDate planners come in two cover designs: this soothing sage green called "Calm Down" or black and white "No App For That." (I LOVE that name!!!)

This planner measures a little more than 6 inches wide (including the spiral binding) and 8 1/2 inches tall. I haven't done it myself, but you can also remove the pages and cover from the spiral binding and punch them to fit an A5 Filofax, Classic size Franklin Covey or any other binder that holds 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch pages.

Below is the weekly layout. Click on the photo to see a bigger image so you can really see what is going on.

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The top part is a normal weekly planner where you write daily specifics. Below the shortened pages is the inside of the covers where you write your weekly recurring events. This is always visible, even when you turn the weekly pages. So you write your class schedule, kids' sports practices, weekly staff meetings, cleaning schedule, and anything else that happens each week, only once. No more re-writing!  Further below I'll show you some examples of ways to use this planner. But first I want to show you more features!

Below is a closeup of the left page with the planner pages at the top, and the recurring events space below. US holidays are printed on the day spaces.

In addition to the weekly layout, there is a fold-out area of the back cover that would be perfect as a dashboard, long-term goals, bills due monthly, and anything else you want to keep visible.

I was delighted to discover MONTHLY GRID CALENDARS! Hooray!!

These are perfect for overviews of due dates and projects. Holidays are printed on the day spaces so you can work around them.

There is also an annual reference calendar for all of 2013:

And for all of 2014:

And there are a few pages in the back for notes.

At the right of the weekly pages there is a lined space for tasks and notes.

Below are some examples of how to use this planner. These entries are all fictitious, but they will give you some ideas of use.

Write in pencil everything that happens every week in the bottom section. You can see I've written things like kids' after school activities, school things to prepare for each week like PE and library, my exercise schedule and weekly weigh-in.

In the fold-out dashboard area I have a sticky note with month goals.

Here is a closeup of the left page. You can see when I scheduled the parent-teacher conference, Monday was the only free evening to have it. The greatest thing about this planner is, even when you schedule things weeks in advance, you know exactly what is already scheduled each week without writing it on page after page!

Below is the right page. Weekend days each have a full column, which is wonderful for those of us with busy weekends! Also the weeks start on Monday, keeping the weekend days together for easy scheduling.

 Here is something I really like: I wrote my weekly and every two weeks cleaning schedules in the recurring section, so I don't have to rewrite my cleaning routine every week. I wrote 1-5 and A-C in my weekly page, for the satisfaction of checking them off. You can see that 1-5 are the same each week, and A-C tasks alternate according to even or odd weeks. Week numbers are printed right there on the page, so I always know if it's the week to wash the bathroom rugs or to clean out my car.

Here you can see my to-do list, and my goals for the month always visible. This flap folds in when the planner is closed and serves as a pagemarker.

Below I've shown how to use the monthly grid calendars as general overviews for deadlines, travel, and events to plan ahead for.

This planner is spectacular for anyone with a lot to keep up on. The unique design makes sure everything you have going on stays visible so nothing slips through the cracks.

Something to note: the cover material for this year's academic planners is a thin card. Next year's version will have a thicker material for the cover. Personally I like the thin cover because it is so lightweight, this book weighs next to nothing and could easily go with you everywhere.

Another thing that will be different next year: since these are a test run they got out a little late this year, they started in September 2013 and go through September 2014 to give you an extra month of planning. Next year's version will start in July or August.

WeekDate products are made and printed entirely in the US, which is not easy for a small company to be able to do these days. In fact they weren't sure if they would be able to print WeekDate planners for 2014, and I'm so happy they did! I think the whole WeekDate concept of Only Write It Once is brilliant and I'd hate to see it go away!

You can find out more about WeekDate products at www.WeekDate.com. WeekDate ships all over the world! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. Follow them for great time management tips!

WeekDate is running a fun Facebook activity: take a picture of yourself with your WeekDate Academic planner in front of your school sign or city landmarks and post it on their Facebook page. It will be cool to see where everyone is using their WeekDate Academic!

Huge enormous thanks to WeekDate for sending me this planner to review! It's fantastic! What a relief for people with recurring weekly events.