the attic archives | ep. 40 ✸ making my own planner inserts? 

For anyone that's interested, I was able to make my own set of printed cards from the digital gloomies. I printed 4 per page (letter size US, sim to A4) on some card stock with an ink jet printer. I then cut out each card and used a corner rounder to finish them off. The finished cards came out almost exactly the same size as Foglietto A7 note cards. I'm able to carry them all in the kraft folder in my Passport size Travelers Notebook. Hope this helps anyone outside the UK wanting to make printed cards.

honestly, your dad is right about how optimized this layout is for collecting information. i’ve never thought of having that kind of planner or commonplace and it seems wonderful with being able to sort and re-sort it however you want! i hope you are resting well, megan and thank you for the lovely video☺️

dont worry megan! i totally understand the weird hyperfocus. making your own planner layout sounds so interesting and i don’t blame you for checking it out and having a good time with it. your layout looks so good plus your commonplace system too! whether or not you plan to continue with it, i’m here and everyone is here to support you ^____^

I think that these planner layout pages could be a great addition to your online shop!

If you ever decide to create your own gloomy planner, I'll be the first in line to buy one!

It is honestly such a joy to watch you refine a style of planner that works for you. And you really aren't accountable to anyone but yourself! I can only speak for myself but it's so nice to see someone tease out all the preferences and intricacies that I struggle to clarify in my own mind, and your videos are always unfailingly inspiring and soothing, regardless of the stationery being used. I hope you can enjoy the creativity of what you're exploring for it's own sake and not worry too much about how other people might respond to you honing and refining something so personal as the way you make what's in your mind tangible for you! 🫶

The secondhand excitement I got when you realised the new hole puncher worked great made my day☀️ honestly I’ve been so tired and on the constant verge of being overwhelmed it takes very little to get me excited at this point ahah Also!!! Finally printed out the gloomies and carrying them around day-to-day to uni and having them with me during exams and on my desk as I work has been so, so comforting - thank you for creating them!

A little tip for printing double-sided with a printer that doesn’t do so automatically. Grab a pencil and write a little L in the upper left corner in the margins. And put your paper in with the little L in the upper left corner and check afterwards how it comes out. That way you’ll know how it turns inside the printer itself and how to rotate your paper accordingly. Hope this makes sense for the people who might need it. ps. English is not my first language.

I've been making my own planner pages for a few years and I got so excited when I saw the pic you posted on tumblr! I love this sooo much

You don’t how much you inspire me. Your art, aesthetic and just your overall vibe is gold. 🖤🤍

I would love to see more of this experiment 👀 it's honestly like an easier bullet journal because it's fully custom but it being partially digital and in a ring binder is a really nice accommodation since you can reorganize/minimize the amount of bulk.

i love the typewriter font, most planning layouts look horrrrrendous - yours look really good

I had a similar system when I was in university years ago. I couldn't find a planner that fit my needs so I got an A5 Japanese 26 hole binder and blank paper with the holes, and I printed everything I needed. It worked for me very well and I liked it more than bullet journaling because I'd just design a layout once and print it whenever I needed it. I got a wide two-hole A5 binder for archiving it all. I still have it. I just took a peek and this was from 2016. I would even take each syllabus and print each one in A5 size. I like smaller things anyways, so mini versions of documents looked super cute. The nice thing about it was that it was a combination of bullet journal/written/drawn pages and printed pages. Kokuyo sells wide archive binders (called "K-file") but I've found that they are hard to come by. You're in the UK, though, so you may be able to get A5 two-hole binders. If you don't want to go too far from the Hobonichi in terms of feel/experience, you could order A5 Tomoe River paper. I'd recommend the 68gsm. It's about $10 for 100 pages here in the US. I currently print on that paper for an ink journal that I have. I made a template for ink swatches because I like things being consistent and neat. :)

I like having the writing on your templates! I have messy handwriting and I’m left handed so as much as I love writing, sometimes it stresses me out. Also I think the font combo is so cute~ I’m glad to see you are enjoying experimenting with this. Love you 😘 just watched the final flip through and it turned out so cute!

It may be slightly chaotic to experiment with a new layout while your current one is working so well, but honestly i'm here for it! I've been trying to figure out how to make a ring binder work for me because I think theoretically it makes sense, so i'm excited to see how you go about it if this continues to be something your interested in (no pressure if it isn't).

I think half the fun of planning and journaling is figuring out what you want to do in the moment. Recently I've been coming to terms with the fact that if something that used to serve you well doesn't work anymore or something else is more appealing, there aren't any rules keeping you in one place. Have fun and experiment. And if it sticks? Good. If it's just something fun for the moment? Also, good. Also, if you end up sticking with this, I'd love to see them available in the online store.💛

Here is my experience with ring binders: I'm using 6 ring binders as my reading journal. My reading journal is a place where I take notes about the books I read. I write down the quotes I liked I chat about the characters and the plot and I write down some information about the author. And 6 ring binder looked like the perfect match for this kind of notebook because I can move pages around. For example I would read 1 book from Virginia Woolf and fill a page about it. But I would read another book of hers maybe like 6 months later and then fill a page about it. In a normal notebook there would be so many entries about other books from other authors I've read during those 6 months. So the works from the same author had to be pages apart. And it frustrated me. Being able to move the pages around meant that I could just place the two Virgina Woolf pages next to each other. Now I can categorize things. Now I can keep things together. I can separate genres, authors, periods,countries etc. So for people who want to collect information about something and categorize them, ring binders are perfect. But I miss using normal notebooks because binders are kind of bulky. And I like things more compact and clean and neat. Also my binder doesn't lay flat which kills me a little bit. But I know there are other types that can lay flat. So maybe I'll get another one and transfer my pages 🙂

The new planner pages would be perfect for your shop, I'd definitely like to purchase them. Maybe you could offer both versions - with and without fonts. One of the reasons I love your gloomies and the stickers so much is the font, but I also understand that it could be too specific for some people

I would totally buy these ring binder planner inserts from you if that’s something you ever added to your shop (digitally). I really like the ideas that you have for them and I actually really like the fonts that you’ve chosen for them. It makes sense the way that you laid everything out and I’ve honestly been looking for a way of planning that makes sense. I also think logistically for selling them digitally, you could have an aspect of customization where we can choose a couple different layouts and also put the digital stickers where we want in a drawing app before printing or choose our own margin size. Things that someone could customize on their own using the stickers and recommended layouts that you provide that we would buy (if that makes sense). Anyway, I totally support whatever your planning/commonplacing journey lands on and I think you’ll end up somewhere great :)

"i thought it might be fun and then i got carried away" is the perfect description of my brain

I use a discbound after trying so many styles - and while I miss a regular notebook style sometimes, the flexibility of a discbound is just so overpowering and wonderful 🤣🤣 I've thought about making my own pages and layouts but i haven't done more than a few little things - this is an inspiration to keep trying! I love the fold and hole punch idea! I hope you keep having the best time with it.

Making your own planner would be so cool and so many of us would buy it.

it is so relaxing and fascinating watching you work out these systems for your interests, and i find it especially soothing seeing the process of refining the layouts and adding in your own details and decoration to the pages. it makes so much sense that you're exploring all different manners of organizing and collecting information in that seemingly unexplainable manner - it feels like another facet of the drive to collect information in your commonplace book. your excitement at seeing how well everything fits together at the end is so contagious, i find myself wanting to find other old empty notebooks and binders from uni days and making up new systems!

The best advice i can give is to label the side of the paper that is facing the ceiling when you put it into the printer (So put top on it) then print a gloomie card on it ( after it’s printe…. note which way the card is facing you when it comes out of the printer as well. Is the very top of the card coming out first or the bottom?) (How does this compare to word Top written on the page?) with that you’ll have a reference sheet to keep on how your printer actually prints ! Then… on procreate on an A4 sheet you’re gonna put what you want the right side of your spread to be.. on the left side of the sheet- and what you want on the left side of the spread on the right! (So do the opposite of what side you want it in your planner so there enough room to cut / hole punch) After you got a bunch of sheets with one side on it… take your stacks of sheets and feed them back into the printer and just print the page again. (make use of the reference from earlier) when trying to print think of how you want to flip through it and.. when you go to print it… do the opposite of how you want to flip through it! (i can’t guarantee it makes sense but i got it out of my head 😅)

it is so fun to watch this project unfold! and your Dad’s point is a good one, maybe this makes sense for you. and you can always change your mind again 🤷🏼‍♀️ at the end of the day it’s meant to work for you! and we will be here watching whatever you decide to do 😄

I really love the fonts you used on these! I know you were not sure how they would go over if you sold these, but I like how they still look somewhat hand drawn but are in fact a print! I personally think they are very versatile and would sell really well if you decided to sell them!

These pages you've designed look amaaaazing! I LOVED seeing this little rings experiment 🥰 if you ever sell these inserts as digitals I would absolutely use them - I love all the fonts you use! It's so lovely to think our conversation made you think of setting up this system/I'm sorry it sent you into a bit of a hyperfocus, but wow you made something so beautiful!

Seeing you try different approaches to planning is so great because we can be inspired by whatever works best for us! I bought a Hobonichi Weeks because of your videos and really love it a lot. Also, if the ringbinder becomes a regular thing you could also always print your paper at a print shop, it's usually really cheap and is way faster and better quality then printing at home. And of course you can print double sided there without problem and cutting the paper is also really easy with the large paper cutters they have.

Such a fun vlog! Keep going you’re on to something! Also petition for more Wednesday scratches/pets at the end 💕

I think whatever makes you happy is what you should be doing… even if your system changes regularly, thats fine. you write in and use your notebooks sooo much, it’s absolutely beautiful to see. i have so many notebooks and planners etc that i have filled with stickers and stuff but am yet to write an actual word in them! it upsets me because i want to use them for the intended purposes and actually sort my time management out. however you use your systems so well and in just a few days you fill out more in a diary than a lot of people do in a year. think of it a bit like this… you love collecting vinyl records and playing them when you feel like it, now you have also been enjoying tapes and now added cds into your collection. you play what makes you feel good at the time and that’s exactly how it should be. have fun with it all! i would be very interested in seeing a final version of your custom pages if you were to sell them. ❤️‍🩹

Wow, I never would have considered using a ring binder. I guess my only experience with them in the past were big bulky and plastic. The Filofax looks much sleeker and compact and just prettier. I’m inspired to try this for organizing my genealogy research! I have so many random notebooks and info about my ancestors scattered throughout, but with a ring planner I could organize and sort and keep things tidy! And I like the idea of designing my own templates for research specific to genealogy. Thanks! I hope this system works out for you!

I enjoy the variety of notebooks and now binder you use. It allows many to see how to they can be used to express whatever❣️I like your style and the font combo in your inserts.

I definitely think you could sell print-it-yourself documents of the planner! Maybe even digital sticker packs and documents so people can customise them to their own tastes 😊 I love the concept too, despite being an avid bullet journaler 🙈

i recently was looking up cocktails for a party and had a massive 5-hour hyperfocus spiral trying to design paper index cards to store cocktail recipes. with icon systems for weather/season/party type, level of prep, fresh/preserved fruit, etc etc. i have not made a single cocktail yet. it was hell. i had so much fun

I think this would be an awesome addition to your shop! I think the fonts you choose add to your style, but you could even have some without wording as well some of your specific ones and they would both be popular. I also loveeee the idea of including your ghosts on some of the pages. I love this progression tbh 😌 and I think it makes sense with your current hyperfixations in tactile music. This feels like a more tactile version of your planning; hole-punching, rearranging order, gluing together, printing, drawing whole layouts. It seems to align with your current sensorial needs 🤷🏻‍♀️ I hope you carry on with it as long as you wish or until the need is fulfilled!💕

Honestly this is genius. You can also buy plain A4 Tomoe River paper and print your spreads on it! I have been using a cousin for the 2nd year and will print things on the loose sheets and stick them whenever I want to add something

I use a binder for uni and it's the best thing ever. Being able to remove and add pages on the order I want is an amazing feeling of freedom and peace 😄

I would absolutely love it if you would provide digital printouts of your homemade planner pages!!! They look so beautiful and useable. And I love the mix of the type-writer and handwritten fonts.

I just love how we’re all so invested in the system here. It’s so fun! You actually influenced me to get a Cousin, I was also feeling really scattered and confused and it’s been the best thing. I’m really enjoying having my entire life in a really portable book. I can understand the interest in rings though. They make so much sense! Similarly to others I’ve also been down that rabbit hole but I got too frustrated with the rings. I hated having to pull the sheets out to write on them so I abandoned the system. I could see them working so well for your style of common-placing though. ❤

Your experiment with the binder has actually really inspired me. I’ve been looking for a solution to my own organization problems, (for example like, I just desperately need a calendar that fits in my books) and I love how customizable it seems

I think these inserts are amazing! You’re optimizing the things that you like. You’re basically creating your own book 📖

You can sharpen the metal of the hole punch by making holes with it on tin foil paper! That may help while you get a better one Also, I don't wanna scare you, but I started just like you. And the moment I touched a ring binder I've never looked back. I can put so many different papers and move the pages around

I’m obsessed with new planners and journals all the time so don’t worry! I’ve already got an A5 A&O waiting for me to do up with my own layouts so I’m just experimenting with new layouts for now. It’s a never ending process which I enjoy so don’t worry! Hehe x

Just want you to know I printed your digital Gloomies cards this week on a regular printer and card stock and then laminated them and they came out SO GOOD 😍 I love the way they feel in my hands and I keep them together with a binder clip in my purse for on the go! Thank you for the digital option, it wasn’t too much work on my end ♥️

this seems like a very natural progression. you should sell these when you get them to a point you're happy with them

Your experiment has inspired me so much. I like my Hobonichi weeks layout, but I dislike how I need to write my trackers each week. In bullet journalling it annoyed me how commonplacing was interspersed with calendars. I think a Filofax could be the best solution for me, thanks for finding that A5 one and recommending it.

I love your current planner system but I can’t lie - being able to move stuff around seems pretty neat. I also just ordered some stickers and I’m so excited about them they’re so cute

i love the font and the layout of the planner! i've tried a myriad of printable and printed planners throughout the years, but what you showed us resonated with me.

I think that the inserts you are making are so beautiful! It is fun to have a planner and a hobonichi! Yours are so easy to use! Filofax is such a great company. One nice hole punch is rapesco. I do my a6 and a5 inserts on it! have a beautiful week!

What a great idea, experimenting with a self-created lay out. Hope sleep regulates soon, for sure can identified. Be well.

Been unable to sleep for two days and very anxious, a post from you is a life saver.

Editing this because I commented out of excitement as soon as I saw the really neat idea of you making your own planner. I would really love these as a digital version for us to purchase. I love the fonts, please keep those if you choose to offer to others. I love your layout and have been looking for a new planner for next year. I want to try the hobonichi but it's so expensive and it's already the middle of the year, so seems pointless. I love the aspect of the commonplace book.

I really like the idea and I tried to do something similar, but for some reason I don't have enough "completion" of such notebooks on rings. it seems endless and it starts to tire, you don’t feel that this is a full-fledged book that measures the stage of life. As an autistic myself I dream of collecting everything in one place and for such a ring notebook fits perfectly, but I can’t help feeling that this is an ever-changing and “unstable” place. Dunno if this a common thing. But your layout looks beautiful! I cant buy it even digitally but I think that it would be great product to sell that way Thanks for video❤

The finished product is excellent!

Whatever your system is I love it. I love your videos so much. They make me so excited for life and being curious. Keep doing what you like and what you enjoy. That’s the best part of life. Also your little moment with Wednesday, “Wednesday we’re going to be unstoppable!” Was so cute. lol

Making your own planner layout is very interesting and you looks like your having so much fun with it. Thank you for the video :)

I actually thought about getting a ring binder too for journaling because ,like you said, the idea of being able to put anything in my book by just punching a few holes is super cool. However i really don't like having rings in my way when i write (I guess I could remove the paper but I prefer to have a bunch of papers under the sheet I write on). Suffice to say i love your little experiment ! May all of us find our perfect notebook one day lmao 😅

oh no I love that filofax planner idea.. also having those planner pages as digital products would be so cool! I just ordered some supplies for my new book so I'm fighting the urge to completely change my system again because it's so neat... filing that away as a future idea, especially if you come out with the digital pages. I definitely feel that random hyperfocus. I can't talk about my new notebook and all accessories for it without almost hyperventilating haha. even just typing this out I feel like my heart rate has gone up lol the shop update made me so happy, I can't wait to get my gloomies and carry them around with me!!

I once had to print out a booklet for art class, i figured out the paging by creating a mini version out of sticky notes, folding it into a book. I scribbled on each page to play what's in it and then numbered them. Taking it apart then helped me plan the pages on my laptop

because of you talking about dyscalculia, I took a test and turns out I have 'moderate to severe dyscalculia characteristics'. so that's fun.

aww the Tuesday clip at the end was so cute! I didn't realize Tuesday was so small!

ahhhh it's SO GOOD. this is a great hyperfixation bc it really allows you to tweak them constantly. i totally feel you with the dyscalculia issue. i need to buy a printer and now i feel like i need one that can automatically print two-sided lol.

i love this !! i just ordered my own a5 ring binder and i will be purchasing your printables!!

I use a Filofax ring binder for recipes, because I like them to look the same so I redo them digitally. I move the ones I’m making that week to the front, and it’s very satisfying. It’s fun to print on different kinds of paper, including the paper that comes with the binder. I found some water-resistant paper that’s so cool! for the kitchen events. I bet you could find a pad of Tomoe River paper for printing, too. 🤑 keep having a good time❤

I found your experiment with the Filofax really interesting because I also use a mix of digital and physical planners and sketchbooks. Looking forward to what you experiment with next!

I am so happy that you discovered the Filofax clipbook. It is my all time favourite planning and organising tool. My clipbook was with me during uni, and now it accompanies me to the work life. Also, I can torally understand your need for the perfect layout. Before Filofax I changed planneres, notebooks, etc weekly, and bugged me so much that neither of them where what I needed. I am so excited to hear your opinion about your Filofax. Amazing video! :)

Yay for CDs, I still much prefer downloading all my music and burning them onto DVD datadiscs, to stuff in a big ass wallet for backup and tactility. Maybe it's clinging onto the nostalgia of my teens, but it fills me with joy so sod it ^_^

I'm very interested in your new system, since it makes sense to re-arrange things after what feels better, even if it is by weekly. And also interested in the fonts, since it feels easier on my eyes than other "fancy" fonts. If you're on the thought train of maybe making these digital products, I'd be happy to buy them. Maybe A5 and A6 sizes?

i love the idea for it for common placing cause what if you wanted to add something that was related to that later on u can insert it later on that's why i do it digitally. Also love the planner ideas to be added to digital shop :D

i love the planner inserts & would totally use them!

Why does this video make me feel sad. But it is beautiful.

I really like my filofax and I think it would really work for you. It is such a flexible system! I really love the reminder to take your meds. This is something I would love for myself

ohhh at last... was hoping for something to watch while sick with covid.. thank you megan

Okay but I need that asthma inhaler reminder *desperately*

I've tried so much to use binders and thou i love the idea of it being soooo flexible, i find that im constantly wanting to take things out cause they don't look nice... I wanna be so perfect at times that i feel binders make it easier for me to discard so much. Also i write in such a way that the holes end up stretching so much... so I've decided to stick to binded notebooks for the time being cause i have to embrace my mistakes or find ways to fix them and i don't really pull on the pages that much. But i sometimes go back to it specially cause I can MAKE the spreads in whichever paper, whichever style. Also idk but sometimes i wanna just keep it all in the binder and putting pages away makes me sad. Bottom line, i love how you are experimenting with it, and i love to know im not the only one who overthinks EVERYTHING.

I just found your channel and like your vibe! I also print my own inserts (some I’ve made myself) and I use a discbound system since I like to turn it in half like a notebook. Congrats on the great design 😊

this video made my brain light up ❤ i love your binder pages & would totally buy them if you sold smth similar! (and to answer your q, i really like the fonts you use so they’d be ideal imo) i have one of those disc bound notebooks that i just started using as a commonplace book precisely because you can stick anything in there and reorganise the order as you go /chef’s kiss, truly!

I use a ring planner, and my favourite is kokuyo KB 64gsm it’s nice, and only a little thicker than TRP

Your own planner sheets. That is interesting. I struggle a lot into finding planners or any other type of book that have the display that I need. So being able to design your own book for the things you want to write and how to organize them is fun. It would be interesting to make them available in the shop with basic design and then you could do some research with your buyers to make more specific types

I totally get changing things around. Last week I decided I wanted to switch planners simply bc I didn't like the paper in my old journal. I spent most of this week copying every single entry from this year to the new Journal, it took incredibly long and was a stupid project, but now I'm so happy I have all my silly little thoughts from this year on nicer paper lol. (I should add that I keep my journal and my planner separate, so I "only" had to copy all my rambling and info dumping and brain-draining lol)

I've toyed with the idea of a ring binder planner a few times over the years. I like the idea of being able to build up permanent collections of certain pages and have others as more ephemeral. The main things putting me off are the rings getting in the way when writing and the way it's just so much bulkier than a little notebook - I plan in an A6 and hugely value the portability of my planner. I'm curious to see where your experiments lead! It does seem like it could suit you well.

Looks like so much fun! I totally get the appeal of being able to move stuff around and making your own custom pages. I just can't stand the rings in a ring binder 😔 a sensory thing. I settle for a highly categorized TN and making my own inserts. As for your inserts, I think having some of your art as an unintrusive deco would be appealing for those of us who live off printables! I never decorate because I don't have the eye or the time for it, so to have some pretty pages once in a while might be nice. If you got really into it you could do month themes or something! The way your commonplace pages are looks a lot like the cornell note taking system, and I imagine would appeal to a bunch of people! ❤

I'm making my own planner too. It's nice not to depend on the stores and their expensive prices. But it's still lot of printing work for the whole year

I love love love how these turned out! Great job on them! Also I completely understand the urge to switch systems all the time, but my guilt for ditching my current books is so strong I hardly ever take the jump 🥲 I'm over here itching to try ringed planners again after your video though lol so I would totally get your inserts if you ever released them as printables 🥹 Oh and out of curiosity, what serif font do you usually use in your designs (if you don't mind sharing)?

I just happen to have one of those Filofax clip books sitting unused and gathering dust, as it has been for a few years. I would be very interested in your inserts!

While I love your bound books, I get needing to experiment! I love your planning style so I'd watch whatever planner you're in. I did hate ring planning because eventually, the page holes would rip and pages were falling out. So just a con to rings

These videos are such a vibe and I totally get the hyper focus. It’s not so bad when it’s related to what you’re doing, but hyper focusing on reformer Pilates whilst I’m trying to plan events is not helpful 🙃. Aside from that tangent, thank you for uploading!!

You keep saying, "I don't know what I'm doing with this." Lean into that. That is the best part. I enjoy that you're willing to share what you focus on. Long hair, don't care and your nails look FIRE btw....

Now that you have a nice sharp hole punch, you could buy in some self adhesive vinyl sheets and make your own dot stickers. No, I have not thought this through! Seems like it could work, though. 🙂

I am using a system similar to yours but two A5 books - a Wonderland222 Monthly & Weekly Planner and a Wonderland222 368 page notebook. This week I decided to start using the notebook as more of a commonplace notebook as opposed to daily notes pages. I used rings when I first started planning. I moved to a bound book because 1. I hated when my hand hit againt the rings as I wrote and 2. when I started taking the pages out to write on them, the sound of opening and closing the rings became intolerable. I’m in the US; so, if you ever offered a printable download, I think the space you allocated for the holes is more than enough space for me to print it and take it to a local shop to be glue-bound.

i was really compelled by the ring binder concept a while ago (planners are a special interest of mine too) but found them hard to write in and too fiddly to take the pages out to write on them

i'd love a planner from u

Oooh, would you be interested in making them available as printables in your shop? Like adapt them to the filofax sizes and just have blank for us to buy and use? I use a filofax and I love what you just did!

Have you tried discbound notebooks? They're similar in that you can move the pages.

Hello! I am a new subscriber and I found your voice lovely and your videos are very soothing. Thank you for making this and uploading it! ❤️✨

I’m wondering if you’re going to use Traveler’s Notebook from TRC as one of your journal notebooks. I loooove watching your video.

Your planner pages are very nice! I’m sure that you’ll be selling digital downloads!😊

The hypomania that putting together a new planner sends me into is unmatched. I totally get the hyperfixation and I am so excited for this ERA of ring planning 🖤

in which program did you create your own planner inserts? I would love to try it because you inspired me to do so, but I am totally a beginner

You should definelty sell the planner templates on the shop!