I enjoy writing letters and sending holiday cards. And in order to do so, I have to have an up-to-date address list of friends and family. In the past, I have used my phone to keep track of mailing addresses, but a few years ago I invested in a Gillio address book. And now I feel like the Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey. The book has the most luscious leather cover. And inside are high-quality plastic sleeves to house the fountain pen quality paper inserts. Everything about the book is beautifully constructed. It brings me joy each time I pick it up to use it. 

In addition to my daily planner, I also use a Gillio Appunto for note-taking. Everyday, I carry the Appunto with me to work.  When I am in meetings, this is the notebook I use to capture important reminders/todos/next steps. The Appunto is divided into two sections: professional meetings and personal/family meetings. This way, I have one notebook with all my important notes from all areas of my life.  My daily planner, on the other hand, is used for scheduling appointments and keeping track of my running task list each week.

The Appunto has a fantastic layout.  The back pocket houses colored pens that I used to decorate the various pages of my notebook. I denote a new section of notes by titling the section in a different colored pen. That way, it's easy to discern one meeting's notes from another, and it's more fun to look at.

The front and back panel of the notebook houses a number of slots for business cards, and post its.  And there is a zippered pocket to keep extra fountain pen ink cartridges.

And I love the color combination -- gray and pink. It's a soothing color combination that I never get tired of looking at.

This beauty arrived yesterday. It is my new Gillio A6 Compagna in Croco Honey Mat. And it is gorgeous. I have the Lava Red in Croco, but it has a shiny look to it. I am really loving this matte finish.  And it feels good to the touch. Very smooth. But the big news is that I have made a HUGE change in my calendar set up. For years I have used a day per page layout. It has been necessary because I have quite a few appointments each day, and I keep a running task list each day. So this layout gave me adequate space for everything. However, the day per page layout means I have almost 365 pages devoted to my calendar. And that makes for a thick planner. 
As I've gotten older, I also realize that keeping a task list for each week is preferable to moving a task from one day to the next if it doesn't get done. That becomes tedious. And, honestly, I'm just ready for a change. Change is always exciting. And who knows...I may like this new set up. 

But look at how much less space I have! These two pages are for the entire week. I do have slots for my appointments, but I am keeping my task list on a separate page. I've dated it May 13-19 and the todos represent everything that needs to be done this week. However, if I don't finish some of the tasks, those will be moved to a new task list for the following week.
What format do you use for your planner calendar layout? Do you think I'm crazy? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I. Love. Gillio.

The company is located in Beersel, Belgium. They specialize in quality leather goods, but I am partial to their planners.  Currently, I am using an A6 Compagna after using their Medium size for a few years.  The A6 is a bit shorter, but wider than the Medium.  And I like that since I take my planner in my purse everywhere I go.  I feel the A6 size is less intrusive and also gives me a bit more space to write.
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As you can see, I use a fountain pen in my planner.  I love the Pilot Vanishing Point Decimo model.  It's a nice size for my smaller hands and the extra fine nib works well with my Filofax planner pages.  When I write in my calendar, it feels very satisfying.  I like the feel of pen to paper.

Gillio is known for its beautiful leathers. The one above is a bi-color yellow and brown calf leather combination. The leather is incredibly soft and patinas quite well. I am partial to the layout of the Compagna.  The large back pocket that spans the length of the planner is quite ingenious, and the high quality Krause rings are the icing on the cake.
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This beauty is an A6 lava red shiny croco. I carried this in February and March. I purchased it as a Valentine's Day gift for myself. And it was well worth it. The planner is a bit more structured and less flexible than the calf leather versions, but it is a beautiful planner to hold.