I got my first planner when I was in fifth grade. I had won it in a beauty contest, of all things. It was a standard size with a black jean cover and janky looking rings. I loved that thing. I used it as a mini diary of sorts, and would use the monthly section to remind me of upcoming cartoons I wanted to catch. When I moved to the Philippines for high school, I found a neon green standard rings with a bright blue strap at National Bookstore and that became my new planner. I used it to write down homework, keep tabs on projects, notes and reminders, and keep tabs on upcoming shows I wanted to watch. My use for planners have evolved since then, and I need at least one to keep track of everything that I do, to keep things compartmentalized, to go back to use as reference, and to pour out all my ideas onto a page.
Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.
David Allen, Getting Things Done
I discovered the family-run Dutch luxury leather company Van Der Spek in 2017, stumbling upon it while looking for a new planner and frustrated with the quality of the ones I would see in stores and on AliExpress. I was considering buying a Filofax, but I found the standard size too narrow and the A5 to be way too bulky for an everyday carry. Van der Spek has a Touch Me Ready-Made collection for those who don’t want to wait for a custom. These are made of buffalo leathers from France that have been mineral dyed and are pretty supple and easy to care for.
Creating My Dream Planner
The leather that caught my eye wasn’t part of the Touch Me collection. It was a beautiful green leather made to look like crocodile skin called Foresta Croco. It took me four years to find and wait for a complimenting leather to be available – TM Thuya, a wait-list Touch Me leather in a rich, dark, jungle green.
I pulled the trigger on the custom order, but kept changing bits and pieces before it went into pre-production. Petra Van der Spek, the company’s hands on CEO, also handles customer service and was quick to reply to my requests. I’m guessing she gets people who go back and forth with their orders, wanting to get it just right for them and their needs. Here’s the final planner specifications for those who are curious:
- Standard Planner with 30mm rings widened by 13mm to fit Franklin Covey Compact Inserts
- Outside Leather + Stitching: Foresta Croco
- Inside Leather + Stitching: TM Thuya
- Gold mechanism and popper
- No stiffener
- Big back pocket
- Left-side secretarial pocket
- Chunky clasp
- Squared corners
The only frustrating part about ordering a custom planner is the wait time. Back in 2017, it took 4 weeks for each planner to be made and shipped out. Today, it takes 14-16 weeks, which feels like an eternity for someone as impatient as me. There should be a support group for people who start going a little crazy from the wait times, but for now, there’s the Van der Spek Organiser Fans Group for anyone who needs to get their fix of looking at pretty custom planners whilst waiting for theirs.
I had placed my order for mine in July and asked Petra if she could send me photos of the production process, if she had the time, and I was so happy to receive the email in October that said that my planner was on its way to me and that she had also managed to take a few photos of my planner baby as it was being made, which just made this a little extra special for me and even more appreciative of the artisans that put the Van der Spek planners together, which is well worth what you pay for.
Happy Birthday to… Me!
While I was expecting to receive my planner by the 15th of September, the extended production time had me waiting up until the third week of October before it was shipped out. Just in time for my birthday. This was meant to be a birthday gift to myself anyway, so I got it just in time. Van der Spek sends their planners out via FedEx, so there was an additional ₱576.80 fee for duties, taxes, and local charges, but other than that the package got here in around a week.
The Foresta Croco cover is gorgeous – I cannot stop petting it! I love running my fingers through the grooves and ridges of the leather, and inspecting the meticulous craftsmanship that’s gone into it. It’s the little details, really. Like how the pattern on the clasp lines up perfectly with the pattern of the cover. I also wanted the planner to be as thin as possible, so there’s no stiffener aside from a bontex sheet to keep it from going completely floppy.
The TM Thuya leather can be a little hard to picture, as the blue undertone keeps coming out. In reality, this is a gorgeous shade of dark green. The leather is pebbly yet soft, and has been treated to be fairly scratch resistant. I can be a little obsessive with my planners and I don’t think my heart can handle scratches and stains yet, so this is perfect for me as I’m the type to throw everything into my bag when I have to go somewhere and not have to worry about my keys scratching it. I totally get why so many people have fallen in love with the Touch Me leather now, and why their ready-made collection is always sold out!
The Conclusion
Ever since I got my new planner, I can’t stop sniffing the leather. I look ridiculous, but I can’t help it! I am well and truly in love with this chunky monkey and have already started plotting out the new year. This mainly stays on my desk and I use a Hobonichi Weeks as my everyday carry since it’s a lot more compact. This serves a myriad of purposes, from plotting out my entire calendar for my coaching, digital marketing clients, and other personal projects (like this blog), coaching reference notes (I like to flip through them when I have free time to review), a log of my finances, notes on my continued education (courses and classes I want to take, etc.), content ideas, and everything in between. I don’t have to keep looking through notebooks and scrap pieces of paper for ideas that I had scribbled down.
I don’t think I’d change anything with my first VDS purchase. I’m glad that I bought my planner when I did as I don’t see the Foresta Croco leather on the website anymore, and it hasn’t been announced whether or not it will be coming back. I’m actually thinking of ordering a smaller one for when I start traveling for work again. Maybe an A6 in the TM Mauve color, another wait list leather.
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