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Chronodex Weekly Planner Jan - Jun 2023 Released

Oh man, thanks for all the waiting; it's been a crazy 2022, especially the 2nd half. Finally, I got to work on the 11th-year Chronodex, and without further ado, here it is for immediate download.

A lot of beautiful things happened in 2022, despite all the COVID measures and nonsense. I seem to be able to get more exercise, particularly with my Brompton bike (oh yeah I sold my Strida at a great price and finally able to afford a Bromie 2 years ago). I am also transitioning to a new role at work kind of smoothly, not without everyday challenges though. Sadly this new role also left me with a lot less time for my personal life, and WTF there's no need to travel too, I need to connect to the rest of the world man, something has to change in 2023 otherwise I will have to be brave to move on. So much unspoken thoughts and feelings, hope I can handle 2023 gracefully and wish you all good luck to do the same too! HGJN.

Chronodex visual scheduler and task management on MD Paper

2018 is a great year when finally I spared enough time to make the first licensed Chronodex real.

Chronodex visual scheduler and task management on MD Paper, a pack of 3pcs in A5 size. It is gonna be released exclusively @logonhk Festival Walk store on 1st Sep for the MD Paper 10th Anniversary event in Hong Kong. The limited production was made possible thanks to LOG-ON and Designphil teams. It is Chronodex’s first ever licensed product, I’m tremendously thankful for those of you who support and respect original design.

On the left of the spread is the most updated Chronodex version.  On top there are icons reminding you to drink enough water and recording the day's weather, they are there to help you take a little time off from a busy day.  There's also "Today's Focus" so you can write down what's the most important thing of the day.  The "Gratitude Note" is for you to summarize the day with reflection, appreciating even small pleasant things instead of bringing home just a tired body.

On the right, there are sections to capture your random thoughts, things you personally want to do but may not be a good time, things that are less important so perhaps later, things to be captured in various projects.  Most importantly, there are 3 columns to capture important to-dos.  They are "5 min.", "15 min." and ">30 min." sections, whenever you need to capture a task, instead of pouring everything into one big inbox, you take 1 second to determine if they are tasks that can be finished within a few minutes or you need to spend more time, this is very important because when things are accumulating, it is so overwhelming you start to ignore the huge list.  This helps you to have a better grasp of TIME needed to complete those tasks, you choose to be easy to yourself this hour and dive deep into time consuming tasks the next, or the other way around, which gives you a sense of control.

Anyway, this is just one of the many possible ways to manage your day, it gives me pleasure to do scheduling and task management like it's a game.  I hope many of you will benefit from it.

This limited Chronodex edition is part of the celebration of MD Paper 10th Anniversary in LOG-ON Festival Walk store.  The event will also feature selling MD Paper blocks by weight, special event only stamps and pencils, exhibits from 4 professional users, workshops from talented @kalomakeartand @Pooi_chin. Any purchase of MD Paper product over HK$300 will also get you this event only tote bag!

Why the first licensed Chronodex is released on MD Paper?  Coz I admire how Designphil/Midori meticulously manage their product quality and never succumb to cheap ideas to exploit great brands. This is true with Traveler's Notebook and MD Paper Product brands I know deeply of.  Besides, the people behind these brands are my heroes, I'm so glad to be part of their initiatives.

So, it is a small thing but it means a lot to everybody involved.

Official press release: https://goo.gl/tQVYoV

Scription Chronodex Weekly Planner Jan-Jun 2017 Released

Wow time flies, I forgot to put a blog post about the released Jan-Jun 2017 Chronodex although the link to download was being updated in the Chronodex page.  So for the record, do try out this visual method of planning/recording your date related tasks.  Download Jan-Jun 2017 Chronodex Weekly Planner here.

While you are cutting away the edges of the 2017 Chronodex pages, don't throw away those left over paper stripes, simply clip them together and you get 68 faces of paper for your to-do list!

Enjoy!

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Chronodex Daily Scheduler & GTD To-do List Released

How Traveler's Factory Was Built

Scription Chronodex Weekly Planner Jan-Jun 2016 Released

Here you go, Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year for Chronodex fans!

This implementation is featuring weekly inspiration quotes on every Monday to give you a fresh start for each week.  Topics included are art, motivation, life, inspiration, love, work, etc.  I’m sure you will enjoy the little thoughtful addition for your weekly Chronodexing :) DOWNLOAD HERE.

In addition, don't forget my other very useful tool Chronodex Daily Scheduler with GTD To-Do List, which is in A4 size, when printed double sided you can 3-fold into a very slim format (Traveler's Notebook size) tackling all your tasks in stressless manner.  Combining the dated Chronodex and this GTD version, you can practice "relaxed focus" as proposed by David Allen.

(use it flat as individual pages) 

(Or you can fold it two times, insert it into the front or back pocket of your Traveler's Notebook, or slide it under one of the elastic bands in your notebook)

If you are new to Chronodex, the Chronodex page on this blog contains all the versions I released so far with useful notes.  Visit the Chronodex Facebook page to check out what others are doing with it.  Finally, my Instagram is where I post most of my works and thoughts on stationery... and beyond :)  Hashtag #Chronodex to spread the love! 

 

How Traveler's Factory Was Built

It was a happy coincidence last year when I visited Tokyo I met Mr. Narita who was the contractor to build both the Traveler's Factory Nakameguro store and the Narita Airport store.  I was blessed to see some of the sketches at times before the stores were built.

Courtesy from Mr. Narita on his Flickr site, you can see "the making of " photos from the former paper factory situated in Nakameguro Tokyo to the current Traveler's Factory principle store.  From stories I heard, it was built with a lot of hearts from choosing the site, material specification and sourcing, sign painting to the product selection.  It is definitely one of the classic stores in our lifetime.

Check out Mr. Narita's Flickr set of photos here.

Chronodex Daily Scheduler & GTD To-do List Released

Today is a proud release of my Chronodex scheduler with GTD to-do list function!  I had about 10 minutes of quiet time in the morning but then crazy whatsapp messages came in with lots of unfinished tasks, which reminded me of the importance of sitting down undisturbed to plan a good day.

It was first developed in November 2013 for my personal use and I've been filling it up with tasks in many of the busier days.  I've modified it into a 3rd version and now ready to share with you busy bees.  I usually use my Traveler's Notebook with two refills: A dated Chronodex Weekly Planner and a blank notebook for tasks, notes, drawings etc.  However in busier days when tasks overflow or when I travel for business, a daily version is necessary.  I've made it suitable to print on A4 paper, so that when you fold it two times evenly (a z-fold), you get a Traveler's Notebook sized task killer, simply slide it into the notebook and pull out quickly when in need.

There is not enough time for me to explain in details how to use it here, perhaps I can cover it later.  But simply, one fold is a Chronodex daily scheduler with "TODAY'S FOCUS" and "GRATITUDE NOTE" sections to help you run your day with clear objectives and highlight the more beautiful things you find from your day.  It also has small icons for you to track how many cups of water you have drank and weather icons to log your day.

The 2nd fold is the major GTD "Next Action" tab, where you want to lay your tasks in priority and kill them one by one.  The 3rd fold is the usual GTD "Projects", "Waiting For" and "Someday/Maybe" tabs.

If you print it double sided, you can save a lot of papers because one paper can be used for 2 days.  If you would like to use it without Traveler's Notebook, simply hold your pile of A4 papers with a binder's clip, it is a great way to have a dashboard like this on your desk lying flat.

It works great for me to plan my business trip days at terminals and coffee shops, I just needed to pull out the z-folded planner and start to write freely.

I've seen a lot of creativity from people using Chronodex without me explaining how to use it, perhaps someday I will, but for this daily version, I think it works very much similarly just with a GTD touch and self-explanatory.  So, for now, that's all.  Please download and share for free, but again it is entirely for personal use and please don't sell it.  I will work hard to find time making Chronodex products into reality someday.

PDF Download: Chronodex Daily Schedule & GTD To-Do List

 

 

Chronodex Weekly Planner July-December 2015 Released!

Thank you for your patience!  The July - December version of Chronodex is released today for free download.

Click here to download the PDF file. For more information about Chronodex, visit the Chronodex page on this blog or the Chronodex Facebook Page.  Happy Chronodexing!

Attached here a diagram to explain how you should print and arrange your Chronodex pages.  Hope this helps.

 

Unstoppable 2015

Phew! So many things happened so quickly in 2014.  I still haven't been able to review 2014 yet this new creature called 2015 has arrived already.  Been rushing a lot of things, been trying my best, been rewarding.... You can tell how cramped things are when you see my scarce update on Scription and the super delay on Chronodex's 2015 release.

I'm very happy ditching the "back to school" name finally, with a lot of helps from many colleagues, the fair from now on will be called ¬ [DESKBOUND] (the negation of being deskbound). With more people falling in love with Chronodex, I'm happy my company did make it a feature in its online magazine here. We made a lot of improvements in store and fixture designs which resulted in 2 new beautiful stores (City Plaza LOG-ON and Fashion Walk LOG-ON). Finally we could arrange a good enough cultural space for exhibition/workshop/gathering in the busiest streets of Causeway Bay in one of the new store.  There we had an amazing release of Traveler's Notebook Hong Kong Tramways edition, gatheirng with TN users, exhibiting 4 professional users' work, etc.  I hope to share with you more later. Oh these are just the surface, I had so much to talk and so much to feel thankful, so much more to come.

So, I need to get some quiet time to gather my thoughts.  Everything was so packed.  If you are in situation like me, things are too noisy around you introverts, do try reading Susan Cain's book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking". May I please get some significant quality alone time please Mr. 2015?

One of the most rewarding thing in 2014 was meeting with TN users in Korea and Hong Kong, being able to share my thoughts in meet-ups and presentations made me happy too.  Oh gee, I need to get back to the habit of writing more coz I find it hard to get the words out from my mind lately.

Everyday Inspirations Through Putting Yourself in Hardship, Is It Necessary?

I have a weird habit to torture myself.  Visiting trade shows and shops in various countries seeing all those great products, I could've asked makers to send stuffs by post or email, but I always choose to carry all those papers and catalogues.  Once I carried them with rounds and rounds of swearing throughout the days and lots of shoulder and body pain, everything became more important and some became treasures.  I'm not sure if it is healthy or not, sometimes the habit gets to you in other forms, like fighting unnecessary battles against sick capitalistic minds around you.

(Traveler's Notebook, Bonox eyeglasses, wooden Victorinox, Pilot Capless, Leica M240, Rembrandt water color set, Pentel water brush, Shure headphone)

The torture extends to everyday carry (EDC) stuff too, in addition to my Macbook, I carry way too much in many's standard.  But if there is just one beautiful capture, be it an image, a drawing, an idea, on any typical day, it would give me tremendous pleasure.

Is it necessary?  Is it because I'm too insecure to let go of things I love?  I'd love to know your opinions.

(An opened TN I captured tonight at home.  I was inviting people to post their opened TN in the Traveler's Notebook Hong Kong User Group on facebook.  If your body carries a soul, your notebook should carry your mind)

(9 books I've recently listened. I was either curious, looking for self-assurance, to be inspired or trying to escape from reality(

Anyways, my therapy is mostly done through spending lone time sorting my mind through, or listening to audiobooks during transit.  I'd be interested in knowing how others are doing it too.

Does Your Pen Speak Your Mind?

We human beings all search for what speaks our mind through all sorts of medium isn't it? Be it an art installation, a photograph, a painting, an article or even a simple desk arrangement; our bodily tools are so limiting simple language, gestures and facial expressions just don't seem to convey enough essence and importance of what our minds have been going through (alright poor English here, maybe it is suffice to say "don't seem to do the justice").  We need the medium viewer to go through similar torture or spend the similar amount of energy, to convey just a bit more, which is fantastic, immensely more liberating and interesting than just hearing the shorten form "I'm sad", BECAUSE there is always beauty springing off from these attempts.

(Faber-Castell Ondoro Smoke Oat fountain pen weighs 42 grams. Beautiful contrast of wood and chrome materials. The only thing I am uneasy of this pen is the "hollow" feeling when it is in use, perhaps due to wood's lower density, every stroke to me generates an echo.  Oh "Echo", I may like a pen which echos me indeed, I do)

The tools creating these medium, your hands for an art installation, your camera to create an image, your brush to create those strokes, your pen to flow ideas into an article, we too search for those perfect object-mates, but are we ever sure we have found the perfect match?  Same goes, the beauty lies in the attempts.  Through attempts you discover yourselves, through attempts you discover what's not, and through attempts you find …. beauty!

(My postman says Kaweco SketchUp 5.6 weighs 45 grams. Just the right weight to spill my idea/graphite onto paper, fingers act as lever to amplify my slight pressure increase from the wrist to produce just enough darkness and width.  There is even a sharpener at the back cap.  I will probably not be able to finish the graphite until another cool and better one comes along though)

So do lust for your perfect pen or camera, coz it is a noble attempt, but when you are able to find one true love, all the properties don't matter anymore.

(I bought a vegie bag while I was in Tokyo two weeks ago, perfect to host my Traveler's Notebook and Leica M240 inside with great accessibility.  Yes I'm afraid my treasures are accesible to theives too.  Yes the straps are not for human men.  Yes camera and paper are susceptible to rain drops.  No, I could not refuse the urge to pull them out every single moment when I experience something new in the trip)

(I had fun to disassemble an iStick, which is great for transferring files between computers and iPhone/iPad, vice versa.  Reason to disassemble: I hate the plastic cover and found a way to enclose it into leather.  During the attempt, I found a robot cuteness from its core and had some fun attaching my Lego C3PO parts onto it, yup miniature coffee and Traveler's Notebook included)