Imani’s 2023 Favorites: Planner/Stationery Edition
Can you believe we’ve nearly made it through another year? I am shocked, as always. The days can be long sometimes but when you look back, you realize how fast time moves. So as I do every year, I like to spend the last few weeks of December journaling, reflecting, and preparing for the upcoming year. This includes my planning life, too!
This year, I started strong with lofty planner goals and a planner stack to match. (My planner stack was SUPER ambitious. Check out this video on my channel where I walked through my 2023 planner stack!) As the months progressed, life changed and I began to get rid of everything planner and stationery related that no longer served me. Luckily, there were quite a few planner and stationery items that made the cut!
Here’s my list of my 2023 Favorites: Planner/Stationery Edition.
(As a quick heads up: some of the links in this blog post may be affiliate, which means I may earn a commission if you decide to purchase an item. If you have any questions, please visit this page.)
2023 Favorites: Planner/Stationery Edition
Before we dive in, let’s talk about how I chose my three favorites below!
If you’re an avid (paper) planner user, then you know that there’s several categories that could determine whether an item is a “favorite.” For me, there are a few categories that I care about more than others. I chose the winners below based on usability (how often I use the items), shock factor, and aesthetic.
Let’s get into the winners.
Blen pen
Have you ever fallen in love with a pen at first sight? If you’re part of the paper planner/stationery community, then you might be able to relate. For me, I fell in love with the futuristic feel of this next favorite entry on my list.
Let’s talk about the Blen pen.
It’s no secret that I fell in love with this pen this year and here’s why:
I have an affinity for white-barrel pens. I love how aesthetic and clean a white-barrel pen looks, especially next to my neutral planner spreads.
For all my millennials out there, do you remember that Disney Channel movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century? (Blast from the past, right?!) When I first looked at the pen, the first thing that came to mind was Zenon. The pen looks futuristic to me — something cool enough that Zenon and her friends would use.
I love the grip on this pen. The pen is comfortable to hold and easy to write with. As I like to say, the pen offers a comfortable writing experience — much nicer and smoother than other typical pens.
But the reason I love this pen the most is the ink. OH MY GAWD. The ink on this pen is BRIGHT and BOLD. I love how the dark black ink stands out on the page compared to the brightness of the Cloth & paper inserts. The ink stands out in a way that grabs the attention.
So it’s obvious that I love this pen; if you haven’t had an opportunity to try this pen yet, let this be your sign that you need to try it. Here’s the link!
Notebooks
Did you notice anything different on my Instagram this year?
As I scrolled my timeline, I noticed that there was one type of stationery present that was absent in previous years.
2023 was the year of the notebook.
I bought a notebook or some other form of stationery in nearly every city/state/country that I visited this year. Yes, I mean it: everywhere I went. I bought notebooks in Toronto, Boston, and even Lisbon, Portugal.
Luckily, my newfound love for notebooks coincided with Cloth & Paper’s recent releases of their notebooks this year. (And I promise this is a coincidence! In fact, I use the notebooks I bought while traveling more than I use the ones from C&P….)
From a usability perspective, notebooks are some of the most versatile forms of stationery on the market. I used notebooks for everything and anything this year: from planning my day and to-do lists to writing affirmations, brainstorming sessions, brain dump lists, journaling, and more. You name it, I planned it in a notebook this year. Simply put, my 2023 Favorites: Planner and Stationery Edition list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning notebooks.
If you’re looking to add a few notebooks to your collection, check out this black and white checkered notebook I bought in Toronto or this recommendation!
Washi Tape
No matter how often I changed or rearranged my planner this year, there is one thing that stayed constant for me: the opening page of my planner.
Let’s travel back in time for a minute.
I have always been an avid planner user, even back in the elementary school days when my school would give us those (low-key ugly) planners. I’ve loved stationery for a long time but I didn’t officially join the online “planner community” until late-2018 when I discovered some OG Instagram planner accounts (like Julie’s Plans and Cynthia Plans). Back then, I thought I loved everything colorful and bright. I loved getting Planner Kate stickers every month. On delivery days, I would rush home from work to look through and lay down the different sticker sheets. I also used to decorate my planner spreads with washi tape. I would go to Michael’s and JoAnn’s every weekend to look for new washi tape!
A shocker right? I barely use washi tape anymore!
Although my planner style has shifted, I recently discovered a way to incorporate neutral washi tapes in my planner: planner cards. I incorporate washi tape in the beginning of and throughout my planner as a decorate element and to add different planner cards in my planner.
Here’s a link to my go-to washi tape at the moment! I recently purchased this from Cloth & Paper as a last call item so be sure to grab it before it’s gone forever! (If you miss out, I also found this deal: 39 rolls of washi tape for $10!)
Special Shoutout
I absolutely HAVE to give a special shout out to some planner/stationery items that didn’t make the list but are still my favorites:
Transparent Sticky Notes
Whew! If you’ve watched any of my planner videos in the last few months, you know that I am obsessed with transparent sticky notes, specifically this affordable one you’ve seen in my videos. I love the neutral and versatile color. More importantly, transparent sticky notes are incredibly functional. You can move sticky notes around, while also leaving them in certain places without fear of blocking other writing in your planner (because you can see right underneath).
Uni Pin
You can’t use regular-degular pens on transparent sticky notes. My go-to pen for all things transparent is the Uni Pin because the ink is oil-based and perfect for the transparent paper. (I usually snag mine from Cloth & Paper, check it out!)
Let’s Chat
What were your favorite planner/stationery items in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!