TUL Planner Review

I’ve always been a big fan of stationery and I’ve never gone completely digital, so when the planner craze hit, I was excited to have more and better options for organizers, calendars, and note-taking. While I love getting crafty to customize my planner, I wasn’t loving some of the overly cutesy covers. I guess I’m old school, but I don’t feel like I have a powerful negotiating position in a meeting when my planner says “I am Special” in gold glitter script. I recently reached out to Office Depot and they sent me a collection of products from the TUL Custom Note-taking System to review. I’m excited to say that I was able to get the best of both worlds with TUL! Read on for a more detailed review.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. I was provided with several products from the TUL Custom Note-Taking System by Office Depot for this review. Although I accept free products for review, I do not accept additional compensation, nor do I guarantee a positive review. My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions.

As I mentioned, I love planners but I’ve been looking for one with a more understated cover. For the past year and half, I’ve been really in love with discbound options. Discbound systems are great because it’s easy to remove and add pages, but, unlike with hole-punched paper, you do not have to loudly snap open a binder to do so. Also, your paper is less likely to rip because of the way the discbound pages work. I love to add and remove paper from my planner, so discbound works best for me.

I’m also pretty hard on my planner so I wanted one with a sturdy cover. The TUL Custom Note-Taking System Junior Sized Leather Cover has a classic look and is available in a variety of colors. I prefer the Junior Size because it fits into all of my different bags, but if you like a larger planner, there is also a Letter Sized option available.

In addition to a classic cover, the inside pocket also includes a place to store your writing equipment.

The cover comes with 60 lined pages for note-taking and the 8 discs you need to keep things together. I also received some additional products that transform the TUL into a completely customizable planner.

The 2018 weekly/monthly refill planner pages are a must if you actually want to use this as a planner and not just for taking notes. I use the monthly pages for my blog editorial calendar…

… and the weekly pages to organize my daily schedule for work and life. (Blank calendar pages are also available if you buy your TUL in the middle of the year.)

If you’re like me and your life has a lot going on, you’ll love the tab dividers, which allow you to separate different sections of notes to stay organized. The pocket dividers are great for when I’m between work and home because I can store small scraps of paper, business cards, and other important bits of paper that aren’t punched to fit the discbound system.

And, if the leather is too plain for you, there are more colorful and lighter covers available in the Student Edition. Now, if you REALLY want to get crafty with your TUL, invest in the hole punch. It works with all TUL sizes (and other discbound options). I use it to add some funk to my planner. I punched holes in some Animal Print Paper from Oriental Trading to add a more personal touch to my note pages.

You can find the entire line of TUL note-taking and writing products here on Office Depot.