the art of living in Japan: stationery

January 14, 2013

Filing Stuff and Favorite Stationery from 2012

Top 3 stationery favorites starting from
Number 3: Files

My Power Productivity Program folder (find out more about the program here http://www.alejandra.tv)
that also contains magazine articles etc that inspire me to stay organized!

I have always been and always will be a "FILER".

When I don't have papers in a file it stresses me out.

My favorite folder that I can find in Japan at the moment is the Muji one above.

I like it because the rings are not attached to the spine, which makes opening and moving the papers around much easier....if that makes sense...

I have also started filing my "point cards"(Japanese "alphabet" order) in a business card holder. This one holds up to 60 cards.

I got this idea from:

Number 2: sticky notes and tabs

Sticky notes for to-do-lists and tabs for notebooks and files!

Before we get to Number 1...here's an honorable mention:

Last year I started using the Franklin Planner Organizer 2012.4~

I couldn't find a cover that I liked from the same company so I am using one from Ashford.

It has pockets in the front and back that store extra business cards (that I store in a mini ziplock bag so they don't get cruddy), a mini notebook (Moleskine) my favorite tabs from Avery and other sticky notes like the Green Marker (they look like grass blades)!

I like how the days are divided into two columns with a "to-do list" on the left and the timeline on the right...with extra space for notes on the bottom of each day. The only thing I don't like about the daily planner is the fact that it is thick! I don't carry it around on my day offs, this is only for work.

Number 1: Bags of all sorts! (Mostly Ziplock type bags)

the above bag holds the following office supplies that I carry with me mostly when I am working

stamps, tabs, pens, Muji case that holds paper clips and staples (underneath that is y Muji portable stapler)
a red ink pad, my date stamp, my name stamp, a ruler I received from a friend, mini cards and post cards, glue tape

I use ziplock bags to store many things now... clothes when I'm on the go, receipts, snacks....

Now, for what I am looking forward to using this year!

Last year I went through so many different kinds of notebooks that it got soooo confusing.
(for work and studying I still like the Cornell style notebooks but I am mixing things up a bit now.)
I am going to use the Moleskine Star Wars edition for my private journal and a regular Moleskine for my private notes.

In the back pocket of my Moleskine notebook I have some sticky note tabs. I made a cover with a small greeting card for extra protection...I'm a bit obsessive in that way!

above: my brand new R2D2 earphones!
below: stickers that i got from the stationery store for free and

It doesn't matter where you live and what brand you use...but it is a nice thing, I think, to stay organized and feel less stressed. I hope the year 2013 is filled with fun projects and joyful journal entries for all of us! May the force be with you!!!
...
What is your favorite stationery item?

January 10, 2011

the best stationery itemsI used in 2010

There are several things in this world that help me release stress.

One of them is buying stationery.

Stationery can be divided into various types…today I would like to focus on paperclips and notebooks.

For work and for my “research” I think I have settled on the Cornell Method Note that can be bought in Japan through Gakken.

(http://www.gakkensf.co.jp/lineup/cornell/index.html).

Kokuyo, the largest stationery/office equipment company

(http://www.kokuyo.co.jp/), has many notebooks that I have been using for my book diaries for the past 10 years or so.

http://www.kokuyo-st.co.jp/stationery/campus/).

(By the way, if you understand Japanese, the Kokuyo website currently has videos of Ryuichi Sakamoto talking about Ecology and Creativity. From the second video, Everett Kennedy Brown appears to talk about his experience in Japan etc. and what people can learn from Nature. His website is here:

http://www.brownsfield-jp.com/about)

This year, my schedule book is from Muji (http://www.muji.com/) and I just found out that they have apps for the iPad and iPhone too.

The scheduler comes with a canvas type cover that I am thinking about dressing up with iron-ons later.

I added a trim with decorative masking tape as well as ribbon bookmarks.

The checkbook-like notebook on the right is for the months and the notebook on the left is for the weeks.

I think this will be very easy for me to use this year and I am looking forward to filling it up with fun events!

More notebooks that I really liked last year and kept buying for various reasons were:

The one on the left is from Midori (http://www.midori-japan.co.jp/md/).

The pink one in the middle is one that I found in a store in Kyoto called karankoron (http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/karancolon/index.html). My favorite from last year is on the right.

It is from Tsubame Note and this series comes in all sorts of sizes and shapes (http://thinkbeforesearch.com/) and the pages are perforated but sturdy so they don't fall apart.

Now, for paper clips...

My favorite elephant shaped ones and fruit shaped ones are not here but this is to give you an idea of what is out there and what I actually use.

I use these kinds of paperclips as often as I can because I read somewhere that the most circulative stationery is the paperclip.

This means that more than any other stationery, the paper clip is the least likely to stay in one place. It is reused and passed on to people so you never know where your paperclip is going to end up! I figure if that is the case, why not send around a bit of happiness and excitement too?!