How to Own the Next School Year: A Guide to Academic Diaries

Pocket-Sized or Super-Sized?

There are absolutely loads of sizes to choose from when it comes to diaries, so whether you want one that will fit in your pocket, a mammoth one that can handle some serious note-taking or something in between, you’ve got options galore to choose from.

The most frequently found sizes in order from largest to smallest are A4, Post-Quatro (halfway between A5 and A4), A5, A6 and mini/pocket-sized. Smaller diaries can vary depending on what the supplier classes as ‘pocket-sized’ so be sure to check the measurements to make sure it’s what you want.

Wiro-Bound or Case-Bound?

Your diary’s binding is basically what holds it together. It might not seem important but it can make your diary easier to use and you may find picking the wrong binding can become a regular little annoyance every time you use it.

Case bound diaries have a similar spine as a hardback book. They have a lovely professional finish and are designed to be strong and durable.

Wiro bound diaries have wire rings down the spine which the pages loop onto. They are great if you need to keep your diary wide open or folded open on the right page, and you can rip the pages out much more easily if you need to.

Help Getting Organised

Diaries come with all sorts of useful extras, and academic diaries have plenty of features designed to make school-life all the more easier. In particular keep an eye out for a space for your timetable, deadlines and exams, a year calendar to help you plan ahead and notable dates to save the need for Googling.

And we know that everyone uses their phones to store contacts now, but we still like to use the addresses and telephones section of our diary for the important ones so that they’re quick and easy to find.

Popper or Elastic?

The fastener that your diary comes with can be the difference between keeping everything neatly together with ease, and fumbling around with a fastener you’re just not comfortable with.

Poppers remain one of the most popular fasteners for diaries. Just like a coat popper, you can quickly and easily secure your diary in place with a quick pop.

Elastic straps are another popular choice and can lay vertically or horizontally across the diary to keep the pages together. They also ensure quick and easy access, and keep everything in place.

Strap fasteners slot into place to keep the diary secure, and have a nice traditional look.

Serious Note-Taking or Quick Reminders

If there’s one thing you need to get right when choosing a diary, then it’s the layout. It’s important for both visibility and note-taking.

Day-to-page layouts give each day its own page so you have loads of room for note-taking.

Week-to-view layouts give you a quick and simple overview of what’s going on each week by spreading the days out across two pages. Perfect for quickly scanning for appointments.

Two-days-to-page is a fairly new format that splits each page into two days. It’s a nice compromise in that you can easily see what’s coming up in the next few days but you still have lots of room for notes.

Two-weeks-to-view covers a whole week on one page, so you’ll have visibility of two weeks across the double spread. Perfect for keeping an eye on looming deadlines.

Life’s Too Short to be Boring!

Lastly and crucially you need to pick a style to suit you. If you’re trying to make a good impression then stick with something professional and simple that will catch teachers’ and parents’ eyes for the right reasons. But if your mantra is that life’s too short to be boring, then go wild with bright colours, quirky illustrations and fashionable designs.

Pick one with a motivational quote if you need a little inspiration to keep yourself organised. Or trick yourself into staying organised by picking a beautiful design or colour that you won’t be able to resist using. The stationery aisle is your oyster!