In this episode Rob introduces his new productivity system of coloured military-style print out. Rob and Helen ponder why it's hard to find a system that works. And that maybe, they've (well, Rob) has been searching in the wrong place.

Maybe, when we try to find a streamlined, slick, frictionless productivity system we're not actually getting much reward. And maybe, just maybe, higher friction system (bullet journaling, Rob's new method, Hobonichi etc) give a more meaningful reward. And maybe even, the reward is in the friction itself.

Much to ponder.

Find our newsletter that accompanies this here.

In this episode we chat about the magic of whiteboards.

We cover:

How we used them at work
How Helen's daughter uses them for learning and revision
How Rob's son uses them for doodling
The ephemeral nature of whiteboard content
Long running whiteboard content - and why "do not wipe" is important

If you'd like to see the images we talk about in this session, head to the newsletter.

In this episode we chat with Amy Cooper-Wright who is the founder of Mark and Fold, one of our favourite stationery companies. Amy talks business, notebooks, gaps in the market, sustainability and shares her desert island stationery!

We chat about:

• Why start a stationery company
• Why Amy was influenced when she was younger by making her own books and running a toy post office
• Why Amy sought out to make the notebook better, not cheaper - and held to her high bar of quality 
• Why Amy was tired of not being able to find decent notebooks to buy
• Logistics, designs, challenges
• Pens, notebooks and the love of stationery
• Why you need to gather your stationery supplies ready to unleash your potential
• Why it's important to build your own system - and why Mark and Fold don't prescribe the system
• Sustainability and waste in the stationery industry
• Desert Island stationery - find out which 5 products Amy would take with her

Special Offer
Our Stationery Freaks newsletter includes some images of our Mark and Fold products and details of the special offer - https://stationeryfreaks.substack.com

We mention the Mark and Fold products that we use:
- The Everyday notebook
- The planner Pad

Amy mentions Kenya Hara and his excellent book 100 whites (affiliate link) all about the colour white and paper.
And here is the notebook Amy couldn't remember the name of: https://www.labobratori.com/
And here is Amy's new adventure in branding and comms - https://www.ames-and.co/

Thanks
Rob and Helen

In this episode we do a lovely interview with Sanne Visser, Technologist, Zentangle and Mandala aficionado and bullet journalling fan.

We cover:
* The Netherlands, bikes, canals and wonderful old libraries that sell stationery
* What Zentangle and Mandala Art is, and why Sanne does it
* The notebooks, pens and pencils used
* Table cloth colouring
* Stoic wisdom books
* Cellotape, staples and Hobonichi planners
* And Sanne shares the 5 items of stationery she would take with her to a desert island
* We also muse whether water bottles and handcream are considered stationery

You can find Sanne here:
https://www.youtube.com/@9outof10testers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/techsannetized/

Products Mentioned:
Posca pens

Sakura Pigma Micron (non-bleed fineliners)

Woodley Dual Brush

Big coloring tablecloth

Mandala coloring book

Find pictures of Sanne's artwork on our website : https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/

In this episode we discuss Helen's recent retreat to Gladstone Library. The surprising thing about the retreat was that there were no obvious stationery freaks....in a library.

• Helen explains what Gladstone Library is and the environment
• Helen talks about her experience at the retreat
• Helen explains how everyone had laptops, and very few stationery freaks were there
• Rob talks a little about his retreat 2 years ago
• Rob remarks that his was like a lads holiday, without the lads
• Helen explains why she's rebooked already
• Plus some hints and tips on doing your own retreat

Gladstone Library - https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/
Previous episode where Helen Callaghan mentioned Gladstone Library - https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/episodes/helen-callaghan
Our Stationery Freaks newsletter where we shared a picture of Helen at the retreat - https://stationeryfreaks.substack.com/p/travel-chaos-and-laziness-stationery

In this episode we were super inspired by a wonderful YouTube video we watched, called "You're Not Lazy : How to live a chaotically organised life" by YouTuber Elizabeth Filips. 

So, given it summed up how we work, or at least how Rob works (that was why Helen sent him the link to the video), we thought we'd deconstruct the video and share stories about how we operate. And of course, although light on stationery talk, how we use stationery to control our own chaos.

In the episode we talk about:

• Stationery Stories:
  • Helen has bought some single use ink pens
  • Rob's been boring and bought some coloured paper 
  • Helen's daughter is mapping out the entire history of the Roman Empire on a giant sheet of paper. 
  • We chat about white boards
  • Helen is retreating to a library
• And of course, we deconstruct the messages in Elizabeth's videos and how they resonated so much with us.
  • Fall behind, catch up, move ahead
  • Seven year itch - become 1000% better quickly
  • Optimise for passion
  • Adult brat - talk to yourself properly

Elizabeths video is here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2sS00egAzg&t=639s
Her channel is here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUFFHXvzAMRSD8Bq4bJppxQ
We mention Van Neistat : https://creatorhub.patreon.com/articles/digital-spaghetti-van-neistat
We mention Mark Forster : http://markforster.squarespace.com/

Check out the newsletter and website at stationeryfreaks.com

Thanks

In this episode we chat about what stationery we take with us when we travel. Let us know what you take.

We cover:

• Bookaroo notebook carry cases are Helen's new thing. (affiliate Amazon link)
• Van Neistat's inspiring Rob again - this time to create ToDo lists and organise himself
• Helen waxes lyrical about some new exercise books
• Rob turned up to a Mastermind meeting with the worst stationery
• We then chat about what we take with us to conferences and when travelling with work.

- Notebooks
- Pens
- Pencil cases

And we also share two examples of Stationery Freaks we've spotted in the wild - and how we might approach them to talk stationery.
You can find more on https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/

In today’s episode we chat about why we revert to lists when we’re overwhelmed - as well as some stationery stories

Stationery Stories

1. The man who stuck post-it notes to his tie - Helen recalls the story of a man who used this process to get things done.
2. Rob's using Helen's post-it notes
3. Teachers using iPads to stick post-it notes to
4. Rob has sent the Remarkable2 back - and bought a typewriter

Main Topic - Lists when overwhelmed

• We chat about lists, what we use them for and why we revert to them when things get overwhelming
• Not all of our lists are analogue
• Rob talks about his bucket list as the master list
• We chat about how digital tools can store endless lists - and that's why analogue can be helpful - there is limited space
• Helen talks about using a list to write stories
• Helen talks about workflowy and how she uses it

We mention:

• Van Neistat's ToDo list video
• Remarkable2
• Workflowy

You can find our newsletter and other episodes on https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/

In this episode we talk about what's happening to us - as we find digital tooling becoming more important in our stationery world. We talk about the Remarkable 2, Moleskine balance and how we are still stationery freaks! And Rob is retooling his knowledge management and Helen learned nothing about herself, despite sticker journaling for a few weeks.

We cover:

1. Woolsthorpe manor, where Isaac Newton saw the apple fall - and the fact you can buy pens made from the very tree that Newton saw the apple fall from
2. Rob's bought a Remarkable - will he send it back?
3. Rob's doing a workshop in Romania - and has bought hundreds of stickers for an immersive workshop
4. Helen's been using the Moleskine Balance app to track habits, mood etc. The interface is calming and clean - she is enjoying
5. Helen is using Bullet Journaling more for work than personal - due to working from home more often and "closing down the day"
6. Rob's been researching tooling for a Personal Knowledge Management System - and was spending more time fiddling with the system than learning. Helen is using Obsidian, Rob uninstalled it after 10 minutes.
7. Rob talks about The Brain as a PKMS. It's an awesome tool - but pricey, and would require a big on-going financial investment.
8. Helen has been sticker journaling about her mood and energy levels, and tracking this using stickers. What did she learn about herself? Absolutely nothing by all accounts. Zero insights. Nothing. Nada
9. Rob talks about using Zotero and the Remarkable as his new PKMS
10. Rob talks through why he's bought the Remarkable 2, and how it fits into his ecosystem of learning and note taking. At the moment, he's keeping it, but there is a 100 day returns promise
11. Helen's not convinced about the Remarkable. Truth be told, Rob isn't either.

Find more episodes and subscribe to the newsletter at www.stationeryfreaks.com

In this episode we discuss habits and how we define them and track them using both digital and analogue tracking and documenting. We share our own perspectives of how we develop habits.

* Helen has bought all of the stickers in the whole world (possibly)
* Rob is trying to build the habit of not buying anymore notebooks for a while - and instead, using up the mountain of notepads he has
* Rob has regained the love of Yellow Legal Pads
* Helen spends her life trying to make herself better using structures and systems to try and take away the thinking around habits
* Helen is trying to stop eating chocolate
* We reference Atomic Habits by James Clear as an awesome book about habits (affiliate link)
* Rob talks about how routines and habits that he used to work with in business
* Charles Duhigg's book on habits is also pretty special (The Power of Habit) (affiliate link)
* Helen is tracking how she feels using stickers in a notebook
* Rob used to track habits in ToDoist and simply didn't keep it up to date
* Helen is using Moleskine Balance digital app to track her habits. And reminisces about "Sunrise" app by Dan Ariely - since closed down
* Rob used to do quantified self, then went on to use the fridge of accountability
* Rob is changing his environment to force the habit of weightlifting - and will become the strongest man in Winchester within a month
* Rob references The Diary of a CEO podcast with Tim Spector
* Helen has moved to measuring the impact habits is having on her life, rather than the thing itself

Why not subscribe to the newsletter!

Thanks
Rob and Helen

In this episode we interview Maria Van Le of LeVan Books. 

Maria makes her own beautiful notebooks - of which Helen has purchased a few. They are exquisite, hand made and use some top notch material.

In this episode:

• Helen talks about her 6 ink pens - and decides she needs more (or not).
• Maria talks about her passion for glass ink pens, water colour painting and using her own books
• Maria explains how she started making books for her daughter and her friends, before making them for other people
• Maria is self taught and a perfectionist - always ensuring her books meet her own high standards - therefore delighting the customer
• Maria mentions Shepherds book binding (bookbinding.co.uk) - a cool store where she gets many of her materials from.
• Rob realises Shepherds is not too far from his office….credit card ready
• Maria explains how long books take to make and how precise she needs to be
• We discuss GSM paper thickness and their different uses. 
• Maria also shares the 5 things she would take to a desert island
• Maria also shares why she set up the Etsy store and how you can get your own custom notebook

Useful Links

You can find Maria on Etsy at LeVan Books - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LeVanBooks?ref=usf_2020

Fancy having a go at making your own notebook? Here’s a kit (affiliate link).

In this episode Rob and Helen share some of their stationery disasters as well as ramble chat about stationery, including, but not limited to,

• Helen has a new LeVan notebooks
• Helen Callaghan Writing Challenges - check out this previous podcast featuring Helen Callaghan
• Stationery Care Packages - Helen sends some beautiful gifts, perfectly wrapped. Rob sends a package with a terrible index card in it. 
• Rob uses his Bella Beso planners.
• Helen explains to a new team member that she doesn’t use digital tools. Rob uses analogue note taking methods whilst others smirk. 
• Helen explains how she ruined a notebook
• Rob explains how he lost his entire digital Personal Knowledge Management System (we’ve done a cast on this)
• Helen is now going to come up with creative ways to ruin more notebooks so she can justify starting new ones.

https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/episodes/stationery-disasters

Hope you enjoy.

Rob and Helen

In this episode Helen and Rob chat about buying stationery hauls from Vinted (other platforms and services are available).

We cover:

1. Our surprise at the variety of stationery on vinted
2. The bargains to be had
3. Helen's stationery haul for an upcoming workshop
4. Rob's stationery haul for no reason other than some bargain Moleskines and a notepad with Yorkshire written on the front
5. How Rob makes offers and Helen pays full price
6. What stuff they found on Vinted. 

Note: We have no affiliation with Vinted - we just thought you'd like to hear about the stationery goodness. 
Note: We believe Vinted is available in many countries - but double check and if not, no doubt there is an alternative - let us know!

Thanks
Rob and Helen

In the first podcast of the year, (I know, we're slack), Helen and Rob chat about recent stationery finds, purchases and goodies. 

1. Helen geeks out with a colleague who loves Fountain Pens - and is an expert on paper quality.
   1. They head to Gilbert House Pens to spend money. 
   2. Helen buys a feather resin pen. 
   3. Brad Herrington from Gilbert House Pens is helpful and guides Helen to the right pen. 
2. Helen is now obsessed with inks, especially after we had Urban Hafner on the show. 
   1. Helen is now using shimmer inks of various colours. 
3. Rob is taking out extra loans to cover his addiction to Domestika courses. 
   1. Rob is now finishing a small lettering course by Little Hannah (amongst other courses!)
   2. Rob has therefore bought some Pentel Brush pens for the course - sorry, Rob referred to them as ink pens in the podcast - they are not. They are brush pens. 
   3. Rob apologises if you head to Domestika and up remortgaging your house. Their courses are brilliant. 
4. Helen has convinced friend of the show, Helen Callaghan (Guest on Episode 20), to set some constraints and coach / mentor Stationery Freak Helen on writing. 
5. Helen has finally found a use for her "top of the class" Mark and Fold notebook - you know, that notebook that is super special. 
   1. And now Helen has replaced it with another "top of the class" notebook from LeVan notebooks. 
   2. A beautiful hand stitched notebook, that lays flat, and is covered in Japanese silk/linen. 
6. It turns out Helen keeps her unused notebooks (of which most Stationery Freaks have hundreds) on display. 
   1. Rob finds this unsettling as it would remind him of all of the potential he has yet to release. 
   2. Rob keeps his hidden away in his writing desk
7. Rob is following the wonderfully talented Play Attention Now on Instagram - he has inspired Rob to keep learning to draw.
   1. Which is why Rob has purchased another Ottergami notebook.
8. Helen has signed up for a writing workshop that takes place over 30 weeks with Alison and Jenny who run "A Novel in a year"
9. Rob mentions his upcoming book "Take a day off" over on Cultivated Management 
10. Rob has bought an old school Rapesco pencil sharpener.
    1.  Helen has bought an ergonomically challenged pencil sharpener of her own - that slices fingers in the process of sharpening pencils. 
11. Rob has bought a book called "Japanese Colour Matching" from the wonderful CounterPrint books.
12. Stationery Freak Helen and author Helen Callaghan are taking their "creative constraints" workshop to conferences this year! How exciting.

Until next time.
Rob and Helen

We were VERY excited when fellow Stationery Freak and founder of Fountain Pen Companion, Urban Hafner, joined us on the podcast. Urban is a software developer, fountain pen aficionado, host of two podcasts (one of which is about stationery), bullet journal user and fan of nice stationery.

In this episode we chat about:

• Fountain pens, inks and why Urban created The Fountain Pen Companion tool
• Japanese pencils
• Learning handwriting and calligraphy
• Why Urban throws away his journals once he's finished with them
• Urban's paired down Bullet Journal practice
• Desert Island stationery - the five things Urban mentioned are below
•  Urban flips the rules and turns his desert island into a paradise
• Why paper is so important when you're using Fountain Pens
• A3 paper
• Helen joins the A3 paper movement and tries, weakly to justify buying a beautiful notebook. She did justify the second notebook as a way to practice learning Arabic.
• Rob share his use of the daily planner from LoveBellaBeso and also makes no attempt to explain why he bought some notebooks from All Things Analogue.
• Urban's bought some more postcards to send to his subscribers

Urban's Desert Island stationery. Urban flips the rules and turns his desert island into a paradise. We didn't

• Endless Recorder notebook: https://www.madebyendless.com/collections/endless-recorder-notebook
• Giants' Pens custom pen: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg0-HEdjiKB/
• Diamine Green/Black: https://www.fountainpencompanion.com/brands/13-diamine/inks/967-diamine-green-black
• Uni Penmanship pencil: https://pencilsandotherthings.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/mitsubishi-penmanship-pencils/
• KUM Masterpiece: https://www.kum.net/en/the-masterpiece/

Products and Links mentioned in this episode

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanhafner/

2 Guys 0 Planners Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-guys-0-planners/id1436673888

Expanding Beyond Podcast: https://www.expandingbeyond.it/

Fountain Pen Companion: https://fpc.ink

Endless Recorder notebook: https://www.madebyendless.com/collections/endless-recorder-notebook

Giants' Pens custom pen: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg0-HEdjiKB/

Diamine Green/Black: https://www.fountainpencompanion.com/brands/13-diamine/inks/967-diamine-green-black

Uni Penmanship pencil: https://pencilsandotherthings.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/mitsubishi-penmanship-pencils/

KUM Masterpiece: https://www.kum.net/en/the-masterpiece/

Moo Luxe postcards: https://www.moo.com/uk/postcards/luxe

FPC logo: https://www.fountainpencompanion.com/blog/4-introducing-fpc-the-fountain-pen-capybara

LoveBellaBeso on IG : https://www.instagram.com/lovebellabeso/

All Things Analogue on IG : https://www.instagram.com/allthingsanalogue/

These are the notebooks Rob bought : https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck2318OIO3y/
Scribble and Dot notebooks - https://amzn.to/3VNn6dy

In this episode Rob and Helen share the 5 items of stationery they would take with them to a Desert Island.

What would you take? Let us know on Instagram - @stationeryfreaksuk

In this episode:

1. Helen is obsessed with Rob’s A3 learning management system - a video of the system is here on Rob’s YouTube channel.
2. Rob talks about his new (old) Waterman Fountain Pen
3. Rob bends the rules of the game
4. Helen forgets a pencil sharpener

Helen’s 5 items:

• A Mark and Fold desktop scratchpad (part of the stationery pack)
• A Mark and Fold blackwing pencil (and no, we' have no affiliation with Mark and Fold - other than we love their stationery!)
• A Perfectly Penned notebook (aff link)
• TomBow brush pens (aff link)
• A Paperweight her daughter painted

Rob’s 5 items:

• Yellow legal pads (aff link)
• Staedtler school pencils (aff link)
• Craft knife
• The Daily Stoic journal
• A sketchpad

What would you take?

We also encourage you to try last year's stationery advent calendar challenge - here's the first episode of that!

Don’t miss out on joining the community with our newsletter or join us over on Instagram (@stationeryfreaksuk)

Thanks

Rob and Helen

How excited were we when, Sunday Times Best Selling psychological thriller author, Helen Callaghan agreed to be on the podcast?

Helen is a stationery freak, so we dug into her process of writing, typewriters, book soundtracks, choosing colours for books, Moleskines, writing retreats and more. 

It was a real joy and we’re sure you’ll be inspired and motivated and learn a lot about the world of writing books.

Some quotes from the show:

• “Self-consciousness is the enemy of creativity”
• On Fountain Pens - “There’s something wonderfully technical about them”
• On writing retreats - “This is what I’m doing now and I’m concentrating on this”
• “You create a plan for the chapter, and then you don’t follow it.”
• “Work on it every day, be engaged in it and a synthesis happens between things in your head.”
• “Inspiration has to be summoned”

Here’s what we covered:

1. NaNoWriMo - and Helen’s engagement in it
2. How stationery still has an important role in Helen’s life and book writing process
3. Why seeing what you crossed out on paper is important
4. Why choosing a colour scheme for a book being written is important - and how Helen does this
5. Mood boards and music playlists
6. The importance, joy and process of writing retreats. Helen mentions Gladstones writing retreats.
7. How Helen plans and plots out a book - and why sometimes she often doesn’t stick to the plan
8. Why writing plots and twists in a book often surprises herself with where it goes!

You can find out more about Helen, including her social media and published books here on her website. 

Thanks

Rob and Helen

In this episode:

• We jump into the topic of career development with a three dimensional approach created by Rob, which consists of:
  • DISC
  • Strengths
  • Happiness
• Rob explains why he prints out loads of selfies using his new Thermal Printer from Vretti
• Helen is obsessed with stickers from Spooky Yeti
• If you’re interested in the Trinity here are some recommended surveys (Stationery Freaks has no responsibility for your data from these sites - nor has an affiliation with them. But we use them often).
• It’s also worth doing an internet search for free versions of the strengths finder - we’ve never used any alternatives so cannot comment on how helpful they are.
  • For DISC use Tony Robbin’s free online survey.
  • For strengths use Strengths Finder 2.0.
  • For happiness, (choose VIA Survey of Character Strengths) from Authentic Happiness.
  • Rob has a more in-depth write up on his Cultivated Management website here.

Don’t miss out on joining the community with our newsletter or join us over on Instagram (@stationeryfreaksuk)

Thanks

Rob and Helen

In this episode:

• We explain what mind maps are, how they work and what we use them for.
  • For more details on different mind maps we recommend this post.
• We also introduce our new newsletter!
• Helen introduces her new learning of choice - Arabic. And how she is using brush pens and a new notebook for it.
• Rob steals Helen stationery. Video of that here.
• Rob talks about his new Academic planner that makes him look all sophisticated.
• Helen talks about NaNoWriMo and how she’s only ever made it to day 3.
• Helen talks about fine liners
• Rob buys some stationery from Sainsbury’s but is less than impressed with their shop display.
• And Helen adds that TKMaxx isn’t much better for their displays.

https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/episodes/mindmaps

In this episode:

• We explain, with poorly formed excuses, why we've been absent for 6 months
• We talk about consistency, notebooks, etsy and Helen's addiction to stickers
• We talk about notebook usage, whiteboards for bi-annual planning, bulletjournaling and A5 mind mapping
• Rob talks about his countryside productivity retreat
• Helen talks about colours, pens, mood
• Helen's cat makes an appearance
• And Rob talks about the endless nature on digital todo lists like ToDoist (and how it's not always a good thing)

We mention:
Zen Art Supplies
Moleskine
Etsy
Mark and Fold
Todoist

https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/episodes/whats-been-keeping-us-busy-for-6-months

In today's episode we cover:

* How to pre-empt failure
* How Helen thinks through what could go wrong
* Why Rob looks at everything as an experiment - and therefore failures are data for moving forward
* Why resilience is essential
* The old stoic approach of setting a target but not being wedded to the outcome

The challenge -> Subscribe to the podcast as next year we have some cracking content coming your way

In today's episode we cover:

* Habit stacking and what it is
* Chaining habits together
* Forcing your environment to support your habits
* Picking one existing habit and building on it
* Avoiding leaving gaps between habits
* Doing just 15 minutes of habits
* How Helen did a PHD is procrastination
* Talking to your inner 8 year old
* How Helen uses her Bullet Journal to track habits

The challenge -> Choose a habit you wish to develop and decide when would be best to do that habit. Then find an existing habit in or close to that time. Then try to add your new habit together with the existing one!

In today's episode we cover:

* How we track goals once they are in progress
* Rob shares how he tracks his videos using a Mark and Fold notebook
* Helen shares how she relies on the enthusiasm at the beginning of starting a goal to drive habits
* Rob talks about his Fridge of Accountability
* Helen shares how she uses her Bullet Journal for tracking goals

The challenge -> We forgot to set one today!

In this episode Rob and Helen explore the world of Domestika, an online learning platform for creatives.

Note: We are not affiliated with Domestika, but Rob is addicted to it.

* Rob explains what Domestika is and how it works
* Helen is addicted to stickers - and may jump in to Domestika to learn more about calligraphy
* Rob explains how he sometimes just watches the "materials" video on each Domestika course to geek out on stationery
* Rob is building a list of Domestika tutors to interview for the Stationery Freaks podcast
* Helen is intrigued by what's on Rob's watch list (see the full list on the newsletter)
* Rob explains that Domestika is addictive so go carefully

Find out more about Domestika here.

Subscribe to the Stationery Freaks newsletter here. 

Thanks
Rob and Helen

In today's episode we cover:

* How we got interested in minimalism
* Courtney Carver's project 333
* The Minimalists - Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus
* Stationery Freak -> Someone who tells themselves they can walk past a stationery shop without going in, but they cannot
* How lockdowns have stopped impulse buying from stationery stores
* Helen's Etsy habit
* Maria Kondo
* Sort your life out with Stacey Solomon (and why visualising everything in a warehouse is so clever)
* Why emptying a cupboard and throwing stuff away is so cathartic
* Two recommendations
- Courtney Carver's project 333
- Fumio Sasaki's "Goodbye Things" book (affiliate link)

The challenge -> Pick one cupboard or drawer, empty it and discard that which doesn't spark joy

In today's episode we cover:

* How to turn goals into action
* Triggers that trip your brain into breaking it's subconscious routines
* Habits are awesome as you don't have to think about them
* Can you replace a bad habit with a good one?
* Can a certain place trigger habits?
* Is the theory of 21 days habit building correct? 
* Traumatic moments help with building habits (anyone ever forget their gym kit at school?)

The challenge -> Pick one goal and think about what routines and habits you'll need to develop to bring it to life

In today's episode we cover:

* How to break a goal out into smaller parts, such as milestones or mini sub-goals
* Start small - what's the first step or next step
* Copy and learn from someone else
* Rob shares how he writes a book!
* Is there a period of preparation before starting a goal?
* And is this preparation a form of procrastination
* Make the most of the initial enthusiasm to make progress - before it gets challenging

The challenge -> Pick one of your goals and break it down into tiny next steps.

In today's episode we cover:

* Why Helen is learning how to make Japanese food - and how this is a personal learning goal
* Why Rob did a two year HR learning goal for his career - and how painful this was
* How Rob uses Meso-cycles of learning and implementing
* The difference between Task Acquisition and Information Acquisition
* How Rob uses Domestika for personal learning
* The "Two Whys" of learning - career and personal

The challenge -> Identify a simple learning goal you could commit to in either your personal and business life

In today's episode we cover:

How to use your journal to reflect on goals, life and behaviours
Rob butchers Seneca's journal questions (accidentally)
We talk about Benjamin Franklin's two questions to book-end the day
And whether Helen really will continue this habit into 2022

The challenge -> Continue journaling - and maybe use the "what good did I do today" prompt

Benjamin Franklin's Daily Schedule For Success (addicted2success.com)

How to start journaling — Stationery Freaks

In today's episode we cover:

• How Helen uses one notebook and typically has 3 - 6 goals
• Why too many can be overwhelming
• Why Helen works to a 9 month goal setting period
• Why breaking the rules of goal setting can be good
• Why scratching off goals that don’t resonate anymore is good
• But also why sometimes persevering is the right thing to do
• How Rob sets goals by breaking the 10 year painted picture down to 5 years - and then yearly goal within
• Why Rob has around 15 - 20 goals each year, but some are big and some are small

The challenge -> Whatever your method for goal setting, try setting a single goal and writing it in your notebook. And don’t forget to keep trying the gratitude journal

We have a cast on goal setting --> How to set goals (using stationery of course) — Stationery Freaks

Welcome to Day 3 of our 12 days of Christmas advent calendar.

In today's episode we cover:

• The basics of goal setting
• How Helen uses values to test her yearly goals.
• Why Helen only sets yearly goals
• How Rob paints a bright picture of the future 10 years out, then sets 5 year goals and then yearly goals

We have a cast on goal setting --> How to set goals (using stationery of course) — Stationery Freaks

In today's episode we cover:

Journaling and how to get started

Why it is therapy. 

Seneca’s daily reflections, a brief science of journaling, tracking goals, working through problem and the difference between a journal and a diary

The challenge -> Write down three things you are grateful for

The Art of Journaling: How To Start Journaling, Benefits of Journaling, and More (dailystoic.com)

Morning Pages | Julia Cameron Live

How to start journaling — Stationery Freaks

Welcome to the first of 12 mini episodes. In today's episode we cover:

The first challenge -> Find yourself some stationery for the next week or so (notebook, pens etc). Write the date on a page and consider journaling. Or leave it blank :)
The basics of journaling and an introduction to our prize.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning one of Helen's very own Dan Ariely's "Perfect Notebook" then simply use the hashtag #stationeryfreaksadvent on Instagram. Feel free to connect with us over there also @stationeryfreaksuk

A new episode every day from 13th December 2021 - 24th December 2021

How to start journaling — Stationery Freaks

In this episode Helen introduces her little notebook of stoic phrases and ideas that she created for her daughter. 

Helen explains what the notebook looks like, how she made it, why she made it and what it contains. 

Rob and Helen explore a little more about stoicism and how translating some of the key ideas for kids is a good idea.

Rob and Helen ramble chat about a variety of ideas such as:

• Why saying No is important
• How to control how you respond
• Book recommendations for those interested in stoicism
• Why analogue notebooks can be passed down through generations
• And why we feel compelled to create notebooks full of wisdom for our kids. 

Episode 16 - The little book of stoicism (for kids) — Stationery Freaks

In this episode Rob shares his goal setting process using paper and digital tools. Rob explains what makes a good goal, Helen asks lots of questions and Rob shares how to track goals.

We cover:

1. Goals should be measurable and timebound
2. An annual review is a positive process
3. Painting a picture of the future and aligning goals is important
4. The why is important
5. Precious little red notebooks
6. Tracking in ToDoist
7. The power of journaling

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In this episode Rob and Helen talk their favourite stationery heroes. Each of us present three of our top heroes from this last year. 

Our heroes are those people and companies making useful, beautiful or unique stationery. From big manufacturers created amazing pens that work, to artisan craftspeople making one-off notebooks. We’ve got them covered. 

• Helen talks about Zen Art Supplies. Again :) - https://www.zenartsupplies.co
  
  
• Rob talks about Lescargot Papier - https://lescargot-papier.com
  
  
• Helen talks about Papermate Inkjoy pens - https://inkjoy.papermate.com
  
  
• Rob talks about Mark and Fold - https://markandfold.com
  
  
• Helen talks about ETSY. Yes - the whole of Etsy :) But more specifically:
  • Gretel Creates - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GretelCreates
    
    
  • Unhappy Planner - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/UnhappyplannerStore
    
    
  • Bones and Blankets - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BonesAndBlankets
    
    
• Rob talks about Escape to the Chateau - and their notebooks - https://thechateau.tv/shop/personalised-gifts/stationery/personalised-notebooks.html
  
  

We also nod to Sainsburys (yes, the supermarket), moleskine and field notes.

Join us as we ramble chat through our favourite heroes and why we like to champion small business, why switching off from screens is important and why our stationery buys have shifted towards little moments of joy.

In this episode Rob and Helen talk about derailment, overwhelm, overwork and how they try to get a grip on life when it all becomes a bit too much. 

Regular listeners will know it’s been over two months since the last podcast - and that’s because life (and our emotional reaction to it) has got in the way.

In this episode we share how we’re trying to get a grip on life, and cover, amongst other things:

• The difference between overwork and overwhelm
• To Do lists that look like world domination (too much to do)
• Bullet journaling, bucketing by themes and organising the chaos
• Moving to analogue to slow down, disconnect and deal with the constant video calls
• Rob talks about defaulting to learning new skills, crafts and hobbies
• Helen talks about capturing ideas, notes and tasks in the moment
• They ramble on about nature, gardening and finding time for YOU
• Rob talks about buying yet more new notebooks
• Helen talks about the joy of stationery gift boxes
• And both of them share ideas on how they are getting a grip on life

In this episode Rob and Helen talk about lists and why they are so powerful. 

They share what lists they use and how they create and store them.

Lists such as:

• Moving House and House Extension lists
• To Do lis
• Editorial Calendar lists
• Travel lists
• Work induction checklists
• Stoic wisdom lists
• And more

They ramble chat about recurring lists in ToDoist, bullet journal, old Filofax systems and how lists can save lives.

Brands and tools mentioned in this post

ToDoist
Paperchase
Moleskine
Filofax
Oxford - Red and Black Notebooks
Trello
Really Moving house move checklist
CJ Hole House extension checklist
Rob’s induction and onboarding checklist in Trello

In this episode Rob and Helen talk about why they started this podcast; because of the potential that stationery offers us. 

Whether that is a new brand, a book, an idea or simply the potential to organise the chaos that can be our lives - stationery offers potential. 

That new notebook - what magic may it release?

That new organisation system - what order can it bring?

Rob and Helen talk about:

• The potential of new notebooks
• Why squandering those first few pages can ruin a new notebook
• Fountain pens and why you shouldn’t let your kids use them
• The dangers of ink bottles and clumsy people
• Why we shouldn’t merely copy other people’s habits and routines and expect to achieve great results
• Why some notebooks just call for Fountian Pens

We mention or talk about:

• Stationery Island
• Mark and Fold
• Paperchase
• Moleskine notebooks

In this episode Rob and Helen grab their notebooks and talk about what's inside. Helen talks about writing in Orange pen, being obsessed with post-it notes and how she splits her notebook 50/50 between work and life. Rob talks about a notebook that won't fold flat, how teachers are using sticky notes and why social media may not be good for his mental health. 

Helen talks about her:

• Process improvement notes
• Interview spiel and questions
• Team Lisowski notes 
• and more

Rob talks about his:

• Travel packing lists
• Keynote talks
• Editorial calendar drafts

We do hope you enjoy this episode - why not let us know what's in your notebooks.

Brands mentioned:

• Paperchase UK
• Filofax

Visit the blog - https://www.stationeryfreaks.com/episodes/whats-inside-our-notebooks

In Episode 10 Rob and Helen talk about how to build a personal knowledge management system using both digital and analogue methods. 

Helen introduces her drawer full of randomness whilst Rob talks about how this drawer is actually some sort of system. 

Rob then introduces how we use analogue and digital methods to create his PKMS as well as explaining how we offered the "Free Style Rap” over some loud drumming. 

He then explains the two styles of learning using learning to play the drums as an example, hence the rapping.

Rob introduces the two styles of learning

1. Information Acquisition
2. Task Acquisition

Before going on to introduce the 4 steps to his PKMS

1. Capture
2. Curate
3. Crunch
4. Contribute

Rob explains how notes can be digital and analogue, how he uses Evernote as his digital storage system but a fab Ted Baker notebook as his real learning journal.

But none of this is important unless you put that information into action and learn from it.

Rob and Helen then close out by talking about Bullet Journaling, Washi Tape and UPPERCASE magazine. 

Lots of deep learning and useful ideas in this episode - let us know if they resonate. 

Products Mentioned :

• Ted Baker notebooks
• Evernote
• UPPERCASE MAGAZINE

Please note we use affiliate links to products mentioned on this page. It helps us to feed our addiction to stationery - you pay nothing more, but we earn a slight commission if you purchase during an active session created by the link. Check out our privacy policy for more.

Note taking may seem quite simple but in reality few people take effective notes, whether during meetings, or in everyday life. 

Rob and Helen share reasons why note taking is so hard, how to make better notes and which stationery Rob and Helen use. 

They cover, amongst other things:

1. Why note taking is important
2. Why some people may avoid making notes such as not being able to find them or transcribing rather than listening because it’s deemed faster.
3. Why note taking by analogue methods works for Rob and Helen
4. Why note taking by hand helps to remember in the now
5. How Helen and Rob take notes in different contexts
6. The legend / key that Helen and Rob use
7. The stationery used (Bullet Journaling, Notepads, Learning note books)
8. How slowing down helps to understand, rather than simply transcribing what has been said
9. Why laptops in meetings and at conferences is annoying

Products Mentioned :

• Field Notes
• Paperchase
• Black and Red notebook
• Elements of Style book - Strunk and White
• Papermate ink joys
• Pentel Energel 0.7
• Montblanc Ink Pen 
• Schaeffer Fountain Pen
• 30x40 design workshop - great architecture YouTube channel. His instagram account is great too. 
• Sharpie Ultra Fine
• Papermate Flair
• UPPERCASE MAGAZINE

Please note we use affiliate links to products mentioned on this page. It helps us to feed our addiction to stationery - you pay nothing more, but we earn a slight commission if you purchase during an active session created by the link. Check out our privacy policy for more.

Visit us at stationeryfreaks.com

In this episode Rob and Helen share how they set goals, why they set them, how they track goals and how to build routines to deliver goals.

Rob talks about how we uses a Painted Picture to derive goals, and then uses goals to build routines and habits. 
Helen talks about how she sets goals using her values and then builds routines to deliver on them.

They discuss:

• How to use stationery during goal setting
• How to set goals
• How to find the right goals
• How to track goals
• How many goals make sense
• How to build routines and habits
• And how Helen goal of writing a book will eventually, at last, hopefully, maybe be a reality
• Rob also talks about his fridge of accountability and his trusty pencil of choice - the classic Staedtler School pencil

They mention or reference:

• James Clear - Atomic Habits
• David Goggins - You can’t hurt me
• Staedtler Pencils
• Google Calendar
• Todoist

Please note we use affiliate links to products mentioned on this page. It helps us to feed our addiction to stationery - you pay nothing more, but we earn a slight commission if you purchase during an active session created by the link. Check out our privacy policy for more. 

In this episode Helen quizzes Rob on how he developed the habit of journaling, why it's important to him and how we goes about doing it. 

They cover:

How to get started
What to write about
Morning Pages, Prompts and Stoic Thinking
When to journal
The benefits of journaling
Then they ramble on for a little....

Products, supplies and inspiration we mention

1. Moleskine A6 notebook
2. TKMax notebooks
3. Papermate Flair
4. Morning Pages
5. The Daily Stoic book - it's on a bargain basement price on Kindle. 
6. Pentel Energel pens
7. Chase Jarvis - super inspiring

In this episode we discuss what annual stationery we buy each year and why.  

We cover:

• Basic stationery stuff like journals, yellow legal pads and the humble paperclip.
• Training your brain for brainstorming
• Fountain pens and how they slow your brain down to think clearer
• Mechanical pencils and how Rob's forbidden from using them
• The legacy of old journals or maybe it's just fire fodder for Rob's kids
• And more

We mention or talk about :

• The 1980's called and they want Helen back - she's into these Filofax clipbooks
• Paipur notebooks- and how Helen LOVES these, but alas, they don't seem to be trading anymore.
• Zen Art Supplies - Our new favourite place for stationery.
• Rob's journal of choice is a Moleskine A6
• Rob loves Field Notes, but they are damn expensive here in the UK.
• Moleskine cahiers are Rob's preferred choice of little jotters for ideas, notes and tasks.
• Retractable pencils - be careful as pressing on hard like Rob does could take someone's eye out. These are the less dangerous of them all.
• Paperchase Products Ltd - the shop we often can't walk past.
• We mention how Jerry Seinfeld uses Yellow Legal pads to write jokes.
• Robs Yellow Legal Pads of choice.
• Cheap and cheerful fountain pens and how they slow you down.
• James Clear's article Rob references.
• Uniball Jet Stream Pens.
• Papermate Inkjoy pens that Helen loves.
• Papermate Flair Pens that Helen doodles with.
• Tombow Brush pens that Helen uses.
• Rob typically buys an annual wall planner.

Enjoy

Rob and Helen

In this episode we explore the world of Hobonichi Planners. Helen decided that January was a good time to switch productivity, journaling and note-taking systems (it may not have been a wise decision).

She chats us through the world of Hobonichi Planners and how she is using them to "force" her to develop the habit of journaling. She also needed mountains of stickers. All the stickers.

We also cover Midori notebooks (Helen raves about these), Etsy Hobonichi sticker providers and why productivity systems must be hacked to make them work for you.

Rob explores "containers with rules" and explain how he's impressed with a new calendar view in Todoist.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

Why not subscribe to the Stationery Freaks newsletter also - https://stationeryfreaks.substack.com/

Thanks 
Helen and Rob

In this episode we share our own systems for tracking workouts, fitness and nutrition - using stationery and digital tools.

We cover Helen's fitness goals and how she uses a "nice little notebook" to track her progress.
We cover Rob's fitness goals and how he uses a simple Paper Chase notebook - but spices it up for Instagram by adding silly comments. And how he's trying not to become a robust version of Ryder from Paw Patrol.

We cover Personal Trainers, plant based diets, Jerry Seinfeld's "don't break the chain", Kettlebells, Concept2 Ski Ergs, making good food choices, habit tracking, scheduling fitness and how tracking progress is a useful technique.

We mention:

* Wyldsson Protein Shakes - https://wyldsson.com/product/nutritional-vegan-protein-powder/
* Paperchase notebooks - The one's Rob uses are here - https://www.paperchase.com/en_gb/a6-kraft-cream-plain-notebook.html
* Strong App - https://www.strong.app/
* Mike Matthews and Legion Athletic (https://www.instagram.com/muscleforlifefitness) and https://legionathletics.com/michael-matthews/
* Concept 2 SkiErg - https://www.concept2.co.uk/skierg/concept2-skierg

Hope you enjoy the show. 

Rob and Helen

In this episode Helen and I talk about Bullet Journaling and Time Blocking.

I'm not a fan of Bullet Journaling, but Helen is.

I explain why I'm not a fan, and Helen explains why it works so well for her.

We chat about Calendar / Time Blocking, my chosen productivity management, and why that works for me.

Note: There is a tiny bit of bad language in this episode.

We cover:

* Why Rob couldn't get Bullet Journaling to work
* How Helen uses Bullet Journaling
* Why all productivity systems are simply Containers with Rules
* Why Rob uses Time / Calendar Blocking and how it works - mostly because it forces prioritisation
* And why all approaches actually solve the same problem
* We talk about pondering, reflecting and how Bullet Journaling helps with this
* Why Rob separates out "productivity" and "reflection" into two separate systems
* Zoom fatigue - and saying no by filling in your calendar with your work
* How Rob journals - and what steers that journaling
* SAD lamps and journaling
* How to measure productivity using behaviours - rather than just tasks done

We mention:

* Zen Art Supplies - Our new favourite place for stationery - https://www.zenartsupplies.co/
* Todoist - https://todoist.com/
* Leuchtturm notebooks and how Helen found the pages to bleed - https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/notebooks/
* Paipur notebooks- and how Helen LOVES these, but alas, they don't seem to be trading anymore - https://www.paipur.com/welcome
* Google Calendar

Follow us on our LinkedIn page : https://www.linkedin.com/company/stationeryfreaks
Join us on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/stationeryfreaksuk/

Enjoy.
Rob & Helen

In this episode we discuss what's kept us busy during lockdown. 

We cover:

• Bullet Journaling
• Journaling
• Zine making
• The compulsion to re-organise unused notebooks
• Buying stationery from supermarkets
• Studying and more. 

We mention or talk about :

Todoist for getting things done

Monthly date stickers on Etsie

PAIPUR notebooks - Helen's a BIG fan of these. 

Chameleon whiteboards - looks good for all of those agile/creative teams

Journaling and communication 

Moleskine notebooks - my journal of choice.

Paperchase Products Ltd - the shop we often can't walk past.

Sainsbury's and Tesco upping their game in stationery supplies.

ZenART Supplies notebooks - 

Evernote for studying.

3M Post-it notes for studying

MindMeister for learning mind maps

Follow us on our brand new LinkedIn page : https://www.linkedin.com/company/stationeryfreaks
Join us on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/stationeryfreaksuk/

Enjoy.
Rob & Helen

In this episode we walk through what it takes to create a conference talk and how stationery can be used during this process.

We cover:

1. Outlining the talk using a combination of digital and analogue tools such as Workflowy and Mindmeister
2. Mapping out the talk using index cards or sticky notes. 
3. Visualising the talk in arcs and flows
4. Rehearsing and preparing using Powerpoint speaker notes, or, as Rob does it, writing it out long hand in an A4 notebook
5. Using pointers and guides during the talk

Follow us on our brand new LinkedIn page : https://www.linkedin.com/company/stationeryfreaks
Join us on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/stationeryfreaksuk/

Enjoy.
Rob & Helen