Our upcoming 2024 Planner is designed to help you explore your inner self and inspire you to go on a quest to discover your purpose by providing introspective prompts and inspirational thoughts. The planner is intended to capture this idea by funnelling your vision into shorter, practical trips that guide you step-by-step toward your goals.
After countless rounds of feedback from the community and design reiterations, we’re happy to introduce you to the Mossery 2024 Planner.
It starts with you. All Personal Pages include inspiration boards, for you to collect your favourite films, music, places, words to live by, and your role models. We also encourage you to think and reflect on your Priorities and define your Values and Beliefs. The last part of this section prompts you to plan three things that you would like to change, along with 8 pages of Dotted notes for important notes.
This section begins with an overview of the 2024–2025 Calendar. Followed by a newly designed Yearly Overview layout, perfect to record important dates like anniversaries, birthdays, or milestones.
We have revamped our tracker into an improved Quarterly Tracker for you to keep track of your habits, projects, or goals. Draw Gantt charts and reflect on your progress towards achieving your goals. Gain clarity over four spreads, with the help of a mini calendar.
Every month starts with Plan and Review spread that prompts you to reflect and think for the month ahead. Our Monthly Planners give you clarity on upcoming events or tasks to do. That way, you can organise your month into one spread to gain a better understanding of how you spend your time.
Our Weekly Vertical layout is perfect for users who are more time-sensitive. Each day features time slots from 6 am to 12 am, for you to make more precise planning of your time. Keep an overview of your week with four columns of note space below, with checkboxes ready for you to create to-do lists. Whether you're a routine enthusiast or someone with a packed schedule full of appointments and events, this layout is made for you.
Our classic Weekly Horizontal layout is back, where the seven days of the week are spread across two pages, with each day divided into plain and grid sections for you to write notes, create to-do lists, or simply keep track of time. This gives you more writing space in each section of the day. The bottom part of the layout includes space for additional notes, a mini calendar, and inspirational quotes to guide you along your planning journey.
Shop 2024 Planners ]]>While our 2024 Planners are designed to organize our time within a year, our Life in Progress booklet is designed to encourage long-term thinking.
This booklet neatly fits into your 2024 Planner, making it portable, and can also be carried forward to your next Mossery Book.
Shop 2024 Life in Progress BookletCrafted from a rich Royal Blue cardstock, it features silkscreen printing with white ink and is finished with holographic foil stamping for the titles. Each spread showcases a colourful illustration printed with four vibrant colours, creating a delightful introspective experience.
Every spread begins with an easy-to-follow guide filled with practical examples, to assist you in the following exercise where you'll start working on your journey.
The first half of the booklet takes you on a deep exploration of your Purpose, Core Values, and Vision. Here, you'll set your sights on the long term and paint the big picture that reflects your innermost aspirations.
In the second half of the Life in Progress booklet, you'll be guided to pause and reflect, helping you set goals and design routines and habits around them. This section will help you understand where you are now and what you should nurture and cultivate. In the final part, you'll lay the foundation for building your goals and routines that will shape your path ahead.
The new booklet also contains a delightful surprise in the middle spread—a collection of vibrant stickers with our latest designs, bringing joy and inspiration as you navigate through each phase of your Growth in (Orbit) journey.
]]>What defines a year? Essentially, it's the Earth revolving around the Sun. We believe that a lot can happen in a year—for many, it can be a transformative opportunity for self-renewal and introspection.
Growth in (Orbit) is the theme that lies at the heart of our 2024 Planner. Just as planets orbit around the sun, we surround ourselves with things that propel us on the path towards personal growth.
Shop 2024 PlannersIt's only fitting that we design a new cover to capture the essence of our theme. Introducing Stellar a captivating representation of the relationship between Earth and Space. To give it that extra flair, it is printed with fluorescent pink ink to make the cover pop!
We also collaborated with Studio Sunprint to create two new covers: Sun Bamboo and Sun Hydrangea through a technique called cyanotype printing. These covers remind us of the harmonious relationship between art and nature, inspiring us to cherish and preserve the beauty that surrounds us.
We have reached a remarkable milestone in the 9th year of designing our annual Planners. It has been a journey of passion, dedication, and continuous refinement of our Planner design, all while maintaining a sense of familiarity. Check out our write-up for a more in-depth look at our latest 2024 Planner design.
The new and upgraded Life in Progress booklet is a purposeful booklet, thoughtfully crafted to seamlessly fit into your Mossery books alongside our Regular Refills. It is designed to guide you to explore your Core Values, find your Purpose, and reflect on your journey while staying true to your Vision.
This Thin Refill can be transformed into a Twinbook by pairing it with our Light Refills. As a result, it provides an ideal alternative for those who don't use a weekly planner and prefer a simple monthly planner and notebook combination.
We hope that our 2024 Planners could ultimately help us inch towards clarity through long-term thinking and mindfulness about how we spend our time.
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Hello Planner People, this 2023 marks a new chapter for us! On 23 August 2022, we launched the Mossery 2023 Planner — and it has come with many many exciting changes!
From the very beginning, our planners were created to be companions. We built them to be a guide and helping hand, one which helps you make the most of your everyday and ultimately, life. And we’ve been able to do that, now with over 28,000 of you in our wonderful community!
Yet, over the years, we’ve realized the ways in which people do life have changed drastically. Living in more hectic and overwhelming times have brought forward new ways to combat it. That’s why, this year, we’ve embarked on a mission to build an airy yet freeflow planner to help you reclaim control and combat the overwhelm.
Throughout the months, we’ve taken the time to ask many of you what your experience with our Planners has been since their inception in 2016. (P.S. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us everything you love (and hate!) about one of Mossery’s earliest joys.)
With that, we took your feedback and have built a brand new planner! Here, we’ll be outlining in detail the changes to the 2023 Planners. (Though we do understand that this change might not be for all of you so read until the end to let us know your thought).
“I don’t use the personal pages, so I always end up wasting them.”
Created to be a fun yet personal anchor to face the new year, our personal pages got loads of mixed reviews. Some of you never used them, yet many of you loved them. So instead of getting rid of them completely, we’ve removed them from the 2023 Planner and have turned them into an optional booklet — the Life in Progress Booklet!
Inspired by our old personal pages, the Life in Progress Booklet is a guided 16-page booklet which helps you rediscover yourself, find your purpose, and plan your year ahead. With this, we hope many of you find your anchor once again.
“The pink highlighted Sundays were irritating to look at.”
When we began developing Mossery Planners, we chose to highlight Sunday’s column in pink to help provide a new focus — a reminder to reset for the week ahead. However, we’ve realized many of you view it as an impending deadline instead!
A planner is all about moving at your own pace. That’s why, this year, we’ve removed the pink highlight and have made it simpler, opting to highlight the word ‘Sunday’ alone.
“The habit tracker is ineffective.”
Initially placed at the beginning of every planner, our surveys tell us that tracking according to a whole year is pretty ineffective — and we agree! TThat’s why we’ve decided to move our Habit Trackers to each month, which now includes the additional to-do list and a dotted note page to plan your month!
With a monthly tracker, you can now redirect your focus to the present.
“The current layout gives me too much pressure, it isn’t helpful to actually plan my day.”
Initially created to be detailed and guided, many of you expressed that the old planner layous actually pressures you, forcing you to fill it up beyond necessity or leading you to feel dissatisfied.
A planner feels best when it liberates you. We want you to be able to look back and be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
Horizontal
The horizontal layout marks the 2023 Planner’s biggest change. Instead of having 7 days spread across 2 pages, we’ve moved the 7 days of the week into one page and turned the accompanying page into a page of dotted notes.
One of the most common piece of feedback we got was that the space for each day was too big, too daunting —there was too much pressure to fill them up and looking back on them always felt disappointing due to all the empty space.
With the new layout, while the space for them may seem limiting, it allows you to view your week at a glance, prioritize the tasks most necessary and turn the page next to it into a place for all your notes, reflections, and musings! With this, there is also ample space for your creativity to roam free (we’re looking at you bujo people!).
In order to complete the airiness of our new Planners, we’ve also turned all grid notes into dotted — a seamless guideline to your writing.
Vertical
The Vertical layout while remaining mostly similar has some new additions! The vertical planner is best suited for meticulous planners, those to plan their day to the tee. Yet, in order to prepare for the day ahead, it’s also important to know the major events we have to face!
We’ve introduced extra at the top for you to note down all your important events or whole day affairs, such as birthdays, presentations, festivities, etc.
Once again, in order to complete the airiness of our new Planners, we’ve also turned all grid notes into dotted — a seamless guideline to your writing.
What does this change mean for us?
This 2023 marks a big step forward into this season of change. Yet, we're ready to embrace all that comes with it — explore new things and take risks! We hope that you’ll be able to come along for the ride, no matter how bumpy, no matter the winds we face.
Mossery has always been about helping people find their place, and we want to take it to the next level as we grow with old friends and meet new ones. Let us expand our horizons together and celebrate this Life in Progress.
Missing the old layout?
What about it do you miss? We always want to learn how to serve you better, tell us more here.
Nevertheless, the old weekly horizontal and vertical layout will remain the same for our undated planners. You may opt for that if you prefer the old layouts!
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Has 2022 been kind to you? It is a question that leaves you reflecting on the rollercoaster of emotions from the year so far. It may feel like time has yet again slipped through our fingers and we feel stuck.
The buzz in our lives may even throw us off course from our intentions and emotions, however, the second half of the year is still in our grasp.
To help you clutch onto the saving grace that is the second half of the year, we encourage you to take on a second chance, to give yourself that second chance.
With possibilities and opportunities lingering in the air, take on the chance with Half-Year Planners that will help you reset and rejuvenate for the months ahead of you. Planners are known to be tools that help your thought processes and help establish steps needed to achieve your goal.
Setting yourself up for the months ahead can be tricky and daunting, but as we navigate through our days one step at a time. Jotting it down on paper can help build progress as well as faith in yourself that you are, indeed reclaiming your year.
Make the year yours by gathering yourself on every page of a planner. Free yourself from the overwhelming thoughts and pour them out to relieve the tension between your shoulders.
Fill and reflect on the crisp pages and guides printed on our Half-Year Planner, to make the months of July to December yours again! Personalize your 2022 Half-Year Planner, with a galore of beautiful covers as well as different page layouts to choose from!
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Be it a playlist, picture album or a book, everything is twenty times better when it’s specially made for you. At Mossery, we take delight in building personalised books to fit your needs and preferences.
For that reason, we’ve maximised options for cover designs, paper types, and cover personalisations to complement the myriad of ways our community could go about their book.
In this post, we’re delighted to bring you closer to your dream book by walking you through all the options and finding the one that benefits you the most.
Scroll down and discover the three simple steps for you to build your own Mossery Planner, Sketchbook and Notebook!
Choose a cover from more than 60 designs available in our collection, among which are over 30 covers designed by 15 talented artists we’ve collaborated with!
Here are some useful prompts you can start off with: Is there anything specific you like? A specific colour? Do you like animals? Do you prefer whimsical creations or shades of nature?
From the perky Cream Soda by @sugiyamaiko to our minimalistic Komorebi and Stone Speckle cover, there’s one for everyone!
If you find it hard to decide, we got you covered (pun not intended). Read our post here for fun recommendations as we tried picking covers for notable poets!
The next step propels you to think deeper about your routine and how your book — down to the type of paper — should complement your needs.
For Planner seekers, pick between the two paper layouts available: horizontal layout vs. vertical layout. Read this guide to find one which layout works best for you.
While the vertical layout appeals to time-oriented users whose priorities are sorted out chronologically through the day, the horizontal layout fits project-based users who seek more space for creative expression while planning.
Do you prefer to take notes fast, or are you an avid mind-mapper?
For those who seek mental clarity by note-taking, choose between the four paper types available for your Notebook — Ruled, Dotted, Grid, and Plain — depending on your usage.
We’ve shared a more detailed recommendation in this article, where we’ve ascribed different paper types to different MBTI personality types.
If you’re an artist, consider our Threadbound or Wirebound Sketchbooks as the perfect canvas for your creations.
Depending on your medium, pick the best paper for your creative pursuits: Paint Marker 260gsm Paper for dry mediums, Watercolour 300gsm Paper and 100% Cotton Watercolour 300gsm Paper for wet mediums, and Mixed Media 224gsm Paper for both dry and wet mediums.
Not to forget, all our papers are acid-free and FSC-certified!
Time for the magic touch! The final step is to seal and make the book yours. What better way to do that than to emblazon your name on the cover?
Available in over 80 languages, wherever you are in the world, you can imprint your name, or even your favourite quote on your book cover. Choose between two fonts: Sans Serif or Brush Script.
If symbols are more apt to define yourself in the way words cannot, you can also opt for Personalisation+ options, such as Kaomoji, Emoji, Constellations, or Animal Emblems.
We believe that a book that showcases the gem that you are will not only turn heads, but is important to reflect your identity and remind you to strive to be your best, authentic self.
Sometimes, a good book can help you feel in control, remind you to seize your day, and anticipate the future! Each page is a chance for a new beginning in life, and you are the author.
Overall, we hope that this step-by-step guide could give you a better idea of how to personalise your own Mossery book.
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What do you like most about our personalisation features? Or do you have any suggestions you would like us to add on? Do share with us in the comments below. We’re always exploring new ideas to enhance your Mossery experience!
Thank you to Faziera for this write-up :)
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With the holiday season swinging in, everyone is gearing up to shop for the gifting season!
A great way to remind the special people in your life that you are grateful for them is to send them thoughtful gifts to show them that you care.
Now, when you clicked into this post, you must have been wondering, why should you shop at Mossery? Of all the stationery brands out there, what is it that sets us apart?
Well, read on for five solid reasons why Mossery can fulfil your gifting needs:
To start, all our books are handmade to order. This makes our books a premium gift that is deserving of your special receiver!
We have Mosslets on hand to make sure that all your books and papers are assembled by hand, giving you that personal touch you look for in a gift!
Next, is that we have a large array of products that would suit your needs.
Whether you are looking for function, aesthetics, or both, we have something for everyone.
No matter the age or career path your receiver is on, our thoughtful stationery acts as high-quality gifts that will not lose their functionality with time.
Not only that, one of our best features is that we provide personalisation for our covers.
From adding their name through classy foil-stamping to decorating the front cover with either their zodiac constellations or their favourite kaomoji, your gift becomes one-of-a-kind.
Stylish and personal, labelling your books also comes with the function of easy categorisation!
With that in mind, we also take good care of making sure your gift is presentable and always ready to receive.
From the packaging design to the bubble wrap, ribbon, and paper, we prepare it all, nicely packed, before sending it to your receiver!
For an extra touch, you can even opt for our gift-wrapping service to add on to the overall unboxing experience!
Last but not least, we ship worldwide! With the pandemic ushering us to stay indoors, it seems that we are going to rely on online shopping more than ever before.
The only downside is that we may have to sacrifice meeting in person for now but we can still keep the tradition of gift-giving alive!
With that, Mossery fulfils all the criteria to be the perfect gift! Now, if you’re convinced, check out our Gift Guide page to pick the perfect one for your special someone!
Let Mossery be the surprise.
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Are you convinced? If you have any questions, feel free to comment below so that we can convince you further!
To check out how Mossery may look when your receiver unboxes it, head on over to our Instagram page @mosseryco and look up our Unboxing highlights!
Thank you to @emaeilie and @elliholi for the lovely visuals!
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Do you know the story behind our Narration pages at the start of our Yearly Planners?
Since the start of Mossery, we wanted you to experience something bigger than ourselves and that’s when we decided to create our introduction pages centering around the universe.
Normally, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that most people would overlook the first few pages of our Planner.
However, if you look at the first page of our Planner with the context of the entire book, you’ll realise that it is the start of the story!
Going back to when we understood time existed, when there was nothing other than the vastness of the Universe.
All we had was millions of cosmic particles floating around in space among the stars, and the infinite possibilities of what could - or will happen.
When you flip over to the next page, the first thing to catch your eye may be the bright ball of light at the edge of the page.
The Sun acts as the center of our solar system with all the other planets orbiting around it.
Arranged in order of each of the planets, we made sure to illustrate them with noticeable characteristics so that each planet would stand out.
Here is a little game for you! We listed the names of the planets on all of our Yearly Planners but one! Do you know which year that was?
Move your gaze to the adjacent page and you’ll find the familiar Carl Sagan quote with an illustration of our planet Earth.
When you take into account Sagan's quote sincerely, and try to position yourself to look at the world from afar, we hope you too can experience its humbling nature.
As an individual, we have so many possibilities and stories to tell.
With everyone we ever knew and everyone we could know, the world is undoubtedly an infinite space where we could always, learn, take in, and experience.
If you move to the next two spreads, you will find our illustrations of influential people from the past to the present who excelled in their respective fields.
As time passes by, the people in the world that create change increases as well! Thus, we create new feature spreads every year to highlight as many people as we can.
Since humankind had invented tools for their convenience, Earth has nurtured many influential people who have devoted their lives to their trade and made huge impacts on the present.
More often than not, most of these people went unaccredited in their time, so we hope at the very least, our Featured Illustration pages can give them the spotlight they deserve.
When we understand the vastness of the universe and how humankind has led us to the present, we start off our Planner with Personal Pages meant to document you.
Our Personal Pages may have gone through a lot of changes throughout the years but they all share one purpose and that is to focus on you. We made pages for you to list down anything and everything to do about you.
From your favourite places, quotes, to your priorities, values and beliefs! Like the endless possibilities the Galaxy can offer, you too deserve to be highlighted for being here with the rest of us.
In the end, our Planners may be just a blank canvas for you to create on but we hope that the sentiment behind the product can inspire you to do more.
We believe that everyone can be destined for greatness and we hope that our Yearly Planner can accompany you on your journey to do just that.
Take a look at our Planners with its vast collection of 44 covers for you to choose from and personalise it to make it yours today.
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Which part of our Planner is your favourite? Let us know in the comment section below or tag us @mosseryco on Instagram!
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Have you seen our new Art Kits? We have launched a carefully curated collection of premium art tools that is suitable for anyone with an interest in art.
Our goal is to create an accessible box that is applicable for both everyday use and spontaneous creation!
Whether you are thinking of getting one for yourself or as a gift for someone else, we decided to make this choice easier for you by providing a detailed explanation of each Art Kit to make sure you get your absolute perfect box!
To begin, we have curated three exclusive Art Kits that would act as either a beginner starter kit or a professional all-in-one instrument. Each box features one main art tool, an array of stationery, and accessories to pair with it:
The first of the three is the Gouache Art Kit, featuring the star of the show, a set of thirteen Gouache Tubes!
For beginners, Gouache is an opaque watercolour paint, meaning it can be applied in solid colours that allows you to paint in layers from dark to light with ease. When it dries, it also becomes water resistant!
Not only that, it is a watermedia that can stick to a variety of surfaces other than canvas and paper, making it perfect for those who think out of the box!
Try it out for yourself by letting your creativity flow on things outside of the Sketchbook. In fact, all of our Art Kit comes with a drawstring bag so go ahead and paint that to your liking!
In short, our Gouache Art Kit is suitable for anyone who is patient to master the medium.
It requires experience to handle but once you get the hang of it, you will be able to create paintings with a depth of colours and form.
Coming in next is the Watercolour Art Kit that features a set of five Artists’ Watercolours Tubes!
Now, most of us are probably familiar with the well-known watermedia however, here is a quick introduction for those who need a little convincing!
To start, unlike common watercolours, the Artists’ Watercolour Tubes in our Art Kit are of the highest quality of paints as they contain greater quantities of fine pigment.
If you are looking to create luminous paintings, this would be perfect for you as the watercolour paint will come out light and translucent.
That, paired with our 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper Refill included in the Art Kit, you will find it easy to create broad even watercolour washes on our textured paper.
All in all, the Watercolour Art Kit will be perfect for those who enjoy painting on the spot, experimenting with colour and playing with blending effects. It is also a great starter for beginners looking for a weekend hobby!
Last but definitely not least, our Paint Markers Art Kit comes in a set of twelve colour paint markers!
Whether you are a beginner or a professional, you can be rest assured that these Paint Markers are a fun way to let your imagination flow especially since the medium allows you to paint instantaneously!
There is no need to prepare the tool in advance so it is easy to just whip them out whenever you have a canvas ready.
This is particularly true since the markers, stationery and accessories in the Art Kit all conveniently fit in the drawstring bag included in every box.
With the markers coming in a variety of bright colours, are water-based and blendable, you can create a wide range of vibrant paintings whenever and wherever you want!
Therefore, our Paint Marker Art Kit would especially suit beginners for its quick to understand nature but also for professionals to remind themselves of the fun medium!
Overall, we hope that this quick introduction of our curated boxes could give you a better idea on which Art Kit to get for yourself or as a gift.
During the conceptualization of this launch, we wanted to help out our community by making sure you get the best of the best without having to go through the hassle of decision making fatigue.
So when you get the chosen box in your hands, we hope our Art Kit can provide you with the convenience and essential tools needed to start creating!
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Which Art Kit have you decided on? Let us know in the comments below or tag us @mosseryco on Instagram! Make sure to film your unboxing as we can’t wait to share that with the world!
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With the rise of journaling in popular culture these days, how many of us are using journaling to its full potential? What does journaling mean to you?
Well, here at Mossery, we encourage you to journal in order to discover new things about yourself.
Keeping a diary, and journaling your thoughts can often help you remember things and even explore topics you might not otherwise have thought about.
With that, we have come up with a Journaling Kit where we hope it can help you realise the full potential of journaling.
When you open up our Journaling Kit, the first thing you are greeted with is our array of stationery!
Of course, you will receive a Notebook with the cover of your choice, pens, tapes, stickers, and more to enhance your journaling experience.
However, the star of the kit is definitely our brand new card deck, Mossery Introspect: Prompt Cards For Self Discovery.
This 120-card deck comes with a variety of journal prompts that is divided into four main categories of Family, Friendship, Love, and Self.
For beginners, it can be quite difficult to start journaling as most of us would not know what to write about ourselves.
So we thought to make things easier for you introspective creatives by preparing carefully curated questions to prompt you!
We encourage you to pick ones that you feel particularly drawn to so that you can start opening up as time goes by.
As you progress, you can slowly challenge yourself by answering questions you have not really thought about!
After all, journaling can be a powerful form of self-expression that can help increase your self-awareness, dissect your complex feelings and find meaning in your day-to-day. An efficient way to do so is:
Write in a safe space where you can be alone with your thoughts. A quiet, private space usually does the trick!
Allow yourself ample time to ponder, and really think about a question. When you are stuck, step away and come back to it. It’s important to journal at your own pace.
Ask yourself why, where, what, who, when, and how and you’ll be surprised at the answers! Dig deep and explore.
Write in a way that feels most comfortable to you. It is not about the length of time or even the length of the journal entry, it is the revelations that matter.
Write in a private book and keep it somewhere only you know. You can, of course, share it with trusted people but only when you want to!
Journaling is a habit that records your thoughts which allows you to reflect on them later. It is useful to document yourself as our memories are usually unreliable!
If you are someone who wants to see a visual representation of your growth, journaling can surely do that for you.
In the end, we hope that our Journaling Kit can help you be more in tune with who you are.
Give journaling a try if you have never done it before, and give it a go again if you have dropped it some time ago.
We think through introspection, everyone has the potential to grow more compassionate, empathetic and reflective!
Journal your thoughts freely and reflect on the discoveries you encounter. Happy journaling!
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What do you find most rewarding about journaling? Leave us a comment below! Also, make sure to share your unboxing with us by tagging us @mosseryco on Instagram!
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Our Yearly Planners are designed to help you better organise your life and achieve your goals.
With that in mind, our Planners are created with its very own Habit Tracker to be your best buddy!
Read on to learn how to navigate and better utilize the Habit Tracker to help you build better habits:
The first step to building any habits is to first set your goals. It is just as important as any other step as it kick-starts your process!
If you need an extra burst of inspiration on what kind of habits you’d like to achieve, you can refer to the handy Tips section on the top of the page.
Alternatively, you can also refer to our 4 Steps to Revive Your Goals here where you might get some bright ideas!
Now that you have your goals in mind, it is time to fill it in to track your progress. Under every month, we have prepared rows for you to fill in your goals.
The space allocated is concise, making it easy to use, like our Tips section suggests:
So how often are you planning to carry out these habits in a month?
For example, if you were to exercise once every two days, your goal in a month of 30 days would be 15 exercise sessions.
Therefore, you would end up filling in 15 under the Goals column.
In that way, try to keep your goals achievable and not to overwhelm yourself with it! Habits are cultivated gradually—consistency is key.
Having already set your goals for the month, you will need to track your progress!
Our box layout allows you the flexibility to celebrate your progress however you like.
Whether you prefer minimalist ticks or elaborate designs, use the progress boxes to your preference.
Just remember to fill it in every time you reach your daily goal.
As that sense of satisfaction of filling the box accumulates, you will find that by the end of the month, you will feel great!
If you’ve used our Habit Trackers, you might have noticed that there are red columns scattered throughout the page.
Those columns are flagged to indicate Sundays in the month allowing you easier navigation within the week, saving our users the trouble of erasing their markings on the wrong day.
Now that the month is over, it is time to reflect on how you did in the past month.
First of all however, for all the effort you have put in to improve yourself, it’s time to give yourself a pat on the back.
Next, you can begin by tallying the amount of days where you completed your daily goal and compare them with your goal at the start of the month. Did you meet your goals?
After that, you should reflect on your progress with the tips we provided on the top of the page.
• What are your takeaways from this month?
• How did it work for you?
• How could you change the goal to make it more achievable?
Remember to jot your thoughts in the Reflection column for future reference!
All in all, habit tracking is a long process that takes time and experience to refine and ensure that they work for you.
Not one individual is the same as the other, so not everyone’s Habit Tracker will be the same.
So the only person to compete with, is the version of ourselves from yesterday.
We hope that this post can help inspire you to make the Habit Tracker a part of your daily routine to achieve your goals.
Take one step at a time and you will be there before you realise it.
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How do you use your Habit Tracker? Let us know by commenting below or sharing your spreads and tagging us @mosseryco.
Thank you to @emaeilie for the lovely visuals!
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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Greeting Cards? Is it the envelope it comes in?
Or is it a celebration, the smell of a feast during festivities, or the thank-you cards you wrote to your family and friends?
Or do you recall the colourful birthday cards you gave and received over the years?
With the present digital age where technology is becoming more and more integrated in our lives, the importance of a ‘personal touch’ has slowly but increasingly returned to us.
Somehow, over the years, the digital cards that were all the rage back then no longer seem to cut it in the age of throwbacks and the vintage boom.
So are Greetings Cards still relevant in our lives, today? Read on to see why we think that it’s a solid yes:
Personalise Your Cards with Personal Wishes
You know the feeling of having a sturdy card in your hands is simply a different experience compared to a text message or an elaborate email sending you best wishes.
Greeting cards stand out for being a tactile experience, where you can actually hold the sender’s sentiment in your hands and keep it somewhere safe forever.
In that case, we now have prepared Greeting Cards for absolutely every occasion!
Whether it’s a birthday, a celebration, or just a little something for your special person, we have an array of Greeting Cards for you to choose from!
With the ability to personalise the cover of the Greeting Card to suit your occasion, you can make it more special by handwriting a personal message inside that no digital card would be able to replicate!
Sending Love Wherever You Are
In fact, receiving a Greeting Card in the mail strikes differently from the “ding!” you hear when you receive a text message or an email.
In this present climate of 2020, we are forced to spend time away from our closest family and friends either due to the recent pandemic or globalisation in general.
Hence, receiving a personalised token from the ones we cherish brings a different feeling to the table.
Wherever you are on the map, Greeting Cards can be sent right to your doorstep and convey the message that regardless of your distance from one another, the sender is thinking of you!
Enjoy knowing how the sender personally handpicked a card for you!
Keeping Your Memories Alive Through Tradition
Greeting Cards also evoke pleasant memories with our loved ones as the content of the cards are mostly things both the sender and receiver would have context of.
Not only that, Greeting Cards can be kept for many, many years and the sentiment and memories would still be intact, even with the yellowing of the paper.
In fact, try creating your own stories by starting or continuing a tradition with Greeting Cards!
Try keeping the cute and vintage tradition alive within your circle and also keep the connection between your family and friends strong!
It is also a thoughtful way to show your loved ones how much you care.
As you can see, Greeting Cards are a personal, thoughtful way to show others that you care.
Regardless of the occasion, there is always a Greeting Card that you can send!
On that note, feel free to choose your favourite from our Greeting Card collection here.
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How do you show love, and which designs do you like best? Let us know by commenting below or tagging us @mosseryco on Instagram.
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Still confused with the Planner layout you should use? Let us help you make your choice by showing you the functionality of both.
That way, you can see, whether it's the vertical or horizontal layout, we have tailored our design so that you can find the right fit to your preference. Read on for a quick comparison:
To start, we have our weekly horizontal layout that is perfect for the task-oriented user. If you are one, that means you complete your tasks by breaking them down into manageable sections and prioritizing them in order to finish it.
With two columns consisting of a blank space and grid notes for flexibility, the weekly horizontal text paper allows you to have both the freedom of creative expression and the proper design for you to plan out your schedule that best fits your working style.
This is especially true with our spacious and directional layout that gives you plenty of space to work with and naturally allows you to see all your tasks of the week with just one glance.
Our weekly horizontal layout is flexible and easy to use, giving you project-based users a functional layout to work, schedule, and create small art with!
As for you time-oriented users, our weekly vertical layout would be more suitable for you. This means, you are someone who sets a fixed time to focus on a certain task and once that time is up, you will move on to the next task in the queue.
With a clear view of your upcoming events and the hourly columns already sectioned out for you, the weekly vertical text paper allows you to plan out your schedule in a detailed linear structure that helps you bounce back to any incomplete task.
There is even ample space at the bottom section that lets you jot down any important information, and make checklists to keep track of everything you have on hand.
Our weekly vertical layout is structured and effective for scheduling, making it easy for students and executives to plan out even the smallest details of their day.
So did this quick explanation make choosing your text paper easier? If you are still not sure which one to choose, feel free to comment below and we can work out which text paper would suit you best.
Check out our 2021 Planner Collection here.
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For those that chose their paper, which one did you go for? Let us know by taking a video of your unboxing and send it to us @mosseryco on Instagram!
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What type of paper do you usually use? The four types of paper we provide at Mossery are Ruled, Grid, Dotted, and Plain.
From there, we thought it would be fun to predict your Myers Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI personality type from the paper you use!
If not that, then perhaps we can predict your one true paper match? Read on to see if we got yours right!
For the structured and practical. The personality types we predict would enjoy ruled paper are ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ and ESFJ. Being personality types that highly value order and structure, we think that ruled paper would be the way to go.
Whether you would like to do some structured note-taking or keeping a diary, ruled paper would be a practical option to keep all of our notes tidy - and also aesthetically pleasing as well!
That is probably the reason why we used ruled paper as a child too. All in all, ruled notes are an unforgettable classic.
For those who love an intellectual challenge. INTP, INTJ, ENTP and ENTJs are personalities that are highly logical and intellectually rigorous, and therefore we predict that if you fall into one of these personality types, you would love grid paper!
Grid paper gives a little more flexibility than ruled paper would, but still provides a solid structure for us to create layouts on.
Being highly analytical and driven, these personality types might enjoy the extra room given to them to change up the layout of the pre-existing structures with the usage of tables or graphs.
*We are clearing out our grid paper so make sure to grab one before they are sold out!
For the passionate, empathetic idealists. Our INFJ, INFP, ENFJ and ENFPs who are open-minded and creative, are most likely the ones who would enjoy dotted paper.
Dotted paper provides a larger extent of flexibility with subtle dotted lines in between, creating the perfect canvas for these personality types to plan and jot down other things they care about.
This type of paper is widely used by bullet journalists, and with good reason as the dots are visible when writing, but invisible from afar, and would be a perfect fit for layouts that require both illustrations and writing.
For the free spirits. With spontaneity and flexibility as their strongest traits, ISTP, ISFP, ESTP and ESFP personality types have free spirits and would appreciate plain paper types which provide complete freedom to how these types would want to use them.
With no rules whatsoever when it comes to plain paper, these types are free to jot down any and all things they can think of at the spur of the moment and watch their ideas take flight.
Furthermore, if you fall into one of these types and want to change the plans you have written down on a whim, don’t fret - simply use our Pilot Frixion pens and you’d be able to edit your ideas whenever.
All in all, this article is just a light-hearted one that aims to predict your personality type or preferred type of paper, but by no means are you restricted to your personality type when it comes to choosing paper!
The paper type for you ultimately depends on your personal preference and your uses for them.
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Did we get your paper preferences or personality type right? Let us know in the comments section below or tag us on Instagram @mosseryco
Thank you to @lyn.spiration for her lovely artwork!
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Ever tried to scroll through your feed and found yourself looking in awe of the beautifully structured, colour-coded notes of a random high schooler you found on Instagram?
As aesthetically pleasing as they are, most of us are unlikely to recreate notes similar to that caliber!
So for those of you who are just looking to have neat, structured, and organised notes, we have gathered a few note-taking methods in hopes that they will work for you!
Read on for a quick introduction and overview of these methods!
As expected, this method is probably the most well-known and commonly used method.
Being the default Microsoft Word structure, the method comes naturally to most people. All you have to do is have a main topic, and bullet points below to elaborate on said main topic.
This method is not only easy, it’s logical and structured. If your topic requires a clear structure, this note-taking method is the one for you.
However, for longer and more complicated topics, using this method might clutter up your note-taking medium which may eventually lead to disorganization.
You have probably seen this method all over the internet and with good reason! How it works is that before you start note-taking, divide your note-taking medium into three sections.
In the section on the right labelled Notes, jot down your notes during the session.
In the section labelled Cues, list down prompts for the notes listed down.
For example, your notes were on a lecture about Factors Causing Climate Change, so your prompts could be talking about main points such as the Industrial Revolution.
The third section is meant for you to review and summarise the lecture as a whole. This way you get to add in or remove any information to make the notes work more effectively for you.
This method enables you to have a rough idea of what the main points of the session was with one glance.
This makes it suitable for lectures or classroom notes as they are always presented in a relatively structured way that makes it perfect for reviewing before an exam.
However, this method is unable to show a flow in ideas, which makes it less suitable for, say, brainstorming sessions.
The Mapping Method, on the other hand, combats the flaws of the first two methods. The mechanism behind this method is similar to a mind map (check out all about mind maps here!)
So first, start off with a main topic at the top or in the middle of your notes. Ensure there is sufficient space for you to elaborate on subtopics.
Under your main topic, add your subtopics (and headers!) by branching out across the paper.
The Mapping Method is definitely superior when it comes to expressing ideas and points that are inter-correlated.
By drawing a flow, we are able to clearly see how points affect each other, which makes it suitable for case study, brainstorming sessions, or subjects such as History.
However, if the material is too long or point oriented with not much flow in between, using this method will be ineffective as it will likely become a mess.
Last but not least, the Shorthand method! Imagine yourself in a meeting where the presenters have a tendency to speak incredibly fast, making it extremely difficult for you to take notes (or take complete notes).
In this scenario, it would seem that none of the above methods would be useful, or practical, and this is when shorthand comes in!
Shorthand is a system which helps you increase your speed of writing through using symbols or abbreviations to represent words, phrases, or sentences.
There are three formal Shorthand types, but those can be complicated and it may take a while for one to pick up. So we encourage you to create your very own shorthand!
For example, if you wanted to write the word, “something”, you could shorten it to “stg”. After a while, you would end up creating a whole system that works for you!
The main upside for this is that it is a much faster way to take notes, but the obvious downside is that the notes would be exclusive only to you, which means it’s probably inaccessible to anyone else.
In the end, these 4 note-taking methods have their own strengths and weaknesses which you have to take into account before applying them to your own notes.
However, as with most things, you can always tailor and customise the method to suit your own needs.
One thing is for sure though, that although these notes are not as aesthetically pleasing as the ones we see on our feed, they are definitely just as useful and interesting!
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What note-taking methods do you use? Share your tips by commenting below or tagging @mosseryco on Instagram!
Check out @lyn.spiration for more lovely artwork!
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When we take notes, we are recording information down to better memorize it or have it be referred to later.
Since we have been literate, humankind has been practicing this for ages! However, as with most things, there are certain ways to do things effectively to yield better results.
So whether you are a student or a working professional, here are some useful tips that you can consider when it comes to taking notes effectively:
Now this may be obvious thus, frequently overlooked but it’s important to know that you will be taking notes before you do it!
It may seem to be an overly cautious act, but how many times have we made spontaneous notes, only to realize none of it makes sense when we refer to it later?
Hence, before you start taking notes, ascertain the setting you are in and prepare the note-taking medium that suits your purposes the most.
For instance, if you need to produce a meeting report immediately after, a laptop may be more suitable compared to lecture notes, where you are most likely going to retain the information better if you take the notes by hand.
Another obvious tip, yet most of us do not do enough is to practice active listening. When we say this, we don’t mean transcribing word for word.
Rather, we encourage you to actually listen to what the speaker is saying and pick out the important points that would help you summarise what is happening.
Not every sentence has the same weightage so learn to pick and choose important points. This may require trial and error but once you pick up this skill, taking notes will be a breeze to do!
More often than not, our initial notes are most likely going to be quite messy, especially when we are writing them in shorthand!
So it can be helpful for you to rewrite the notes so that it can be clearer and more legible. It’s also pretty rewarding to see your notes all clean and easy to understand!
Not only that, by reviewing your notes, it might even jog up extra points that you might have missed during the note-taking session! As usual, through reviewing your notes, it can help you retain the information longer as well.
In the end, these tips may seem obvious but we hope that they remind you that it requires one to be present to execute note-taking to its fullest! Stay tuned to an upcoming blog post where we teach you different note-taking methods!
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What are your tips to note-taking? Did we miss some? Let us know in the comments below or DM us @mosseryco on Instagram!
Thank you @lyn.spiration for her lovely artwork!
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In this day and age, it is increasingly easy for us to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Especially with the fast paced lifestyle technology has presented us, we are likely to find ourselves plagued with information overload.
This could cause us to feel tired, swamped or even helpless. So if you find that you need some handy tips to help you organise your thoughts amidst all this chaos, here is the article for you!
For those who prefer to watch instead of read, click play on the video above!
If you’re overwhelmed by a flurry of thoughts and ideas, the best way to keep track of them is by taking it all out of your head. Try organising your thoughts on paper so that you can start to declutter!
After all, our brain can store a lot of information but it’s not always the best at retrieving it. More often that not, the information comes out distorted or even in pieces!
So by keeping all this information externally, we can not only unload the data in our brain, we can even free up more space to process things of priority, and have something visual to refer to.
If you’re wondering about how you can transfer the information from your head onto paper, you could try using the Eisenhower Matrix method. The way this method works is through categorizing your activities into four quadrants of: Do, Decide, Delegate, and Eliminate.
By having it visually reflected to you, you can have a better idea of what is deserving of your attention. Alongside that, you can also use our Planner, which has spaces for each day so that you can organise your day to day and overall priorities!
You’d be surprised at how large of a space decision-making takes up in our lives. In fact, we’re constantly making decisions whether we are conscious of it or not.
Hence, it makes more sense to create an automated decision-making system that will help you manage the flood of information in your head.
That way, you can eliminate the time taken to process the small matters in life thus, alleviating any unnecessary stress. Try creating a decision-making tree to help streamline your thought process.
Here are some prompts to get you started!
• What decisions are considered important to you?
• Which details are unnecessary?
• What shortcuts and ways can you implement to simplify your decision-making process?
Have you ever been in the middle of something only to find yourself picking up your phone to distract yourself?
If you think that multitasking works for you, make sure that it’s productive! More often than not, the reality is that our brains can only do so much at a time so by constantly switching between tasks, it can really be counterproductive!
In general, our brain would prefer to work on one thing at a time so do try avoiding working on several things at once. It can tire you out and cause you to waste more valuable time that you could use for something else!
You can start by putting your phone on silent mode or try creating 25 minute blocks of uninterrupted time to concentrate on what you want to complete.
When you’ve worked on something for the longest time and you’ve reached a point where you don’t see an end to it, it’s okay to step away from it. By giving yourself permission to do nothing, you’re also giving your brain time to rest.
The current climate now is always to go, go, go but it’s okay to take some time off as well. Don’t busy yourself to the point that you feel like you haven’t progressed at all!
Breathe, take a walk, and come back to your work with a new set of fresh eyes! It’s really as simple as that!
We hope this little write up has convinced you that it’s completely normal to be overwhelmed! Things go so fast these days that it’s almost hard to find those that aren’t affected at all.
So we hope these tips can help you come out of this as someone who knows how to face these challenges better.
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What are some things you do to cope when you feel overwhelmed? Let us know in the comments below or DM us @mosseryco on Instagram!
Thank you to @moodoodles for collaborating with us on the video!
If you are familiar with our journals, you would know about our Inspiration Board. These pages, meant to document your favourite films, songs, books, places, and words to live by, are not there only for your record but also for your reference.
As its name indicates, the Inspiration Board serves to inspire. Although it’s only a couple of pages, we hope that it could give you a spark whenever you need it.
Now imagine that, but a whole book! So here we are, introducing you to the idea of keeping a Commonplace Book, but—
Similar to the concept of an Inspiration Board, the Commonplace Book is a journal that includes anything and everything that resonates with you.
However, unlike a normal journal that is more often than not used for inquisitive thoughts or chronological notes, a Commonplace Book acts as a central storage space in its own vacuum.
So it performs like the Inspiration Board but instead of a couple of pages, you get to use the space of the entire book to archive little tidbits that you may find to be useful when doing anything creative in the future.
Anything from ideas, quotes, anecdotes, observations, social media posts, podcast tidbits, to writing down earlier conversations, life experiences, and significant moments, can be written down to be looked up for later.
The point is to have just a singular place to return to whenever you need a little push.
Generally, there are no rules when it comes to creating a Commonplace Book. There are however, suggestions that would keep it organised and accessible.
For one, it is advisable to only record what you deem to be the most important. This may be subjective but the whole point of the Commonplace Book is somewhat of a treasure trove. Only the most valuable things get to be recorded in there.
Next, these inspiration nuggets should only be written down in the most concise way possible. If it’s a sentence that stood out to you, pick exactly the phrase that moves you. If it’s a song, pick the exact lyrics or a screengrab of the film.
That way, when you refer back to the book, you can immediately understand and rediscover what was so special about it.
There is no need to rely on your memory for context which not only saves time but energy. If you spend too long trying to remember why you wrote it, it has already failed to serve its purpose.
After that, all you have to do is review it regularly. When you go through them enough, you would eventually start to put two and two and viola! You would have birthed an original idea.
If you keep this up long enough, just by having a Commonplace Book would encourage you to be more critical in your material consumption.
You will naturally develop an eye to catch what stands out to you and it may even become a way for you to seek out perspective and information.
The whole point of a Commonplace Book is to act as a visual representation of what goes on in your mind. In that sense, it’s almost like a visual mind map!
All in all, we hope you found this introduction helpful and that we taught you something new! Feel free to create your own and remember: don’t pressure yourself to create The Perfect Commonplace Book.
After all, there are no systems or rules, so just do whatever that makes sense to you!
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Do you have a Commonplace Book? Send us a picture @mosseryco on Instagram so that we can share it with the world!
Thank you to @cosuffeeshi for her lovely artwork!
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The idea of a mind map is not a foreign concept. In fact, most of us were probably introduced to it at one point in time, either in our early days at school or for work. However,
In simple terms, a mind map is a visual representation of information. It is a technique used to capture the information in your head onto a visual diagram in front of you.
A simple and efficient tool, mind maps are useful for brainstorming and problem solving.
It helps you organize your thoughts and link different ideas together. As a tool that was invented to capture our brain’s thought process, the mind map uses a central concept to branch off ideas related to it.
When we think of an idea, our mind starts to link things related to it automatically and immediately.
That includes what we perceive from our senses such as images, tastes, touch, and so on. It may even link it to relevant memories or past experiences which would then branch off to more connected ideas.
Our brain naturally starts to form a multitude of ideas centralising on the one subject. That process and system is exactly what mind maps are mirroring. If we approach our thinking the way our brains naturally do, it makes sense that we can retain information longer thus, improving our memory.
Not only that, as the information on mind maps are usually paired with specific linking colours, keywords, and images, it also encourages creativity and personality. Since it is dependent on the mapper’s personal understanding of the world, the way the mind maps exist makes the information memorable and interesting.
Using mind maps also differ greatly from the linear thinking styles we are used to where things are more binary.
It is a system that encourages you to follow the flow of your natural occurring thought process and teaches you to link different ideas while sorting them out categorically.
At times, it may even help you identify the relationship between two vastly different ideas just by connecting the dots. Depending on what the mind map is for, it can be implied that overall, using this tool generally improves productivity. It is also a concise way to organize information as most mind maps exist on a single page.
The idea is that on a glance, the central concept and the information around it would make immediate sense.
By following the branches, one should be able to connect the ideas to one another and identify their relationships. This allows huge amounts of information to be conveyed through only short phrases and visualizations.
So it’s clear that mind maps are more than useful and by applying it to our daily lives, we can even use it to make sense of our thoughts and surroundings.
Don’t feel restricted to use mind maps only for school or work. In fact, it can be quite helpful when you want to figure things out about yourself. In short, mind maps are great!
So here's a challenge for you to see it for yourself.
Try creating a mind map about your personality and connect the dots on why you are the way you are.
Start the branches with personality traits and then go back to your childhood, past experiences, and the relationships around you to see what may have instilled these traits in you.
Basically, we want you to reverse engineer your personality and see how it reflects your behaviour! Who knows, you might discover surprising things and even get to know yourself on a deeper level.
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What does your mind map look like? Share it with us @mosseryco on Instagram or share your mind map ideas with us in the comments section below!
Thank you to @elliholi for her mind maps!
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Work and academics can take up a lot of our time and energy. Sometimes, you want to have a thriving career and other times you just want to absorb as much knowledge as you can.
We know it can be a difficult process and it’s only natural to crave an outlet for creative expression. Hence, here are 3 ways you can do just that:
It's okay to take a break
You might have gotten too busy, it might have suddenly felt like a task, but before you can make any quick conclusions, it’s important to sit down and really ask yourself why you’re no longer doing the things you used to do.
Here’s what you can do:
• List down the reasons on your notebook about why you haven’t been creating
• Think of ways to overcome them, make it better for yourself
• Analyse your life and let go of habits and actions that are hindering you
Time is what you make of it
If you really want something, you should try your best to make it work. After all, once you get past the difficult stage, it only gets easier from here.
So let’s try putting time aside for your creative self expression by:
• Picking a day that allows more time
• Choose a time of day that you feel most comfortable with (morning, afternoon, evening)
• Think about how much time you’d want to spend for this activity
• Write all this down on your planner
• Set an alarm to remind you it’s time to start and time to end
Let your mind run free
Once you’ve figured all that out, you should keep the ball rolling! You can do this by exploring the many media and art platforms that are available out there.
Although it’s fulfilling to create, relieve that pressure of yourself and enjoy what others have done. The easiest way to start creating is by jotting interesting things down on a sketchbook.
For example, it can be notes from a podcast or quotes from a film. Even a random tweet can spark ideas so go ahead, the world is limitless.
As long as you make an effort to do the things that matter to you, it will come a day when doing these things are as mindless as breathing to you. All this is just to set up a good foundation for you to work on but after that, it’s in your freedom to evolve it into something better for yourself.
We hope these tips have helped you see that these things are manageable and possible to accomplish! Let us know if they worked for you.
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Created something interesting? Tag us @mosseryco on Instagram and show it to us! We’d love to share it with everyone!
Thank you to @giralka for her lovely artwork!
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Sometimes we can look at somebody and just know that they have their life purpose figured out.
That’s how I felt when I met our fellow Mosslet, Shannon. Currently a designer at Mossery, she told us how she’s known her purpose in life since kindergarten.
“...I decided to get it tattooed on right arm because I'm certain making art is my Ikigai and I use my right hand to do it” - Shannon
So much so, that after two years of first hearing about the concept, she had the words 生き甲斐 (pronounced as Ikigai or iki-guy) tattooed on her arm, which is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being”.
And her reason for being? It is to draw and create.
Now when asked the same question, we’re sure only a handful of people can answer with the same conviction like Shannon can.
However, we looked into the Ikigai concept and realised, it’s completely possible for you to discover your life’s purpose too. But before we dive into that, we first must ask:
It’s a concept that dates back to the 1960’s
A concept originated from Okinawa, Japan, Ikigai helps people discover their life purpose through four simple questions.
In fact, it’s often translated as “a reason to wake up” or a direction of life that makes it worthwhile.
Although it’s tempting to think that Ikigai would answer all your life’s questions, it’s important to note that finding your Ikigai is a continual process of self-discovery.
With that, we hope that the answer you get by the end of this article may surprise you and lead you to make decisions that could possibly change your life for the better.
Read on for a step-by-step tutorial or watch the video below to have a voice guide you on your way.
Try not to overthink it—just write down whatever that comes into mind.
As mentioned, the concept exist through answering four questions:
• What do you love?
• What are you good at?
• What can you get paid for?
• What does the world need?
At first glance, these questions may seem easy to answer but once you get into it, it may prove to be difficult. So, grab your notebook and take your time. Make a cup of tea, go for a walk, and really think about it.
Ask yourself questions upon these questions and repeat the exercise as many times as you want. This is just the beginning so don’t feel restricted and feel free to change it up as long as it makes sense to you.
The key is to answer these questions as genuinely as possible.
Once you’re done with your answers, it’s time to plot it out and make it make sense. Here we’ve created a template that may be useful for you.
First, get your notebook and draw a horizontal line across two pages. This will divide the pages into four sections.
Starting from the top-left section, write down the same questions as headers in every section in a counter-clockwise manner.
Next, you can start filling the sections one by one. Try to take just around 3-5 minutes to complete every section.
Once you’re done, find one thing that's common in all four sections. That will be your Ikigai.
Don’t worry if you don’t get it the first time! Not all of us are meant to find our ikigai immediately. Some will take days, others might take months—and that's all perfectly okay. As long you start the template on your notebook, you'll eventually find the answer.
This is to find your life purpose after all, it’s not going to be easy so give yourself time. In short, we hope you found this to be helpful in getting to know yourself better.
This exercise is intended to help you discover parts of yourself that you may not realise and we hope one day, we could all eventually answer the question “What's your life purpose?” with as much confidence as Shannon can.
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For those of you who have found their Ikigai, share your answers with us! Even those that have not, we’d love to see your progress anyway. Make sure to tag us @mosseryco and start conversations!
Follow Shannon @whamonster to see her Ikigai in action.
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We are no strangers to procrastination. In fact, most of us are somewhat all too familiar with the word that just reading it creates a visceral reaction.
However, we are here to remind you that you are not alone and in fact, this is a common problem that most of us are facing.
So, we decided to look up the concept of procrastination and found out that procrastination isn’t just a run of the mill excuse for laziness. It’s very likely that we avoid executing a task because our brains consider it as a threat.
“So, how do I overcome this?”
Well, it’s actually pretty simple but we would need you to cooperate with us to make it work. Here, we have created a step by step manual where with the right effort, you can eventually graduate out of procrastination.
Let your thoughts flow freely
Sometimes we think we know what we are feeling but to tell you the truth, that is hardly ever the case. Unless we are hyper-conscious of our mind, it’s very likely we are not 100% sure what’s happening in our head at all times.
So, ask yourself this and list down as many possible reasons in your journal as to why you are avoiding this task. This way, you can see it all laid out for you. Only then you can slowly work your way towards the next step.
Break your tasks down
Whatever you are working on, it must be overwhelming. That is why your brain is avoiding it. An easy way to make it manageable is to break it down into smaller goals. For example, if you are writing a twelve-page essay, start by creating a mind map on your notebook, then outline the essay.
This breakdown helps you stay on track of your progress and detailing your work can help ground the seemingly intimidating task. Once, you see how you can complete your goal step by step, your workflow will naturally become smoother.
Be proactive with cultivating productivity
Now that the task seems more manageable, here is the fun part. Start thinking of the possible obstacles that might hold you back. This way, you become not only aware of the things you should not do, but also actively try to overcome them.
For example, getting distracted on your phone is an obstacle, so write that down in your journal and make it a point not to. Better yet, download an app on your phone that locks you out until a certain time is up. Keep yourself accountable and that will help you continue working on the task until it’s done.
Treat yourself to keep yourself motivated
By the end of the day, work is still work but you can still make it a better experience by doing small joyful actions in between to get the task done sooner.
For example, if you’re writing on a notebook, use your favourite pen, it’s a small gesture but it makes it easier. Other than that, take small breaks or have a little treat in the middle to give yourself some positive reinforcement.
We understand that work can be difficult and it’s very tempting to leave it to the last minute and wait for that adrenaline to complete the work for you
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Get the pages to work for you
However, as you grow older, you will realise that that is not the right way to do things. Not only can it be harmful to you mentally, staying up late and not eating, just to get work done is physically harmful too.
So make the responsible choice and take care of yourself. Try these 4 steps and see if it works for you. Let us know and let’s overcome this together!
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Do you have extra tips to add on to the manual? Comment below or tag us @mosseryco on Instagram!
Special thanks to @giralka for her art!
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Poetry can be intimidating because of its long history, technical form and unfamiliar vocabulary. Not only that, it is also the source of the common fear a lot of us have: which is getting judged for not necessarily understanding the “meaning” of the poem.
We want to take this chance to tell you that there is nothing to fear! Poetry is not just about the meaning, rather it is about the connection between the reader and the writer.
Seeing how it’s National Poetry Month, we thought we could encourage you to try creating your own poems, to look past the pretence and just enjoy yourself. Here are 4 types of poetic forms you can start with:
A Haiku from Bashō's The Narrow Road to the Deep North
When it comes to poetry, most of us would have heard of the Haiku form especially, from school as it is a common literature exercise. Made famous by the Japanese poet, Matsuo Bashō, during the 17th century, it is still a very popular form today.
It is typically a 17 syllable poem, divided into 3 lines. The first line has 5 syllables while the second and third has 7 and 5 syllables respectively. The Japanese Haiku usually deals with themes of nature and a contrast of it, but these days, as long as it fits the syllable count, anything goes!
"Your name pulls everything away in snowstorms of memories"- @giralka
You have probably seen images of Blackout Poetry floating around the interweb for a while now and it is with good reason.
It is an accessible form of poetry that is created by taking a printed text and blacking out all the unwanted words using, typically, a black marker, until the remaining words result in a poem. This form not only creates new writing from existing ones but also serves as a visual art statement. It’s a creative exercise that requires patience and mindful thinking when picking out words you want.
Herbert intended for the stanzas to look like angel wings
Speaking of poetry floating on the interweb, you may have also come across Concrete Poetry. It is where words are written and arranged in a certain way that forms a particular image or shape that enhances the meaning of the poem. For example, a love poem written in the shape of a heart!
In its advanced form, some concrete poetry is no longer intended to be read but seen for the poet’s usage of words and symbols to convey visual, verbal, kinetic, or sonic elements.
Free from rules, Sandburg depicts the fog as a cat
Finally, if all that still has too many rules or constrictions, then the Free Verse form is for you! Basically, as its name implies, this form of poetry frees you from any rules such as rhyme, rhythm, syllable count, stanza length, number of lines or anything!
Some may find this lack of rules to be liberating or even terrifying but we say, go for it! Write anything you want in any way you want and see what you have to say. You may be surprised when you try your hand at something new.
In short, poetry is not that monster under your bed, but a form of literature that encourages the writer to dig deep and share your heart with the world.
It can be cathartic to write out your feelings and have someone connect with it, for we humans despite time and space, go through similar emotions that we can all empathize with. A lot of poetry can start from just journal entries!
So, it does not have to be difficult or written in a certain way for it to be considered poetry. As long as there are people who connect with it, then that’s all that matters.
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Do you write poetry? Tag us on Instagram @mosseryco and show it to us! We would love to share it with the world.
Special thanks to @giralka for her Blackout Poetry!
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Want your new Mossery cover to speak for you but don’t have the words for it? Try the first series of our new personalisation service:
We can all agree that a picture is worth a thousand words, but we think the stars aligned on your birthday say just as much. Our new Personalisation+ service allows you to choose the zodiac sign of your choice and have it sit front and centre on your new book cover.
Do you relate with your zodiac sign?
Let others have a peek into your personality just by glancing at your book cover.
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Have you gotten your zodiac sign cover? Tag us @mosseryco on Instagram and we can’t wait to share it on our page!
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Whenever we have time to be alone, it can be difficult to find the right way to spend the few precious hours we have before the next task or appointment comes along. Sometimes there is too much to do and other times, there is nothing to do at all.
For that reason, we have prepared A Mossery Guide to Peaceful Isolation where we share with you a few ways you can make it rewarding.
Just a few things to be grateful for
We can start by doing a little self-reflection. Sometimes, we can become too detached from our inner selves that it becomes difficult to find peace.
Take this time to write ten things you’re grateful for in your notebook to center yourself among the hustle and bustle in life. Here are some other hard hitting questions you can explore:
• Have I made someone smile today?
• Am I holding on to something I need to let go of?
• When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?
Don't let your environment hold you back
For those with a Mossery planner, this would be a great time to start filling up those Personal Pages to get to know yourself better.
Sometimes by writing it out, your thoughts are realized and it can help anchor your sense of self that otherwise would just be another bubble floating in your thought chamber. Ask yourself:
• Who are my role models?
• What are my words to live by?
• What are my values and beliefs?
Close your eyes and breathe
It’s also a good idea to try meditating. Find a quiet spot in your home, close your eyes and take deep breaths.
You’d be surprised how rewarding it can be when you take even just ten minutes to feel the depth of your existence. To just Be.
"All over the place but my mind is here" - @giralka on her rabbit Patronus
Another way to expand your mind would be through broadening your creativity.
It could be trying out new art mediums, like switching from canvas to sketchbooks or even simply, to just draw. Here are a few prompts for those who are looking to go off with their drawings:
• Draw the design for your next tattoo
• Discover your Patronus Charm and draw your version of it
• What would you look like if you’re a character in a Ghibli film?
"Reorganizing gives a sense of beginning and end to a project"- @elliholi
Once you’re done making art, your table is more likely to be a little messy. Take this time to start your Marie Kondo moment and reorganise or declutter your space.
A clean environment can really make a difference when it comes to productivity. Try asking yourself some of these questions when tidying up:
• Can I recycle this?
• Does this spark joy?
• Is there someone else who would enjoy it more than me?
Slowly but surely you will get there
This is also a fantastic time to start building good habits for yourself. As we grow older, simple things like exercising, staying hydrated and having a good sleep schedule can greatly affect our mental and physical health.
So let’s try our best so our future self will thank us. Here are some things you can think about when tracking your habits:
• How did this make me feel?
• What worked and what didn't?
• How else can I expand on this habit?
Set a goal and work towards it
Planning out your goals would also be constructive for your future.
Maybe start drafting out your novel idea or that comic series you have been thinking of. Alternatively, you can even begin your study plans for the next school semester.
It's never too late to start something new
Try out new recipes, look up courses on coding, writing, photography, or even start a new language.
The journey to self-improvement never ends and you’re never too young or too old to try adapting a new skill. Not sure what to pick up? Try thinking about:
• What were my childhood dreams?
• How can I expand on my hobbies?
• What do I wish to know more about?
Time to play catch up
You can also take this time to catch up on all the media you have unwillingly left behind.
For instance, the book you got too busy to complete, the series you dropped after two episodes, the film everyone has been raving about or revisiting a podcast you loved.
After all is said and done, maybe you can just use this time off to take a self-care moment. Slow down and take a breather.
Make a cup of tea, put on your face mask, run your bath water and throw in a bath bomb. It’s the least you can do after all that you have done.
Although there are plenty of things to do during your getaway, the most important thing after a rest is to come back stronger. We hope our little guide can help you use your time to the fullest and that we get to see some of your examples of peaceful isolation soon.
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Share your moments with us on Instagram with the hashtag #peacefulisolation!
Special thanks to @giralka and @elliholi for their lovely artwork.
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Schools and universities around the world start on different dates for various reasons, but there’s hardly one way for us to standardise these dates.
That’s why we decided to make the Academic Planner undated this year. While someone from Costa Rica can start using their planner in February, another person in Canada can begin in September. With this update, we aimed to make this product accessible for every part of the world.
There are always breaks amidst the entire school year—seasonal, study, semester breaks—where we stop to rest, play, and let loose. Some people might need their planners to plan for the fun and travels during this time, but most don’t.
With the undated version, you won’t have to feel guilty anymore if you miss out on some weeks, because you can literally start again where you left off without wasting a single page.
Many of the habits we have were built subconsciously through the way we choose to respond to the world. In order to build a habit consciously, you need to spend at least 60 days putting it into practice, making it part and parcel of your everyday life.
Tracking your habits will show you a clear picture of your progress, and you’ll also learn to reflect on what worked for you and what didn’t. With good habits, we can establish them as a great foundation for our future selves.
If you’re like me, and you always have trouble remembering certain concepts or formulae, the extra Dotted pages we included for you this year will save your day.
Put these important ideas in one place where you can always refer to them, and you’ll be on your way to getting used to the bulk of the information, as it settles and takes root in your head.
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Ready to get yourself an Academic Planner? Go ahead and personalise your own today for the new school year!
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Our handwritings represent a part of our identities. As we grew up, every experience that shaped our lives gave us the choice to change how we perceive the world. The way we write on paper is the way we see ourselves. It’s one of the many ways we express our true selves.
Today, we share some of our favourite ‘ugly’ handwritings with you, all by incredible people. They are not beautiful nor ugly to us—simply authentic, genuine, and truthful of the owner’s spirit.
The rounded letters with cursive strokes are elements that we can also see in some of his most known paintings. Even in his handwriting, Matisse presents a strong sense of continuity, every letter linking to the next. It’s amazing how every phrase can look like individual pieces of artworks too!
Perhaps it’s really not all that surprising that this handwriting belongs to the fantastic modernist writer. Give The Metamorphosis a read and tell us your thoughts don’t resemble a flurry like this after. Some might call this ugly or illegible—we call this a grand work in progress.
The quick strokes are certainly mirrored in her fast-paced performances. Forever the queen of our hearts, here she is, performing at the age of 49, not out of breath for even a bit. Though it’s beautifully slanted, her writing proves difficult to be read—we’d like to think that every person is a little bit of an enigma themselves.
Like a thought that can’t stop—not unlike his music—Mozart’s writing looks like an unending stream of consciousness. It reminds us of his Piano Sonata No.16 in C Major, where there were many times when the notes seemed to end, but they picked up immediately again after. The words form a fortress of a paragraph on paper, a style that’s difficult to mimic.
Proust’s writing reflects exactly the man he was — a great thinker whose incredibly detailed thoughts had to be unravelled and deciphered carefully. It’s no surprise he was capable of writing a seven-volume novel on the theme of involuntary memory.
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Every person’s handwriting has its own spirit and style, so embrace your handwriting—no matter how illegible, cursive, messy, or ugly—it’s yours, and it’s up to you to let it be a part of yourself. Take joy in the mess that we all are because it’s exactly what makes the world so unexpectedly beautiful.
P/S: Come join the Handwriting Challenge happening on our Instagram right now! It’s easy — just post a picture of your handwriting and hashtag it with #writewithmossery and #writethisinyourhandwriting.
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Maybe because it was a gift from someone special, or it’s been with you through your toughest days, or maybe it’s just too pretty to be left fading from the sunlight that hits your bookshelf.
But what if you won’t have to say goodbye anymore?
If you’re familiar with our Threadbound Notebooks, you’ll know that both the cover and text paper are detachable.
This allows the book to lay flat without damaging the spine of the cover, but the modular system has also made it very possible to replace your notebooks!
That’s right, refills are now available for your Threadbound Notebook—you can replace your notebooks with the same cover forever!
Don’t worry, all of our Threadbound Notebook cover designs are now sold separately too.
Whether you accidentally spilt yoghurt on your cover or suddenly decided that you prefer pink, you can now swap your covers for every mood and occasion thinkable.
You may have tried removing your notebook cover on your own, and you might have realised that it’s not as easy as it looks.
Well, worry no more — we made a tutorial video for you so you can follow the steps carefully without damaging anything by accident.
Starting a new notebook always comes with a fresh feeling mixed with a dose of uncertainty. With a refill by your side, swap out your books or covers anytime to start afresh, or simply just for a change of environment.
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You can now shop for refills and covers on our website!
]]>In the last post, we’ve laid out the main reasons behind expensive shipping fees and why Express shipping is worth every extra penny, but it might have left you thinking: ‘Does this mean that I still can’t have the art book of my dreams anytime soon?’
Which is why we’ll be giving you some tips on how to get the most out of what you’re paying for when you shop with us.
Before we start, here’s a fun fact:
A parcel with one Medium Book weighs around 500g. Because our rates are calculated per 500g, shipping cost increases every time your parcel passes a 500g mark (that’s 1kg, 1.5kg, and so on). Use this knowledge to your advantage!
Ask friends and family who might be interested and bear the shipping fee together. Good things should be shared, don’t you think so?
There are a lot of items on our website that will barely add to the weight of your parcel. Add on a couple of Blackwing pencils, Frixion markers, and neon washi tapes while you’re at it!
Combine orders to reach $150 USD and we’ll waive all shipping fees for you! Just enter the code SHIPPING150 upon checkout.
Our products might be closer than you think. Go on an adventure and find stores near you that carry Mossery products—view our full list of stockists here.
If you happen to be in Malaysia, come by our studio to get what you’ve been eyeing online and save on shipping entirely. We’d love to meet you in person!
Happy shopping!
If you have any constructive suggestions, feel free to reach us at hello@mossery.co. We’d love to hear from you.
]]>We know how it’s like—you finally decide to get that art book, you check out your order, and the exorbitant shipping cost throws you off your chair.
That’s it. Goodbye, art book of your dreams. You might hold it in your hands someday, when you can actually afford the shipping, or when the company decides to give some kind of discount. Who knows?
We get it.
We receive e-mails and DMs on Instagram on a daily basis with all sorts of questions regarding some of our steep shipping costs, and we'd like to take this time to clear things up a little. Here are some things about us that you may not be aware of:
Among all the shipping options in the world, there are unreliable ones which have a history of losing parcels in transit. This sometimes leaves us no choice but to provide only the best possible option for certain countries, which may amount to be a bit more than usual. (sorry about that, South America)
We're based in Malaysia and that puts us roughly 10,000 km away from most of you in the United States and Europe! This distance has made it even more difficult for us when we try to look for reliable and affordable shipping services for our global customers, especially if they live in remote areas.
The shipping rates you see were mostly decided by courier companies, depending on geographical and many other factors. This means that we don’t always get the final say in how much our customers pay for shipping. However, we're always on a sharp lookout for more flexible and secure shipping alternatives.
There’s one more question that people ask us often. Why is Express Shipping so costly compared to the rest? What are you paying for? Well, here are six reasons why this option is our favourite:
A surefire guarantee that your parcel will reach within the specified duration (usually just 2-4 business days!).
With a proof of delivery that requires a receiver signature, your parcel will surely be delivered to the right person at the right address.
Use On-Demand Delivery to choose your preferred delivery option, including self-collection at the nearest service location—for if you’re away for a trip.
Typo on your street name? Correct your details and reroute it immediately, even when your parcel has already been shipped out.
Get text and e-mail notifications to keep you informed on the status of your parcel and precisely when it will be arriving at your doorstep.
With an optimised receiver experience and high delivery success rates, you can go to sleep knowing that your parcel will be making its way to you safely.
Happy shopping! If you have any other questions or suggestions regarding how we might be able to improve our delivery experience, feel free to reach us at hello@mossery.co. We’d love to hear from you.
P/S: Did you know that you can get free shipping off your entire order if you purchase more than $150 and above in a single receipt? Find some friends to share an order together today and just use the code SHIPPING150 at your check out.
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