GreenBook Review - Kevin van Diest
Only one 'check' Uhh...let's see, my calendar 'check', my job notebook 'check', my YouTube notebook 'check' ....uhhmm. Oh yeah, my freelance notebook 'check'. My daily routine before I can head out the door AND the space I always have to reserve in my bag, but no more! It was a regular work day, I was sitting at my regular table in one of my favorite coffee shops where an acquaintance saw me writing drily in all my different notebooks. "Hey Kevin, know what you should be looking at? Greenbook. A handy erasable notebook, that saves lugging around notebooks again." I immediately went online to check out Greenbook and yep, made the purchase that very afternoon. But why? Concept Only an erasable notebook had not convinced me, but Greenbook "the concept" did. The fact that you can create your own notebook with whatever you need convinced me. The design of the pages is nice and clean and looks calm, if that is not enough you can also choose between different designs! For example, the calendar which is available in multiple formats. Greenbook is suitable for everyone given the diversity of page types. Are you from mathematical calculations, accounting ...in short, calculations and tables? Then you have the "diamond" page for that. Do you like drawings? For that is the 'blank' page. It even goes so far that you can even keep track of your special diet and workout schedule with the 'habit tracker' and 'find your rhythm' page. Really awesome! Ow and by the way, did I mention that it is completely clickable and detachable! A super system that allows this one notebook to keep going ...even if your life, interests, work, diet etc. changes. In short, it just screams sustainability. This is something I stand for and as a vegan, this appeals to me a lot. Including vegan accessories and paper packaging. Quality Then comes the next thing, you get the package home and then it's seeing if the quality is as good as Greenbook indicates. I can actually be very short on that. It really is high quality! By this I mean both the firmness of the paper and the "quality of erasure. The paper is nice and firm making it easy to loosen and tighten (repeatedly) and erasing is easy by just using the cloth. And should you need to erase a lot of text, illustrations, calculations, etc. that you have already left for at least a week you can use the included liquid. Note! If you are really fanatic about illustration or bullet journal, then you should remember that if you press hard then even after erasing you will continue to see a slight print when you hold it at a certain angle against the lies(see image above). However, the print is otherwise not visible at all when you look straight at your paper. So no problem for me. I write very lightly so no print is visible, only when illustrating do I lightly see the print. Important to mention is that the company also wants to guarantee the quality, so sometimes a product is not available because the quality does not conform to the Greenbook concept. So this gives certainty. My workflow Well as you read I am quite enthusiastic and that is because besides being a product it also just fits my workflow perfectly. For example, I chose the A5, gray cover that I put together entirely by myself. Just putting it together is all the fun! Thinking about how you are going to use it, the layout, the pages needed, the pens etc. Now here's the thing: I have organized my GreenBook so that I have my job, my freelance/workshops, my YouTube and my calendar all in one simple notebook. Arranged exactly according to my workflow, my way of working. So love to use checklist within my project, but also space to notebook and sketch. So this is all possible. I am nicely organized with this, this gives peace and focus...wonderful. Service The organization behind GreenBook is also really good and together this makes it a nice whole. If you have questions or anything like that you can email, call and app with Janice. YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT. Janice. So I have another contact in my Whatsapp chat list. The contact is as if you are apping with a friend. Personal and fast. This is super, especially at a time when companies are increasingly hiding behind an email address. Conclusion So it's no surprise, the product and service are top notch. But is it so done and final? No it isn't. By this I mean that the company and products are in flux and of course I still have a few things on my personal wish list ...hoping they will be produced. Fortunately, you are allowed to submit product improvements, they are open to that ...so who knows, maybe soon it will be exactly as I would like it to be. But for now I say 'good job'. Kevin Van Dienst is a photographer and videographer. He shares his knowledge through his YouTube channel and teaches courses. Check out his work here.
Kind of perfect? GreenBook review from a lefty.
The problem starts here; behold my chaos. I recently started studying Management & Innovation and I find the amount of books and paper quite overwhelming. The module I am currently completing has three required books plus 1 recommended book and as I was looking for more information myself, some more have been added. Organizing my book notes is a drama. This comes down to several writing pads or 1 block and collecting the loose notes in various insert folders. I am an outright control freak/perfectionist, so you can understand that this is where things seriously go wrong. I lose track and to be honest, it even results in procrastination. On top of that, my classmates grab their laptops during class, but my experience is that I remember and focus better when I am writing along instead of typing. And unfortunately, that takes a lot of paper. So I study Innovation to promote sustainability but in the meantime I fail to study sustainability! Grrr!!! With so many 'pains' there is still a lot to gain! And these are just the pains of me as a student. Recently I emptied my Dopper in my bag, which by the way does nothing good for the quality of your notes and on top of that I am left-handed. So I always smear my text on my paper, which results in messy notes and a blue hand. I've been living with that left-handedness and clumsiness for about 4 decades so those points, while sad, are a given. I actively searched for the solution to my study problem and ended up at Greenstory. Critical as I am, I then read an entire website first, but well; they had me at "impact"(nl.ourgreenstory.com/impact/) Kind of perfect? I cannot escape the impression that the people behind Greenstory are perfectionists like me. So there is no point in hiding my enthusiasm, about their products and their thoughtfulness. And no; my opinion is not for sale and I have no shares. I do have interests and that is in a green world with lots of trees and as for myself; consciously looking for opportunities to reduce my eco footprint. Testing 1-2 So I love my new notepad. It writes very nicely and I don't smudge. I use the small notepad as a shopping list; it's in the kitchen. Even though I spilled water on it, I was just able to continue writing neatly without any circles or smudges. If I do want to erase a letter or page, the "eraser" on the back works well and I only need a little of the spray to get my page clear again. Sometimes it seems like my hand wants to stick while writing but I don't 'stamp' and my hand remains ink-free! Then the scanning and saving. I have experience with the app TinyScanner and this app, Camscanner, works similarly. You photograph the text and the app updates the quality of your photo in terms of shape and lighting. It's very easy to put your notes in 1 folder and also to add notes later. Because you probably won't believe this, but I have my digital folders neatfreakishly in order. There are more advantages specifically for all left-handed people, who still sometimes quarrel with the ring binder of their old school notepad, but there may still be a surprise left.... Highly recommended; this GreenBook! Anna Goes Green is an independent online platform. Here you are welcome if you want to know more about sustainability and ethics and meet like-minded souls. So that together we can make sustainable and ethical the norm.
Review: The diary that lasts for years
You've probably seen it pass by a lot, the Bullet Journal. A homemade journal that both organizes your notes and stimulates your creativity. Super fun I thought, because it combines two hobbies of mine: list-making and typography. Unfortunately, I have the classic doctor's handwriting and I am a born perfectionist. And that combination makes a Bullet Journal not work for me. At least, that's what I thought until I received the GreenBook! For some time I've had the desire to start a Bullet Journal. That's a homemade notebook where you keep track of your to-do lists and appointments in a creative and organized way. However, it was not for me, because I have the textbook of a doctor's handwriting and I am a born perfectionist. If I make a mistake, I prefer to tear out the page and start over. Let the GreenBook be the solution! New week, clean slate Keep your notes and scribbles and easily erase them as soon as the week is over or if, like me, you go crazy with writing mistakes and misplaced dots. A clean slate is made in no time with this little book! I categorize my notes using handy plan pages that come in a variety of types, including daily, weekly, monthly and yearly planners, to-do lists and grid and line pages. The pages are all available separately and are easy to take in and out of the booklet. I like the blank pages the best, because they really give my creativity free rein! I use these blank pages to create mood pages, such as my monthly goals or ideas for illustrations. I use the erasable weekly planner and fill it with my business and personal appointments. I also use my GreenBook to keep track of my and my son Olle's eating and drinking schedules. Very organized and approachable and this way I can be sure we both don't lack anything 🙂 Endless scribbling I love my GreenBook and can finally keep track of my own Bullet Journal, hooray! By the way, I am also incredibly curious to see how this product will develop further. For example, I would love to be able to buy a wide range of colored pens so that you can really turn your GreenBook into a note-taking party. ? In any case, the GreenBook is a great product that combines sustainability and creativity in a very promising way. I am a fan! You too? About Shari (Sjaartje) Shari Pelkmans is a designer from the Eindhoven region. Under the name Sjaartje, as she is affectionately called because of her small stature, she searches for inspiration in the field of sustainable interior and lifestyle. She shares her finds on her blog sjaartje.nl.
