When I placed this year’s Nolty order from Japan, I decided to throw in one of their Pagem planners. Pagem is a brand that seems to be aimed more at women, as many of their designs have pastel colors and floral patterns rather than the very conservative Nolty options. Colorful, patterned, “feminine” covers are not usually my thing. But this particular Pagem planner is pretty minimalist and came in black, so I couldn’t resist trying something that was a little bit new and different.

The Pagem planner is a little outside of my normal notebook/planner preferences in a lot of ways, so I was surprised I liked it so much. I’ve actually started using it for my job, and I think a lot of people might enjoy this format for general planning purposes. Let’s take a look!

This is the Pagem model #2203. I got the black version, but other colors are available (model numbers 2201-2210 are pretty much this format in other colors, though some seem to have a different weekly calendar layout). (A few options are available on Amazon.)

The exterior cover is a detachable clear plastic. It protects the planner insert, while giving you some pockets and a pen loop. Then inside the plastic, there is a textured paper wrap. This layer of paper is presumably the only difference between the various colors that are available.

Then inside plastic and the paper wrap is the planner book itself. It is raw-looking without the cover, but it could easily be swapped into a different cover. The separate cover and the stitched binding of the booklet allows the planner to lie flat quite easily, which is important to me for a work notebook that I will be keeping on my desk. Once it is open, you immediately notice the row of colored stepped index tabs down the side. This makes it really easy to jump to each month of the year.

But before you get to the monthly sections, there are pages with a tiny yearly calendar through June 2026, and a 2024 yearly plan page. The monthly sections begin with some pages for December 2023, then the first colored tab corresponds to a month-on-two-pages layout for January. Then you get week-on-two-pages layouts for January, followed by a couple of lined pages for free form notes. This is repeated for each month, so you have great options for planning your year and each month, and getting into more granular appointments and tasks within each week. The lined pages at the end could be used for random notes or lists, or recording specific tasks or accomplishments for each month. It seems very Bullet Journal-friendly. It also seems to use the same paper as the Nolty Efficiency Notebook. I didn’t do a full range of pen tests, but it is fountain pen friendly.

After the monthly sections, there are some pages where you can jot items for the first 3 months of 2025, more blank pages, and some size charts, an Age Chart, and a “Health Check Calendar,” which perhaps is meant for tracking one’s menstrual cycle, as there’s not room for much else!

Like other Nolty planners, the Pagem 2203 has a supplemental booklet in the back. This one has some reference info in Japanese, a few pages for addresses and telephone numbers, lined pages, and some perforated memo pages so you can neatly tear out a small piece.

Tucked in the back pocket, the planner also includes a sheet of Japanese transit maps, and some clear plastic tab protectors. The colored monthly tabs already have a glossy coating on them, but maybe these are intended to add extra protection.

The Pagem planner has two ribbon markers, similar to the ones used in the regular Nolty notebooks, but these are white and beige. Another key difference is the size– it’s taller and thicker than the other Nolty notebooks I’ve used. Below you can see the size comparison vs. the Nolty Gold Efficiency Notebook and a pocket size Moleskine.

I’d personally prefer the day blocks in the weekly layout to be unlined, but I think this layout will work well for me in other ways. I work Monday-Thursday, so with those days on the left side, I can jot down meetings and tasks assigned to each day. Then I can use the whole facing page for additional notes and tasks. (As noted above, some similar Pagem models have a different weekly layout: model 2209, for example, has the seven days of the week on the left side, and a lined notes page on the right.)

I started writing this review in January, before I’d really used the Pagem planner much. Now it’s already March, and I can say that this notebook is definitely working well for me. There are times when I’d wish to have more space for meeting notes. (I still keep a larger dot-grid notebook on my desk that I can use for those if needed, but I like keeping them in line with my notes and task lists from the same date range when possible.) I’m finding the weekly layout a nice way to focus and organize what I have to accomplish each week, slotting tasks into particular days. And I like having a smaller work notebook that is easier to take with me if I travel. At a recent conference I attended, the pockets in the cover handy for tucking business cards. Will I buy another one for 2025? Too soon to say. Now that I’ve gotten over my fear of using a pocket size notebook for my work tasks, maybe I’ll use another Nolty planner for my job. Or maybe I’ll come across some other interesting planner that I want to try. We shall see! But the Pagem planner is certainly an appealing option that will be in consideration.

If you want to try one, I’m seeing some listed on Amazon for $16.35 as of this writing, with free shipping.