Moterm pocket (A7) binder - by Anita

In many ways, I am often a creature of habit, especially if I've found something that works well and is efficient for me. This is definitely the case when it comes to my Filofax set up. I may have bought and sold many binders over the years, but when this happens, it's normally to the same size and the contents are simply moved into the new acquisition.

Maybe it's due to the coronavirus, or that I'm due to leave a job that I've done for 13 years, but I woke up a couple of weeks ago craving a complete change in my organiser (quite unlike me!) At first, I resisted the feeling as I'm not in planner fail and my Kensington is working well (as usual). However, sometimes change can be beneficial, so I decided to go with it! After all these years of using my GTD based set up and then my simplified one, I will instead be trying out a pocket Moterm in a bullet journal layout.

Work has been SO busy since I've been working from home and I think because of that, I feel that I want something with some more daily structure. I will be keeping my Kensington as an A to Z with my notes and reference info, but the Moterm is going to be about daily capture and getting stuff done. As this is a bit of an experiment for me, I decided that I didn't want to spend too much, in case it doesn't suit me. At first, I was hoping to pick up a cheap secondhand ochre pocket Malden, but none were to be found, so I headed over to the Moterm store on AliExpress, after hearing good things about the brand in the community.

I decided to go for the simplest binder with the catchy title of:
Genuine Leather Rings Notebook A7 Size Silver Binder Mini Agenda Organizer Cowhide Diary Journal Planner with Credit Card Slots

This is the Litchi grain leather in purple.

On the inside, you have three credit card slots on the left with a full length slip pocket behind, and then another slip pocket on the right. The binder lies flat out of the box and the pockets are easy to get into, as the leather is quite soft and supple. I love the pebbly texture.

The binder doesn't have a pen loop, but after having a bit of a play I've realised that it doesn't really need one. As I did with my tan Kensington, it's possible to use my Muji metal pen holder, or even just slip the Kaweco Sport pen clip in the same position.,

It's also possible to just add your pen inside the elastic, as I've done here with my TWBI fountain pen.

There is a choice of refills available (blank, ruled, grid, dotted grid or craft paper).

If you don't specify when ordering, they will send you ruled refills, which is what I have.

I had planned to get the dark khaki (grey) colour, but it was out of stock, so I instead went with the purple. It's a difficult colour to photograph as it tends to come out brighter and more pink than in real life. I think that it's more a dark raspberry, instead of a true purple, but I like it.

Here it is in comparison with my purple sweatshirt for comparison.

As I don't know if pocket size will suit me, I've decided that I'm not going to buy anything, but instead re-purpose items that I already own and cut up paper from old notebooks, once I use up the refills included.

For example, I've discovered that this passport Midori zipper pocket is a perfect fit and I've just slipped one side into the back full length slip pocket. I may not need it, but I'm going to keep rummaging in my Filofax and stationery box to see if I have any other goodies like this that might fit.

Rhodia pocket notepad that I've had for years and never used.

Comparison with my personal Kensington.

My Kensington is due a clear out here as it's fatter than normal, due to receipts and notes in the pockets.

Slight difference in size, compared with A4!

Lastly, I've never purchased from AliExpress before, but was very impressed with everything, especially as this binder only cost £16 GBP including postage. Due to the cheaper price, I also didn't need to pay any VAT or import duty on the package. The binder arrived within 10 days from China and the packaging was excellent, a sturdy box within a padded envelope and then a drawstring bag. Also included was a spare elastic and a card with some more details about the Moterm Facebook group. They are also available on Amazon USA.