Get Organised: Planners & Accessories from South African Stationery Brands

Every year we make New Year’s Resolutions because we know that setting a routine is an important contributing factor to mental well-being. And planners are incredibly useful tools for achieving these goals. But with the first quarter behind us, your New Year’s resolutions may have faded and your diary may look a little less than inspiring. And yet, a new quarter and a fresh season are ideal for a shake-up. So, if you’re looking to keep your goals foremost on your mind, these South African stationery brands offer some helpful tools.

Stickers from Bvbblegvm Illustrations

This woman-owned brand is based in Paarl in the Western Cape. Designer Nadia du Plessis makes various stationery items and art prints, as well as offering commissioned portraits.

Bvbblegvm is your go-to for South African-made stickers that will support your goals. Amongst the stickers that remind you to take a snack, you’ll find the Adulting Gold Star Stickers. If you want praise for self-care tasks like doing the laundry or paying your bills, these are your go-tos.

• Sticker sheets: R80

Clip Clop Stickers

This South African stationery brand has been in the game for years and has assembled several stationery products, including notebooks, calendars and gift tags. However, it’s the range of lovely stickers that speaks to our planners.

For a pinch of pretty, you won’t find better than Clip Clop’s range of floral stickers. They come in watercolour and sketch styles, and add a calming element to a busy diary.

• Stickers: R38

More Stickers from South African Label Stickaround

Stickaround is a collection of, yep, stickers from Fourie & Me. This is another excellent South African label that features often at markets. The designs include rainbows, hearts, flowers and animals — everything you need to beautify your diary.

• Stickers: R25

Alexa Lily Diaries & Stickers

If you still haven’t found a diary for 2023, it’s not too late for you. Created by a busy mom, Alexa Lilly planners take more than working hours into account. They come in daily, weekly and monthly formats. Using the Alexa Lily layout, you can set and track goals for habit change.

This South African stationery brand also sells stickers to brighten up and further customise your diary. There are various vinyl sticker sets that speak to home and work life.

• The Daily Edit Planner: R830 (currently on sale at R500)
• Stickers: R100 (currently on sale at R30)

Honourable Mention: Passion Planner

While Passion Planner is not a South African brand, their commitment to financial accessibility merits an honourable mention. They offer free pdfs of their entire planner, as well as handy inserts that you can paste into any diary or journal. For instance, there’s a water tracker or a weekly overview. For students, there’s also a specific school to-do list. Managing your time well is a common student mental health tip so this will come in handy.

Passion Planner is a great option for creating a fully customisable diary. And if you do decide to go for the entire Passion Planner, you can always have it printed and bound at your local copy store.

• Free printable planners, inserts and worksheets

Notebooks and Free Inserts from To The Moon and Back

To The Moon and Back is one of the most well-known South African stationery brands and frequently features at markets and concept stores. The company, which is based in Cape Town, prides itself on producing products that are 100% locally made. These include calendars, license disk stickers and notebooks.

They also offer a handful of free digital downloads, including a daily A4 planner and a meal planner.

• A5 notebooks (set of 2): R150

Notebooks from South African Stationery Brand Croxley

For a plain exercise book in which you can put together printables, choose one of the locally-made exercise books from Croxley. Originally a British brand, Croxley now produces its paper products in a factory in Durban.

We all remember the exercise books from school but with a bit of DIY covering, one of the hardback or spiral–bound notebooks can become the stylish planner of your dreams. As for the inside pages, you could customise those with inserts from Passion Planner or To The Moon and Back.

• A5 Hardcover: R21.50 at PNA

Which South African Stationery Brand Will You Try?

Whether you want to focus more on exercising, schedule more time for relationships or enhance your productivity, having the right planner can be a powerful ally. With so many inspiring planners and accessories available here in South Africa, you have all the tools you need to reclaim your time for your goals.