This I have found with Collins Debden. Serendipity (noun): the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.
(Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serendipity)
One of my well-known weaknesses is stationery. I am forever buying new notebooks, pens, calendars. Many of my purchases are found through serendipity… I’m not looking for a planner but then I am romanced by one I’ve stumbled across at Tokyu Hands or while browsing Amazon.
I love the smell of paper, the tactile feel of turning pages, casting your eye on a blank sheet and imagining what awaits once you put pen to paper. I buy stationery for personal satisfaction, as presents for fellow stationery lovers (or those that I feel should be stationery lovers). Blank, dotted, lined, with or without dates, in book format, as tear-away sheets, spiral-bound, all beautifully designed and ready for ink. I am obsessed.
This is why I was delighted to interview Sally Koh, GM Singapore of Collins Debden, a stationery brand founded in Scotland in 1819.
Thank you, Sally, for planning a bit of time into your schedule for us.
Why do you think paper and pen has stood the test of time in an increasingly digital world?
We have seen consumers move towards digital communication with the proliferation of digital technologies, but there is still a strong demand for paper-based stationery as customers continue to seek for the tactile nature of writing down notes and checking off tasks. There’s a je ne sais quoi appeal about the paper and pen experience that’s extremely enduring.
Consumers cherish and value their stationary, and have even embraced well-designed stationery and items made with luxurious materials. This is also why the stationary industry has grown to become a platform for creativity, self-expression and productivity.
How do you use stationery to improve your life?
When I’m at the centre of all the chaos, every little thing feels like a top priority. Using both the diary and notebook free up my mental load and I’m able to devote that energy to more productive things that will lead me somewhere. It helps me to stay organized and on track from day to day. I get more done in less time.
It seems that there are so many ways to boost productivity with planners and diaries. What are your top tips?
For those who find it difficult to take action, I would recommend to first start by actually writing down the tasks that need to be done. Take advantage of the monthly layouts in your diary and use them to pen and plan your deadlines. When you develop a habit of combining actions with planning, you’ll take better actions over time
One of my top tips that I’ve learned over the years is to space out the tasks onto different lists, so as to have a realistic amount of work to focus on at any one time. The problem that most people face when using a diary is that they jot down everything they want to do on one page or one list, which then overwhelms them and they have difficulty completing the tasks.
Tell me a bit more about Collins Debden and how they produce one of their signature, high-quality diaries?
Collins Debden is a stationery and lifestyle brand that produces high-quality stationery, from diaries to notebooks, journals, wall and desk planners, and to-do lists. Our stationery increases efficiency and caters to people from different walks of life. From our humble beginnings in a small print shop in Candleriggs, Glasgow in 1819 to now 200 years later, our passion for stationary renowned for quality has never once wavered.
The process of producing one of our signature diaries, such as our best-selling Metropolitan collection, comes down to designing organisers that ease everyday organization and efficiency. We take into consideration the appropriate size for a good fit into a bag, a secure elastic closure to hold additional notes in the notebook and an expandable inner pocket to hold notes and name cards.
What do you use the Collins Debden range for?
I use the Metropolitan Melbourne notebook for its quality Kinmari paper. As I use a fountain pen for writing, a quality paper notebook is important for me to ensure that the ink does not feather upon writing.
Essentially, it is my companion that fosters my professional excellence and I take it with me everywhere. My ideas and observations, notes from meetings and errand lists, I pen it all on my trusty notebook.
What is your favourite item in their Spring/Summer 2019 collection? (and why)
I particularly love the vibrant charm of Edge Camo from the Spring/Summer 2019 collection, that injects a burst of fun and adventure and completely captures a sense of liveliness. It also reflects new innovation that Collins Debden values deeply, as the notebook is designed to have soft-touch covers and camo edging that is perfect for those on the go and who wants to carry their edgy persona with them.
You can find the Collins Debden range at Takashimaya Kinokuniya and the following Times bookstores; Waterway Point, Paragon, Centrepoint.
You can now find Collins Debden online at www.collinsdebden.com
Images kindly provided by Collins Debden.
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