Lord Dodo's Acad-Pad review and giveaway! *Now closed - winner announced in the comments*

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  No!  It's the Dodo Acad-Pad and it's here to save you from your daily, organisational struggles!  The Acad-Pad is perfect for anyone who has just gone back to college, school or uni or for someone who just can't wait until the start of the new year to get themselves a new planner.

Acad-Pad 2016/17

I have been a fan and user of Dodo products for years and years now, before I became a Filofax/planner addict I used their desk diaries to schedule my life and when I moved on to the ring bound system I stuck with the Dodo Pad and Acad-Pads as they're also available as Filofax inserts.  

The Acad-Pad is an academic diary which runs from September through to August (the Dodo Pad is for January through to December) and it has a week on one page layout with a second page for notes, doodles, reminders etc.  Both pads have bright, colourful covers so they are easy to spot if they are buried under piles of paper on your desk or hidden behind everything bar the kitchen sink in your bag!  The covers are also made from sturdy card so if you're balancing the diary on your knee while on the bus to school or on the train to work you have a nice, firm surface to write on.

Example of how to use the pad

The weekly page is incredibly versatile, there are five boxes for each day and you get to label them however you like.  On the example page in the diary they have split the day into To Do, Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Dates & Deadlines.  When I first started using a Dodo Pad my headings were Notes, AM, PM, Kids and Ian (my husband), now my children are older they get their own box each so they are labelled Me, Ian, Hayden, Caitlin and Summer.

Having a second page each week gives you plenty of space to makes notes about your course work, thesis ideas, meetings or even meal plans and shopping lists.  It is pretty much a blank page to fill however you see fit, the possibilities are almost endless!

Weekly layout

Each weekly spread has a theme, some are seasonal and some are just fun and now these pages are more colourful than ever before as for the first time they are printed in a variety of colours instead of a single colour each week with shades of grey, black and white. 

Some pages are factual, some are humorous and quirky but they are all entertaining, practical and certain to keep you organised and amused throughout your day!

Each week has a different theme

As well as the diary you also get overview pages for Aug 2016 to Sep '17 and Sep 2017 to Aug '18 for all your forward planning needs and an Appendix section too.

Stuff and store pouch

At the rear of the pad there is a special stuff and store pouch, I have popped a little notebook in here to help you see it more clearly.  This spot is great for holding loose bits of paper, your homework, shopping lists or anything else you would like to keep neatly in your planner.

Indodispensable data

Finally there are a couple of pages for any important information you want to keep handy, mine are full of phone numbers and email address.

My Dodo Pad in my planner

I currently have the 2016 Dodo Pad in my organiser, I will be ordering the 2017 soon so I will have it in plenty of time for the new year!

Ok!  So do you like what you see?  Would you like to win this fabulous pad for yourself?  All you need to do is leave me a comment below telling me what you would label the five boxes in the Acad-Pad if you were to win it.  Here are the rules:

• Leave me a comment telling me what you would label the five boxes in your Acad-Pad (Reminders, AM, PM etc).  I will number them and then use random.org to select a winner.
• Only one entry per person please.
• You must be over 18 to enter or have a parent's permission.
• The giveaway ends at 12pm UK time on the 7th November 2016, any comments after this time will not count.  
• The winner will be announced on this post on the 8th November 2016 and they will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize.  If I don't hear from them I will have to draw a new winner.
• The Dodo Acad-Pad is the only prize, there is no cash alternative.
• This is an international giveaway.

I would just like to thank Rebecca from Dodo Pad and Georgie from The M Word for sending me this pad to review and give away, it is really nice to be able to share one of my favourite products with you all!

Good luck!

*Disclaimer - I was given this product free of charge for promotional purposes.  I was not paid to write this review and as always all opinions are honest and my own.