PLOTTER users exist everywhere around the globe in diverse fields and locations and it’s no surprise that there is an intersection between fine third-wave coffee and PLOTTER. In early January, we had the chance to meet Chris Giannakos, a PLOTTER user and co-owner of Revolver Coffee in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Revolver Coffee is a highly established third-wave coffee shop in the scenic Gastown neighborhood, known for its worldly selection of coffee beans, precise brewing methods, and cozy yet sleek interior. What sets Revolver apart from other Vancouver coffee shops is their love not just for coffee, but also for analog tools. They sell high-quality notebooks, pencils, and fountain pens alongside single-origin beans sourced from famous coffee roasteries around the world. Chris, being an avid user of analog tools and stationery, is a perfect example of Revolver’s ethos.
In this digital age, many people rely on digital planning and productivity systems to schedule their day-to-day events and projects. Despite this trend, it was charming to discover that Chris, despite his busy schedule and the demands of running a coffee shop, prefers a purely analog way of planning. He uses an A5 dot-grid notebook as his bullet journal and supplements it with his PLOTTER Mini 5 in Beige Pueblo Leather. His bullet journal contains a monthly calendar, daily pages, and reference pages where he keeps track of his events, tasks, and projects.
While Chris has been using the bullet journal system for a few years, he wanted a more portable supplemental system that he could carry with him everywhere, and that’s where his PLOTTER Mini 5 comes in.
Chris configured his PLOTTER Mini 5 as a condensed version of his larger A5 bullet journal. Every day, he transfers important tasks from his bullet journal’s daily pages to a sheet of the PLOTTER 5mm Dot Grid Refill Memo Pad. He then inserts this sheet into his PLOTTER Mini 5, which he keeps conveniently within reach in his pockets. Chris also keeps a Monthly Schedule Refill in his PLOTTER Mini 5 for quick access to his monthly calendar. To accommodate on-the-go notes, Chris carries a few 5mm Dot Grid sheets and he completes his setup with the Mini 5 Leather Card Case, which keeps miscellaneous cards and business cards handy.
For Chris, shifting to analog planning is a response to the constant inundation of notifications and distractions from his digital devices. While it may be easy to schedule events on a smartphone calendar, picking up a smartphone often leads to distractions that steer you away from your initial purpose of picking up a smartphone. Chris found that when he used his smartphone to write a note or schedule a meeting, he would get sidetracked by notifications and social media. By using an analog setup like his PLOTTER Mini 5, Chris can avoid these distractions.
Chris has also embraced analog living in other aspects of his life, such as shifting from shooting with a digital mirrorless camera to a film camera as a photographer. Shooting on film forces him to slow down, be intentional, and capture the perfect shot in one take. Similarly, using an analog planning system like PLOTTER encourages Chris to slow down, be intentional, and approach his daily tasks and projects with purpose and meaning.
In a world dominated by digital planning and productivity systems, it’s refreshing to discover individuals like Chris Giannakos, who embrace the analog approach. Chris’s use of a bullet journal combined with his PLOTTER Mini 5 showcases the power of blending traditional pen and paper with modern tools. This deliberate choice allows him to escape the constant distractions of digital devices and be more intentional in his planning and actions.
Just as Chris has found meaning and resolve in shooting on film as a photographer, his analog planning system embodies a similar mindset, resulting in a tangible and purposeful approach to his daily tasks of running a coffee shop.
