It's All About The GRID
It's all about the GRID. One look at your week tells you Who, Where, When for the whole family.
Our founder Emma, a mum of four, designed the GRID in 2006, when every diary she tried had room for her and nobody else.
Open your diary and you see Monday to Sunday across two pages. The left page is yours, like a normal diary. The right page is the GRID: a column for each person in your family, with the days running down the page, so each day becomes a row across everyone.
Jump to: How the GRID helps you · Which GRID is right for you? · Who can your columns be?
How the GRID helps you
- Spot clashes before they happen. Parents' evening on the same night as football, or a dentist appointment during the school play, stands out as soon as you look along the row.
- Plan who does what. With one car and three children going to three places, you can see at a glance where the pinch points are and sort out lifts in advance.
- Remember the little things. Non-uniform day, swimming kit, trip money and party presents each have a home, in the right person's column, on the right day.
- See the whole week, not a list. Unlike a phone calendar, nothing is buried in a scroll. Your week sits on two pages you can take in at once.
- Share the load. When the plan is written down where everyone can see it, the family can check the diary or calendar instead of asking you.
- Clear your head. If it is written down, you don't have to carry it around in your mind at 11pm.
Which GRID is right for you?
Pick by how many columns you need and where your diary will live. All prices are for the 2027 (January to December) editions. The MUM's Weekly Planner is undated, so you can start it any week of the year.
| Product | Columns | Size | Where it lives | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUM's Mini Diary | 3 | 11cm x 14cm | Even the smallest handbag | Younger families with one or two children | £16 |
| MUM's Diary (our bestseller) | 4 | 12cm x 18cm | Your handbag | Busy families with two to four children | £20 |
| BIG Family Diary | 5 | 19cm x 24cm | Open on the kitchen worktop | Big households, grandchildren and older parents | £28 |
| WEEKLY Family Calendar | 6 | A4 landscape | On the kitchen wall | The whole family checking the plan for themselves | £13.50 |
| MUM's Weekly Planner (undated) | 6 | A4 landscape pad, 60 pages | In the kitchen, where the whole family can update it | Starting any week of the year, with to-do lists and a tear-off shopping list | £12 |
| BLOX A5 Diary (BLOX Stationery) | 3 | 15cm x 21cm (A5) | Your tote bag or rucksack | Students, and anyone planning just their own life | £22 |
| BLOX Desk Diary (BLOX Stationery) | 4 | 19cm x 24cm | On your desk or in the staff room | Professionals, the self-employed and teachers | £28 |
Planning just for you? Meet BLOX.
The BLOX A5 Diary and BLOX Desk Diary come from our sister brand, BLOX Stationery. They have the same GRID, but they are designed for one person, with no reference to children or family. Instead of Who, Where, When, a BLOX column is a What: a project, a module, a client or a habit. Think What, Where, When. Both are thread bound so they lie flat, with monthly calendars, two ribbon markers, an elastic strap, a pen loop and a back pocket.
All five diaries come in 8 Italian vegan leather covers. The BIG Family Diary and both BLOX diaries have monthly calendars as well as the GRID. Many families use a diary for themselves and the calendar for everyone else. Delivery is free on orders over £35.
Each one also comes in a School Year (or BLOX Academic) edition, if you prefer to plan by the school year rather than January to December.
Want a deeper dive?
See how real families set up their columns, what a week in the GRID looks like, and our top tips for getting the most from it. Who can your columns be? ↓
Who can your columns be?
Each column is a Who. There is no right way to use them: write a name or a label at the top of each one and change it whenever your life changes. Our customers use them for:
- Each child, with their school, clubs, matches, homework and parties
- Your partner, including shift rotas, work trips and late meetings
- Your work, if you would rather keep the left page for family
- Meal plans, so you know who is in for dinner and what you are cooking
- Grandparents or elderly parents, with hospital appointments, carers and visits
- Grandchildren, if you help with childcare
- The dog, with walks, vet visits and the groomer
- A small business, a B&B or your own goals, such as workouts or habits
If you have more people than columns, pair them up. Two younger children can share a column, for example, or meals and the dog can share one.
Here are some real-life ways families set theirs up, from the 3-column MUM's Mini to the 6-column WEEKLY Family Calendar, plus the BLOX diaries for planning just your own life.
| Your family | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 | Column 5 | Column 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young family (MUM's Mini, 3 columns) | Toddler | Nursery | Partner | |||
| Back at work (MUM's Mini, 3 columns) | Child | Partner | My work | |||
| School-age family (MUM's Diary, 4 columns) | Eldest | Middle | Youngest | Partner | ||
| Two children and a dog (MUM's Diary, 4 columns) | Child 1 | Child 2 | Partner | Dog | ||
| Shift-working household (MUM's Diary, 4 columns) | My shifts | Partner's shifts | Children | Childcare and pick-ups | ||
| Sandwich years (BIG Family Diary, 5 columns) | Teenager | Student at uni | Partner | Grandchildren | Mum and Dad | |
| Grandparent who does childcare (BIG Family Diary, 5 columns) | Grandchild 1 | Grandchild 2 | Grandchild 3 | Partner | Hospital and GP | |
| Family business (BIG Family Diary, 5 columns) | Child 1 | Child 2 | Partner | Business orders | Staff rota | |
| Busy kitchen (WEEKLY Family Calendar, 6 columns) | Child 1 | Child 2 | Child 3 | Partner | Me | Meal plan |
| Blended family (WEEKLY Family Calendar, 6 columns) | Child 1 | Child 2 | Stepchild | Partner | Me | Handovers |
| Time for me (MUM's Mini, 3 columns) | Child | Gym and exercise | Habit tracker | |||
| Fitness fan (MUM's Diary, 4 columns) | Child 1 | Child 2 | Partner | Gym and exercise (classes, runs, step count) | ||
| Healthy year (BIG Family Diary, 5 columns) | Child 1 | Child 2 | Partner | Gym and exercise | Habit tracker (water, sleep, reading) | |
| University student (BLOX A5, 3 columns) | Lectures and deadlines | Part-time job shifts | Social and societies | |||
| Revision season (BLOX A5, 3 columns) | Revision plan | Exams | Gym and exercise | |||
| Teacher (BLOX Desk Diary, 4 columns) | Lessons and cover | Marking | Meetings and duties | To-do list | ||
| Manager or project lead (BLOX Desk Diary, 4 columns) | Project A | Project B | Team and chasing | Gym and exercise | ||
| Self-employed (BLOX Desk Diary, 4 columns) | Client work | Invoices and admin | Marketing | Habit tracker |
A Who can also be a What. A Who doesn't have to be a person. It can be a job, a pet, a business or a routine, such as the meal plan, the dog, a weekly handover, your gym sessions or a habit you are building. That's why, in our BLOX Stationery diaries, the GRID becomes What, Where, When. Tick off a workout, a glass of water or ten minutes of reading each day, and watch the streak grow down the column. Whatever needs its own space each day can have its own column.
A week in the GRID
Here is how one week on the right-hand page might look in MUM's Diary, with its 4 columns:
| Day | Ella (14) | Josh (11) | Mia (7) | Dad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Netball 4pm | PE kit | Late shift | |
| Tue | Football 5pm | |||
| Wed | Maths test | Swimming 4.30pm | Away (back Thu) | |
| Thu | Parents' evening 6pm | Parents' evening 6.20pm | ||
| Fri | Non-uniform day | Trip money due | ||
| Sat | Sleepover at Amy's | Match 10am | Party 2pm (buy present) | Golf |
| Sun | Lunch at Nana's | |||
Read across a row and you see one day for the whole family. Read down a column and you see one person's week.
Every entry answers three questions. Who is the column. When is the day. Where is what you write in the box. That's why we say it's all about the GRID.
Tips for getting the most from your GRID
- Label your columns on the first week. Write the names at the top so the layout feels like yours from day one.
- Fill in the "Our Week" page. Note the regular routine each term, such as clubs, lessons and bin day, so you don't have to rewrite it every week.
- Add dates as soon as they arrive. When a school letter, invitation or appointment letter comes in, write it straight into the right column.
- Do a five-minute Sunday look-ahead. Read across each day of the coming week and sort out any clashes, lifts and kit before Monday.
- Use the information pages. Keep NHS numbers, passport details, clothes sizes and birthdays in one place, so you are never digging through drawers.
- Put the GRID where people can see it. A diary open on the worktop or a calendar on the wall means the family can check it before they ask you.
Who, Where, When, all on one page: at MUM's Office, it's all about the GRID. Browse the 2026-27 School Year collection or Shop the 2027 collection.
