CHENNAI: It’s 10.01 am now, which means that this article I have been meaning to start will have to wait till 10.30 am when I will inevitably decide to get a snack, delaying the process — to my editor’s horror — till 2 pm. The plague of procrastination is deadly, and I’m sure I’m not the only one suffering. Recently, however, on one of my many ‘breaks’, I came across an interesting concept on Instagram — quirky planners produced by Chennai-based stationery brand The Chaos Story, for those who struggle to plan their days and stick to them.
The venture was created by designers and stationery hoarders Meghna Parikh and Harshitha Suresh after a bit of procrastination. Mulling over the idea through September 2020 with little execution, the brand was finally conceptualised and launched on Instagram in October 2020 as The Chaos Story, a name aptly reflecting the state of the world around them. “In 2020, I found comfort in planning. There are things I'd like to accomplish since I have lost so much time at home. The planning became an outlet for finding comfort in the chaotic events that are happening in the pandemic,” says Meghna, to which Harshitha adds, “2020 was a chaotic and uncertain year for all of us. In this time, everyone has a chaotic story of their own, and through our planners, they can chalk out their chaos and take control of it.” With the realisation that planners have helped them with staying organised, they set out to create their functional and aesthetic collection.
What’s on your schedule?
During the brainstorming phase, they sent out forms to understand their audience and studied that the market for planners is rather niche. Most products are targeted to maintaining a book and logging every day. Hence, the duo took the road less taken, creating products that also offer flexibility, through which the users could plan at their pace.And thus came about their Lazy collection, consisting of The Lazy Dailies and The Lazy Planners. The Lazy Dailies are tear-off pads that are intended to make planning less overwhelming for the user.
They contain 60 sheets each and include sections to schedule and note day-to-day tasks, with a little section to plan ‘what to do if the world doesn’t end today!’ For those who prefer a book to carry, the Lazy planner is a soft-bound undated planner that allows the user to make plans, take notes and schedule with flexibility, with a side of random thoughts, quirky quotes, trackers, lists, calendars, and puzzles for a refreshing combination. However, not all products are dedicated to those who go with the flow, their Bold ‘n’ Dated Planner is serious business. A monochromatic, hard-bound dated planner, it is a classic for the fans of minimalism, who wish to track their daily, monthly and even yearly goals with a section for self-introspection and motivation.
A fast favourite
While the brand began as a passion project and is still a part-time affair for the founders, it has kept them neck-deep in work with a positive response even amid a pandemic, mentions Meghna. “Knowing the right marketing strategies, how to go around a platform and promote ourselves has helped us navigate the pandemic and though we are currently only selling via Instagram, we have a comfortable audience,” she adds. Both Meghna and Harshitha, have a marketing background that has helped them in the growth of their business.
Speaking of their audience and the messages they receive, Harshitha beams as she shares, “One of the recurring responses that we got from a lot of people was that our products are very gender-neutral. I think that the planner industry generally favours the feminine side of planning. We were amazed to see that the Bold ‘n’ Dated planner vibed with everyone.”While the duo looks forward to eventually expanding the range of their products to other stationery, they are currently focussing on planners and might gradually introduce new additions.
For orders, contact @the.chaosstory on Instagram. Prices range between Rs 400-Rs 1,000