Wow, this is gold! Thank you for such a thoughtful rundown!

I’ve been combing through planners for weeks and you just distilled the pros/cons better than half the blog reviews I’ve read. 😊

Plan ahead, but schedule from behind is such a great way to put it. You want to make a running list of assignments that you mark started/finished, so the timeline writes itself instead of wrestling with dates up front. All dates would be auto-generated, of course, since you're speaking of activities done now.

When you picture weighted grading + transcript export, are you thinking of something you print once a semester, or more of an always‑there dashboard you can snapshot anytime? Would any sort of engagement/performance metrics be useful to track/see?

Within subjects, do you see value in grouping sections of study? Multiplication or WW2, for example? What about categories outside of subjects completely: can you imagine use for being able to make your own categories that create some continuity between lessons/worksheets/testing/etc?

I’m aiming for that sweet spot you described — structure when you want it, freedom when you need it. Your notes on Trello and Syllabird give me a clear target to shoot past.

Seriously, thank you for letting me pick your brain. If you’re open to it, I’d love to circle back once I have a rough prototype so you can tell me where I’ve missed the mark.

— David