Monochrome Hello Time workspace with planner, clock, desk lamp and laptop

About Us

ABOUT TIME

We’re not going to tell you to do more.

Honestly? That’s the last thing you need.

Modern life is already loud. The lists are endless. Too many tabs are open. The guilt is real. And somewhere in the middle of all that noise, you’ve lost track of the thing that actually matters most, your time.

HELLO TIME exists to fix that.

We design award-winning, undated planners and time-saving stationery to help you strip away the chaos, get clarity, find focus and start spending your time on the things that actually move you forward.

We’re building a gorgeous community of people who
believe that managing your time isn’t about hustle, it’s about intention. That when you’re clear on your priorities, everything else falls into place.

You don’t need more hours in the day. You need a better relationship with the ones you have.

That’s what we’re here for. I like to say…

“Every HELLO TIME Planner is a book to be written in, a plan to be made, a goal to to be smashed, an idea to be born, a life to be lived and a story waiting to be told. Go make your story”

A collection of images showing an open Hello Time planner showing bold “Organise the Chaos” and motivational quote pages, a woman sitting in chair flipping through undated planner and a person holding a black embossed HELLO TIME notebook.

Once upon a time

I didn’t find the answer.
I designed it.

Hello, I’m Sam Smith, founder of HELLO TIME and creator of the award-winning HELLO TIME Planner.

In 2018, I hit a wall. The kind that changes everything. I was running two businesses, burning the candle at every possible end, and slowly falling apart. I knew something had to change.

I realised the root of so much of my stress was this: I had no proper system. I was carrying a small diary, three notebooks, several to-do lists and a million scraps of paper. It was chaos dressed up as productivity.

So I went looking for a planner that could fix it. I found lots of options, overcomplicated layouts, prescriptive prompts, overwhelming structure, sections I’d never use. Tools that told me how to plan, without ever explaining why it mattered.

I wanted to fix a problem that no other product, from my research and experience, was able to do.

So I designed my own.

The HELLO TIME Planner was born from burnout not a business plan and is built with purpose. Minimal, smart, undated. One place to hold everything, goals, diary, to-dos, notes, plans and ideas without the noise. No gimmicky graphics. No boxes to fill you didn’t ask for. Just space to think and download. I often call it my ‘second brain!’.

It changed how I work. Freeing up that mental clutter bought more creativity, more intention, more focus.

Since then, HELLO TIME has grown into a brand, a product range, and a community of people who are done with the overwhelm. Our planners are designed by me and made here in the UK by other independent businesses who share our commitment to quality and sustainability.

Eight years on, I’m still using it every single day.

Detail of Hello Time planner binding showing open flat-lay spine in black and white
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I AM A BIG FAN. BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTS & THE QUALITY IS ASTOUNDING.
HOLLY TUCKER MBE

Before Time

This isn’t my first rodeo.

You might know me as the founder of HELLO TIME and the creator of a little black award-winning book. But there’s more to the story.

I’ve spent three decades in brand design and strategy and not just any brands. I’ve worked on campaigns that moved the second biggest brand in a category to the number one spot. I’ve art directed pitches that won my agency a million-pound account. I’ve built big brands that are still standing, still recognisable, still timeless today.

I started my career in London, working with start-ups and some very cool entrepreneurs. Then came 7 years at Linney Create, a UK design powerhouse where I creatively directed work for some of the UK’s biggest brands.

After relocating, I set up my own studio, Alilia, in 2009, and alongside my client work, launched a range of paper art that ended up in homes and hotels across the globe and on the shelves of Heal’s in London.

Alilia’s design clients have ranged from brilliant start-ups and creative scale ups to multinationals like Budweiser Budvar, Pizza Hut, Butlins, and The Royal Mint.

What I’ve learned from all of it? Most businesses aren’t struggling because their idea isn’t good enough. They’re struggling because the wrong messaging, a non-distinctive look, or outdated positioning is getting in the way of people truly seeing them.

That’s a solvable problem. And creative design, commercial thinking, and the right brand codes are how you solve it.

Woman sitting barefoot in black top and jeans next to tall typographic print on white canvas

The next chapter of the book.

Which is why, alongside HELLO TIME, I’m sharing all my knowledge and now working with small business owners and founders via new business Brand+Codes, offering one-off guidance, creative mentoring, and done-for-you solutions. Think of it as having a creative director in your corner, without the agency price tag.

And that little black book? This one is full of some of the best freelance talent around, developers, copywriters, photographers, content creators, interior designers that I bring in to my team. The good ones. The ones who actually care and deliver.

Three decades in and still obsessed by building brands.

HELLO TIME_About Page Planner Cover Banner.jpgA collection of images showing a close-up of black Hello Time planner showing three ribbon bookmarks, an embossed black spine of Hello Time planner showing logo and a top view of Hello Time black planner showi

COMMITTED TO QUALITY & CRAFTMANSHIP

Made in the UK

All our paper products are made in the UK by specialist printers & book binders chosen for their quality attention to detail & craftsmanship.

Casebound

Case binding is one of the
most robust methods of binding which is why we use this technique to bind our planners.

Unique Layout

Six unique sections designed
to manage multiple tasks in one place. Goals, Diary, To-Do’s, Notes, Plans & Ideas.

Bookmark

Our planners have three printed ribbon page markers to bookmark pages of interest or index popular sections within your planner.

No Fancy Box

Our planners don’t come in a fancy box you’ll end up throwing away. Instead arrive beautifully wrapped in our signature HT wrapping paper.

Planet First

We only use FSC certified paper from responsible sources & print using vegetable inks. See below for more details.
A collection of images showing glossy black printing ink used for Hello Time planners, cones of white thread used to bind Hello Time planners, branded ribbon dividers for marking planner sections and a view of stacked black and white Hello Time planners

COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY

Our Printer

Our planners are printed by one of the greenest printers in the UK & bound by craftsman with over
30 years of experience.

Our other family-run printer is just down road from our studio, which helps to minimisie our carbon footprint.

Our Paper

The paper in our planners, pads & notebooks is FSC Forestry Scheme Certification accredited and manufactured from mixed or recycled source material. The paper is printed using a reel-fed system which dramatically reduces the volume of paper wastage.

Our Ink

We use vegetable or water-based inks which are biodegradable. Soy ink is more environmentally friendly, they significantly reduce the amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released into the air during the printing process.

Our Packaging

Our bookwraps & mailers are manufactured from 100% recycled & recyclable material.
Our eco-friendly tape is made from kraft paper using natural glues and we save and reuse packing where we can from other suppliers.

Our Studio

Our studio is based at my home in Worcestershire. Our team work from home or are local to, thus minimising our daily travel and carbon footprint.

Our Products

We have phased out plastic bag usage for pads and greetings cards in favour of paper belly bands and paper bags.