Planners & Hobonichi Techo

[CableCat]

I have been dedicated to using my Hobonichi Techo planner since 2024 started. I was wondering, do any of you use planners or special calendars or date books? Perhaps there are other Hobonichi Techo fans here?

If you use a planner, do you use any special systems of organization?

I have things color coded. I have my average personal stuff written in black, work-related things in red, religious-related things in blue, and financial-related things in green. I have cake stamps for birthdays, and a special code key at the beginning of my book with all the symbols I use and what they mean. I also have a wellness star sticker system. When I brush my teeth, I put a white star on the page. When I take a shower, I add a blue star. When I take my pills, I add a red star. I added this system because I have a constantly fluctuating work schedule, and I also was dealing with some mental struggle times. Once I get my schedule for the coming week, I block the times out in red. It helps me to see the time I have available in a day so I don't say "Yes" to too many things (another issue I had the last few years lol). I write down all the dates and times of the moons, and all of the relevant holidays I celebrate. I ALSO have a PhoMemo label printer, and the app for it comes with little to-do lists you can fill in and then print. For this month, I made a Master To-Do List and put it on the blank page for the start of the month. That has things that are more of a "do once" or "do periodically" thing. So when I have a day that I'm not busy, I write a note on that day: "refer to Master to-do list!", and then I try to do those things!

I'm happy to have found something that is helping me to focus more in a way that is fun. I add stickers to reward myself and just because I like them. I find myself feeling more at ease and in control of my days rather than feeling like life is tossing me around.

[3lsie]

I love this thread idea! I've heard great things about the Hobonichi Techo and I'm glad you've found a good system for it.

Personally, I use a diary I got online. It's pretty standard with a monthly spread of squares for each date and then more detailed week breakdowns. I use the monthly pages as an overview and then go into more detail as well as to-do lists in the week pages. This has replaced my phone, which is what I was using for my calendar and reminders until fairly recently.

I might have got a bit out of hand because I also have a pocket notebook for jotting down random stuff and a commonplace book for storing ideas. I kind of wish I'd gone with a notebook system that would allow me to have them all in one, like a Filofax or something.

[Junebug]

I don't use the famous Hobonichi Techo, but I do use Leuchtturm1917 hardcover notebooks for my daily planning. I like the paper quality, the fact that it's hardcover, and the fact that the paper plays nicely with fountain pen ink. I also use a color coding system but I'm not terribly consistent with it, so I couldn't tell you what each color means fundamentally. So far green vaguely means clerical and managerial tasks? Reddish-purple is creative tasks, and red is website tasks. It's not very consistent. But aside from that I don't do too much more. I started out with a bullet journal system but I haven't been checking to see if I'm properly conforming to the system I started out with, I just discover what works for me as I use it.

But I'm a big fan of stationary and have gotten plenty of Japanese pencils, fountain pens, inks, and paper. As a result, Jetpens have gotten plenty of patronage from me.

[hamirage]

I used to use hobonichi on and off starting around 2018! I really love their paper quality and the cover designs they release each year- especially when they do collaborations with modern artists or popular IP's. This year I've switched back to doing a bullet journal since last year I found it difficult to consistently fill out pages every day. I still reuse my hobonichi cousin cover for my current bujo and to carry around stickers and other supplies with the journal itself (though it rarely leaves my room since I also fill it with really personal information like a diary).

I have a two book system right now- my main bujo which starts with an annual overview of birthdays and important dates, then the month vertically but blocked into weeks so I can see where my mondays start- I'll carry over the info from the annual over to the monthly and add to it if needed- but specifics tend to go on my weekly pages where I'll have work start times etc. I then usually have what I'm calling for now "running thought" pages where I have a cornell type system (I think thats what its called) where I have a super small margin for keywords and the main body where I write ongoing like a diary. I don't date these pages or create paragraphs- its usually just a block of writing which I like the look of (sometimes I'll add some stickers on these pages but not always). Things like to do lists etc go onto my weekly pages or somewhere near it since that's usually the page I'm referencing the most since it has my schedule details on it.

Since I don't bring my bujo around with me I got this small little memo pad that fits into my pocket that I write those to do lists on- or my shopping lists etc. I tend to write important incoming dates at the bottom section in red in this notebook in case someone asks me for my availability so I don't accidentally double book myself (so usually things like doctor appointments or a friends birthday get together- so non-repeating things). I also write in this book things that I should migrate onto my bujo or something I have to get back to work on since I'm sorta forgetful when people ask me for things.

I used to make habit trackers in some of my old bujos/hobos but it became really overwhelming and made me feel more guilty about not being able to keep up with all the things that I needed but I just have a medicine tracker now that's pretty integral in making sure I stop skipping my pills by accident and also making sure I take my weekly injection on time. Its just a simple fill in the box for my daily meds- and I use this gel pen thats annoying to write with but slowly changes colour the more you use it so its been satisfying to see January go from pink to purple over the month (and I've finally found a use for that scratchy pen). For my weekly medication I actually put a red outline on the day I'm supposed to be taking it next and then I fill in black on whatever day I actually take it so I can see clearly where I've been a day late- two days late- or right on time.

I usually use black ink for most things but I have these orange pens I bought in a pack that I like using for smaller details or things I've added later. For the black ink I have a thick 0.7mm I use for most things, but for my "running thought" pages I use 0.5 or smaller. I do change it up from time to time- trying different pens and whatnot.

I keep all my old bujos and hobonichis since it helps me remember when certain things happened in my life but also its cool to see how I've changed my system over the years^^

Do y'all have particular pens you like to use with your hobonichis?

[Yaya]

I also have a wellness star sticker system. When I brush my teeth, I put a white star on the page. When I take a shower, I add a blue star. When I take my pills, I add a red star. I added this system because I have a constantly fluctuating work schedule, and I also was dealing with some mental struggle times. Once I get my schedule for the coming week, I block the times out in red. It helps me to see the time I have available in a day so I don't say "Yes" to too many things (another issue I had the last few years lol)...

...I'm happy to have found something that is helping me to focus more in a way that is fun. I add stickers to reward myself and just because I like them. I find myself feeling more at ease and in control of my days rather than feeling like life is tossing me around.

I'm absolutely loving this! I've adopted a similar wellness system that includes two main habits: 1) taking a walk first thing in the morning—great for my mental health, and 2) not spending for a day to help with saving money. I'm using these adorable meat and vegetable stickers my sister got me to mark my progress! While I'm a big fan of stationery and planners, balancing these with digital tools like Google Calendar, which many of my friends use, can be tricky. I'm still exploring ways to integrate everything in a way that works best for me.

I've tried the Hobonichi Techo a few times, but it just hasn't worked out. I also gave the "Common Planner," a revamped version of the Techo, a shot but really didn't like its format and style. I'm still hopeful that one day I'll find a way to make the Techo work for me. For now, I've settled on a two-notebook system: 1) I use the Hobonichi Green "Weeks" booklet—it's only about $8 and perfect for weekly planning. I decorate with stickers for different events and only jot down start times, which helps me manage my time without feeling overwhelmed. This flexibility lets me stay at events as long or as short as I like, without stressing if plans run over. 2) My second notebook is a running log on Tomoe River paper from a Japanese brand (I'm not sure which one) where I write down everything. I've tried having a separate notebook for each hobby or topic, but consolidating into one has proven to be the best strategy for me.

While I really enjoy this system, there are some challenges, particularly when events change—like my therapy sessions moving from Mondays to Thursdays, which means I have to rearrange all my "thought bubble" stickers since I plan recurring events for the year. It's also tough when I forget my planner at home and can't check it, or when my friends are all using their electronic calendars. Plus, there's always the fear of getting it wet or losing it, but I've managed to overcome that. I'm still working on saying "Yes" to events I really want and not overwhelming myself but it's a work in progress—very challenging, but I'm doing really well!

I absolutely love paper planners—they're so fun and fulfilling! If anyone has tips or solutions, I'd love to hear them!

[CATBYTE]

I don't use the famous Hobonichi Techo, but I do use Leuchtturm1917 hardcover notebooks for my daily planning. I like the paper quality, the fact that it's hardcover, and the fact that the paper plays nicely with fountain pen ink.

same here, glad to see another fountain pen friendly paper enthusiast . I specifically use the annually released weekly planner they make. i'm currently on my third year of doing so. collecting these little notebooks with the passing of each year is just something i find really neat too. like i can just have a list of almost everything i've done in the last three years in a physical form.

i should probably make some sort of color coding system to stay better organized, but the colors in my planner just happen to be whatever ink that i have in my daily driver/edc pen.

[Junebug]

What's funny is since this post, I've been thinking about getting back into pre-printed planners. Doing the bullet journal thing was initially fruitful, and it was nice to customize my planner the way I wanted it at the time. However, I think I'm a little tired of making my own boxes and lines with a ruler and pen. So I'm eyeing the Hobonichi Cousin for next year.

About color coding: hah, yeah, I know how that feels. I just use whatever ink is in my fountain pens at the time.

In my case it is more theoretically nice to have old notebooks, but it's all checklists and names I no longer have context for, so I'm scratching my head over how long I should actually keep them. I'll decide eventually, I suppose.

[renyoi]

i've been using the hobonichi techo since 2020, and pre-made planners since 2018! i have a webpage for some of my hobonichi spreads from the past few years here! it definitely goes along with my love of physical media/objects; i have a box of all my past journals and it's really fun to go through them as time passes. i also have a 5-yr hobonichi, which gives you room for a couple of sentences each day for 5 years so you can quickly cross-reference your days! it's been quite interesting so far. keeping these journals has definitely helped me access an artistic side i didn't know i had before