Since we’re now in April, it’s a great time to check in with your planners and journals to see what’s working and what may not be.

I like to have fun with my books - if I’m not enjoying the process, I’ll probably struggle to fill the pages and that would take away from the usefulness of my analogue tools. It helps me to reflect on my books and change it up if something doesn’t quite work for me or if I’m intrigued by a new system. I’m always up for experimenting!

So what’s happening with my lineup?

How this year began:

I think I was pretty ambitious about using nine different books for functional planning and creative journaling… or maybe not?

This was my planner and journal lineup in January:

1. Sterling Ink N2/Weeks size - hobby journal, to track and document my fountain pens & inks, books read, podcasts listened to, shows watched, etc.

2. Hobonichi A6 5-year diary - daily “little joys” and drawing with a glass dip pen using fountain pen inks

3. Travelers Notebook standard - inserts for creative journaling and travel

4. Hobonichi Weeks - creative memory keeping and daily highlights

5. Sterling Ink B6 notebook - stream of consciousness journaling

6. PLOTTER A5 rings - catch-all planner

7. Hobonichi A5 5-year diary - daily archive of events

8. Take A Note A5 - personal thoughts and goals

9. Hobonichi A6 Hon - daily planner/task list

How it’s going and changes I’ve made:

I was consistent in using my books in January and February but in March, I decided to make a few adjustments. One such change was setting aside the Hobonichi Hon because I didn’t need it on a daily basis anymore. I can always jump into it if I need to and because it’s dated for 2024, I can either re-date it or just use it as a notebook (as I love the paper.)

The other change I made (and this may surprise you), is that I took apart the Take A Note planner and hole punched the pages to put into my PLOTTER A5. Instead of reaching for a whole other notebook, now I can just flip the page of my PLOTTER weekly and write on the TAN pages. I only include one week’s worth of pages at a time so it doesn’t bulk up my binder.

I also experimented with the Hobonichi Weeks as my daily planner. Part of the reason for this is that I had wanted to use it as a family planner but it turns out that it wasn’t needed. So instead of retiring the book, I tried it out as my main planner (as I’ve done in past years). Turns out that I still love the portability of it and the weekly view, so I think it’ll stay in my lineup. Plus, the “Through the Purple Night” cover is so cool!

What I’ve really enjoyed in Q1 is using my Travelers Notebook to showcase happy mail as well as stickers and ephemera - things that would bulk up my Weeks memory keeper. I also really liked using the Sterling Ink N2 as a dedicated book for documenting hobby-related things such as fountain pen inks and books I’m reading.

New additions:

In February, I attended the California Pen Show in Los Angeles and acquired a PLOTTER ring binder in Mini5 Square size. I wasn’t sure at the time what I would use it for and I’m still playing around with it to decide. It may feature more in my daily lineup as we move into Q2, but for now, it’s something I’m having fun with.

My planner and journal stack going into Q2:

1. Sterling Ink N2/Weeks size - hobby journal, to track and document my fountain pens & inks, books read, podcasts listened to, shows watched, etc.

2. Hobonichi A6, 5-year diary - daily “little joys” and drawing with a glass dip pen using fountain pen inks

3. Travelers Notebook standard - inserts for creative journaling and travel

4. Hobonichi Weeks - creative memory keeping and daily highlights

5. Sterling Ink B6 notebook - stream of consciousness journaling

6. Hobonichi Weeks - catch-all planner

7. PLOTTER A5 rings - daily planner

   • incorporating Take A Note A5 pages

8. Hobonichi A5, 5-year diary - daily archive of events

How’s your lineup going? Have you made changes in Q2? Let me know in the comments!

Also check out: “2025 Planner and Journal Lineup Q1 Update” on YouTube