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Kon Mari for the emotional pack rat

Kon Mari for the emotional pack rat

I am an emotional pack rat. I keep everything! This was highlighted as Jeremy and I packed up some things from our bonus room and I had three boxes of cards. Do I need three boxes of cards? No! Have I looked at the cards? No! Would I be freer if I got rid of the cards? Yes! What will I do? I have no idea. My hope is to go through the cards, keep the last or extra special ones from the people I…

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I’m back!

I can’t believe its been so long since I’ve posted. I could write a lengthy apology full of excuses, but I won’t. I’ll just say, life got in the way. I will be publishing a few posts as blog posts from thoughts I’ve shared on FB. I’m only doing this because some of my friends asked me to. I may also change the direction of my blog, but probably not significantly. Actually it may need a title…

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Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Chronological Bible Reading Plan

I finished reading the Bible for the second time and it is life-changing event. There are still a lot of passages I don’t understand, but with each time I understand more. What I understand completely is God’s grace and unwavering love. I am going to try to host a year long Bible reading plan on Instagram and Twitter. 0 personal size-october start

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Pocket Planner Freebie

It’s been awhile.  A lot has changed and not much has changed.  My Hobonichi Planner is still my main planner to keep my life together.  However, I added a friend to the system.  I use a pocket planner from Van der Speck or a passport size notebook.  I like both of these because they fit in my pocket at work.  I often have patients ask me when I will be out of the office, or I need to refer to…

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Planners can be functional, and pretty

Planners can be functional, and pretty

Today’s trend in the Planner Community is for “pretty planning” or “functional planning”.  You will find several people on YouTube, Instagram, and in Facebook groups sharing how you can keep your planner functional, but beautiful.  In general, women like things pretty, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Even Franklin Covey has several lines of planners that are beautiful, but intended for…

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Hobonichi, notebook, or rings?

Hobonichi, notebook, or rings?

For us in the planner community, this is an exciting time, yet it is overwhelming too.  I’ve planned since high school.  For the majority of my life this occurred in a Franklin Covey compact, then the years of the Palm Pilot I went digital.  Now after my Palm Pilot crashed and I had to call to retrieve all my appointments, I haven’t been solely digital since.  Now I realize today we have the…

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Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Last October I joined a group on Facebook for reading the Bible chronologically in one year.  I am less than two weeks from completing this plan and it has had such an affect on my life I wanted to take a moment to share my resources as I restart reading in October.  My goal is for each month to upload the file for the daily reading each day.  I made these as inserts for my personal size planner.…

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One Book July 2016

After much thought, I’ve decided to participate in #onebookjuly2016 FoxyFix Sienna, Darling, Rowena 2.0 I came to this decision because I’ve gone back to a notebook for my everyday everything. My Hobonichi planner is still in use (but has become too precious to carry always). So I have my notebook with me at all times. In the last six weeks I’ve used a pocket, personal, wide, and A5. There are…

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My Unorganized Family Regardless of what method you choose to organize, it only works if you use it. My husband uses an all digital calendar.

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Simple tools for on the go planning.

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I’m a girly, girl and I like change (at least some change).  Like some women, I like to change my purses to reflect my mood or coordinate with my outfit.  My traveler’s notebooks, planners, and Hobonichis are no different.  I have a variety of tastes, so I have a variety of covers.  If I could only pick one type of cover, a supple, pliable, gorgeous brown will always be my go to choice (think Filofax Madlen in Ochre).  I am going to share a variety of ramblings on the Hobonichi and ultimately share some of the covers I have so far.  I won’t do reviews at this time, but some day I might.

As I’ve recently mentioned, I have become obsessed with my Hobonichis.  I have a Hobonichi Cousin (my main planner),  a Hobonichi Planner (my daily journal), and a second Hobonichi Planner that now serves as my every day carry.  I will be completely honest, the Hobonichi Cousin meets all my needs.  It has sufficient room for planning and I have space for daily journaling.  I ended up with three Hobonichis because my plans changed in November and I had already placed my order opening day in September.

So what was my original plan?  In 2015 I used a Hobonichi Planner as my journal and I fell in love.  The little book, I just enjoyed holding it, writing in it, and looking through it.  So I decided I would get another Hobonichi Planner for journaling in 2016.  I loved the idea of one year of planning in one book, so I decided on the Hobonichi Cousin as my planner.  I was also playing with my work system, so I ordered a Hobonichi Planner to record my daily To Do’s and calls at work.  Some day I will do a post on how I organize myself at work, because I have found a system that seems to work.

Around November I decided to return to my “old” vessel for organization at work (system didn’t change, just the vessel).  The Filofax Malden in personal really is a good vessel to hold my vessel.  Plus I adore my Malden and I need an excuse just to hold it every day.  Since I decided I would use my Malden for work, I now had an extra Hobonichi Planner.  For me, my go to sizes are Pocket, A6, and Personal.  Books in that range really sing to my heart and that is a size that I know I will carry with me.  The Hobonichi Cousin is amazing and well designed, but the A6 size kept tugging at my heart.  Enter my conflict of planning for 2016.  So for 6-8 weeks, I trailed the A5 and A6 size for planning.  January 1st i really hadn’t made a decision, but I did decide to use the Cousin, a decision I don’t regret.

What is unlike me, I now have two planners for the same purpose.  I hate duplication and I fear I will forget something if I do duplicate.  So why am I using a Hobonichi Planner and Hobonichi Cousin for the same purpose?  Great question!  All I can say now is because I still cannot decide between the two.  Right now I am enjoying playing in both books, even if it is a duplication.  To make this work, I have to have one primary, one go to location, and that is my Cousin.  Will I spend the entire year going back and forth between the two?  I don’t know.  What I do know, both will meet my needs, I just need to use the one that sings to my heart, and right now that is both of them.

  Ramblings on Hobonichi I'm a girly, girl and I like change (at least some change).  Like some women, I like to change my purses to reflect my mood or coordinate with my outfit.  

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As I said in my last post I belong to several groups on Facebook.  These groups are a great source of inspiration, community of interests, and information.  One thing I have noticed in many of traveler’s notebook groups is people asking for comparable sizes.  Now it is important that what one maker may call a wide another maker may call extra wide. It is important to read the descriptions of the products before purchase.   This is a short post on some of the sizes, common terms, and abbreviations about traveler’s notebooks.

Sizes

1. A5 (5.5×8.25)–May books, Moleskine large, Hobonichi Cousin 2. Standard (4.33×8.5)–Midori regular, Moleskine Chapters large 3. Personal size (3.75×6.75)–Le Petit (Foxy Fix), Moleskine Chapters medium (see note) 4. A6 (~4×6)–Hobonichi 5. Pocket (3.5×5.5)–Field Notes, Moleskine Pocket 6. Passport (3.5×5)–Midori passport, Scout books

*Note–while the Moleskine Chapters medium will fit in a personal size notebook, they are 3.75×7, so they are taller than most personal size  inserts.

Foxy Fix Le Petit in Licorice

Moleskin Chapters medium in Le Petit

Terms and Abbreviations

There are some common terms and abbreviations you will see throughout the traveler’s notebook communities.  This is not an exhaustive list, but if you are new to the world of traveler’s notebooks, hopefully this will help.

Midori–Midori is a maker of traveler’s notebooks and they are the company that set of the recent rage about this amazing product.  While the concept has been around a long time, its popularity has exploded in the recent past thanks to the Midori Traveler’s Notebook (MTN).  Midori has changed their name to Traveler’s Company.  They continue to offer a variety of products and traveler’s notebooks in two sizes.

Cahier–Cahier is not a size, it is a style of notebook (see Webster’s definition below).  Sometimes it is used interchangeably for A5 notebooks, but not all A5 notebooks are cahier and not all cahier notebooks are A5.  Moleskine offers their cahier notebooks in three sizes: XL, large, and pocket .

Ca`hier´ Pronunciation: kå`yã´ or kå`hēr n. 1. A number of sheets of paper put loosely together; esp. one of the successive portions of a work printed in numbers. 2. A memorial of a body; a report of legislative proceedings, etc.

–dori–This is a traveler’s notebook made by someone other than the Traveler’s Company.  It is a play on the name Midori.

Every Day Carry (EDC)–EDC is the traveler’s notebook or planner that you carry with you always.  Often it includes your wallet, but this is not essential.

Traveler’s Notebook (TN)–A traveler’s notebook is a cover with straps to hold notebooks and inserts.  Traveler’s notebooks can be very versatile and the options for use are endless.

Until next time, have a beautiful week!

Danyel

  Common Sizes of Traveler’s Notebooks As I said in my last post I belong to several groups on Facebook.  These groups are a great source of inspiration, community of interests, and information.  

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I belong to several groups on Facebook and these groups are great resources for learning what is new and what is out there.  Although I see that people tend to ask the same questions and we want to see examples of how people use their Hobonichi as a planner.

While many English users of the Hobonichi state they do not see the Hobonichi as a planner, they see it as a journal, I happen to think it is the best for planning.  You get plenty of space in a lightweight, compact format.  At the end of the year, if you keep your planners, you have one book to archive.  All the pages are bound together so you don’t have to worry about loose pages that can be lost.  The format really is a shell, so you can change the format to one of your dreams, and if your needs change the next day, you can change it again.  It is beautiful with just words on the page and it is beautiful when artistic elements are added.  As the Hobonichi developer said, it is a park and each person can make it specific to them.

Hobonichi on Social Media

Social media is a great resource for gather different ways of using the Hobonichi as a planner.  Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are my go to choices.  Tumblr and Pinterest are other places to look for inspiration.

The three groups on Facebook that I really like for inspiration are: Hobonichi Strictly Planning, Hobonichi Users, and Fauxbonichi Journalers.  Since I use somewhat of a bullet journal format in my Hobonichi, Bullet Journal Junkies is another group where I gain inspiration.

Instagram also has a pretty developed community of users and you get to see the range of Hobonichi uses.  Tags to search for: #Hobonichi, #Hobonichisp, #HobonichiCousin, #HobonichiPlanner.  I’m @momofcurt on Instagram and I use my Hobonichi as my planner and that is how I feature it when I post about my Hobo.  @choosingbliss has great posts on how she uses her Hobonichi.  Other users I recommend: @tinkerworld, @kristinatheengineer.

YouTube is a great resource for Hobonichi, though it is difficult to find channels that use the Hobonichi as a planner.  I really like how the VeganOrganizer, FroggiesTN, TheSassyPineapple, ScrapJoy, OhaiJoy, BiancaNDM, and PoochieBaby display the use of their Hobonichi as a planner.

Personalizing the Hobonichi

The Hobonichi can be whatever you want it to be.  It can be thin or chunky.  It can be sophisticated or whimsical.  It can be moderate or expensive.  It can be decked out or plain.  It can house journaling, art, or planning.  It can even house all three.  It can be used as a notebook, project planner, or tracker.  The options are endless and are only limited by your imagination.  This really is a book that can be all things to all people (I am bias of course.  Some people have not fell in love with the Hobo as I fell in love with mine).

Covers for the Hobonichi are more numerous than the uses.  Hobonichi sells covers for their Hobonichis that change each year.  This means there is an endless line of designs and styles for all sizes.  etsy and eBay are other places to look for Hobonichi covers.  You can get covers made of leather or fabric.  You can even find covers that are no longer being sold on the Hobonichi site.  AliExpress sells covers at relatively inexpensive prices.  Searching for refillable A5 journals on Amazon will present you with some options.  Traveler’s Notebook designers are also starting to design covers for the Hobonichi.  I have one from FoxyFix that I am anxiously waiting to receive.  Even your local stores have options: Barnes and Nobles, Staples, Walmart, and Meijer have refillable planners and journals that can house the Hobonichi Cousin.  Midair MD, Filofax Flex, and Franklin Covey wire bound are other places to look.  You can even leave your Hobo naked.  The Hobonichi Planner (English version) is especially amenable to this idea with its gorgeous black cover.  While the cover of the Cousin isn’t visually pleasing, it can be made into something beautiful through painting, Modge Podge, or contact paper.

Tools for the Hobonichi

Many tools and toys are created for the Hobonichi, but all you really need is a pen or pencil.  What is amazing about the Tomoe River paper is it can take almost anything that you can throw at it.  While many pens may shadow, few actually bleed through. Copic markers are notorious for bleeding through the page.  The paper can withstand a variety of inks, but patience (or a blotter) is essential due to longer dry times to prevent smudging.  I recommend using one of the pages in the back as a ink test page.  This is where you can really see what your Hobo can handle.  If you search ink test, you will find many people that have already done much of the testing for you.

Hobonichi makes some great “tools and toys” for their books.  The stencils for me are a must have.  As a matter of fact I now have two complete sets of stencils for both of my Hobos and a third green stencil for my Traveler’s Notebook.  The Midori Brass rulers are another great option.  If you search for Bullet Journal stencils on etsy, you will find some options that may work for you (be careful, sometimes the stencils are actually quite large-think wide ruled notebook paper).

A search on etsy will present you with unlimited options of tools for the Hobonichi.  Atelier Dreams makes wonderful stamps.  Sweet Kawaii Designs makes fabulous stickers. You can find washi tape in every size and design you could imagine.  Other places you can look are the stamps from Studio l2e, Sakuralala, and Marion Smith Designs.

My go to items: Coleto four barrel pen in 0.38, mechanical pencil in 0.38, TWSBI mini with extra fine nib, Noodlers xfeather ink and Diamine Ox Blood ink, Hobonichi clock stamp, Studio l2e and Atelier Dreams stamps, Prima chalk ink, and skinny washi tape.  My planner is my planner.  The washi tape is functional, it visually divides the two sections of my Hobonichi.  The stamps are functional, they are how I track certain items.  The pens and pencils, they are what brings me joy while writing.

Types of Hobonichi

The Hobonichi site does a great job of explaining the differences between the various Hobonichis.  I have the Hobonichi Planner (x2), Hobonichi Cousin, and Hobonichi Weeks.  I will start with the Weeks.  It is a great size and great format, but it just isn’t me.  Two years ago this would have been perfect.  Two years ago I had less responsibilities.  Now I use a separate work planner (Filofax Malden) that I will do a review on someday.  So until two years ago, I mainly just had to keep track of a few meetings, Bible Study, and my son’s practices and games.  I have more that I am responsible for that isn’t specific to work, so I need a different format.  The A6 Hobonichi comes in the original and Planner.  The Planner is the English version and the grid is a little larger than the Japanese versions.  Note, the green stencil does not line up perfectly in the English version, but you can still make it work.  The Cousin is the only Hobonichi that has the yearly view, monthly view, weekly view, and daily view.  It has the same grid size as the original, so the green stencil works perfectly!  If you want to split up your years, Hobonichi also has the avec versions.

My use

My last blog post about my 2016 setup I go into detail about how I will use my Hobonichi Cousin.  Two weeks later and this setup is still working quite well.  I chose the Cousin this year because of the additional responsibilities that will be added to my year.  The A6 works perfectly for me as well with the addition of the A6 Weeks book.  I do have artistic elements in my Hobo.  They are mostly function (washi and stamps).  However the extra space I will use to practice drawing, stamp images to color, or practice watercoloring.  Outside of my monthly pages, I do not decorate in advance, all decorative elements are added after.

For now, I have found my planner love.  This is of course always subject to change, but I am on my third month and I am still pleased.  Fortunately in today’s planner world, we have many options for when our tastes and needs change.

  I am sorry for the exceptionally lengthy post.  My goal is to help anyone that is looking into the Hobonichi.  I am still somewhat of a newbie (2016 is my second year), but hopefully the newness helps me remember the questions people ask.  Have a beautiful day and week.

Danyel

Hobonichi Planning Resources I belong to several groups on Facebook and these groups are great resources for learning what is new and what is out there.  

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Hobonichi on an academic day.

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It’s planner time! I love ending my days reviewing my planner. And watching YouTube vids 😉 #plannergrl #azplannerposse #plannernating #plannernerd #planneraddict #hobonichi #hobonichiweeks #stencil #dragonflykeep

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Quiet time with my Filofax Domino.