Category Archives: Hobonichi

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 function.  The real question is Why? Why do you decorate (or not decorate your planner)?

Since I do decorate my planner, I am not an appropriate judge of why you wouldn’t.  I’ve made my planner pretty since I was a freshman in high school.  That is who I am and that is what I do.  Now granted in high school paper crafting was not a thing and sticker choices were limited, so my style of decor was very different.  My planner was a spiral bound weekly planner with a green cover.  I HATE GREEN!  Forgive me, but I do.  I love green in nature, and that is about it.  So looking at the outside of my planner wasn’t a joy, so the inside is where I turned my attention.  I used markers, colored pencils, and doodling to make the planner something that I would want to open.  My planner kept track of practices, tests, homework assignments, and everything else high school kids do.  It was also a place to be creative.

Fast forward to college and I got my first Franklin Planner.  It was a beautiful black zip binder in compact and I felt so professional.  I used this binder for years, though now I really only needed (or only used) monthly pages.  I kept lists and reference documents in the other sections.  I still used this planner when I was first married and scrapbooking started on the scene.  I bought a few sheets of scrapbook paper and decorated my dividers.  I still have this planner and I still have those dividers and it is a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Today’s planner is my Hobonichi Planner.  I love that it is a blank slate that allows me to use it how it is best for me.  Today’s planner is very decorated.  For the purist, they may miss the function for the stamps and stickers, but for me, its those decorations that make me want to open my planner and peruse my pages.  And that is the answer to my why.  That is why I decorate my planner, because it makes me want to open it up and see what is inside.  Regardless of the type of planner and whether it is decorated or not, if it isn’t opened, it isn’t useful.


The moral of the story: don’t worry about others, worry about you.  You will know how much decor is too much or too little.  Our planners are intended to serve us, not be a method of comparison and stress.  So, enjoy the journey and enjoy this time of so many options.

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 cloud and things happen magically.  However, I share the calendars with my husband and he has a way of deleting things that don’t pertain to him.  My paper planners, just me.  Besides, the act of writing down what I need to do and reading what I need to do helps me get things done (even if I don’t physically mark them off).

About five years ago I moved from a ring planner to an Erin Condren.  The Life Planner is an amazing planner and I loved it, but it just wasn’t me.  It was too big, I couldn’t really add to it, and I didn’t like the layout.  That is when my time feeling lost in planning began.  Since then, I’ve wanted a permanent home, like I had with my Franklin Covey (darn you “shiny object syndrome”). What I learned using the Erin Condren, I hate rings!  At least I hate writing in rings.  When it comes to reference and viewing, rings are my preferred way of doing things.  So, the elusive journey for “planner peace” continues.

Here is what I learned, and I’ve heard Carie Harling and MissVickybee state the same information.  I have a system that works.  I can do it on a napkin, in a binder, in a notebook, in a bound book.  What really matters is I write everything down and read everything.  While this is common sense, this is a line from Anne Ortlund’s book “The Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman” that really stuck with me.  When I forget to do things, or I just don’t do them, it is because I didn’t write it down, and/or I didn’t read it.

My journey has come to three paths.  Last year I had a different “planner” every 3-4 weeks.  What I learned to hate is duplication!  Duplication is my nemesis.  So, listening to the advice of the brilliant ladies (and gents) in the planner community, have ONE calendar.  Okay, that is common sense too!  Why am I making this so hard!  So I decided that my personal size ring binder would be “Home Base”.  This would house my monthly calendar, references for goals and planning, and has the ability to change as my needs change.  By selecting “Home Base”, I can change planners weekly if I want.  I can use a #2 FoxyFix this week, my Hobonichi next week, and be back in rings the following.  This can be done with little duplication.

Van der Spek standard with Sew Much Crafting inserts

So, using the one calendar concept, whether I chose to use a monthly book, my Hobo, or rings, I only copy and duplicate the month.  That is way less overwhelming than trying to copy days and weeks (unfortunately I have an issue with incompleteness).  Also, I am less likely to let something drop through the cracks because I know where my official calendar is located.  It is with me most days, though it may not go into stores and other facilities with me.

Hobonichi Planner

This method is working.  It also allows me to change as my tastes change without the guilt of not using (or under using) planners.  If you haven’t seen the VeganOrganizer’s video about this, I do recommend it.  Future posts I will share my struggle between my Hobonichi and rings (and why the notebooks have been out of the running).  I will also share what and how I duplicate, and why.  I will also do a post on how I am using the Jibun Techo mini.  Then I think I will do a post on paper vs. digital planning for me.  While I think planning is a highly personal decision, I think it helps to read and hear the thoughts of others, so you can recognize your own thoughts.

Download of insert I created:  bujo-personal-graph

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 advantages and disadvantages to each size.I’m happy to expand on this idea, however I feel the size of notebook is such a personal decision. 
Why did I decide to give #onebookjuly2016 a try?  I’m traveling at the end of this month and I wasn’t about to take 4-6 books with me. So I am using a Foxy Notebook 5×7 as a bullet journal. While I love the Planner Perfect Method by Jenny Penton, the Bujo meets my needs in a smaller space and it is easier to switch notebooks as my tastes and needs change. What is beautiful about the Planner Perfect Method, the theory sticks, regardless of how you do your planning. Every task, every event is about designing a life you will love. 

Sojourner trifold in seed


I LOVE my pocket traveler’s notebook. This size really meets my needs and is just so portable. While I am challenging myself to use one book, I will still carry my pocket TN because I would miss her if I didn’t.  

So, for #onebookjuly2016, I am using my 5×7 Foxy Notebook. While the cover may change, I plan to keep my setup the same. Later I will give details of my layout. 

Today’s layout


I adore my Hobo and I feel so much of me is in it. I love having the option to change that the FN provides. So we will see, can I use just one (two) books. 

Note, since my Hobo will not be with me always, I plan to reconcile it on Sunday’s. Next year I plan to get another Hobonichi Planner, though I plan to do more of a journaling approach to the planning. So my Hobo will likely not be carried. What is beautiful, my planning system fits wonderfully in both vessels. I will write a post about my system once I feel I can communicate it effectively.