Why I regret buying the Hobonichi Planners

Planner update after the first half of 2023, with pictures!

Jul 12, 2023

If you are on this list, you probably found me through the Bullet Journal community. I have been Bullet journaling since 2014, but this year I decided to make the switch to the Hobonichi planners. And I regret it. Here’s why.

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In the fall of 2022, I decided to invest in the Hobonichi planner after binge-watching several videos from CoffeeMonsterzCo. I thought I would want to try weekly planning in the vertical layout and I was so inspired to buy all the planner stickers the shop had to offer!

I bought the Hobonichi Techo A6, a pretty notebook cover and a bunch of stickers.

First deception

When I received the planner, I was so bummed to learn that there is no weekly layout in the A6! Blame it on poor research, but I was sad! I then bought the weekly add-on, which is ridiculously small and does not allow me to plan using stickers at all. Even my fine nibbed fountain pen was too big for it!

I was also underwhelmed by the scarce quantity of note pages at the back of the notebook. But I decided to make do with what I had and started planning for January in my brand new, quite expensive mini book.

The paper is absolutely delicious, but takes quite a while to dry, so I have to be careful not to smudge my fountain pen ink. I love how it stands well to watercolour and how deliciously crinkly it is.

I started using the daily pages for my rapid log, and to track my daily tarot pull :

I quickly realized that I bought into this system for the weekly layout, and that I did not have what I so longed for. I soon bought a Hobonichi Cousin in the A5 size.

Not quite satisfied again

I was quickly intimidated by the size of the daily pages, as most of my rapid logging in the A6 was only using less than half of the page! Ever since I bought the Cousin, I have not once used the daily section. What a waste!

I did not like weekly planning in the cousin either. This style of planning was not natural to me and I could not replicate the gorgeous layouts I saw posted on Instagram and YouTube. I quickly gave up.

Year-at-a-glance

I watched Ryder Carroll on YouTube, who shared that he was planning yearly to better anticipate his workload and plan for trips and holidays. That inspired me to use the yearly layout in the A6 to plan my social outings and have a better grasp of my schedule :

Missing the freedom of the Bullet Journal

Having so few note pages didn’t allow me to create trackers, reflect on my months, or draft lists and brain dumps. I started using Notion to create my Bullet journal collections, but I miss the flexibility and tactile nature of paper.

I do create the odd spread in my A6, such as my recent Level 10 Life :

Going back to a blank book

I’ve been hit by the sunk cost fallacy, having spent hundreds of dollars on two planners that I didn’t use fully and dreaming of moving back into a blank book.

So far, I haven’t made the switch, trying to convince myself to use this system until the end of the year. But one thing is sure, I will be going back to my trusted Clairefontaine My Essentials next year.

In retrospect

Knowing what I know now, I regret spending so much on two planners that I barely use. I had found planner peace for so long in my blank notebooks, but I suffered from shiny object syndrome, bought a ton of stickers and seldom use any of the supplies I invested in.

You live, you learn!

I do miss the flexibility of the bujo method and the freedom to create spreads at will. I will be more than happy to go back to my old ways in January. Gosh, it’s so far away!

What is your planner system this year? Are you using it fully? What will you do differently next year? Let me know in the comments below!

Productive Happiness

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