This will be an overview of this planner; more details on specific products will follow in other posts.
I'm still new to the Hobonichi planners, but from what little I got to tangle with it, I loved it. There are a ton of pros and cons of this, all of which I will talk about below, but I wanted to start with some background on how I got inspired by the style first.
It started with seeing it plastered all over Instagram when I first started my page. I was so secluded into believing that I would be a tried and true fan of Erin Condren, that another option seemed ridiculous. But, I saw it in the eyes of so many others - the layout, the ease with which it came to them, and knowing that it was their tried and true method - had me itching to give it a shot.
So, I did.
And, it changed how I thought of planners as a whole.
My First Impressions
Size was really important to me - I dabbled a little with Cloth & Paper by this time and knew that whatever new planner I wanted, I wanted (needed) it in A5. Knowing that I could get one with Hobonichi made it an instant winner in my head. Check.
The amount of options were overwhelming. I had no idea what I was looking for or at, but the website has a great guide to help in purchasing the right book.
Seeing it on Instagram versus when you have the book in your hands is a little alarming. I had no idea what to expect, but confusion definitely wasn't what I thought I would feel. My expectations were a little different in terms of how the book was laid out. Maybe I mis-read something, maybe I understood it wrong -- I don't know. But, seeing it broken apart in months, weeks and daily together in sections without the others was weird to me. I was used to seeing months together - everything for January was together in one group. Then, February and so on.
But, I wanted to give it a shot and a shot I gave.
Hobonichi Techno Cousin
This was my time to shine - to put what I knew about planners all in one place and make this planner work for me. The hardest struggle for me was to wrap my head around how separated everything was - it made sense, but it also didn't make sense at the same time. I didn't like that I was working in sections when my goal was to work in days or weeks at a time.
The yearly section didn't make sense to me - so I didn't really use it in the beginning. But, I slowly began utilizing it as a habit tracker and that seemed to be most beneficial. I wound up really loving that aspect.
Monthly was -- rarely used. Maybe because it was so far from the weekly section that I just got really disconnected from it. In the beginning, I made it my QUOTE OF THE DAY area, where I would write down all the quotes that I post daily on my Instagram page. Eventually, that lost its magic and I tried to utilize the spread the way I would normally but even that didn't feel the same for some reason. So, that page got ignored.
The Weekly and Daily section really had a hold on me and it's partly why I use the Passion Planner Undated Daily now.
The real challenge I had is what went into Weekly and what went into Daily. Of course, all of my appointments and scheduled meetings were assigned in their slots on the Weekly spread the moment I knew of them. This helped shape my day and really understanding how long tasks took and how much time I would need to allot for prep/drive before and after. After that is really where I sometimes felt disconnected.
On my best weeks, I had it worked out - a great layout for my Weekly consisted of my appointments, overall to-dos and tracking my workouts. The Daily pages took hold of the left side being a detailed to-do list, coupled with the right becoming my journal. On some days, there was nothing but the journal and on other days, there was -- well, nothing. And, flipping pages, it was sometimes discouraging but at the same time, I was learning that blank pages is okay.
Pros and Cons
Pros for Hobonichi Techno Cousin
Having Monthly, Weekly and Daily spread in one book
The space to actually journal or doodle is fantastic
The hours on the Weekly are large and vast, making it easy to schedule for before work and after work
Cute tabs to help organize everything
Easily sought after accessories
Perfect page size
Cons of Hobonichi Techno Cousin
Paper quality is a little too thin for some pens and can cause ghosting and bleeding
Having the Monthly, Weekly and Daily spread all in one section can get confusing
Cost can sometimes be a bit much
Washi Tape can sometimes tear the pages
The Final Score
I have not used the other types of Hobonichi Techno planners, but I will say - I really want to. Overall, they're great and I think they're really useful. My two biggest concerns were the grouping of the pages and the quality of the paper -- but, other than that, it was a great use and I really loved looking. back on it after time and seeing the amount of work put in over time.
My final thoughts on Hobonichi?
It's simple.
It's wonderful! And, a really great blend for a dated planner with the luxury of still acting like a bullet journal. I would recommend this product without hesitation.
Let me know your thoughts, comments and ideas for these planners in the comments below! I would love to hear them!
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