The quote "there is nothing permanent except change" comes to mind. It is a given, when it comes to my planner systems, that I will always be seeking, changing, adapting, & evolving. So much of what you're sharing feels familiar. I've embraced constantly being curious & adventurous when it comes to my planners. It's a great journey!
You’re so right about accepting that things are dynamic and constantly changing. We make the best decisions we can with the information we have in the moment, but excepting those decisions to stay rigid is unrealistic. It is a very great and fun journey! 📚🖋️ Also, love the quote! Thank you so much for sharing. 🥰
I downsized from a cousin to the A6 with tiny weekly supplement, and love it. I was feeling so defeated with all of the white space I was leaving in my Cousin. I know the planner/journal journey is so individualized, but the downsize was perfect for me.
One of the biggest draws for me is how spacious the Cousin’s pages are -- and, it’s also one of the biggest deterrents! I can relate to the feelings of defeat. It’s been okay for now since I use it for taking notes for about 2024-relevant things. But I know if I tried to use it for daily journalling, that’d be too much space and pressure for me. I’m glad to know that the downsize worked out well for you! I’m leaning forwards this option!
The day-free cousin really solved this issue for me. I have used the A5 for several years and stressed over missing days. My setup for the last couple years has been two A5 hobonichi: the day free planner and a blank one. The blank is for my morning pages and I use two a year. It does get heavy though, so I’ve been setting up my A6 version for travel, which is one blank and one supplemental insert for specific trips.
This was soooo helpful!! 🙌 I have been breaking my brain for weeks trying to figure out what will work best for me 😵💫 I’ve never really been into planners or Hobonichi, so it was quite the puzzle. But I really need more structure to deal with all the ADHD-shenanigans in my life, and a digital planner just isn’t working for me anymore… 😅 I went from considering Traveler’s inserts to the Midori Hibino to the Hobonichi Weeks to the Weeks Mega to the Cousin to the Techo… and back again 🙃 But your video really helped me!! I had settled on the Cousin because of the weekly-spreads, even though I preferred A6… but your video made me realize the Techo + weekly combo would actually be a really good fit for me and my planner-needs! So thank you so much for sharing this - I can’t wait to give it a try! ☺🙌
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad this video gave you some more things to think about. I can relate to cycling through a few options in the consideration set. I recently flipped through a Hibino in a store and although I know it would be too much for me, I caught it myself wondering how I might be able to incorporate it into my system because it’s so cute. 😅😂 In the end, I walked away. Probably for the best.
I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on potentially downsizing for next year. i'm also starting to think about what i want to do well in advance so you're not alone.
Hi Alison, loved your chat, i too always rethink of what could be better every year, it's not easy to find planner peace, but maybe we just need change time to time, even if we know, we will come back to our previous method, sonner or later. I have thought of having a hobo week, in my travellers notebook, plus a A5 stalogy, but cut to the same size (wide) than the weeks. Having those two together, could be great for rendez vous and to do in the weeks, and notes etc in the A5 cut like the weeks. I will rethink that. Thank you for sharing 🎉😊
Thank you! 🥰 I think planner peace is challenging for me if I don’t expect my system to change as my life circumstances change. I like to keep things constant in one year, but even that feels unrealistic if your circumstances change partway through the year! I like the idea of having a weeks + TN + Stalogy cut down to the weeks. Great idea! ☺️
I love your pen wallet! I wish it wasn't sold out everywhere. Would love to see an updated pen collection video or any kind of stationary collection video.
Thank you! Yes, I’m in love with the pen wallet! 🥹 ! I hope they are able to bring them back in stock soon. Thank you for the feedback on future videos as well! I think either of those would be fun to do! 🥰
I love this video, Alison! ♥ there's so much that you articulated that resonates with me, especially your insights about feelings of fear and overwhelm and powerlessness and how, for me too, it prompts a desire to find a bit more control over my planners/planning ~ you helped me realize that I also find the larger sizes, like A5 and standard TN size, begin to feel a bit overwhelming when I'm dealing with or experiencing or feeling a lot. I'm excited if you end up trying out the A6 with the weekly supplement! I've yet to really find my groove with the weekly supplement because it is so small, as you noted, so I didn't get one this year, but I'd love to give it an honest shot again in the future! 🥰
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for sharing your experiences when you're feeling a lot. It was cathartic to talk/process how I've been feeling about whether I will continue using the Cousin and/or Standard TN next year. Logically, the A5 and Standard TN sizes make more sense for me - they encompass that "but what if I need more room?" scenario. At the same time, optimizing for those what-if scenarios seem to be stressing me out more often than not when many days will go by and I'll feel daunted by the larger page size. It's funny you should say that you've yet to find your groove with the weekly supplement - I feel that way with the Hobonichi Weeks! I always feel so inspired when you show us how you use them. I feel like I have under-utilized them, which is a shame because they are wonderfully compact (with the cutest covers!) and are so versatile! I'd love to see your take on the weekly supplement if you give it another go in the future! 🥰
The B6 size is the perfect compromise between the a6 and a5 size! I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Common Planner, although I do like the daily dated pages in the Cousin.
lovely video as always! I find myself in a really similar transitional period to what you've shared, and I was wondering if you ever find it harder to keep up with journaling/planning/etc during these sort of times? I know for me personally I've completely fallen off of what used to be daily rituals, and it can be hard to decide when to wait it out and take a break vs when to reconfigure your systems to fit whatever's going on.
Thank you!!🥰 hmm, that’s a really good question! So, I definitely fall off daily rituals and can find it difficult to pick it back up again. I think part of what I loved about the TN blank insert is the fact that it is undated, so I can skip a week if in need to (although, I usually find those weeks end up feeling chaotic and stressful, unless I’m on vacation). When it comes to deciding between taking a break or changing up my system, I try to reflect on what the “issue” is, so I can make sure my next step is going to address it. For example, I abandoned weekly planners in the past, because I was mainly using them for writing down meetings as they were booked. However, my Google calendar was doing a better job of tracking my meetings.Ssince the agenda wasn’t adding any additional value to me, I abandoned it. It was causing more stress than it was helping me. On the other hand, sometimes I stop using my planning systems bc I’m so busy that I jump straight into work each day. It’s usually in those moments that I need my planners the most. Pulling them back out is one way for me to slow down and be more mindful about how I’m spending my time. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions!
@@LittleCocoStudio thank you so much for taking the time to answer! I definitely think it's a situation where at least for now I just need to get back on the horse. After all, I can't know what's not working if I'm not doing anything lol. And you're totally right about the weeks without those rituals feelings super chaotic and draining.
Hi Alison, I did a similar thing to you in that I bought Cousin, A6+ weekly supplements for 2024. The cousin was meant to be for personal life /goals planning but I have been tackling new health challenges so that didn’t get started at all. I also had a Cousin Avec from last year that I used this year for daily journaling which is mostly kept up except for when I was really sick - I’ve given myself permission to say if I don’t get to backdate those pages it’s fine - being a control freak I want everything neat and perfect but that is just not an option so I am letting it go. I got the planner for work journaling but since I’ve not had any clients this year (nhs MH coach) that didn’t get started either, but the supplement I have used to document all my meetings and since I only work Mon-Wed I use the other side of the page for notes and reflections. I also created a key (with different highlighters) but I made a little flip-out tip-in on the back of the first grey page of the supplement, so when it is open on the week I can also open out my key (saves me writing it out on each page or finding the piece of paper if I forget what my key is. I also teach at the local Uni on Thursday or Fridays so I note that in a different colour. All back for the uni with the multi-pen and all blue for NHS with different highlighters for meetings, teaching, coaching, learning, etc. thanks for this lovely video and wishing you gentle kindness to see you through your day. Varsha, London. 🎉🫶🏽🙏🏽💖
Thank you so much for sharing how your system has evolved over the year! I’m glad that you adapted your system to work for you since your situation changed. I’m also glad that you’ve given yourself permission to not back date on the days you’re sick! How do you find filling up a Cousin sized page for daily journalling? I love seeing how creative everyone gets with filling them up, but I think I might fall into the camp of feeling intimidated by the size of the paper if I were to use it for that purpose. Also, I LOVE the idea of using a key, so that I don’t have to re-write it out each week. In some ways, it’s kind of therapeutic to always start my set up with something familiar, but your approach is much more efficient 😅. Thank you or being here, Varsha! I always appreciate your thoughtful comments, and I am sending you positive energy for your recovery! 💗
@@LittleCocoStudio thank Alison for your gift of positive energy, I actually always get that from your generous and authentic sharing in your videos. I so very much appreciate you. I start writing at the start of the day and go through the day. Some of it is memory keeping as my memory is not great and I write out my feelings and symptoms as a way to be able to track back if I need to but also to let go and work through them. In a way I am being my own therapist / Peer Coach (I do it for others so why I can’t do it for myself). I say, “let’s at least journal and write/process-out my feelings” (I see myself as ‘us’ in that I am a body and a souls together - Hindu who believes in reincarnation of the soul, but must respect, appreciate and try to love the body I am in as it’s my way of being in this world at this time.) I do feel better when I decorate a page with watercolour and stickers but also allow myself to just write. I used to use a stalogy and sometimes write pages and pages for a day but I love different inks and their properties and use inks to reflect my moods or to shift /move my mood forward so tomoe river paper is better for that. I also ask myself questions on the page and sometimes now find the answers are also coming forward the more I write daily. But I don’t recommend asking questions when you first start journaling if you are living with challenges, as Judgement usually has more power than Kindness at that time. It is important to write to be your best friend and not a bully. Also if you don’t have a lot to say some colourful paint sploges or mark-making is good, it is good to leave some breathing space on the page. 💖🥰😘😌😊
Thank you! What are some things you’re thinking about doing for the second half of the year! The cover is one of Hobonichi’s artist covers. This one called Love It (Panda) by the artist Jin Kitamura. 🐼☺️
@@LittleCocoStudio Brill i’ve added a few gorgeous covers to my ebay basket already hehehe i’ll be making small alterations to give me more space to plan and reflect on my days-so maybe the addition of a 3rd member to my system haha thank you again!⭐️💕
Hello! I’m a new follower and somewhat new to Hobonichi (love it)! I am not a fountain pen writer yet but eventually would love to so if you could do a video with non-fountain pen, that would be great please.
Hi! Thanks so much for following along! 🥰 What kinds of pens are you currently using? And what would you be interested in seeing from a non-fountain pen (or markers) perspective with regards to hobonichi?
@@LittleCocoStudio Hi There! Well I’ve tried a few hard to remember them all lol. But what I’m using now is Zebra Sarasa clip pens (I think so far they are my fav), but also I’ve tried the Pilot G2, Sharpie Pen, Frixion Clicker and in markers I’ve been using Mildliners. 🤔 I know! I know there are more but can’t remember them all. I’m somewhat new to journaling as well so I love watching these types of videos because they are so VERY helpful. So thank you!! I hope this helps you in gathering some info for this idea. Please let me know if you have any others. 💕
That is a great idea!! Especially since the bottom hours are blank. I’ll have to try that out, so I guess my weekly supplement experimenting is not quite done! 😅
The quote "there is nothing permanent except change" comes to mind. It is a given, when it comes to my planner systems, that I will always be seeking, changing, adapting, & evolving. So much of what you're sharing feels familiar. I've embraced constantly being curious & adventurous when it comes to my planners. It's a great journey!
You’re so right about accepting that things are dynamic and constantly changing. We make the best decisions we can with the information we have in the moment, but excepting those decisions to stay rigid is unrealistic. It is a very great and fun journey! 📚🖋️ Also, love the quote! Thank you so much for sharing. 🥰
I downsized from a cousin to the A6 with tiny weekly supplement, and love it. I was feeling so defeated with all of the white space I was leaving in my Cousin. I know the planner/journal journey is so individualized, but the downsize was perfect for me.
One of the biggest draws for me is how spacious the Cousin’s pages are -- and, it’s also one of the biggest deterrents! I can relate to the feelings of defeat. It’s been okay for now since I use it for taking notes for about 2024-relevant things. But I know if I tried to use it for daily journalling, that’d be too much space and pressure for me. I’m glad to know that the downsize worked out well for you! I’m leaning forwards this option!
The day-free cousin really solved this issue for me. I have used the A5 for several years and stressed over missing days. My setup for the last couple years has been two A5 hobonichi: the day free planner and a blank one. The blank is for my morning pages and I use two a year. It does get heavy though, so I’ve been setting up my A6 version for travel, which is one blank and one supplemental insert for specific trips.
This was soooo helpful!! 🙌 I have been breaking my brain for weeks trying to figure out what will work best for me 😵💫 I’ve never really been into planners or Hobonichi, so it was quite the puzzle. But I really need more structure to deal with all the ADHD-shenanigans in my life, and a digital planner just isn’t working for me anymore… 😅 I went from considering Traveler’s inserts to the Midori Hibino to the Hobonichi Weeks to the Weeks Mega to the Cousin to the Techo… and back again 🙃 But your video really helped me!! I had settled on the Cousin because of the weekly-spreads, even though I preferred A6… but your video made me realize the Techo + weekly combo would actually be a really good fit for me and my planner-needs! So thank you so much for sharing this - I can’t wait to give it a try! ☺🙌
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad this video gave you some more things to think about. I can relate to cycling through a few options in the consideration set. I recently flipped through a Hibino in a store and although I know it would be too much for me, I caught it myself wondering how I might be able to incorporate it into my system because it’s so cute. 😅😂 In the end, I walked away. Probably for the best.
I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on potentially downsizing for next year. i'm also starting to think about what i want to do well in advance so you're not alone.
haha, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who is already thinking about it (tbh, I was already thinking about 2025 when I purchased my 2024 books LOL).
❤I enjoyed someone else playing with the struggles in planning that I have had. I feel you 😊
Thank you! There are so many great options, and our needs are always changing. We've got this! 💗
Hi Alison, loved your chat, i too always rethink of what could be better every year, it's not easy to find planner peace, but maybe we just need change time to time, even if we know, we will come back to our previous method, sonner or later.
I have thought of having a hobo week, in my travellers notebook, plus a A5 stalogy, but cut to the same size (wide) than the weeks.
Having those two together, could be great for rendez vous and to do in the weeks, and notes etc in the A5 cut like the weeks.
I will rethink that.
Thank you for sharing
🎉😊
Thank you! 🥰 I think planner peace is challenging for me if I don’t expect my system to change as my life circumstances change. I like to keep things constant in one year, but even that feels unrealistic if your circumstances change partway through the year! I like the idea of having a weeks + TN + Stalogy cut down to the weeks. Great idea! ☺️
I love your pen wallet! I wish it wasn't sold out everywhere. Would love to see an updated pen collection video or any kind of stationary collection video.
Thank you! Yes, I’m in love with the pen wallet! 🥹 ! I hope they are able to bring them back in stock soon. Thank you for the feedback on future videos as well! I think either of those would be fun to do! 🥰
I love this video, Alison! ♥ there's so much that you articulated that resonates with me, especially your insights about feelings of fear and overwhelm and powerlessness and how, for me too, it prompts a desire to find a bit more control over my planners/planning ~ you helped me realize that I also find the larger sizes, like A5 and standard TN size, begin to feel a bit overwhelming when I'm dealing with or experiencing or feeling a lot. I'm excited if you end up trying out the A6 with the weekly supplement! I've yet to really find my groove with the weekly supplement because it is so small, as you noted, so I didn't get one this year, but I'd love to give it an honest shot again in the future! 🥰
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for sharing your experiences when you're feeling a lot. It was cathartic to talk/process how I've been feeling about whether I will continue using the Cousin and/or Standard TN next year. Logically, the A5 and Standard TN sizes make more sense for me - they encompass that "but what if I need more room?" scenario. At the same time, optimizing for those what-if scenarios seem to be stressing me out more often than not when many days will go by and I'll feel daunted by the larger page size. It's funny you should say that you've yet to find your groove with the weekly supplement - I feel that way with the Hobonichi Weeks! I always feel so inspired when you show us how you use them. I feel like I have under-utilized them, which is a shame because they are wonderfully compact (with the cutest covers!) and are so versatile! I'd love to see your take on the weekly supplement if you give it another go in the future! 🥰
I am using a Sterling Ink common planner in a standard size because I love the Cousin layout, but not the A5 size. They come in many sizes too.
The B6 size is the perfect compromise between the a6 and a5 size! I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Common Planner, although I do like the daily dated pages in the Cousin.
lovely video as always! I find myself in a really similar transitional period to what you've shared, and I was wondering if you ever find it harder to keep up with journaling/planning/etc during these sort of times? I know for me personally I've completely fallen off of what used to be daily rituals, and it can be hard to decide when to wait it out and take a break vs when to reconfigure your systems to fit whatever's going on.
If you haven't checked out sterling ink, it might check some of the boxes youre looking for
They have an A6 or the N1 vertical
Thank you!!🥰 hmm, that’s a really good question! So, I definitely fall off daily rituals and can find it difficult to pick it back up again. I think part of what I loved about the TN blank insert is the fact that it is undated, so I can skip a week if in need to (although, I usually find those weeks end up feeling chaotic and stressful, unless I’m on vacation).
When it comes to deciding between taking a break or changing up my system, I try to reflect on what the “issue” is, so I can make sure my next step is going to address it. For example, I abandoned weekly planners in the past, because I was mainly using them for writing down meetings as they were booked. However, my Google calendar was doing a better job of tracking my meetings.Ssince the agenda wasn’t adding any additional value to me, I abandoned it. It was causing more stress than it was helping me. On the other hand, sometimes I stop using my planning systems bc I’m so busy that I jump straight into work each day. It’s usually in those moments that I need my planners the most. Pulling them back out is one way for me to slow down and be more mindful about how I’m spending my time. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you! I’ll take answer look at the SI options! I have one of their blank notebooks, but I’ve never tried one of their planners!
@@LittleCocoStudio thank you so much for taking the time to answer! I definitely think it's a situation where at least for now I just need to get back on the horse. After all, I can't know what's not working if I'm not doing anything lol. And you're totally right about the weeks without those rituals feelings super chaotic and draining.
Hi Alison, I did a similar thing to you in that I bought Cousin, A6+ weekly supplements for 2024. The cousin was meant to be for personal life /goals planning but I have been tackling new health challenges so that didn’t get started at all. I also had a Cousin Avec from last year that I used this year for daily journaling which is mostly kept up except for when I was really sick - I’ve given myself permission to say if I don’t get to backdate those pages it’s fine - being a control freak I want everything neat and perfect but that is just not an option so I am letting it go. I got the planner for work journaling but since I’ve not had any clients this year (nhs MH coach) that didn’t get started either, but the supplement I have used to document all my meetings and since I only work Mon-Wed I use the other side of the page for notes and reflections. I also created a key (with different highlighters) but I made a little flip-out tip-in on the back of the first grey page of the supplement, so when it is open on the week I can also open out my key (saves me writing it out on each page or finding the piece of paper if I forget what my key is. I also teach at the local Uni on Thursday or Fridays so I note that in a different colour. All back for the uni with the multi-pen and all blue for NHS with different highlighters for meetings, teaching, coaching, learning, etc. thanks for this lovely video and wishing you gentle kindness to see you through your day. Varsha, London. 🎉🫶🏽🙏🏽💖
Thank you so much for sharing how your system has evolved over the year! I’m glad that you adapted your system to work for you since your situation changed. I’m also glad that you’ve given yourself permission to not back date on the days you’re sick! How do you find filling up a Cousin sized page for daily journalling? I love seeing how creative everyone gets with filling them up, but I think I might fall into the camp of feeling intimidated by the size of the paper if I were to use it for that purpose. Also, I LOVE the idea of using a key, so that I don’t have to re-write it out each week. In some ways, it’s kind of therapeutic to always start my set up with something familiar, but your approach is much more efficient 😅. Thank you or being here, Varsha! I always appreciate your thoughtful comments, and I am sending you positive energy for your recovery! 💗
@@LittleCocoStudio thank Alison for your gift of positive energy, I actually always get that from your generous and authentic sharing in your videos. I so very much appreciate you.
I start writing at the start of the day and go through the day. Some of it is memory keeping as my memory is not great and I write out my feelings and symptoms as a way to be able to track back if I need to but also to let go and work through them. In a way I am being my own therapist / Peer Coach (I do it for others so why I can’t do it for myself). I say, “let’s at least journal and write/process-out my feelings” (I see myself as ‘us’ in that I am a body and a souls together - Hindu who believes in reincarnation of the soul, but must respect, appreciate and try to love the body I am in as it’s my way of being in this world at this time.) I do feel better when I decorate a page with watercolour and stickers but also allow myself to just write. I used to use a stalogy and sometimes write pages and pages for a day but I love different inks and their properties and use inks to reflect my moods or to shift /move my mood forward so tomoe river paper is better for that. I also ask myself questions on the page and sometimes now find the answers are also coming forward the more I write daily. But I don’t recommend asking questions when you first start journaling if you are living with challenges, as Judgement usually has more power than Kindness at that time. It is important to write to be your best friend and not a bully. Also if you don’t have a lot to say some colourful paint sploges or mark-making is good, it is good to leave some breathing space on the page. 💖🥰😘😌😊
This helped me so much re planning my second half of the year, thank you🩷
Could you share where you bought that gorgeous panda cover for your a6?
Thank you! What are some things you’re thinking about doing for the second half of the year! The cover is one of Hobonichi’s artist covers. This one called Love It (Panda) by the artist Jin Kitamura. 🐼☺️
@@LittleCocoStudio Brill i’ve added a few gorgeous covers to my ebay basket already hehehe
i’ll be making small alterations to give me more space to plan and reflect on my days-so maybe the addition of a 3rd member to my system haha
thank you again!⭐️💕
fully understand, no apologies for reflecting xx
Thank you so much! 💗
Michael's has it too-- I found those little scissors in their fabric section.
Ah, great tip! Thank you! ✂️
Hello! I’m a new follower and somewhat new to Hobonichi (love it)! I am not a fountain pen writer yet but eventually would love to so if you could do a video with non-fountain pen, that would be great please.
Hi! Thanks so much for following along! 🥰 What kinds of pens are you currently using? And what would you be interested in seeing from a non-fountain pen (or markers) perspective with regards to hobonichi?
@@LittleCocoStudio Hi There! Well I’ve tried a few hard to remember them all lol. But what I’m using now is Zebra Sarasa clip pens (I think so far they are my fav), but also I’ve tried the Pilot G2, Sharpie Pen, Frixion Clicker and in markers I’ve been using Mildliners. 🤔 I know! I know there are more but can’t remember them all. I’m somewhat new to journaling as well so I love watching these types of videos because they are so VERY helpful. So thank you!! I hope this helps you in gathering some info for this idea. Please let me know if you have any others. 💕
You could try renumbering your vertical weekly supplement.
That is a great idea!! Especially since the bottom hours are blank. I’ll have to try that out, so I guess my weekly supplement experimenting is not quite done! 😅
I prefer smaller planner as they weight less and easy to bring. But downside write less, precise but not detailed plans... Concise plan.
Yes! It can be challenging to balance the detail and the portability. I can understand why the B6 is a popular size for that reason!
Smaller is definitely better for your management.
I am leaning towards the smaller option as well! ☺️