Beyond The Halfway Point: Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014

When I got my Hobonichi Techo at the end of last year, I was dedicatedly using it. But somewhere around the end of May, I lost steam. I just sort of stopped using it. I don’t know if work got slow, or crazy or monotonous but I just stopped writing in it. And I had been using my Hobonichi for more than just meeting notes. I would write what we ate for dinner, if we watched a movie, what days I exercised and so on. So, there really wasn’t any reason to stop.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014

A few months after I got my Hobonichi planner and cover, I decided I needed to personalize it. The cover was already a distinctly TARDIS blue so the solution seemed obvious. I found some artwork online, resized it in Photoshop. I printed it out, trimmed it to size and then slid the artwork underneath the plastic sleeves. No adhesives were used so the cover was not damaged in my customizing. If I ever feel like removing the TARDIS art, it would just mean removing the plastic covers and pulling the art out. Easy Peasy.

At the beginning of September I picked it back up. Luckily, the Hobonichi did not try to shame me for the missed months. I just opened to the current day and started writing again. Its still a great notebook. Its an easy size to use — not too big, not too small.  The paper is good for fountain pens though I find some inks take to long to dry and I end up closing the book too soon and smearing the ink on the facing page.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014 top view

The plastic protective cover and the fabric cover have all protected the planner beautifully.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014 side view

Even the pen loops show minimal wear even though they see the most abuse. My TWSBI Mini fits comfortably in the loops and the Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku coordinates nicely though I often jot notes with whatever colored pen or pencil I have in my hand at the moment.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014 inside front cover

I haven’t collected too much detritus in the front pockets.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014 inside

I’ve been inspired by Patrick Rhone’s mini doodles so I’ve been trying to add my own versions. I’ve also started dividing my pages vertically. Meetings or activities on the left and lists of to-do’s on the right.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014 inside back cover

Someone brought back some classic Japanese planner stickers for me which I’ve tried to add to my planner here and there. I’m saving the fuzzy alpaca for a big knitting-related day.

My Hobonichi Techo Planner 2014 back cover

Yup, TARDIS on the back too. Though it looks like the back cover TARDIS sheet is slipping a little.

My Hobonichi is definitely bigger on the inside.

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10 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Hi, I too fall in and out of love with my planners. Alas, I’m back to my version of the Bullet Journal.

    Re: fountain pen use in the Hononichi – I keep a strip of blotting paper in whatever planner I’m using. I just close it up with the blotting paper on top of what I’ve just written. Works pretty well.

  2. My tip to avoid fountain pin ink smudging is to cut a sheet of blotting paper down to A6 and use it as a spacer. That way you can just close your Hobonichi and let the blotter deal with the wet ink.

  3. Is it possible to purchase this in the US? Not finding much for e-tailers carrying it. I’m a diehard planner user. I loved Filofax but for the paper quality. I’ve been using the Circa system the last couple of years, but frankly, disk binders bug me. 😉

    1. Your best option for purchasing is directly from Japan. Shipping for me took a little over a week and the cost was very rasonable. Use this link to navigate to the English ordering pages. They are still a little convoluted but it is a huge improvement over last year when you had to order from the Japanese web site.

  4. I’m quite intrigued by the Techo & finally bit: one English Techo Planner & a Sashiko cover headed stateside. Now, to find the perfect pen and ink…

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