I’ve always loved the idea of keeping a multi-year diary. I’ve envied people who keep 3 and 5-year diaries. I have this romanticized fantasy of flipping through them once they’re complete and revisiting all the great memories.
Except for two things: I suck at daily challenges, and I hardly ever look back at my journals.
Exhibit A: Here are some challenges I’ve tried and failed to complete:
- Inktober (the drawing one),
- 30 inks in 30 days (for fountain pen inks)
- 100-day artist challenge
- Morning pages a la The Artist’s Way
- and probably others I’ve erased from memory
I’m usually good for 3-5 days, sometimes more, but once I miss 1 or 2 days, I quit. Why continue when I’ve already failed? Hello, I’m Thien-Kim, a recovering perfectionist and overachiever.
Ever the masochist, I bought a Midori Mini 3-year diary. I know.
I’ll try my best but I need your help. But first a little more about the multi-year diary I chose.
Why the Midori Mini 3-Year Diary?
I’ve lusted over the Midori 3-year diaries for years. They’re gorgeous. Made to last. A keepsake for future generations. (See? More romantic notions.)
I opted for the 3-year version over the 5-year because it felt less of a commitment. I would waste less if I fell off the wagon.
Midori also makes 5-Year and 10-Year versions that are closer to a slim B6 size. And carries way more commitment than I’ll ever be ready for.
Midori Mini 3-Year Diary: Specs
The Midori Mini 3-Year Diary is a hardcover journal and comes in a cardboard slipcase. The journal has a fabric hardcover with a debossed gate design and lettering in gold. It has a satisfying weight and feel. It’s available in a dusty lilac and light brown. I chose the former which JetPens calls blue-purple. We pen people call that blurple.
The mini measures 4.5 inches across, 6 inches long, and about 0.9 inches thick. In metric: 11.5cm x 15.2cm x 2.5cm. Here is the diary next to a Midori A6 notebook. The mini diary is slightly bigger and thicker (due to the number of pages).
The slipcover is slightly bigger than the mini diary so it fits snugly. It also has 2 bookmark ribbons in dark blue and gray.
A look inside the diary
The cream paper is Midori MD paper, the same as my A6 Midori notebook, so I knew it would be fountain pen friendly. I did some quick pen tests with some wetter nib/ink combos for you. The last page has a section for your personal information. It even has a space for your blood type.
The brown endpapers compliment the brown text inside the diary. The first page has a cute drawn-image of a key with space to note when you started and finished the diary.
There’s also a prologue page, which I’m not sure how I want to use it. There’s also a similar epilogue page at the end. Each month has its own title page with a drawing.
Each daily page is separated into three sections, one for each year. Each section is comprised of a blank space followed by three lines. You could write or draw in the blank section, if desired.
I like that I can add the exact year for each section in case I skip a year (maybe I will?) If for some reason I didn’t start the diary in 2026, I know I can use it whenever. You could also technically start this diary in any month of the year, but I like the clean start in January.
Each page has a drawing that acts as a colored index on the page edges. It’s very clever in its simplicity. There’s no extra bulk or cutouts needed.
How Should I Use It?
Now that you’ve seen what it looks like, I need your opinions. I’m not sure what I want to document for 3 consecutive years.
Here’s what I’m considering so far:
- One thing that delighted me that day
- Daily gratitude
- Whatever the f* I feel like putting that day
- Something else???
Because of my past history with daily challenges, I know what works best for me is:
- A general guideline/prompt that gives me flexibility
- It should be an easy lift
- I can quickly backfill when I miss a few days in a row
The last bullet point is important because I have days of brain fog (thanks perimenopause and chronic illness!) and can’t always remember all the things I did two days before or even yesterday.
I’ll try to update you periodically throughout 2026 on my progress.
If you keep a multi-year diary, I’d love to hear how you’re using it. Hit me with your suggestions on how I can use mine.
I purchased the diary with a gift card and my own money.