It was 2019 when I fell down the rabbit hole and I placed my very first order from Hobonichi. It was simple, just the A6 planner with a mint green cover. I was so excited when my box arrived and I opened everything up immediately with the feeling of a kid at Christmas. I loved the small size and the feel of the Tomoe River paper. I had never written in a notebook with such thin paper. I couldn’t wait to try it out! Now, if you happen to be new to the stationery community, let me tell you that “planner season” starts early. So there I was in September ready to use a notebook that I now had to wait a whole three more months to use. Of course I used that time wisely to research and learn about fountain pens.
When January 2020 finally rolled around, I was prepared with a fountain pen, well maybe more than one, a mini printer, and my Hobonichi Planner. Even though I have always been a stationery enthusiast and a planner, I only tended to reach for my diary during the hard moments, when I truly needed a space to vent. I hadn’t really had a daily journaling practice before. So without overcommitting myself, I just started by writing a few sentences a day and when I felt like writing more I did. I must say that 2020 was quite a year to begin a daily writing practice. In January I found out that I was pregnant which was both amazing and terrifying, just given some previous experiences. Then a few months later, the world shut down. So, I can definitely say that I was grateful to have a space that was mine where I could record everything that was happening, my thoughts and reflections.
I managed to fill out almost every single day in that first Hobonichi. It wasn’t as aesthetic as some of the people I followed on social media, but it was mine. It felt incredibly gratifying to be able to hold a book that contained so much of me and my life. Given how well it worked that first year, I probably should have just stuck with it the following year, but instead I gave into the hype of the influencers and got myself a Hobonichi Cousin. I still managed to write every day, but I didn’t utilize the weekly section very much at all. It wasn’t until 2023 that I went back to what I knew worked and got myself the Hobonichi Planner again. Of course I also tried out the Weeks for more of my task management and to-dos. That one took me multiple years of attempts to figure out that it didn’t really work for me. At this point, I have tried every iteration of book Hobonichi offers.
This year, I have five Hobonichi books that I write in every day. I use a Hon in A6 for my diary, the daily practice that has continued since that first book in 2020. I am on my second year of a five-year in A6 that I use for memory keeping and milestones. I really like being able to easily see what I was doing or thinking just the year before in one place. Two years ago I watched a video from Baum-kuchen that really inspired me and I started a new practice of using a Hobonichi Original to write daily letters to my daughters. I write them little notes about the day and they are always so excited for me to read it to them and they love to collect stickers to put in their journals. Finally, I also use another Hon in A6 for my daily planning and work notes. It might sound like a lot, but writing in my Hobonichi books is a daily ritual that I enjoy and look forward to. It has been 6 years since I held and filled out my first Hobonichi and that feeling of accomplishment and joy for taking the time for myself to record and reflect on my life hasn’t diminished. While my specific notebook stack evolves a bit each year, I am grateful for the start that Hobonichi has given me.
Bianca