Planning for 2026

[octahedrite]

Last year I made the mistake of waiting too long to order the planner I wanted before it went out of stock, so here's a reminder to start thinking about what you want to buy for 2026!

Comments

[thistleingrey]

Thank you!

I picked up a Leuchtturm1917 monthly diary for the second year because its blend of two-year overview, one-year monthly spreads, plus relative lack of structure (a bunch of sheets for notes or whatever) appealed to me this year. Accidentally, I picked up a rather larger size, A5, heh. My hands still give me trouble (it's a bit more complicated than something like carpal tunnel), so I guess the A5 will be encouragement to remember good pacing.

[halfcactus]

Ahahaha I just got a Hobonichi Cousin (A5) for 2026. I'm afraid I'll hate it but I felt like I had to try it at least once. Excited to see what everyone else is getting!

[halfcactus]

PS. YOUR ICON FOR THIS POST IS PERFECT

[octahedrite]

Haha thanks! I got a plain vanilla Hobonichi techo A6 btw :) it's my first Hobonichi!

[halfcactus]

Ahahaha I love how several of us are trying Hobonichi for 2026 o/ My RL friends are too hehe but they're more intense about the extra stuff (covers, accessories)

[octahedrite]

Hobonichi sells out quickly lol, it's why everyone here has already ordered one 😆

[mothereader]

My own Hobonichi Cousin arrived a couple of weeks ago!

I’ve heard that people either love or hate the paper, but I know I’m going to love the spreads because I’ve been copying them in my planning notebook since the beginning of the year and testing out how I might use them.

[halfcactus]

Yay fellow Hobonichi Cousin first-timer!

I hope you can share your current spreads/system (but only if you're comfortable)!

[mothereader]

I straight up copied the spreads in Hobonichi Cousin. I have:

• yearly index, which I use to mark significant events after they’ve happened—I go to that spread at the end of the week and fill in events for the end of the week (this is right from the original bullet journal method);
• monthly calendar, which I use to note when I finished a particular book / tv series / movie.

I set both of those up at the beginning of the year and just referred back to them as necessary.

Originally, I had the daily pages with a timeline at the edge, so a page a day, but then I ended up missing a bunch of days (maybe because I had to set them up?) and when the period during which I had intended to use the notebook ended, I had a bunch of pages still left, but not enough for every day until the end of the year.

That’s when I switched to weekly pages—I like them for weekly planning. I block out things in the calendar and then I put tasks into spaces when I think I might have time to do them, which doesn’t always align with reality. I switched daily pages to daily lists, which take up less space. I think I’ll check in a few weeks and see if I have space for weekly and daily pages through the end of the year.

[halfcactus]

Thank you so much! I haven't really looked at my Hobonichi yet but I've been meaning to mark significant plans on one of the sections. Filling in the yearly index afterwards is so practical!

I've only ever really done weekly spreads so I'm so fascinated by how people are using these systems, it's very eye-opening. I've used a dateless Midori planner and yeah having to set up spreads/pages AND be conscious of how many pages I had left were such a pain. I always had enough left over, but still.

Thanks so much for sharing!

[mothereader]

You're welcome!

I'm not really familiar with Midori planners. What kind of spreads did it have? Was it a page a day?

I think I'll put any significant future stuff on the weekly pages because I'll be using those anyway when I'm making weekly plans. In the notebook, I'm marking them on the monthly pages because the weekly/daily stuff isn't usually set up yet, but weekly pages make more sense in my system: yearly index — meaningful events; monthly calendar — media finished; weekly pages — plans; daily pages — a messy mix of planning and acting on plans as life happens. (I use this method on the daily pages.)

If you're not sure, why not test it out? Photocopy a few of the spreads from the Hobonichi and try to fill them out in a variety of ways. (If you're particular like me, you might photocopy July 2026 spreads for October, August 2026 for November, June 2026 spreads for December.)

[mothereader]

Which planner are you getting for 2026, Octa?

[octahedrite]

I bought the most basic A6 Hobonichi Techo :) I'm pretty excited to get it!

[mothereader]

Is this your first Hobonichi?

[octahedrite]

Yep! Anything you think I should know? I have heard about how ink dries slower on tomoe river paper.

[mothereader]

Next year is going to be my first year too, so I too only know thing I’ve heard. I did get a pencil board since the paper is so thin and I tend to press when writing.

[octahedrite]

I love the aesthetic of a well-loved notebook though! When the paper is crinkly with your writing 🤩

[mothereader]

Well, yeah. Apparently, Tomoe River paper reacts to the skin oils, so there’s going to be plenty of that, even without me reading what I’ve written on the next page.

[octahedrite]

Tell me more ✍ It sounds like you did a lot of research!

[mothereader]

Not really; I've just been coveting a Hobonichi planner for almost a decade. You pick up some things in that time.

[halfcactus]

Oh I did not know this lol I guess we'll all experiment together!

[a_natural_beauty]

Best of luck! :)

[lunabee34]

Mine is 18 month, so I'm good through December 2026!

[havocthecat]

Got me a Hobonichi Cousin A5 for 2026. Here's hoping it works out!

[verylongfarewell]

For a writing project I've been working on since summer, I had to get a Paperblanks 12-month planner with a day a page, and although it's pretty big and heavy, I'm not someone who tends to carry my planner around anyway, so I think it'll fit my style of use pretty well. It's the Gaudi's Sun design, so very bright and colourful! The quality seems great to me, but then again - I'm a Paperblanks girl through and through.

I'm hoping to primarily use it as a writing journal, noting down writing-related plans and daily wordcounts, etc. related to my writing.

[spiralicious]

Thank you! I definitely needed the reminder. (I waited too long last year too >_<)

[asenathwaite]

Oh dear, I still haven't decided whether to buy or make one...