Wednesday Writing - Planning

It's October, so for some of us, it's 'Prep-Tober' - the time of year where we gear up for NaNoWriMo. I've been drawing house plans, doing a bit of outlining and making notes.

For others of us, it's the time of year when we start picking out and purchasing our 2019 planners. And for an even smaller segment of the planner community, we are poised by our mailboxes, awaiting the arrival of ...

After decades of using just about every type of planner/calendar, this is the third year I will be using a Hobonichi. I love it so much and it ticks so many boxes for me I can't foresee changing as the years go by.

These are my Hobonichis I am currently using for 2018.

Every year, your shipment comes in a wonderfully sturdy box. And it's a different color each year. I keep the boxes and they are currently holding sewing supplies.

This year's box is bright orange and it's the 20th-anniversary box!

There is a quote on the inside flap of the box also.

Just like with many other planners, there are those who go crazy (my option only) and buy several different covers each year. I had purchased new covers for my 2018 planners and when it came time to buy planners for 2019 I decided not to buy new covers...

Which I may be regretting. Anyway...

This isn't the nice packing job you see when you get the box. I ripped into the box like a 5-year-old on Christmas!

But in my box, my order for 2019 contained...

 

My 'Weeks' planner. The one on the left is the one I am currently using. The cover is actually their 'tie' cover, in that the cover is made up of tie fabric and it has a coffee bean design on it. But I couldn't resist the cover-on-cover (COC) of London. 

The middle on is the mega Weeks. The reason it is considered a 'mega' is that it has many, many more note pages inside. This is going to be my money tracker. I want to really track my spending (which I sort of did this year) and use the note pages for making notes of books to read, shopping lists, menu planning, etc. 

The one on the right is Texter's planner. Also in the tie fabric, it has little cactus on it. I saw it and knew she would love it. 

The Weeks planner has a yearly overview on two pages, monthly calendars on two pages and then weekly pages on one page with a note page opposite it. With Lady K in school, she really needs this.

I use my yearly overview pages in mine to list out birthdays and anniversaries so I know when to send cards and/or presents.

Then comes my 'work-horse', my 'Techo' or 'Original' planner.

This year I am using the Japanese version of the planner. That means the extras in the back are all in Japanese, as are the quotes. This year I went with the English version. 

The Japanese version has a cardstock cover and the English version has this black cardstock with embossed wording.

Right now, my A6 (the Original size), has a bright lime green vinyl cover and a patterned cover-on-cover. Even though I throw it in the car every day, it is still in pretty good condition except for a small place on the back corner where the COC is torn.

(The pink is a piece of paper so you can see the design.) So for 2019, I am only replacing the COC with this woodland scene. It should really pop with the green underneath. But I am reconsidering placing another order and getting their Shakespeare cover. Yes, I will probably be joining the "I-have-to-make-multiple-orders" group.

The quotes in this one are in English, which will be fun.

The A6 has a yearly overview, two months per page. And then a monthly calendar on two pages. Then it's one page per day. These are the pages I use - Daily!

I have, at the present time, 4 jobs I do at home. There are things I need to track daily. Lady K knows what I mean when I say 'go get my green book'. 

My main planner is the A5 or 'Cousin' Hobonichi. This one stays open beside my computer on my desk. I use it to record chores, meal plans, to-do lists, appointments, a bit of journaling, reminders. It's actually my 'life' planner which is what the Hobonichi is designed to be used for.

I purchased tabs for the planners. I love these little tabs. They don't get in the way but are there to be used if your two bookmarks aren't enough.

I also parted with 300 yen for a large gift bag.

It's made out of an off-white muslin and has both handles and drawstrings. It will probably house a needlework project, but it's cute. I think if I order again, I may get the small one to put a gift in.

Part of the allure of the Hobonichi are the 'extras'.

The Weeks comes with a railway map of Japan. Since I have one for 2018, I'll probably give Savvy my 2019 one. She'll enjoy it.

She'll also get my second copy of the poster which comes with the planners. The inside of the "This is my life" insert is this cute little poster...

I love this poster! I think I'll hang it beside my desk to remind me every day is special.

But the major freebie is the 'toy' and the pen which is offered each year.

This year the 'toy' is a tiny paperweight (and it is actually heavy) of the Steiff Bear for 2018, dubbed Scary Bear as it was black and had very sharp looking teeth. This is supposed to be 'unscary' bear using his Hobonichi. I had two. Note the 'two'. I only have one now. The bear only comes with an Original or Cousin planner and not a Weeks. Texter took my bear since she only got a Weeks.

And a pen. It's a 3-color pen - black, blue and red - and a different color each year. Somewhere I have a blue one and a yellow one from 2017 and 2018. This year it is lovely white and blush color. It looks very elegant (to me) for a plastic pen. But I love the way it writes. Since Texter got one with her planner, maybe I will be able to hold onto my three.

So for now, they are all nestled back in their box. I will pull them out and start adding birthdays, events, anniversaries and other 'stuff' in the over the next couple of months. I won't put them in their covers until the very, very end of the year. Unless I go ahead and buy new covers!