Introduction:

As the Christmas goes by the new year is awaited. This is the time of the year when bookshelves are flooded with yearly planners, diaries and other cool stationary just to kick start the new year on a positive note. With each year we are moving further into the digital arena and have digital pads in our hands even for jotting down something. But, there are people like me who still believe in the pen, paper type of writing. I have written diaries for years and professionally being into Project Management and Continuous improvement, I tried my hands at planning last year. Planning day to day activities to a little bit of process improvement in my daily routine was the priority in 2017. I could do a lot of changes to my day to day routine with planners. Often it is a challenge, but 2017 was meticulously planned and executed.. well at least 70% was as per the plan. This time I have decided to write everything down in a Hobonichi Planner. Hobonichi Techo Cousin 2018 is a yearly planner which is regarded all over the world at least in the planner circle.

Initially started in 2001, in Tokyo Japan, Hobonichi has been selling around 6,00,000 planners around the world. This planner is way too different than other yearly planners I must say. But first of all, let us just ask ourselves,

Why do you need a planner or a diary?

The planner helps to keep the priorities in place because we write them down. Writing your preferences enables you to work on them without distractions

You can schedule your work more efficiently with the planner.

One can do more if all the tasks are laid down on a piece of paper.

If the tasks are not done, one can reflect on it and can schedule it for the next possible time.

The planner helps you to stay focused in the world full of distractions.

Hobonichi Planner – A sneak peek

The most important aspect of any diary is the spread which is from the January (New year) to the December. Some journals have separate pages for every day, some of them club it. I prefer a full day spread because I write a lot. But carrying a massive journal is very tedious. Last year I had three journals, one had a weekly spread, another one had a full day spread and the third one had just plain pages to jot down any random thought anywhere, it was a pocket size diary with “Pencil, Paper, Action” written over it <3. HOBONICHI Planner is all in one…Just a little bulky but better than carrying three diaries with you all the time.

Hobonichi has three sections.

Hobonichi Main Page – I ordered Cousin which is A5 size – doubly bigger than the original Hobonichi Techo.

Yearly Index

Monthly Calendar

Daily Page

Timetable

Hobonichi has a timetable which is so helpful in jotting down the routine and non-changing chores like watching TV or mundane household work. Having a timetable on the diary is such a blessing for forgetful people like me.

My 100

There are other things like a page for My 100 where one can include 100 important things one want to accomplish in the year. I know after all the new year wishes, and one more week it gets so mundane that no one will ever want to note down the 100 things and all..but how thoughtful is it to have a space in the daily journal. It also has age table which is Japanese, and I am yet to figure out how to use it.

This is a Hobonichi Cousin which is a bigger version of Hobonichi Original. These planners do have English versions too. You can get Hobonichi Planner here..https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/

Hobonichi planner is a good way to start planning your days because

Dwight D. Eisenhower