12 Things I Wish I’d Known About Planners As A Beginner

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I’ve used paper planners forever, got my first traveler's notebook in 2015, and started my first Hobonichi Techo Cousin in 1017. Here are 12 things I wish I'd known as a beginner.

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Academic Planners Mentioned

Apple Pig Leather Art
(This is the configuration for the exact TN I showed today; you can also place custom orders)

Avery Ultra Tabs
(Choice of metallic, pastel, etc; repositionable and write-on)

Carl Corner Rounding Punch

Etsy Traveler's Notebook Inserts
(offers Tomoe River Paper inserts)
(offers specialty papers including Tomoe River)

Hobonichi Planners and Accessories

Midori Traveler's Company Inserts

Moleskine Daily

Paper House Life Organized Seasonal Sticker Book
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Paper Sunday Personalized Scripture Journals and Planners
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Tombow Mono Correction Tape

Tombow Mono Waterproof Drawing Pens

Uniball Signo RT1 Waterproof Gel Pens
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Wanderings Traveler's Notebook Inserts
(my favorite inserts for watercolor)

Zebra Zensations Waterproof Brush Pens

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2024 Plan With Me - Setting Up My Midori Weekly Planner

12 Things I Wish I’d Known About Traveler’s Notebooks As A Beginner

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🌿 TIME STAMPS
00:00 introduction
00:32 1. paper matters
02:23 2. not all planners are designed well
03:36 3. test formats in a cheap notebook first
06:00 4. do you need full weekends?
07:05 5. consider the weight
08:43 6. planners don't need to begin on January 1
17:37 7. rounded corners rock
14:39 8. correction tape is your friend
17:03 9. stickers?
20:24 10. you can combine a planner and a scrapbook
22:04 11. planners don't have to be for dentist appointments
24:10 12. there's no shame in starting over

[KeyLimeInk]

🌿 TIME STAMPS
00:00 introduction
00:32 1. paper matters
02:23 2. not all planners are designed well
03:36 3. test formats in a cheap notebook first
06:00 4. do you need full weekends?
07:05 5. consider the weight
08:43 6. planners don't need to begin on January 1
17:37 7. rounded corners rock
14:39 8. correction tape is your friend
17:03 9. stickers?
20:24 10. you can combine a planner and a scrapbook
22:04 11. planners don't have to be for dentist appointments
24:10 12. there's no shame in starting over

[Lambertcottage]

Starting your journal any day, month or time is so true. Decide when you want it to start. Love that and that's exactly why journaling has been so good for me. Thanks for sharing!

[s.scully]

I have just found your channel and really appreciate how you give a lot of practical, inspirational advice without whining and complaining (as I see on many other channels).

For my personal needs, I have found that a Wonderland222 weekly planner works best for my job (stacked weekends, 90 notes pages which is enough without wasting paper or being heavy) and I use a Kinbor daily planner with monthly and daily dated pages for creative journaling and memory keeping / scrapbooking. I like the dated pages because I'm motivated that way to journal regularly without skipping months at a time (which I used to do when using blank or undated notebooks).

[moniques.journal.corner]

Love this video. I agree with so much of it. I keep trying pre printed planners hoping the next one will work, but not a single one ever meets my needs so ive basically accepted the fact that im a TN girl so i can use inserts that suit my needs... that and i love putting my stalogy in my TN. I think so many of us get caught up in what everyone else is doing that we forget to personalize it and just have fun. A word of the day is always one i enjoy doing on dailies.

[lauraholleman]

Thanks so much for this great video! Your advice is also helpful for those of us who like to create our own bujos or planners!

[BlissfulForever]

I really really appreciate point #11. That's so very true and so powerful

[pinayknitter]

Love this video! I’m already (over)thinking my set up for 2025 and your tip about planner weight is great (I need to keep this in mind). Thanks!

[sistergoldenhair]

Thanks for this video. I’ve learned that I need different books for different purposes.

[tompov]

Ever since Hobonichi started using the Tomoe River S Paper I have been in love with all their stuff. The cousin is so so nice but a little large, so I have been using a Weeks as my main planner and it is excellent! I love it. My one issue is I wish it had the white paper of the Cousin instead of cream paper but it is still so great. I also use undated travelers inserts for my class planning (as a teacher) because I love the freedom of starting them and dating them only when I am teaching so I don't have to waste paper and they're super portable plus the Midori paper is wonderful

[sistergoldenhair]

Talking of stickers I get the bloom mini sticker books for my cousin and weeks books

[PorschaWrites]

Great video as usual. I've been around here long enough to know we share many planner preferences and pet peeves.

The Sunday start monthly, Monday start weekly is the worst! I prefer Monday start, If I had a dollar for everytime I've tried to redate monthly spreads because the weekly worked. Its not worth it, great advice to avoid that frustration.

[sistergoldenhair]

I’m a horizontal planner. Vertical never has enough room for writing. I do like my Hobonichi cousin though

[elinmor]

I love my cousin. Use the weekly for to do list and stuff, and daily for journaling. I have the full year. But if I were to take the planner with me outside a lot, I might have chosen a different planner. It can be big and heavy if you are going to carry it round all the time. I usually only carry it around in my apartment and nowhere else.

[neemecka]

Ich mag besonders die Hobonichi Terminplaner. Ich verwende dieses Jahr den superschönen HON mit den Wildblumen zur täglichen Planung und für Tagebucheinträge, einen Sterling Ink mit dem freien Notizteil für Monatszusammenfassungen, einen Aura Estelle Weeks Daily für Aufgaben und Termine, einen Papertess Designs B6 zum Dekorieren und für eine allgemeine Jahresübersicht und einen Taschenplaner für unterwegs.... Oh, hinzu kommt noch ein Budgetplaner Din A4 zur freien Gestaltung, ein Skizzenbuch von Leuchtturm 1917 (PS: Der Firmenname enthält kein "s", sondern ein "ch", welches man mehr im Hals spricht, als würde man eine Maus verscheuchen wollen- nur eben ohne das "s".) PSS: Dein Kanal ist wunderbar entspannend nach einem Arbeitstag und auch wenn Travelers Notebook nicht mein Steckenpferd sind, gibt es immer Anregungen, die ich gerne umsetze. Einen herzlichen Gruß aus Deutschland und viel Erfolg mit dem YouTube Übersetzer.

[BlissfulForever]

My question is, do people throw out their old planners or keep them as a keepsake?

[BlissfulForever]

Somehow your videos are kind of triggering ASMR :)

[sistergoldenhair]

I just don’t understand why all the complaints about weight for a 1 pound book🤷‍♀️ I carry a Hobonichi cousin and a wonderland222 to work every day with no issues. The avec is a pain come July when you keep having to refer to stuff that happened in the previous book and you keep having to refer to it. I did the avec ONCE -NEVER again!🤬 I love the cousin as my master planner, wonderland222 for work and Sterling Ink common planner for hobbies and such.