A few months ago I started using a Hobonichi Weeks as my everyday planner that I bring with me to create to-do lists and and keep track of events and appointments, something I desperately need to stay organized. I intended to use the Weeks to see if it would be a feasible catch-all notebook to put all of my planning, journaling, and tracking in next year. However, I don't think the Weeks is the right fit for me, but it did help me discover that an all-in-one book is not what I need.
I wanted to use the notes pages in a Weeks (Mega) next year for daily entries and gratitude logs, the same way that I use daily pages in my A6 Hon this year. In my experimentation with transcribing daily entries onto the notes pages, I discovered that I kind of hate writing daily entries in the Weeks lol. And I don't think I would be able to fit all of my trackers and goals from my rings planner into the Weeks note pages along with daily entries. I think it would become too cluttered and disorganized. Plus, I don't like the formatting/layout of those spreads in the Weeks pages, as picky as that sounds.
Trying to use the Weeks in this way has made me realize that I've already basically found "planner peace" with my current system. The layout of the A6 Hon's pages lends itself to how I like to write my journal entries and daily gratitude. I may not be writing every day, but it is the most consistent I have ever been with a journal. I still love the book and writing in it when I have the motivation to fill a page. I also love using my rings journal as a creative/decorative outlet the way I have used bullet journals in the past, while also still remaining functional. The system that I currently have works for me, and it works well. I recently became so preoccupied with wanting to condense everything for some reason that I lost sight of the joy my current notebooks and planning process brings me. So for 2025, I plan to continue using my rings planner as I currently do, and I hope to soon order another A6 Hon (the Crescent Moon Delivery version since it is my favorite design of the 2025 lineup and as an homage to the similar design of the Weeks I have been using).
As for the Weeks, I have greatly enjoyed using it as my everyday planner. However, I can't find it in my heart (or wallet) to justify buying two books from Hobonichi for 2025. Hobonichi products are certainly a luxury in my opinion, and while I can allow myself the luxury of the Hon, I don't really feel the need to splurge on the Weeks in addition. On the bright side, I believe I have found a more affordable alternative to the Weeks through Kinbor. I found a few YouTube videos reviewing the books and comparing them as adequate Hobonichi dupes, and I was very compelled by this cheaper alternative. I've already ordered the Cat Cafe Weeks-sized planner and look forward to receiving it in the mail soon :3
It should he arriving near the end of this month/beginning of November. I'd like to test the paper in the notes section before using it for next year since many reviews I watch compared the paper to Tomoe River Paper used in Hobonichi books (I don't know if there is any confirmation if it is indeed TRP or not, but it seems very similar in quality and feel at least). I believe the paper is also a brighter white color than the cream colored paper used in the Hobonichi Weeks, which I think I will personally like more.
All this is to say that while the Weeks may not have been what I wanted as an all-in-one book, I still enjoyed the time I've spent with it the last few months. I'm glad that I'll have it to finish out the year, and I'd like to thank this book for helping learn more about myself, my wants, and my needs. 💜
