@@MeganRhiannon yup, I meant for the comment section :D Also to answer the question I am still using the same system that I decided on, because I wanted to get the hobonichi cousin for 2 years now but never did because "it's expensive" .... then spent 2 years planner hopping buying a bunch of things :D but this time I ordered it and I'm actually having planner peace like ??? :D I think utimately what matters is what you mentioned at the beginning, is that "it feels like self care" - that is what all planners should feel like I think for everyone. If Filofax feels good for you, even if for now, it is the best choice, because what works is always the best.
What I like about watching planner content is learning about how people are adapting to life, and caring for themselves through it. I like to see the adjustments, the big changes, the experiments, because it's like trying things out myself. I've enjoyed seeing you planner hop and I really like your filofax stuff. But most of all I like that you're prioritising your joy in your planners, and talking about it! Cause that's what I like to do, too.
I’m a neurodivergent (pretty intense adhd), chronically ill person working almost full time as a nanny and going to grad school full time to become a therapist. I have just had your videos on repeat while studying non stop because you have become my comfort content creator. I love your work. Thanks for sharing it with us.
you go! I'm also a nuerodivergent, chronically ill grad student! I love stationery and journaling content, and Megan's videos are so calm. I really love that they don't use background music. Good luck in your studies! I'm sure you are killing it! It's amazing how much you are doing and I hope you have great success!
i love getting to see your updates regardless of what system you’re in! i’m personally not a rings person bc the upkeep is too much for me so seeing your system is like getting to experience it secondhand! i enjoy it very much. 😊 thank you so much for sharing your books with us and wishing you all the best! ✨
Megan I'm an original late '80's Filofax user so it's really great to see a new generation 'getting' the infinite options a ring binder give the individual. Great work.
I really enjoy how you talk through the things in your system that are working for you or aren't, regardless of whether it's Filofax or Hobonichi. I know when I'm trying to solve a problem in my personal life I'm more likely to switch systems. I thought I would be starting in a Hobonichi Cousin, and I am. I spent last year in Hobonichi, which as a habitual planner jumper is a new thing for me. This year I doubled down, with a Cousin A5 for my personal and work planner, and a HON for personal tracking and journaling/memory keeping. I'm a fountain pen user and so far both have been fine. I also got a couple of new pens for the new year and am trying new inks so it's not a 1 to 1 comparison, but I'm noticing similar amounts of ghosting to 2023 and no bleed through.
I LOVE your Filofax content and am SO excited you’re continuing to create pages in the Franklin Covey compact size. It is my absolute favorite size and I love the inspiration of how you are using the pages. As an aside, thank also for sharing your creative gifts and personal story with us. Your mindset, honesty, and overall acceptance of the reality of various health/life challenges have been an enormous help to me as I’ve navigated new and increasingly difficult health issues in the last year and have made me feel less alone. Thank you.
I actively seek out your filofax content, it's so unique with so many possibilities, watching you cut and sort and glue different papers and materials is very satisfying. Even on screen, the weight of the filofax inserts is ...soothing.
I (personally) love your filofax content! I'm always excited to see the different ways thay individuals bring their uniqueness to a build-your-own-planner like rings. HOWEVER what we love more is that you are working and creating and doing things that work best for you! And we will always be here to cheer and support you in that ✨️💗
My favourite videos are the Filofax ones, since I am a big fan of ring planners. I was overjoyed when you started selling the pages in your shop. Your channel has an amazing quality regardless of the content.
I’m in a hobo HON this year and I love it so much. I had a cousin a few years ago and the paper is definitely thinner this year, but I don’t mind because I LOVE a full looking page and shadowing from the other side adds to the look for me. I got into planners through Filofax, probably 7 years ago now and so I love seeing Filofax videos even though I don’t use them anymore personally (though I still own a few!). Carry on using what makes you happy rather than UA-cam, I think that’s always a good rule of thumb to live by!
Honestly, for me it's just nice to see whatever your're enjoying and your thought process, whether thats hobonichi or filofax. Also I know what you mean about collating quotes and texts / articles that go together, I love it too! I think in some webspaces its called "webweaving", I actually started a section in my filofax where each page is like a collage of different quotes and images and texts based on the same theme, its been really fun 0.0
Hey Megan! Thanks for this video. The filofax is so different from my system and when I was a student I struggled with using ring binders for anything for reasons that are hard to articulate, so I can't imagine using one for my journaling practice - all of this is to say that I really enjoy your videos about your filofax because I am fascinated with the ways you make it work for you. I started this year with a Hobonichi cousin avec for my daily log/personal planner and so far I have been really enjoying it. I have big handwriting and a lot to say, so I am finding it more comfortable than the weeks I was using last year. I will say that when I fall behind for a couple days, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of blank space I have to fill but I can make it work with stickers and photos. I also have a simple dot grid journal for my commonplace book, and another one that I'm using for a separate reading log. I'm not a bullet journal girlie, so my reading journal is extremely simple. Right now I feel like I'm neglecting my commonplace practice a bit because having a reading journal has made me more focused on reading books than usual. It's not a perfect system and I'm at a very quiet time of my life so we'll see how it evolves as I get busier.
Megan, I love your thoughts and journalling style no matter what planner you're in! Whatever is working for you! I'm a two book person - I've learned that I work best with one A5 (dot-grid) book as a planner/bullet journal for appointments, deadlines and to do lists, and another as a more personal journal for collaging, long-form writing and commonplacing. I try to stick to the same book for the planner for a whole year but switch up the journal about every two to three months. For the journal, I usually alternate A5 Leuchtturm notebooks (that last me about 3 months) and regular travellers notebook inserts that I make myself from different scrap papers, depending on whether I feel more like collaging or long-form journalling/commonplacing. For 2024, I've moved from the dot grid bullet journal into an A5 Leuchtturm planner (week on one side + notes pages) that I've customized and supplemented with a smaller notebook for daily to do lists (if I need them). So far, it's working very well for me. I've found that the main factor for how well a system does or doesn't work for me is how easy it is to keep my tasks/appointments up to date even when I don't get round to journalling proper for a couple of days because I *need* the daily planning for clarity (and I need it to have minimalistic design/few distractions) but I'm fine with only doing the more creative journalling/commonplacing every couple of days or even just once per week.
I really appreciate how you are sharing your refinement process and naming what is working for you. I find it useful to watch your process and listen to your thinking. I am in a hobonichi weeks. I struggle a lot with decision fatigue and the limitations of the weeks helps me from burning out over too many options. I don’t do any commonplace journaling but I hope that I will have the capacity to bring that in at some point. Thank-you for this wonderful peak into your world
It’s so cool to hear you talk about your Filofax and it seems to be working so well! Happy you’re having a good time with it🥰 I’m really happy with my notebook choices for the year - no change from last year in terms of commonplace and hobonichi weeks, but the addition of the hon was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Thought about the cousin for a while because I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough space in the A6 but it seems to be the right amount of space for now!
You got my into rings and I have been using mine since July 2023! I was using bullet journaling and had fell out of love with it, and everything was falling through the cracks. Your video was just what I need and was looking for, so thank you!💖💖 my adhd and autism thank you to!💖💖
Love your content no matter what system you're in! Even when it doesn't match my system I usually find inspiration in something you're doing and I always find it interesting and calming. Thanks for sharing what you're doing ☺️ I'm in my first Hobonichi Cousin this year after being in a Leuchtturm bullet journal last year. I'm loving it! I like not having to manually make my standard layouts, I think my fountain pens look beautiful in it, and I love that it gives me an entire page for each day - it's encouraging me to document each day in a lot more detail than I did in my bullet journal! We'll see if I like it enough to do it again next year, but I think I definitely like it enough to stick with for 2024!
I love seeing the filofax - your system as a whole is so fascinating to see, it doesn't rlly matter imo in what book I see you in - and your enthusiasm ABT it is very much contagious. I had planned to be solely in the hobonichi this new year but I found myself reaching for my old moleskin grid notebook BC the tomoe river paper just smudges W my fountain pen... And I had Such Good Intentions too rip 💀 it's nice seeing that I'm not alone in the changing books quick W the new year
The best content is whatever your heart is drawn to. Love the Filofax videos and how you make them work for your interests and everyday processing. Sometimes the algorithm doesn’t align with that - and I’m sure that’s a difficult thing to deal with when you’re a content creator. I think those who enjoy your videos want to know what you are enjoying 😁 thank you for sharing your systems and keeping it genuine.
I’m currenly in a Hobonichi cousin as my « catchall » planner, and Hobonichi weeks for work! My second year in a row! I’m completely in love with those books, so I won’t change system, but I love so much watching your videos with different planners! So inspiring! Don’t be afraid to change books, really, and don’t feel bad ! Do what feels good for you. That’s all that matter ! We’ll watch your videos no matter what! Take care ! 🖤
I'm here for all your systems, I'm always amazed at how you adapt them to your unique aesthetic & expression! I enjoy your descriptions of problem solving and I think that translates across systems. I'm in a two book system: an april start hobonichi weeks for structure/appointments/to do lists and a leuchtturm a5 for commonplacing & journaling with memory keeping sort of spread across both. The pressure of a fresh start in January doesn't work for me so I love the April start, and I just roll the a5 book over whenever it's full. For those ikea sofa beds...the gaps between the different sections can be a become a bit uncomfortable and the cushion is quite firm. We have a thin mattress topper that we throw on ours which helps with both.
So happy to see you using your filofax again. Yes, I am still in my black standard size travelers notebook and I am loving it. I used to use it as my journal only but now that I tried using it as a planner and a commonplace book it made me more excited to use it everyday.
I’m so glad you’re using the filofax and creating more pages because I use them for my digital planner, I love how you lay out the pages and I can just upload the pdf’s from your shop into goodnotes on my iPad and use the stickers without the existential dread of placing a sticker TM. I’ve also been looking into printing things out and using my personal size filofax for when i can’t take my ipad with me so I really appreciate you showing the printed content with your commonplace pages.
I have a filofax and hobonichi avec too! I like to use my filo for storing things and organizing things (you know, because you can move things around on a whim). I love both topics and appreciate your content. Side note: My drama professor was in the Exorcist (II I think, that was back in the day). Regarding your last question: I changed books I don't know how many times last year. I kind of kept a planner that's an 18 month, and now I've added the Avec, I also have plain notebooks and bullet journals and of course the filo. I really liked your videos about Hobonichi and how you were using it. I was lucky enough to get it for Christmas- so that's new to me. It'll be interesting to see how 2024 goes ;) Cheers!
your videos have been such a comfort to me and I especially love seeing you use the filofax lately! I’ve always been more of a reading/work based bujo person (I’m on a comeback after 3 years not using it and it’s been great!), but I’m strongly considering a 2nd system such as this one, especially as a more relaxed system/for more day to day things/as Joan Didion said, just to “keep in touch” with myself. but I’d never even thought about this possibility before watching your videos, so just feeling very inspired and motivated, which is very rare for me, and ur videos have really been helping me! really love how much you show your honest feedback as you use and adapt things to your needs. besides just being such calming and beautifully filmed videos as well, so tysm for sharing your content as it’s been a great comfort ✨
Thank you for beign here for all of us! I followed you for the last 2 months and I saw all you videos already. Bring me peace, inspiration and company! Have a beautiful day and thank you always 🤍
I enjoy your content, no matter what system you are using. Although rings are not for me, I really like seeing your minimal and functional layouts. A lot of content creators in rings are all about the deco in the cover and 10,000 different sections and I am not about that vibe so your style is very soothing. I am going strong in the systems that I planned to be in. I pretty much stayed in what was working for me in 2023, planner wise, which is the passport size. I did add a couple of journals this year (5 year journal & reading/book bullet journal) and all are going well so far.
I love your content no matter what tbh, I don't so much watch it for the system you're in, but moreso because it's just really calming and comforting regardless of what you're doing. the most important thing is that you're making content about what you enjoy!
watching your videos has made me more comfortable with switching up my system and doing what's working for me "in the moment". your content (regardless of which notebook you're in) has helped me a lot! thank you~
Seeing Astarion made me grin, he’s been in my little tome for a few months!! I keep finding pretty pictures to print of him haha. ✨ I am in the system I thought I would be in (discbound), but I’ve been waffling a little bit this month trying to decide if I like a smaller size or larger. Been tinkering with a B6, downsizing from A5… on one hand, it’s nice that the pages are smaller and less “daunting” to fill. But on the other, can’t write as much! Discs have been my ride or die for almost a decade though, so no matter what size I end up in this year I know I’ll love it. 💜
I love ring planners! My origin story is pocket rings! So I love seeing them! My plan for 2024 was 1) A6 Hobo Techo for my journal 2) Sterling Ink Standard size N1H full year for my main planner & commonplace. I’m still in both of those and loving them. I did add an EDC wallet mini rings that is my favorite! Off to a good year so far
I so agree with the tactility of filofax!! I genuinely miss my A level chemistry classes every day because the ring binder of notes I had was so satisfying (it has been 8 years and I still think about it lol) but having a filofax planner gives me the same little spark when I flip the pages and click the rings :D
As a person who has watched every video despite the content because I simply like your videos regardless, I beg to differ on your comment about not enjoying filofax as much a hobonichi content. I enjoy learning about different systems as I can "experience" them through others and gather information I otherwise wouldn't have gotten due to ignorance of its existence or reluctance to jump into other systems at that point in time. ⭐️
I really love the filofax stuff!! Its inspiring me so much to start trying again to keep developing an organisational system that works for me :) I've also started common placing & hearing you talk about it is always nice !!
i used the A5 moleskine weekly notebook for like.. a decade. i decided winter 2022 to jump to the hobonichi cousin, but took a full year to work through my moleskine and note what my needs are and what i can do consistently. So 2024 is my first year with the cousin, and i'm so so thrilled with it. admittedly, i move at a glacial pace. thank you for sharing your process - no matter what planner you're in, hearing you talk out your strategies and think through your dilemnas is helpful !
I changed back from a "better bullet journal" into my classic notebook/planner duo! Feels like home. I love love love the filofax though i have one and feel tempted to use it for commonplacing. I'm so excited to see more also I've been, like you, on the hunnnntttt for a good box so that segment gave me both hope and envy hahah I feel seen. Thank you for sharing as always.
i set up the year in a regular hobonichi techo and a hobo memo book with my commonplace book (regular a6 hobonichi notebook) sat outside of my cover, mostly because it was too tight with both books and it was making me upset. i found i wasn't reaching for my commonplace book when it wasn't in my cover, so i switched to the avec and added my commonplace book back into my cover. it's working really well for me, i even have room now for a memo book that has all of my german notes to sit in my cover, as well!! also big second on the midori index clips i'm obsessed with them. i am having a pen crisis, but it's mostly bc i can't find a .7 pen that dries quickly on hobo paper and is inky like the frixion pens. i am also on the lookout for new dot stickers..... i need to add a 7th category to my commonplace index.... wish me luck.
Thank you for making this video! For me it doesn’t really matter (when it comes to whether or not I’m going to watch your video) what system you’re using unless it’s working for you & I really enjoy just hearing your thoughts on different ways you can keep track on important things in your life. Because I’m trying to do the same thing :) Since 2020 I’ve been consistently in a bullet journal with dotted pages, I feel life it works best for me because I can draw designs as well as utilise the dots to create straight lines and tables for a calendar for example. And since I’ve started watching you I actually started a different book for my thoughts & valuable information I want to keep and that’s helped me immensely by kind of cleaning my head and putting everything on paper. And I started tracking my daily tasks like cleaning vacuuming changing my hamsters water and it also really helped with my executive dysfunction. Anyways thank you again for your videos!! Wish you the best
I had a brief flirtation with hobonichi in December, but a friend bought one (which she loves) but I knew I would not be able to handle how thin the paper is and I would miss my muji A5 binder too much. The real benefit of a binder style for me is that I only like to write on the right side of a book, so I keep my monthly calendar and running tasks on the left in the front and my current week on the right. At the end of the week I flip the week page over and have it for journaling and put a new weekly page in front.
I was gonna use the Hobonichi A5 Makino HON this year … and I am! 🎉 loving it so far, and I actually adore the new paper because ink dries on it more quickly. though you and Lindsey scribbles are getting me very interested in rings 👀
i last minute turned to the hobonichi cousin after making literally no planning plans and it has been really good so far! was quite inspired by some of your older cousin videos funnily enough, but glad to see you enjoying your current system x
Lol i changed books twice already. I was gonna use an a5 again but i want something easier to carry. Then got an a6 sterling ink that Wont Lay Open and annoys me endlessly. Now im thinking about trying a digital journal for accessibility reasons? Something i can get printed out into a book on a regular basis so i still have a physical AND digital copy for my disaster-focused brain. Loving the filofax content!! Its refreshing to see the filofax format used in a journaling way, gives a lot of ideas of what else it can be used for.
loving this, i'm compiling all my planning inspirations at the moment to sort out what makes sense in the filofax binding for me and i'm having a lot of fun laying things out digitally to envision for paper. i'm also trialing canva to make some daily pages. the unflip-throughable archival binders really are a choice 😐 i'm also gonna be working around them somehow and love the idea of transplanting some zettelkasten aspects into the referential qualites of the pages! also the exorcist girlie glaring through at the opening is such a physical spook!! very cool hope you can catch some rest! so troubling that the severity of your sleep issues isn't being responded to directly in terms of healthcare accessibility and timing. as if there aren't levels to this that should account for the amount of patience and self-caretaking of it expected from you. must be maddening, wish you the best!
I really like the filofax content! I think it's really interesting to see how you're innovating on your system and I think filofax has a lot of potential for innovation so it's super interesting to me
I planned to be in a bullet journal this year and I am in one, but I've been in a bullet journal since 2017. It's just what works for me. I enjoy seeing other people's systems and how they change, though, which is why I watch and enjoy your content! :)
i love watching the filofax videos even though i don’t like it for myself! or maybe especially since i don’t love using it but i love the look and concept
I’m a new subscriber that’s been watching your old videos regularly. as much as I enjoy hobonichi content, I enjoy your filofax content even more as someone who does personal rings planning :) it can be hard to find personal rings content these days with hobonichi and other bound planners being the it girl at the moment. it also leans older/moms, so I appreciate others talking about rings planning also.
I’ve been in the same system since 2019! Moleskine weekly vertical planner and a notebook for a diary. I don’t think if you’d told me in 2019 after years of searching I would stick with it so long I’d have believed you. Definitely didn’t have the feeling of, oh this is it. Instead I didn’t even need to consciously think about if it was working or not. I just settled in and it was only when I was buying my 2023 planner I went oh this has been working for awhile! I’ve finished uni and started working a 9-5 and it has adapted with me without any effort. That said the cult of Hobonici does have appeal! I do have to actively resist buying one, but I know that’s due to their excellent marketing and customer loyalty (people really love them!) than any dissatisfaction with my current system.
Ahhhh!!!!! I fell down a SERIOUS zettelkasten rabbit hole recently, and it's so exciting to hear you mention it! So excited to see how you adapt it! I know it'll be too much work for my adhd brain to sustain, but at the same time my adhd brain really wants the tactile & collect-y hobby, with endless potential for re-organizing. (p.s. I feel the pain of searching for the perfect box. Oof. Glad you found one!)
personally!! in the summer of 2023 i started experimentally journalling in a very large impractical a5 book because i kind of just wanted to find a creative outlet for myself and didnt expect to remain consistent, but i started realising that it was actually really working for me!! i couldnt take it places because of how Hefty it was though so i planned to get a non-commital lower range a6 hobonichi for the new year and im still working in it! the smaller pages take off a lot of pressure i was feeling in the a5 and its also a lot lighter as a result :-] so i can take it places. i think this is the most consistent ive been in terms of writing an entry daily which is nice.
12 day late comment . . . I started last year in the Hobonichi Cousin, almost abandoned it in June, and picked it up again in the autumn. So I bought another. I've been on medical leave from work for 3 weeks now, while jobhunting, and it's been great for keeping track of what I've applied to and heard back from, and task listing for the day to keep me in some kind of routine, on top of all the usual trackers etc. I've even done a little bit of decorating in the monthly grid, which is nice to look at without needing tons of equipment and commitment. Also - I use an ef nib in my fountain pen, and hate the ghosting of TR paper no matter what. It's just what happens when you use 52gsm. I've just learned to live with it. I like the setup of the hobo, and the fact that it's fp-friendly, but it's not about the TR for me.
i always enjoy listening to/watching you talk about your planners, no matter what system you're using! i had a planner picked out for 2024, but i didn't manage to order it in time, so for the moment i'm doing a digital planner on my ipad and i'm enjoying it atm though i know i prefer paper longterm.
I really enjoy your Filofax videos! It seems like a system uniquely suited to the type of common-placing you do, and it's interesting to see the ways you can customize it to suit your needs. It does also seem to be the system that best reflects you, if that makes sense? I suppose because you're designing the pages to your own specifications, but also you can stick in anything you want without worrying about bulking up a book, you can add custom sections, ephemera, etc. It's not necessarily a system I'm interested in using myself at the moment (for a few reasons, not least because irl the binder clip noise is so so jarring to me), but it seems to make a lot of sense for the way you work. In keeping with my plan for the year, I'm currently in a Hobonichi weeks (inspired by one of your earlier videos), and it has been working well for me so far. I had also planned to use a second A6 book alongside, and I'm completely behind, but hoping I can find some time to catch up soon. 🫡
So far I am in the same system! Since Aug of last year and so happy about it. I don't think I have the energy to try and set up something new. Good luck with the sofa bed! 🙏
You’ve got a bunch of comments already so I don’t know if anyone has already said this, but I wanted to let you know just in case. I have the same problem with the envelope holes night lining up right. I actually took a hole punch and punched either one or two of them just slightly bigger and now they slide over the rings perfectly. Thanks for sharing! I love seeing your Filofax!
I will echo what a lot have said, but I enjoy your content regardless of the system you use. I'm here for you, if that makes sense, as opposed to the specific system of journaling (I mean that in the nicest way!) And I'm still in the same system, I use a Cousins A5 and a field notes supplementary. I'm still trying to iron out just what I want to go in field notes versus the Cousins. I know a lot more like... brain unpacking/writing goes into the a5 if only for the size. the field notes holds more like common place quotes, checklists, little things that can change from month to month as I finish them. all this to say, hope you and wednesday are well as can be and get some good rest in~
Sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch with your sleep problems. Just wanted to say I actually like your filofax videos as much if not more than your hobonichi videos. And I like to hear you walk through how you tweak and manage your commonplace system. Wishing you the best! 😊
I also really enjoy your Filofax content! I actually switched to Filofax in 2023 because of you 😁 and I'm still happy and sticking with it in 2024. I've also got the Finsbury, just in A5! I do have several companion books, with which I'm currently experimenting. I use them for when I'm out and about, specific topics and morning pages. For those I'm currently trying out Leuchturm, Moleskin and Agenzio. I use ink, so that and the cost put me off from trying Hobonichi. That and i like consistency 😅 I need to be able to rely on getting the same sized book, with the same cover and paper every time. I also love your stickers and gloomies! They're the main things I use to decorate my Filofax and other books! Those, dots, stars and washi tape!
I believe that everything you set out to do will be perfect, because that's your way, that's what I see in your books. I'm happy to see you happy with filofax, it's what attracted me to your channel, the way you find to make it creative and practical for you... is very inspiring. Let's see how it goes this year, and if the book changes, it will be inspiring too, I'm sure! 🌷 🇧🇷 💛
I’m in the middle of switching systems 😅 I swore that Notion would be the only thing I use from here on out for almost everything but having to make pages & databases in Notion got too complicated for me, so I’m trying to find inspiration & helpful tips for something simple & straightforward but that can be customized to one’s needs. I love watching your videos & I love how detailed you are about your systems’ setup; it’s really cool to see it all coming together! I hope you have some luck with your sleeping & I have to agree, the couch always guarantees a deep sleep for some reason.
I think your filofax looks really interesting and seems surprisingly versatile for a physical book. I think I would personally be a bit concerned with the holes in the paper wearing down overtime, as that happens to my notes. Although I suppose better paper quality could help with this. To answer your question at the end, I thought for a good minute about getting started with a new handwritten organization/planning system in 2024. Especially because I was cleaning up some of my old notebooks and planners and a felt bit nostalgic from that. But then I remembered that my fluctuating energy levels can't consistently keep up with the writing. I've been using outlook agenda (basically google calendar but from microsoft) for two years now and even though it's sometimes not as satisfying to just type my appointments and to do's and use the few preset colors, it just works too well. If my plans change I can adjust it without a trace, there's always enough space to write stuff, I can make repeating appointments automatically show up, it sets reminders, and if I get into a rut and don't do anything with it for 4 months, there's not this sense that I wasted a product that I bought. So I got nostalgic about writing in a planner and such for a little, but sadly for how my life is rn it just doesn't work as well as digital. so I'm compensating a bit for that by watching videos of how you journal/plan haha.
I've always been curious about the filofax system, and then a friend was getting rid of a (non-brand name) one at the end of November, and I've been really happy in there since. I have lined pages and some vintage task lists and I just use those and it is working so well. My brain feels less scattered because all my thoughts just go in there. I am hopefully getting a printer soon and then I will try your printables while also being so careful to not overcomplicate a system that is already working. But I'm excited to see how it goes!
I've been using the Hobonichi Weeks for about 3 years and decided to change to the Hobonichi Techo this year as I felt I was ready to journal everyday. I am using it still, but I simultaneously feel like it's too much room and yet not enough. I kinda ended up doing some retail therapy since it's been a pretty stressful few months and ended up buying the Kokuyo Campus Notebooks and a few other things from Muji. It's funny seeing you return to the Filofax as I also felt like using a ring bound system to have more freedom. At the moment I've been taking paper out of the notebooks I've abandoned and added them to the Kokuyo notebooks and in the future I'll archive in Muji binders. I don't know why but I've been very unsettled since the beginning of the year and I'm trying to figure out what I'm trying to do. I was fine in the Hobonichi Weeks and using Obsidian on my phone last year, but now I seem to want a change but I can't explain why. Anyway, I found the video interesting as I feel like we may have similar reasons for not going for bound books at the beginning of the year.
I don’t comment much but I hope your sleep improves soon! I really enjoy when people love what they do, regardless of what journal system or book/rings they’re in :) love listening to your Filofax systems especially when they fit you so well! I’m still in my same planning system (common planner weeks size) but I am thinking of starting a rings commonplace system inspired by you. I prefer a bound book for planning but want the freedom of rings to commonplace and put info in specific sections 😊
I've just begun dipping my toes into a planner and am going with a filofax A5. I'm drawn to very minimal layouts and hearing how you print yours...I'm going to be playing with my printer this weekend.
i've been a bullet journaler for years. last year i decided to draw all the month calendars in the front instead of doing a future log, but that's very time consuming so i decided on a common planner for 2024, even though i am not a fan of weekly layouts i'm liking it so far, but i am getting so anxious about running of daily/note pages! when i bullet journaled, it never bothered me if the year was split up across multiple notebooks (i actually used 3 last year), but with a dated planner it feels like it would be a "failure" if the whole year isn't contained in the single book, lol. i'm loving it so far but the fact that i am already stressing about this, in the second week of January, is leading me to believe that i have to go back to bullet journaling when i'm done with this one (or maybe buying an undated planner that i can start whenever??) i am loving how you're using the filofax! i definitely get the appeal of moving the pages around. i tried using a happy planner a couple years back and i didn't like it at all so i always assumed discbound wouldn't be for me, but now i'm tempted to try it 🤔 lovely video!
also! i was watching one of your videos the other day and my partner thought your notes pages were typed and i was like, "no i think that's handwriting." now i see you do type some of your pages - funnily enough tho, the page my partner pointed out was handwriting!
I love your filofax content, It's so pleasing to look at. Bought my first hobonichi and midori in november and I'm still enjoying it now, but your filofax makes me kinda grave for one for myself as well. I want to restrain myself because I already use 6 notebooks this year. I'm used to only two haha. Maybe I'll try it next year.
First, I really enjoy your Filofax videos! I have a pocket rings Moterm and a personal size so these videos are a source of inspiration. Second, planner wise, I pre-ordered from Sterling Ink back in July, and I’ve been sticking to my choices. I used the B6 CP last year, and I can say that size is perfect for me. I love the undated blank pages. Also, having had used the Sanzen paper all of last year, I already knew I loved it. Actually some fountain pen inks perform better on this paper than the old TRP! And for me, the ghosting hasn’t been bad. I haven’t had any bleed through problems either. I also have a Weeks sized CP for my Korean studies, and a TN size for Work and related work notes. As well as the passport size as EDC because I wanted to try the size and I couldn’t help myself. They’re just too cute!
I love Filofax content, I have been in my A5 Malden for the last two years and still really happy. I am on my 5th hobonichi journal and not had any issues with the paper so far
I was using the cousin avec for 2023 and it felt like too much space. For 2024 I went with smaller formats. I'm using a Weeks for work, an a6 avec for journaling and the b6 common planner for collections, commonplacing, decorating etc. System is still going strong!
I hate rings with a strong passion, but hearing you explain why they work for you, has even me tempted to give them another try. 😅 Whether I do or don’t, I enjoy seeing your Filofax videos and listening to you talk about your system. I’m still in the same system I decided on at the beginning of the year-a Hobonichi Weeks, a commonplace notebook, and a small bullet journal to supplement them. I tend to be stubborn about not switching systems (though I did in April last year, because I was just not getting along with the a6 Avec, as much as I tried to force it). I need my information to refer back to years later, and having it scattered across systems is too much for me. Plus, it can be expensive to switch. I was lucky last year in that I could sell the other half of my Avec to get some money back on it. As a side note, I’m struggling with sleep, too. I’ve been considering using my Happy Light in the morning again, to trick my brain into thinking it’s getting sunlight. I need to get back into the habit of also using dim, warm lighting in the evening. Obviously, playing with light doesn’t cure a sleep disorder, though, so mostly, I’m trying to remind myself that my body is making choices for me, and maybe the best thing I can do is to go with it instead of wasting precious energy trying to constantly fight it. It’s frustrating, though. One of the things I find most frustrating is how inconsistent my energy levels and sleep are. It’d be one thing if I knew what to expect most days, but the reality is, once I develop a routine that works well for me, my energy levels and sleep seem to drastically change, and I just hate it so much. If only I could make friends with my sleep paralysis demons-maybe that’d make things feel more tolerable.
I've honestly been a mess with my notebooks as well. I was using a bullet journal for 5 years (and before that I had been lugging around one of those spiral-bound school notebooks) I think and I always come back to it, in part because of the tactility and control it seems you enjoy in the filofax, but without being able to switch the pages around. I haven't been using my bullet journal for a few months though, maybe closer to 6 months actually. Which is a problem because I really need to be tracking my meds and symptoms and such. I've tried a few apps, even ones I really like never last long. I have a small notebook that was gifted to me that's super cute that I've been using for a few weeks just to write down whatever I need to remember and organize my thoughts, but I'm definitely having trouble settling into one notebook and sticking with it. Also, still haven't been consistently tracking anything, so..........
I really enjoy the Filofax content! It's always a little tempting to try it out, but I know that my brain copes better with a bound book, so I live out my Filofax dreams through your videos lol. My system now is what I envisioned it to be at the end of the year - Cousin for 'everything', with nature journal/sketchbook outsourced to the snufkin TN and writing to the botanical weeks. I ordered a bunch of planners in September though and kept changing up my system then. The A6 Hobonichi looks so fun, and I really want to try it, but I don't think I can do without the weekly spread, and the one in the companion ntbk is too small for my needs.
I really like it when you talk about Filofax! Binders never worked for me (even if I desperately want them to), so it's nice to see when they work for somebody else. As for my 2024 system, I did change it. It was initially supposed to be a bunch of A5 Moleskine-esque books (journal, commonplace, creative writing). I had decided on them because I could find them easily on local shops and I wanted to cut back on international shopping. But to be honest I don't like A5, it feels too big? I tried dividing the pages in two sections, but it still didn't feel comfortable. Now my system consists of a traveler's notebook system in a hobonichi cover (I just put two elastic loops on it, without making holes). I have a grid notebook in the cover to use as commonplacing and a few inserts I made myself on the elastic loop: daily pages to use as "memory keeping" (to help with lost time), blank pages to use as "brain drain" and another to write reviews of media I consume, as well as a calendar insert I'm not sure what I will use for lol. I spent last year doing a lot of "system hopping", and this current one is a mix of what worked (A6 grid pages in a hobonichi cover) and what I wanted to try out (traveler's notebook + making my own inserts). I hope it works out.
I enjoy your Filofax videos as much as your others :) I'm using an A6 muji undated planner, I started last march so I'm still using it and I'm really happy with it.
I love your idea for typing your article commonplacing! It made me think of how I want to do something similar for my more article based info because i think they get stuck because they’re “too big” and I procrastinate interacting with them. Thanks! 💛
i use mainly fountain pens and i dont have bleeding issues with my hobonichi avec but the paper quality alternates between hard and soft in that my pen ink will flow much better every other set of pages and the bad pages feel like the paper is causing a lot of friction and preventing ink from coming out smoothly. it's super frustrating because i had that last year in my common planner and i was totally not expecting to encounter it in the hobonichi... im sticking to the system though because i like this journaling system and dont want to spend money on another planner that i may or may not enjoy thank you for this long upload!! i like seeing your journaling system updates regardless of what you're using
Love your content regardless of what book you're in! Getting to hear about your process and rationale behind your books is always fascinating! I'm in a slightly different system than planned - still using the Cousin, but I've added a Weeks too. Regarding the new Hobonichi paper, I've found the ghosting hasn't been too bad with my fountain pens but for some reason, it's really struggled with the Tombow Fudenosuke - had bleedthrough from that a couple of times :(
really like your planner content regardless if its a hobonichi or a filofax or something you came up with. I work as an educator in an elementary school in Germany and we have something called Lehrerplaner ( teachers planner ) which has everything in it one might want when working in schools. and I used to use it because its convenient. but I want to use my planner also as a journal and diary not only for school related stuff so I switched. and I am currently getting use to it and so far I like it. although I need to remind myself to journal or put stickers in it. its a learning experience for sure. I have something that is kind of like a hobonichi and as I said I get used to it.
I planned to be in an a5 leuchtturm and I have been! 3 years in a row now! Although I have bought a field notes notebook to tuck into my handbag for anxiety related things, so I have them on the go, without the worry of people seeing those notes during meetings 😂
Yess!!! I knew I would see you commonplace about Baldur's Gate 3 !!! I did too! :D Team Astarion :D *nospoilerspls*
i should definitely have said no spoilers in the video because i haven’t finished it yet! ‼️no bdg3 spoilers in the comment section‼️ or else 🔪🔪
@@MeganRhiannon yup, I meant for the comment section :D Also to answer the question I am still using the same system that I decided on, because I wanted to get the hobonichi cousin for 2 years now but never did because "it's expensive" .... then spent 2 years planner hopping buying a bunch of things :D but this time I ordered it and I'm actually having planner peace like ??? :D I think utimately what matters is what you mentioned at the beginning, is that "it feels like self care" - that is what all planners should feel like I think for everyone. If Filofax feels good for you, even if for now, it is the best choice, because what works is always the best.
I love filofax content! I like the look of the typed copied texts with handwritten notes and it sounds like it's really working for you.
im really glad to hear that, thank you! these commonplace pages feel very satisfying to pull together 📑
What I like about watching planner content is learning about how people are adapting to life, and caring for themselves through it. I like to see the adjustments, the big changes, the experiments, because it's like trying things out myself. I've enjoyed seeing you planner hop and I really like your filofax stuff. But most of all I like that you're prioritising your joy in your planners, and talking about it! Cause that's what I like to do, too.
I’m a neurodivergent (pretty intense adhd), chronically ill person working almost full time as a nanny and going to grad school full time to become a therapist. I have just had your videos on repeat while studying non stop because you have become my comfort content creator. I love your work. Thanks for sharing it with us.
you go! I'm also a nuerodivergent, chronically ill grad student! I love stationery and journaling content, and Megan's videos are so calm. I really love that they don't use background music. Good luck in your studies! I'm sure you are killing it! It's amazing how much you are doing and I hope you have great success!
@@malkam.7543 same to you!!
i love getting to see your updates regardless of what system you’re in! i’m personally not a rings person bc the upkeep is too much for me so seeing your system is like getting to experience it secondhand! i enjoy it very much. 😊 thank you so much for sharing your books with us and wishing you all the best! ✨
That's exactly how I feel too! 😂❤
I’ll agree with this! I am also not a fan of rings but love seeing her beautiful books❤
Megan I'm an original late '80's Filofax user so it's really great to see a new generation 'getting' the infinite options a ring binder give the individual. Great work.
I really enjoy how you talk through the things in your system that are working for you or aren't, regardless of whether it's Filofax or Hobonichi. I know when I'm trying to solve a problem in my personal life I'm more likely to switch systems. I thought I would be starting in a Hobonichi Cousin, and I am. I spent last year in Hobonichi, which as a habitual planner jumper is a new thing for me. This year I doubled down, with a Cousin A5 for my personal and work planner, and a HON for personal tracking and journaling/memory keeping. I'm a fountain pen user and so far both have been fine. I also got a couple of new pens for the new year and am trying new inks so it's not a 1 to 1 comparison, but I'm noticing similar amounts of ghosting to 2023 and no bleed through.
I LOVE your Filofax content and am SO excited you’re continuing to create pages in the Franklin Covey compact size. It is my absolute favorite size and I love the inspiration of how you are using the pages.
As an aside, thank also for sharing your creative gifts and personal story with us. Your mindset, honesty, and overall acceptance of the reality of various health/life challenges have been an enormous help to me as I’ve navigated new and increasingly difficult health issues in the last year and have made me feel less alone. Thank you.
I actively seek out your filofax content, it's so unique with so many possibilities, watching you cut and sort and glue different papers and materials is very satisfying. Even on screen, the weight of the filofax inserts is ...soothing.
I (personally) love your filofax content! I'm always excited to see the different ways thay individuals bring their uniqueness to a build-your-own-planner like rings. HOWEVER what we love more is that you are working and creating and doing things that work best for you! And we will always be here to cheer and support you in that ✨️💗
My favourite videos are the Filofax ones, since I am a big fan of ring planners. I was overjoyed when you started selling the pages in your shop. Your channel has an amazing quality regardless of the content.
your anxious laughter throughout makes you super relatable
I’m in a hobo HON this year and I love it so much. I had a cousin a few years ago and the paper is definitely thinner this year, but I don’t mind because I LOVE a full looking page and shadowing from the other side adds to the look for me.
I got into planners through Filofax, probably 7 years ago now and so I love seeing Filofax videos even though I don’t use them anymore personally (though I still own a few!). Carry on using what makes you happy rather than UA-cam, I think that’s always a good rule of thumb to live by!
Honestly, for me it's just nice to see whatever your're enjoying and your thought process, whether thats hobonichi or filofax. Also I know what you mean about collating quotes and texts / articles that go together, I love it too! I think in some webspaces its called "webweaving", I actually started a section in my filofax where each page is like a collage of different quotes and images and texts based on the same theme, its been really fun 0.0
Hey Megan! Thanks for this video.
The filofax is so different from my system and when I was a student I struggled with using ring binders for anything for reasons that are hard to articulate, so I can't imagine using one for my journaling practice - all of this is to say that I really enjoy your videos about your filofax because I am fascinated with the ways you make it work for you.
I started this year with a Hobonichi cousin avec for my daily log/personal planner and so far I have been really enjoying it. I have big handwriting and a lot to say, so I am finding it more comfortable than the weeks I was using last year. I will say that when I fall behind for a couple days, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of blank space I have to fill but I can make it work with stickers and photos.
I also have a simple dot grid journal for my commonplace book, and another one that I'm using for a separate reading log. I'm not a bullet journal girlie, so my reading journal is extremely simple. Right now I feel like I'm neglecting my commonplace practice a bit because having a reading journal has made me more focused on reading books than usual. It's not a perfect system and I'm at a very quiet time of my life so we'll see how it evolves as I get busier.
Megan, I love your thoughts and journalling style no matter what planner you're in! Whatever is working for you!
I'm a two book person - I've learned that I work best with one A5 (dot-grid) book as a planner/bullet journal for appointments, deadlines and to do lists, and another as a more personal journal for collaging, long-form writing and commonplacing. I try to stick to the same book for the planner for a whole year but switch up the journal about every two to three months. For the journal, I usually alternate A5 Leuchtturm notebooks (that last me about 3 months) and regular travellers notebook inserts that I make myself from different scrap papers, depending on whether I feel more like collaging or long-form journalling/commonplacing. For 2024, I've moved from the dot grid bullet journal into an A5 Leuchtturm planner (week on one side + notes pages) that I've customized and supplemented with a smaller notebook for daily to do lists (if I need them). So far, it's working very well for me. I've found that the main factor for how well a system does or doesn't work for me is how easy it is to keep my tasks/appointments up to date even when I don't get round to journalling proper for a couple of days because I *need* the daily planning for clarity (and I need it to have minimalistic design/few distractions) but I'm fine with only doing the more creative journalling/commonplacing every couple of days or even just once per week.
I really appreciate how you are sharing your refinement process and naming what is working for you. I find it useful to watch your process and listen to your thinking.
I am in a hobonichi weeks. I struggle a lot with decision fatigue and the limitations of the weeks helps me from burning out over too many options. I don’t do any commonplace journaling but I hope that I will have the capacity to bring that in at some point.
Thank-you for this wonderful peak into your world
It’s so cool to hear you talk about your Filofax and it seems to be working so well! Happy you’re having a good time with it🥰
I’m really happy with my notebook choices for the year - no change from last year in terms of commonplace and hobonichi weeks, but the addition of the hon was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Thought about the cousin for a while because I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough space in the A6 but it seems to be the right amount of space for now!
You got my into rings and I have been using mine since July 2023! I was using bullet journaling and had fell out of love with it, and everything was falling through the cracks. Your video was just what I need and was looking for, so thank you!💖💖 my adhd and autism thank you to!💖💖
Love your content no matter what system you're in! Even when it doesn't match my system I usually find inspiration in something you're doing and I always find it interesting and calming.
Thanks for sharing what you're doing ☺️
I'm in my first Hobonichi Cousin this year after being in a Leuchtturm bullet journal last year. I'm loving it! I like not having to manually make my standard layouts, I think my fountain pens look beautiful in it, and I love that it gives me an entire page for each day - it's encouraging me to document each day in a lot more detail than I did in my bullet journal!
We'll see if I like it enough to do it again next year, but I think I definitely like it enough to stick with for 2024!
I love seeing the filofax - your system as a whole is so fascinating to see, it doesn't rlly matter imo in what book I see you in - and your enthusiasm ABT it is very much contagious. I had planned to be solely in the hobonichi this new year but I found myself reaching for my old moleskin grid notebook BC the tomoe river paper just smudges W my fountain pen... And I had Such Good Intentions too rip 💀 it's nice seeing that I'm not alone in the changing books quick W the new year
The best content is whatever your heart is drawn to. Love the Filofax videos and how you make them work for your interests and everyday processing. Sometimes the algorithm doesn’t align with that - and I’m sure that’s a difficult thing to deal with when you’re a content creator. I think those who enjoy your videos want to know what you are enjoying 😁 thank you for sharing your systems and keeping it genuine.
I’m currenly in a Hobonichi cousin as my « catchall » planner, and Hobonichi weeks for work! My second year in a row! I’m completely in love with those books, so I won’t change system, but I love so much watching your videos with different planners! So inspiring! Don’t be afraid to change books, really, and don’t feel bad ! Do what feels good for you. That’s all that matter ! We’ll watch your videos no matter what! Take care ! 🖤
I'm here for all your systems, I'm always amazed at how you adapt them to your unique aesthetic & expression! I enjoy your descriptions of problem solving and I think that translates across systems. I'm in a two book system: an april start hobonichi weeks for structure/appointments/to do lists and a leuchtturm a5 for commonplacing & journaling with memory keeping sort of spread across both. The pressure of a fresh start in January doesn't work for me so I love the April start, and I just roll the a5 book over whenever it's full. For those ikea sofa beds...the gaps between the different sections can be a become a bit uncomfortable and the cushion is quite firm. We have a thin mattress topper that we throw on ours which helps with both.
So happy to see you using your filofax again. Yes, I am still in my black standard size travelers notebook and I am loving it. I used to use it as my journal only but now that I tried using it as a planner and a commonplace book it made me more excited to use it everyday.
Oooohhhh, I LOVE your filofax videos, they're my absolute favorite. Thank you for this, the perfect video to wind down after a stressful week!
I’m so glad you’re using the filofax and creating more pages because I use them for my digital planner, I love how you lay out the pages and I can just upload the pdf’s from your shop into goodnotes on my iPad and use the stickers without the existential dread of placing a sticker TM. I’ve also been looking into printing things out and using my personal size filofax for when i can’t take my ipad with me so I really appreciate you showing the printed content with your commonplace pages.
I have a filofax and hobonichi avec too! I like to use my filo for storing things and organizing things (you know, because you can move things around on a whim). I love both topics and appreciate your content. Side note: My drama professor was in the Exorcist (II I think, that was back in the day). Regarding your last question: I changed books I don't know how many times last year. I kind of kept a planner that's an 18 month, and now I've added the Avec, I also have plain notebooks and bullet journals and of course the filo. I really liked your videos about Hobonichi and how you were using it. I was lucky enough to get it for Christmas- so that's new to me. It'll be interesting to see how 2024 goes ;) Cheers!
your videos have been such a comfort to me and I especially love seeing you use the filofax lately! I’ve always been more of a reading/work based bujo person (I’m on a comeback after 3 years not using it and it’s been great!), but I’m strongly considering a 2nd system such as this one, especially as a more relaxed system/for more day to day things/as Joan Didion said, just to “keep in touch” with myself. but I’d never even thought about this possibility before watching your videos, so just feeling very inspired and motivated, which is very rare for me, and ur videos have really been helping me! really love how much you show your honest feedback as you use and adapt things to your needs. besides just being such calming and beautifully filmed videos as well, so tysm for sharing your content as it’s been a great comfort ✨
your filofax content makes me happy all the time~
Thank you for beign here for all of us! I followed you for the last 2 months and I saw all you videos already. Bring me peace, inspiration and company! Have a beautiful day and thank you always 🤍
I enjoy your content, no matter what system you are using. Although rings are not for me, I really like seeing your minimal and functional layouts. A lot of content creators in rings are all about the deco in the cover and 10,000 different sections and I am not about that vibe so your style is very soothing.
I am going strong in the systems that I planned to be in. I pretty much stayed in what was working for me in 2023, planner wise, which is the passport size. I did add a couple of journals this year (5 year journal & reading/book bullet journal) and all are going well so far.
I love your content no matter what tbh, I don't so much watch it for the system you're in, but moreso because it's just really calming and comforting regardless of what you're doing. the most important thing is that you're making content about what you enjoy!
watching your videos has made me more comfortable with switching up my system and doing what's working for me "in the moment". your content (regardless of which notebook you're in) has helped me a lot! thank you~
Seeing Astarion made me grin, he’s been in my little tome for a few months!! I keep finding pretty pictures to print of him haha. ✨
I am in the system I thought I would be in (discbound), but I’ve been waffling a little bit this month trying to decide if I like a smaller size or larger. Been tinkering with a B6, downsizing from A5… on one hand, it’s nice that the pages are smaller and less “daunting” to fill. But on the other, can’t write as much! Discs have been my ride or die for almost a decade though, so no matter what size I end up in this year I know I’ll love it. 💜
I love ring planners! My origin story is pocket rings! So I love seeing them! My plan for 2024 was 1) A6 Hobo Techo for my journal 2) Sterling Ink Standard size N1H full year for my main planner & commonplace. I’m still in both of those and loving them. I did add an EDC wallet mini rings that is my favorite! Off to a good year so far
I so agree with the tactility of filofax!! I genuinely miss my A level chemistry classes every day because the ring binder of notes I had was so satisfying (it has been 8 years and I still think about it lol) but having a filofax planner gives me the same little spark when I flip the pages and click the rings :D
I like all the content you create! It doesn’t matter what planner you’re in. ❤
As a person who has watched every video despite the content because I simply like your videos regardless, I beg to differ on your comment about not enjoying filofax as much a hobonichi content. I enjoy learning about different systems as I can "experience" them through others and gather information I otherwise wouldn't have gotten due to ignorance of its existence or reluctance to jump into other systems at that point in time. ⭐️
I really love the filofax stuff!! Its inspiring me so much to start trying again to keep developing an organisational system that works for me :) I've also started common placing & hearing you talk about it is always nice !!
i used the A5 moleskine weekly notebook for like.. a decade. i decided winter 2022 to jump to the hobonichi cousin, but took a full year to work through my moleskine and note what my needs are and what i can do consistently. So 2024 is my first year with the cousin, and i'm so so thrilled with it. admittedly, i move at a glacial pace.
thank you for sharing your process - no matter what planner you're in, hearing you talk out your strategies and think through your dilemnas is helpful !
I changed back from a "better bullet journal" into my classic notebook/planner duo! Feels like home. I love love love the filofax though i have one and feel tempted to use it for commonplacing. I'm so excited to see more also I've been, like you, on the hunnnntttt for a good box so that segment gave me both hope and envy hahah I feel seen. Thank you for sharing as always.
i set up the year in a regular hobonichi techo and a hobo memo book with my commonplace book (regular a6 hobonichi notebook) sat outside of my cover, mostly because it was too tight with both books and it was making me upset. i found i wasn't reaching for my commonplace book when it wasn't in my cover, so i switched to the avec and added my commonplace book back into my cover. it's working really well for me, i even have room now for a memo book that has all of my german notes to sit in my cover, as well!! also big second on the midori index clips i'm obsessed with them. i am having a pen crisis, but it's mostly bc i can't find a .7 pen that dries quickly on hobo paper and is inky like the frixion pens. i am also on the lookout for new dot stickers..... i need to add a 7th category to my commonplace index.... wish me luck.
I like hearing people’s “why” regardless of style, size, brand, etc. ✨
Thank you for making this video! For me it doesn’t really matter (when it comes to whether or not I’m going to watch your video) what system you’re using unless it’s working for you & I really enjoy just hearing your thoughts on different ways you can keep track on important things in your life. Because I’m trying to do the same thing :) Since 2020 I’ve been consistently in a bullet journal with dotted pages, I feel life it works best for me because I can draw designs as well as utilise the dots to create straight lines and tables for a calendar for example. And since I’ve started watching you I actually started a different book for my thoughts & valuable information I want to keep and that’s helped me immensely by kind of cleaning my head and putting everything on paper. And I started tracking my daily tasks like cleaning vacuuming changing my hamsters water and it also really helped with my executive dysfunction. Anyways thank you again for your videos!! Wish you the best
I love your Filofax videos!❤❤❤ Don’t worry about it, we love anything you’d post😊
I had a brief flirtation with hobonichi in December, but a friend bought one (which she loves) but I knew I would not be able to handle how thin the paper is and I would miss my muji A5 binder too much. The real benefit of a binder style for me is that I only like to write on the right side of a book, so I keep my monthly calendar and running tasks on the left in the front and my current week on the right. At the end of the week I flip the week page over and have it for journaling and put a new weekly page in front.
I was gonna use the Hobonichi A5 Makino HON this year … and I am! 🎉 loving it so far, and I actually adore the new paper because ink dries on it more quickly. though you and Lindsey scribbles are getting me very interested in rings 👀
i last minute turned to the hobonichi cousin after making literally no planning plans and it has been really good so far! was quite inspired by some of your older cousin videos funnily enough, but glad to see you enjoying your current system x
Lol i changed books twice already. I was gonna use an a5 again but i want something easier to carry. Then got an a6 sterling ink that Wont Lay Open and annoys me endlessly. Now im thinking about trying a digital journal for accessibility reasons? Something i can get printed out into a book on a regular basis so i still have a physical AND digital copy for my disaster-focused brain. Loving the filofax content!! Its refreshing to see the filofax format used in a journaling way, gives a lot of ideas of what else it can be used for.
loving this, i'm compiling all my planning inspirations at the moment to sort out what makes sense in the filofax binding for me and i'm having a lot of fun laying things out digitally to envision for paper. i'm also trialing canva to make some daily pages. the unflip-throughable archival binders really are a choice 😐 i'm also gonna be working around them somehow and love the idea of transplanting some zettelkasten aspects into the referential qualites of the pages! also the exorcist girlie glaring through at the opening is such a physical spook!! very cool
hope you can catch some rest! so troubling that the severity of your sleep issues isn't being responded to directly in terms of healthcare accessibility and timing. as if there aren't levels to this that should account for the amount of patience and self-caretaking of it expected from you. must be maddening, wish you the best!
I really like the filofax content! I think it's really interesting to see how you're innovating on your system and I think filofax has a lot of potential for innovation so it's super interesting to me
I planned to be in a bullet journal this year and I am in one, but I've been in a bullet journal since 2017. It's just what works for me. I enjoy seeing other people's systems and how they change, though, which is why I watch and enjoy your content! :)
I did not know you were going to post today, this is such a lovely surprise!!
happy friday!
i love watching the filofax videos even though i don’t like it for myself! or maybe especially since i don’t love using it but i love the look and concept
I ordered the Hobonichi English planner (A6) at launch and somehow haven’t changed my mind since then. :) I am really happy with it.
I’m a new subscriber that’s been watching your old videos regularly. as much as I enjoy hobonichi content, I enjoy your filofax content even more as someone who does personal rings planning :) it can be hard to find personal rings content these days with hobonichi and other bound planners being the it girl at the moment. it also leans older/moms, so I appreciate others talking about rings planning also.
I’ve been in the same system since 2019! Moleskine weekly vertical planner and a notebook for a diary. I don’t think if you’d told me in 2019 after years of searching I would stick with it so long I’d have believed you. Definitely didn’t have the feeling of, oh this is it. Instead I didn’t even need to consciously think about if it was working or not. I just settled in and it was only when I was buying my 2023 planner I went oh this has been working for awhile! I’ve finished uni and started working a 9-5 and it has adapted with me without any effort. That said the cult of Hobonici does have appeal! I do have to actively resist buying one, but I know that’s due to their excellent marketing and customer loyalty (people really love them!) than any dissatisfaction with my current system.
Ahhhh!!!!! I fell down a SERIOUS zettelkasten rabbit hole recently, and it's so exciting to hear you mention it! So excited to see how you adapt it!
I know it'll be too much work for my adhd brain to sustain, but at the same time my adhd brain really wants the tactile & collect-y hobby, with endless potential for re-organizing.
(p.s. I feel the pain of searching for the perfect box. Oof. Glad you found one!)
personally!! in the summer of 2023 i started experimentally journalling in a very large impractical a5 book because i kind of just wanted to find a creative outlet for myself and didnt expect to remain consistent, but i started realising that it was actually really working for me!! i couldnt take it places because of how Hefty it was though so i planned to get a non-commital lower range a6 hobonichi for the new year and im still working in it! the smaller pages take off a lot of pressure i was feeling in the a5 and its also a lot lighter as a result :-] so i can take it places. i think this is the most consistent ive been in terms of writing an entry daily which is nice.
12 day late comment . . .
I started last year in the Hobonichi Cousin, almost abandoned it in June, and picked it up again in the autumn. So I bought another.
I've been on medical leave from work for 3 weeks now, while jobhunting, and it's been great for keeping track of what I've applied to and heard back from, and task listing for the day to keep me in some kind of routine, on top of all the usual trackers etc.
I've even done a little bit of decorating in the monthly grid, which is nice to look at without needing tons of equipment and commitment.
Also - I use an ef nib in my fountain pen, and hate the ghosting of TR paper no matter what. It's just what happens when you use 52gsm. I've just learned to live with it. I like the setup of the hobo, and the fact that it's fp-friendly, but it's not about the TR for me.
i always enjoy listening to/watching you talk about your planners, no matter what system you're using! i had a planner picked out for 2024, but i didn't manage to order it in time, so for the moment i'm doing a digital planner on my ipad and i'm enjoying it atm though i know i prefer paper longterm.
I really enjoy your Filofax videos! It seems like a system uniquely suited to the type of common-placing you do, and it's interesting to see the ways you can customize it to suit your needs. It does also seem to be the system that best reflects you, if that makes sense? I suppose because you're designing the pages to your own specifications, but also you can stick in anything you want without worrying about bulking up a book, you can add custom sections, ephemera, etc. It's not necessarily a system I'm interested in using myself at the moment (for a few reasons, not least because irl the binder clip noise is so so jarring to me), but it seems to make a lot of sense for the way you work.
In keeping with my plan for the year, I'm currently in a Hobonichi weeks (inspired by one of your earlier videos), and it has been working well for me so far. I had also planned to use a second A6 book alongside, and I'm completely behind, but hoping I can find some time to catch up soon. 🫡
So far I am in the same system! Since Aug of last year and so happy about it. I don't think I have the energy to try and set up something new. Good luck with the sofa bed! 🙏
You’ve got a bunch of comments already so I don’t know if anyone has already said this, but I wanted to let you know just in case. I have the same problem with the envelope holes night lining up right. I actually took a hole punch and punched either one or two of them just slightly bigger and now they slide over the rings perfectly. Thanks for sharing! I love seeing your Filofax!
I will echo what a lot have said, but I enjoy your content regardless of the system you use. I'm here for you, if that makes sense, as opposed to the specific system of journaling (I mean that in the nicest way!)
And I'm still in the same system, I use a Cousins A5 and a field notes supplementary. I'm still trying to iron out just what I want to go in field notes versus the Cousins. I know a lot more like... brain unpacking/writing goes into the a5 if only for the size. the field notes holds more like common place quotes, checklists, little things that can change from month to month as I finish them.
all this to say, hope you and wednesday are well as can be and get some good rest in~
Sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch with your sleep problems. Just wanted to say I actually like your filofax videos as much if not more than your hobonichi videos. And I like to hear you walk through how you tweak and manage your commonplace system. Wishing you the best! 😊
I also really enjoy your Filofax content!
I actually switched to Filofax in 2023 because of you 😁 and I'm still happy and sticking with it in 2024.
I've also got the Finsbury, just in A5!
I do have several companion books, with which I'm currently experimenting.
I use them for when I'm out and about, specific topics and morning pages.
For those I'm currently trying out Leuchturm, Moleskin and Agenzio. I use ink, so that and the cost put me off from trying Hobonichi. That and i like consistency 😅 I need to be able to rely on getting the same sized book, with the same cover and paper every time.
I also love your stickers and gloomies! They're the main things I use to decorate my Filofax and other books! Those, dots, stars and washi tape!
While I myself am a big hobonichi user, I love to watch your Filofax content! I would love to see more of it!
I believe that everything you set out to do will be perfect, because that's your way, that's what I see in your books. I'm happy to see you happy with filofax, it's what attracted me to your channel, the way you find to make it creative and practical for you... is very inspiring. Let's see how it goes this year, and if the book changes, it will be inspiring too, I'm sure! 🌷 🇧🇷 💛
I’m in the middle of switching systems 😅 I swore that Notion would be the only thing I use from here on out for almost everything but having to make pages & databases in Notion got too complicated for me, so I’m trying to find inspiration & helpful tips for something simple & straightforward but that can be customized to one’s needs. I love watching your videos & I love how detailed you are about your systems’ setup; it’s really cool to see it all coming together! I hope you have some luck with your sleeping & I have to agree, the couch always guarantees a deep sleep for some reason.
I think your filofax looks really interesting and seems surprisingly versatile for a physical book. I think I would personally be a bit concerned with the holes in the paper wearing down overtime, as that happens to my notes. Although I suppose better paper quality could help with this.
To answer your question at the end, I thought for a good minute about getting started with a new handwritten organization/planning system in 2024. Especially because I was cleaning up some of my old notebooks and planners and a felt bit nostalgic from that.
But then I remembered that my fluctuating energy levels can't consistently keep up with the writing. I've been using outlook agenda (basically google calendar but from microsoft) for two years now and even though it's sometimes not as satisfying to just type my appointments and to do's and use the few preset colors, it just works too well. If my plans change I can adjust it without a trace, there's always enough space to write stuff, I can make repeating appointments automatically show up, it sets reminders, and if I get into a rut and don't do anything with it for 4 months, there's not this sense that I wasted a product that I bought. So I got nostalgic about writing in a planner and such for a little, but sadly for how my life is rn it just doesn't work as well as digital.
so I'm compensating a bit for that by watching videos of how you journal/plan haha.
I've always been curious about the filofax system, and then a friend was getting rid of a (non-brand name) one at the end of November, and I've been really happy in there since.
I have lined pages and some vintage task lists and I just use those and it is working so well. My brain feels less scattered because all my thoughts just go in there.
I am hopefully getting a printer soon and then I will try your printables while also being so careful to not overcomplicate a system that is already working. But I'm excited to see how it goes!
I've been using the Hobonichi Weeks for about 3 years and decided to change to the Hobonichi Techo this year as I felt I was ready to journal everyday. I am using it still, but I simultaneously feel like it's too much room and yet not enough.
I kinda ended up doing some retail therapy since it's been a pretty stressful few months and ended up buying the Kokuyo Campus Notebooks and a few other things from Muji. It's funny seeing you return to the Filofax as I also felt like using a ring bound system to have more freedom. At the moment I've been taking paper out of the notebooks I've abandoned and added them to the Kokuyo notebooks and in the future I'll archive in Muji binders.
I don't know why but I've been very unsettled since the beginning of the year and I'm trying to figure out what I'm trying to do. I was fine in the Hobonichi Weeks and using Obsidian on my phone last year, but now I seem to want a change but I can't explain why.
Anyway, I found the video interesting as I feel like we may have similar reasons for not going for bound books at the beginning of the year.
I don’t comment much but I hope your sleep improves soon! I really enjoy when people love what they do, regardless of what journal system or book/rings they’re in :) love listening to your Filofax systems especially when they fit you so well!
I’m still in my same planning system (common planner weeks size) but I am thinking of starting a rings commonplace system inspired by you. I prefer a bound book for planning but want the freedom of rings to commonplace and put info in specific sections 😊
I've just begun dipping my toes into a planner and am going with a filofax A5. I'm drawn to very minimal layouts and hearing how you print yours...I'm going to be playing with my printer this weekend.
I started in a passion planner and abandoned it very quickly. I’m enjoying the freedom of a plain dotted grid journal for now 😊
i've been a bullet journaler for years. last year i decided to draw all the month calendars in the front instead of doing a future log, but that's very time consuming so i decided on a common planner for 2024, even though i am not a fan of weekly layouts
i'm liking it so far, but i am getting so anxious about running of daily/note pages! when i bullet journaled, it never bothered me if the year was split up across multiple notebooks (i actually used 3 last year), but with a dated planner it feels like it would be a "failure" if the whole year isn't contained in the single book, lol. i'm loving it so far but the fact that i am already stressing about this, in the second week of January, is leading me to believe that i have to go back to bullet journaling when i'm done with this one (or maybe buying an undated planner that i can start whenever??)
i am loving how you're using the filofax! i definitely get the appeal of moving the pages around. i tried using a happy planner a couple years back and i didn't like it at all so i always assumed discbound wouldn't be for me, but now i'm tempted to try it 🤔 lovely video!
also! i was watching one of your videos the other day and my partner thought your notes pages were typed and i was like, "no i think that's handwriting." now i see you do type some of your pages - funnily enough tho, the page my partner pointed out was handwriting!
I love your filofax content, It's so pleasing to look at. Bought my first hobonichi and midori in november and I'm still enjoying it now, but your filofax makes me kinda grave for one for myself as well. I want to restrain myself because I already use 6 notebooks this year. I'm used to only two haha. Maybe I'll try it next year.
First, I really enjoy your Filofax videos! I have a pocket rings Moterm and a personal size so these videos are a source of inspiration.
Second, planner wise, I pre-ordered from Sterling Ink back in July, and I’ve been sticking to my choices. I used the B6 CP last year, and I can say that size is perfect for me. I love the undated blank pages. Also, having had used the Sanzen paper all of last year, I already knew I loved it. Actually some fountain pen inks perform better on this paper than the old TRP! And for me, the ghosting hasn’t been bad. I haven’t had any bleed through problems either. I also have a Weeks sized CP for my Korean studies, and a TN size for Work and related work notes. As well as the passport size as EDC because I wanted to try the size and I couldn’t help myself. They’re just too cute!
Such a good system! You could always use treasury ties to keep article pages together in your box :)
yes i actually bought treasury tags for this purpose!
I love Filofax content, I have been in my A5 Malden for the last two years and still really happy. I am on my 5th hobonichi journal and not had any issues with the paper so far
We gently leap from the ache of this year into newness. What a lovely thought. Whose words are these?
this was warming
I was using the cousin avec for 2023 and it felt like too much space. For 2024 I went with smaller formats. I'm using a Weeks for work, an a6 avec for journaling and the b6 common planner for collections, commonplacing, decorating etc. System is still going strong!
I hate rings with a strong passion, but hearing you explain why they work for you, has even me tempted to give them another try. 😅 Whether I do or don’t, I enjoy seeing your Filofax videos and listening to you talk about your system. I’m still in the same system I decided on at the beginning of the year-a Hobonichi Weeks, a commonplace notebook, and a small bullet journal to supplement them. I tend to be stubborn about not switching systems (though I did in April last year, because I was just not getting along with the a6 Avec, as much as I tried to force it). I need my information to refer back to years later, and having it scattered across systems is too much for me. Plus, it can be expensive to switch. I was lucky last year in that I could sell the other half of my Avec to get some money back on it.
As a side note, I’m struggling with sleep, too. I’ve been considering using my Happy Light in the morning again, to trick my brain into thinking it’s getting sunlight. I need to get back into the habit of also using dim, warm lighting in the evening. Obviously, playing with light doesn’t cure a sleep disorder, though, so mostly, I’m trying to remind myself that my body is making choices for me, and maybe the best thing I can do is to go with it instead of wasting precious energy trying to constantly fight it. It’s frustrating, though. One of the things I find most frustrating is how inconsistent my energy levels and sleep are. It’d be one thing if I knew what to expect most days, but the reality is, once I develop a routine that works well for me, my energy levels and sleep seem to drastically change, and I just hate it so much. If only I could make friends with my sleep paralysis demons-maybe that’d make things feel more tolerable.
I've honestly been a mess with my notebooks as well. I was using a bullet journal for 5 years (and before that I had been lugging around one of those spiral-bound school notebooks) I think and I always come back to it, in part because of the tactility and control it seems you enjoy in the filofax, but without being able to switch the pages around. I haven't been using my bullet journal for a few months though, maybe closer to 6 months actually. Which is a problem because I really need to be tracking my meds and symptoms and such. I've tried a few apps, even ones I really like never last long. I have a small notebook that was gifted to me that's super cute that I've been using for a few weeks just to write down whatever I need to remember and organize my thoughts, but I'm definitely having trouble settling into one notebook and sticking with it.
Also, still haven't been consistently tracking anything, so..........
I really enjoy the Filofax content! It's always a little tempting to try it out, but I know that my brain copes better with a bound book, so I live out my Filofax dreams through your videos lol.
My system now is what I envisioned it to be at the end of the year - Cousin for 'everything', with nature journal/sketchbook outsourced to the snufkin TN and writing to the botanical weeks. I ordered a bunch of planners in September though and kept changing up my system then. The A6 Hobonichi looks so fun, and I really want to try it, but I don't think I can do without the weekly spread, and the one in the companion ntbk is too small for my needs.
I really like it when you talk about Filofax! Binders never worked for me (even if I desperately want them to), so it's nice to see when they work for somebody else. As for my 2024 system, I did change it. It was initially supposed to be a bunch of A5 Moleskine-esque books (journal, commonplace, creative writing). I had decided on them because I could find them easily on local shops and I wanted to cut back on international shopping. But to be honest I don't like A5, it feels too big? I tried dividing the pages in two sections, but it still didn't feel comfortable. Now my system consists of a traveler's notebook system in a hobonichi cover (I just put two elastic loops on it, without making holes). I have a grid notebook in the cover to use as commonplacing and a few inserts I made myself on the elastic loop: daily pages to use as "memory keeping" (to help with lost time), blank pages to use as "brain drain" and another to write reviews of media I consume, as well as a calendar insert I'm not sure what I will use for lol. I spent last year doing a lot of "system hopping", and this current one is a mix of what worked (A6 grid pages in a hobonichi cover) and what I wanted to try out (traveler's notebook + making my own inserts). I hope it works out.
I enjoy your Filofax videos as much as your others :) I'm using an A6 muji undated planner, I started last march so I'm still using it and I'm really happy with it.
I love your idea for typing your article commonplacing! It made me think of how I want to do something similar for my more article based info because i think they get stuck because they’re “too big” and I procrastinate interacting with them. Thanks! 💛
We will always support you. Keep working hard
🙇🏻♀️🖤
i use mainly fountain pens and i dont have bleeding issues with my hobonichi avec but the paper quality alternates between hard and soft in that my pen ink will flow much better every other set of pages and the bad pages feel like the paper is causing a lot of friction and preventing ink from coming out smoothly. it's super frustrating because i had that last year in my common planner and i was totally not expecting to encounter it in the hobonichi... im sticking to the system though because i like this journaling system and dont want to spend money on another planner that i may or may not enjoy
thank you for this long upload!! i like seeing your journaling system updates regardless of what you're using
Love your content regardless of what book you're in! Getting to hear about your process and rationale behind your books is always fascinating!
I'm in a slightly different system than planned - still using the Cousin, but I've added a Weeks too. Regarding the new Hobonichi paper, I've found the ghosting hasn't been too bad with my fountain pens but for some reason, it's really struggled with the Tombow Fudenosuke - had bleedthrough from that a couple of times :(
Thank you sm for uploading today, Im a bit sick that i didn’t go to school and i needed this 🫶🏼
i love your filofax content, megan!! 🥹
I enjoy all the content 😊❤ it’s very relaxing and enjoyable for me to watch or listen to
Love your little Baldur’s Gate page! It’s my current special interest. Astarion certainly helps!!
really like your planner content regardless if its a hobonichi or a filofax or something you came up with. I work as an educator in an elementary school in Germany and we have something called Lehrerplaner ( teachers planner ) which has everything in it one might want when working in schools. and I used to use it because its convenient. but I want to use my planner also as a journal and diary not only for school related stuff so I switched. and I am currently getting use to it and so far I like it. although I need to remind myself to journal or put stickers in it. its a learning experience for sure. I have something that is kind of like a hobonichi and as I said I get used to it.
I planned to be in an a5 leuchtturm and I have been! 3 years in a row now! Although I have bought a field notes notebook to tuck into my handbag for anxiety related things, so I have them on the go, without the worry of people seeing those notes during meetings 😂