New Arrivals: Quirky Planner Formats and Anderillium Ichthyoformes Inks

As I’ve mentioned before, what I love about this job is looking for the unusual products out there that I feel get less attention than they should. As I wrote about on Saturday, one such category of products is undated planners, whether those are A5 notebooks, 6-ring binder inserts, or even planner stickers that allow you to customize your standard notebook. We’ve recently added additional items from Laconic Tokyo - including their popular 6-ring binder inserts - and will restock on the sold-out formats as soon as possible. Laconic also makes these same planner layouts in a softcover A5 notebook format that is compatible with Roterfaden, Lochby, or any other cover that accepts the A5 size.

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We’ve also recently added all the additional colors from the Anderillium “Ichthyoformes” Ink series, inspired by fish! In addition to the previously announced Moray Eel Green and Whale Shark Grey, we have Piranha Red, Sockeye Salmon, Betta Fish Purple, Anglerfish Deep, Lionfish Maroon, and Swordfish Blue. I’m personally ready to dive into some of these dark red-black colors!

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Come see these and more in-shop! We will be open this week from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check the shop page for up-to-date hours.

Five Reasons I Prefer Undated Planners and Calendars

I’ve tried to love dated planner systems, whether it’s the Hobonichi Techo, the Jibun Techo, or even the dated version of the Traveler’s Company Weekly + Memo, but my specific planning needs change so frequently that I have a hard time sticking to a single system continuously through the year. I much prefer being able to switch between different undated books and inserts. For example, there are times when I need a full day-to-a-page layout, other times when I want a week-on-two-pages layout, and yet others when I don’t need a planner at all and roll with a blank notebook. Here are what I consider the five key benefits of an undated planner system:

1. No “Planner Anxiety”: You Can Skip Days/Weeks/Months Without Wasting Paper. The obvious benefit is that by using an undated planner, you can skip time for things like vacations or less-busy periods without leaving blank pages. As a result, you can use your planner longer (if it’s a bound book) and avoid wasting the unused dated sheets (if you use a 6-ring binder or other loose-sheet system).

2. You Can Choose Your Start Date. Did you start a new job in the middle of the year? Did your scheduling needs change? Do you simply want to try organizing your time a bit differently and experiment with a new method of organization? With undated planners you don’t have to wait until the New Year nor purchase a dated book that’s already half-expired.

3. You Can Use a Blank Week or Month to Help Plan a Standard Routine or Schedule. I personally do this when I’m trying to set a fixed work schedule or workout routine. You can take an undated week and pin it to your wall or pinboard with whatever “repeating” information you need to include and use that as a reference when setting up subsequent weeks.

4. You Can Easily Keep Two Calendars Side-By-Side. This is one of the biggest advantages for my own personal situation. For example, with undated calendar pages, I can take two consecutive “months”, date them both for May, and have two calendars that track different things (i.e., a schedule or appointments calendar, followed by a content calendar for T.G.S.).

5. The Flexibility to Explore Different Formats and Layouts. Over the years I’ve found that companies tend to be a bit more creative with their undated planner layouts. If the company doesn’t have to worry about the dated planner “expiring,” they can experiment with different formats, and you can even use them all and jump back and forth between them as your needs change, as noted above. Case in point is the Laconic Tokyo series, which we’ve carried for a while and features all sorts of unusual refills and inserts that include “Gantt Chart,” “Spreadsheet”, “Think”, “Life” and more. They’ve recently released these in a 6-ring A5 binder format, in addition to the softcover A5 notebooks that fit notebook systems like Lochby and Roterfaden.

For as many people out there who love choosing and buying their annual dated planner, in the years I’ve spent running this site, I’ve also found that just as many - if not more - prefer the undated variety. Though we still carry some dated planner refills (such as the annual Traveler’s Company releases) in our own shop, undated planners outsell the dated versions by a fairly wide margin. If you value flexibility above all else, and therefore consider yourself “not a planner person” since dated planners sometimes seem rigid and inflexible, you may want to consider the more notebook-like undated experience.

I’m actively looking at consolidating and building out this product segment - not only do I value it and use it extensively in my own personal life, but I think it’s underutilized and receives far less publicity and attention than the trendier dated planners that seem to take over social media each year. There’s much less FOMO around the undated planner systems, allowing you to spend time experimenting and choosing the system that works best for you without the pressure to buy into a system before they sell out for the year.

Laconic also makes their own binder, at a fairly low price point, which offers a way to test out the six-ring system to see if it works for you. For those who want to use fountain pens, I would say that Laconic paper works fairly well with nibs fine-medium (maybe slightly better than Kokuyo Jibun Techo paper), but you may see show-through with broader nibs and wetter inks. I personally use multi-pens in my planners.

My 2025 Techo Kaigi: A Mostly Fond Farewell to Hobonichi

As is natural in October, when planners go on sale for the coming year, I've been reviewing my current notebook setup and thinking about what I liked, what I disliked, and most importantly, how I can adjust my setup to better meet my needs in 2025. "Techo Kaigi" is a Japanese expression that refers to the figurative meeting you hold with yourself to address these issues. So, you can say I’ve been in back-to-back meetings with myself since October 1 trying to figure these things out!

I had chosen 2024 for an experiment of sorts: I would purchase three different styles of the popular Hobonichi planners: the Hobonichi Cousin A5 (Day-to-a-Page); Hobonichi Weeks Mega ("tall skinny" format week-to-a-page with room for notes); and a standard Hobonichi A6 (Day-to-a-page, to be used as a journal). While I didn't expect to reliably write in each of these on a daily basis, with the possible exception of the Cousin, I did manage to use each planner consistently for stretches of time, giving me a sense of what format and layout I liked best. After a full year with Hobonichi, I don’t think I’ll be making any permanent additions or substitutions to my usual carry. Here’s why:

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My 2024 carry: Hobonichi A5 Cousin in my Roterfaden A5; Hobonichi Weeks in an aftermarket leather wallet/case; and a Hobonichi A6, which served as my journal and eventually went into it’s own leather cover.

What Can I Rule Out Immediately? The Classic A6 Hobonichi Techo

This decision isn't so much a reflection on the Hobonichi itself, but rather a realization that the A6 size doesn't work for me as either a planner or journal. A6 is a "between" size for me, meaning that it doesn't offer me enough space to fully flesh out my thoughts on a day, yet at the same time leaves too much white space if I simply want to micro-journal, jot a few thoughts down and/or habit track. I enjoy having a longer-form journal, but I have a lifetime supply of very nice standard A5 notebooks and composition books (including some gorgeous examples I've collected from Choosing Keeping and other shops) that I look forward to using.

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Two Choosing Keeping Notebooks Purchased in London.

Daily Work Planner/notebook: I need more flexibility Than the HobonicHi Cousin Offers

Of the three planners I purchased for 2024, I used the Hobonichi Cousin A5 the most - everyday in fact. I loved having the full day on one page, with the time stamped left-hand column used for time-blocking alongside plenty of space to take notes. The downside? This thing is BIG. Even if I had opted for the Hobonichi Cousin Avec (which is the A5 Cousin broken into two 6 month segments), I still would find myself carrying around a hefty notebook filled with used pages that can't be disposed of or reorganized easily.

For 2025 I plan to return to a ring or disc-based system using either my William Hannah A5 or Plotter A5 binders. If I can find a compatible refill that features a day-to-a-page layout, I will go with Plotter, since I love the minimalist aesthetic and don't plan to carry more than a week or two of pages at a time. The benefit to me of both the Plotter and William Hannah systems is the ability to easily discard or archive pages that I don't need anymore, while also being able to insert blank pages if I need more space or want to keep additional papers and notes organized chronologically by day. If you have a recommendation for a day-to-a-page Plotter-compatible refill, please let me know! I’m looking.

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That said, if you don't need this sort of page-level or daily flexibility, and don't mind carrying around a larger book, the Hobonichi Cousin is an incredibly versatile planner with at least three different calendar layouts (monthly, weekly, day-to-a-page) that offer planning, journaling, and habit-tracking functionality. The Cousin can definitely be your one-stop-shop, especially if you're comfortable keeping your work and personal life in a single book. I 100% recommend it as an excellent product, but it sadly doesn’t meet my exact needs.

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The Standard Size Traveler’s Notebook is just a bit taller and wider than the weeks, while not sacrificing the tall/skinny format I love so much.

I'm Really Torn on the Hobonichi Weeks, But I'm Moving Back to a Traveler's Notebook

I loved the Hobonichi Weeks, but I'm probably still moving on. Why? I've been using this smaller notebook to track certain things such as exercise, reading, household tasks, and other random notes and observations that I want to keep organized in a "dated" format but separate from my work life. While I love the week-on-two pages layout, which is similar to the Traveler's Company "Weekly + Memo" format, I need just a touch more space as I found myself coming up short at times in the Hobonichi Weeks. As a result, I'll probably be returning to a Standard-size Traveler's Notebook, especially since that will give me the ability to add on additional notebooks and accessories (like pouches) to streamline my carry. I've already set aside a 2025 Weekly+Memo refill set for myself. You can read more on my previous Traveler’s Notebook setups here, and I’ve missed them badly during the past year.

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The Weekly+Memo Format works extremely well for me as a personal planner/logbook. I’ve never used a dated Traveler’s refill before - this year will be the first.

Summary: How Do I Envision My 2025 Daily Carry?

I have multiple occupations and many different personal interests, so my exact "daily carry" changes, depending on what I'm doing. On a typical day, however, my briefcase or backpack will likely hold three main items: the work planner/notebook (whatever it ends up being), a personal Traveler's Notebook, and a Roterfaden binder containing individual notebooks that house anything from my personal journal to scratch notebooks to project-specific refills. If you've been following this site over the years, you've probably noticed that the overall nature of my setup hasn't changed much: I usually go with three modular notebooks or binders, though I have played around with different formats and brands. For 2024, I hadn't used Hobonichi in a few years, and wanted to revisit the brand on a broader level to see if I should incorporate one of the many formats into my hybrid system. Overall, even though I don't plan on making any long-term changes, I did enjoy the experiment!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you enjoy our pen and stationery-related content, please consider supporting us by shopping directly or pledging. Many thanks for reading!

Notebook and Planner Choices: Thinking on 2024

If you’ve noticed a more active T.G.S. over the past month, your eyes do not deceive you: I’m now working here about half-time, in addition to a day job. But that commitment comes with a healthy dose of reality - namely, how to successfully manage different projects that both require time and attention to detail, yet which are very different in terms of both hours and the substantive work involved.

Minimizing Context-Shifting by using Separate Notebooks for Different Projects

Though I may write mostly about pens and ink, paper has always been the focus of my stationery obsession, namely notebooks and organizers and how best to use them. People often ask how I work on multiple unrelated projects at once, but the truth is that I’ve been doing this my whole life. I have divergent interests, and while I sometimes have to “thin the herd” by shelving projects and hobbies that I can’t do justice, over the years I’ve cultivated an analog-focused system that (mostly) maintains my sanity. The trick has been to compartmentalize where I can, and avoid having to switch back-and-forth between unrelated matters, which I find draining.

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I picked up one of the A6 Hobonichi Yamazakura notebooks at the Dallas Pen Show just because I loved the cover design, which got me thinking about how much I missed using the Hobonichi products (particularly the daily quotes) and how I might incorporate them going forward without really changing my setup.

The big question from my personal organizational standpoint has always been this: Do I keep one notebook or planner with multiple sections for different projects, or multiple notebooks with each one dedicated to a single project? While I’ve experimented with both methods over the years, I prefer the latter approach because a dedicated notebook locks in my focus on that particular project and allows me to maintain my concentration. (I do keep a central “Planner” that I use to organize my time across projects and track what I work on each day. This is the only daily notebook that deals with multiple subject matters.) Each of the “projects” that I’m working on has their own binder, typically a Plotter or William Hannah notebook that lets me add individual pages, which can then be organized and subdivided into sections as necessary.

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I’ve had a couple questions about whether or not the Hobonichi Cousins “fit” the Roterfadens. I’ve personally used this Roterfaden pictured here with Hobonichi and similarly-sized notebooks like the Nanami Seven Seas for years, but it can be a tight fit given how thick the Hobonichis are. If you want to ensure extra coverage for your notebook, consider one of the recycled leather versions (LB23 or LB15). For the cousin, I’d suggest the SO20, which is a thinner A5 leather cover without an elastic, and it seems to be cut slightly larger than standard A5 and can accommodate the extra thickness.

My Tentative Notebook Setup for the Remainder of 2023 and For the next year

Keeping in mind that this remains a work in progress, here’s my preliminary setup:

• Working Journal/Time Block Planner. One technique that’s helped me avoid a sense of overwhelm is “time blocking”: managing my time in dedicated larger blocks as opposed to working off a mixed to-do list and jumping back and forth between projects throughout the day. My ideal setup would be to assign entire days to specific projects - made easier by the fact that TGS now has its own office space - but I’ll settle for a system where I can at least block out hours of time for uninterrupted focus, and my new work arrangement better allows for that. Time management techniques are somewhat beyond the scope of this blog, but if you’re interested in reading further (or testing it out yourself), the Time Block Planner 2.0 by Cal Newport offers a good introduction to this concept. I don’t plan on buying another Time Block Planner once this one runs out, however: I want to customize my layout and plan to use the Hobonichi Cousin as a substitute. (Note: the Time Block Planner 2.0 with the spiral binding uses thicker paper that works with fountain pens.)

• Project-Specific Binders. Plotter and William Hannah. I use these ringed notebooks as “binders” to organize notes on the projects that I’m actively working. These binders tend to live on my desk where I can access them when I’m working on the specific project to which the notebook is dedicated. The one exception is the William Hannah, which serves as my “law notebook” and goes with me everywhere since the realities of legal practice requires that I have quick access to my case notes. My A5 Plotter houses T.G.S., and the Bible-Sized Plotter contains notes from a creative writing project I’ve been pursuing for several years and which I’ve decided to finish.

• Personal Journal. Hobonichi Techo A6. I felt the most “put together” when I consistently took 20 minutes at the end of each day to reflect in my Hobonichi. The A6 page is small enough not to feel intimidating, and you can always write larger to fill it up a page with fewer lines if time runs short or you’re simply exhausted. I don’t plan on using a Hobonichi Cover. Rather, I’m going to choose a Roterfaden in the A6 size. The leather and recycled-leather Taschenbegleiters are just big enough to fit a standard Hobonichi A6, though you may be limited to just the Hobonichi or the Hobonichi + a slimmer second notebook. (I plan to carry just the Hobonichi in the cover and use the multiple clips to mark off different sections of the Planner.)

This proposed setup isn’t all that different from my current rotation, just more streamlined, which suggests that after a decade of experimentation I’m finally settling into a long-term system that works for me. If you were to ask me what notebooks I envision having in my bag at any given time, I would say it will be (1) the Hobonichi Cousin and a Plotter Notepad in my A5 Roterfaden; and (2) the William Hannah, which are pictured at top. The Plotter A5 will live on my TGS office desk, and the Plotter Bible in my home office with my personal journal. Again, the goal is to stay organized and focused by having separation between the (very) different worlds in which I spend my time, while still preserving flexibility where necessary.

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Though you can (and should) take my opinion with a grain of salt since T.G.S. is a Roterfaden retailer, I’ve used the Taschenbegleiter Organizers for years, and love their versatility as dedicated binders that can be used to organize specific projects, or simply as portfolios to hold papers and writing pads.

While these are the notebooks that I plan to use most often, I do keep a multitude of others in rotation, including an A4 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter with larger format paper for longhand drafting; my Midori 5-Year Diary that I irregularly update as a 30,000-foot record of my life, and a Standard Traveler’s Notebook that’s both my periodic travel journal and pen club notebook. For those who will ask, I do use my Plotter Mini-5 as my wallet, and it’s also an excellent “capture” notebook for when I simply want to go out with a notebook in my pocket and not lug around a bag. That said, none of these are mission-critical to my workflow, and I don’t allow myself to get stressed if I’m not using them regularly because they have specific purposes that don’t arise on a daily basis.

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I don’t consider myself a productivity nerd - I’ve actually come to dislike the term “productivity” as it evokes widget-cranking and isn’t consistent with how I believe people actually want to live and work - but I do have a longstanding fascination with information management and how people organize their time and thoughts using both analog and digital tools and systems. Of course, this led me to notebooks, notebook systems, and anything remotely related. Have you developed your own system for keeping your life (relatively) organized? Drop a comment or send me a message through the site. I’m all ears!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain third-party affiliate links or paid advertising.

Curated Shop Updates: Laconic Tokyo Restock!

I’ll post a bit more later this week (albeit probably briefly) about the pens and notebooks that I’ve chosen to accompany me on my current vacation, but one brand easily got the nod: Laconic Tokyo. You can read more on how this system works here, but to briefly recap, Laconic makes a line of softcover A5 notebooks, similar to the Midori MD light series, in a variety of different formats and layouts with specific purposes: Undated Planners/Diaries/Journals, Productivity/Planner Ad-ons such as “To Do” and “Spreadsheet” formats, and Creativity/Life-Logging layouts. What I love about this system is that while Laconic makes their own slim covers, the universal sizing makes it quite easy to combine these refills with the cover of your choice. I currently have one of their undated monthly calendars in my Roterfaden A5 (you can see the exact setup in this YouTube demonstration), and they should also fit A5 covers from Midori, Lochby, or other brands of your choice.

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You can view the entire range of Laconic Tokyo offerings here, with nearly all layouts of the A5 notebooks in stock. Many of the Bookmarks are in short supply, and we are trying to restock as soon as we can.

While we are currently on vacation, order processing shouldn’t be delayed by more than a few business days, and will be fulfilled upon our return in the order received. The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Laconic. We truly appreciate your support!