r/hobonichi

In honour of my 61st birthday I'm posting today.

Just to say that journaling has been a life saver over the last few years. Those years when your grown kids have flown the nest and you start to find yourself again. Who knew that this season of life would be so much fun? Solo travelling ( happily married but we have different interests) watercolour painting, sketching, writing and drinking copious amounts of coffee. What's not to love. Some people have a problem with aging, not me ( other then the usual aches and pains) aging is a privilege denied to many. I'm gonna enjoy these years and keep on keeping on. Hope all my fellow journalers have a wonderful day. Every day we wake up is our 'birthday'. 😁

Jordan Mechner is a game designer (made the original Prince of Persia in 1989). He started keeping a journal at 17 and has filled over a hundred notebooks since 1982. He still does it daily, in his sixties, in a Hobonichi Techo -- one page per day, a decade fits in a shoebox.

Stripe Press republished his 1985–1993 journal in 2020. The format is the diary plus his own thirty-years-later notes in the margins. Two voices on every page.

The single most useful thing he writes about journaling:

"In the four years it took me to make the first Prince of Persia game on the Apple II, my journal did more than record my creative process: it was part of it. I used my notebook as a sounding board -- wrestling with design challenges, discarding ideas and sparking new ones in the act of writing. More than once, my journal brought me back from the brink."

I've been writing in Apple Notes for a couple of years and realized I've been doing the wrong half of journaling. I've been recording. He was thinking on the page. Those are different practices.

If your journal feels like a chore, try writing about the actual problem you're stuck on this week -- wrestle with it on the page instead of just describing it. Different muscle.

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I wrote a longer piece on what reading the book did for me: link in comments. Maybe it gives someone else a kick of energy too. Would appreciate any feedback

Hello!

I have been journaling for the past few years (using Paper Republic products), but am planning on making the switch to Hobonichi once the 2027 products are available to order in a few months.

Something I've thought about for a while is getting a small sticker printer (black and white) so I can print out small manga panels/character faces to use in my planner.

I know there are a ton of options, but wanted to get some feedback on what experienced journal users prefer.

Added pic tax: My birthday present to myself - two big orders from Hobonichi and Bungu that arrived on the same day. 🥳

Just sharing this for anyone who’s been wanting to try a Hobonichi or has one on their wishlist ♡

My hobonichi spreads of today +tmrw before I write them 💗 happy 10 yrs DW🐇

The daily quote couldn't be more synchronistic!🥺🥹

(Yes, I did print my own $20 keychain before shipping because I'm not paying $20 for a keychain, before shipping 💀)

Stickers by Mugobunni, washi by Tami Kani Sushi, and ARRIVED LATE

What do your covers look like so far?

First time posting! I’m just so happy to be back in a hobonichi weeks and love the colors of last week.

After trying 4 other planner formats this year (!!) because I thought I would be happier fixing some things that bothered me about the weeks, I have discovered I was very wrong and am back in one and happier than ever 😊

Featuring my strange sideways hybrid so I can block out my work schedule and also because my days are basically just running to-do lists.

Love seeing everyone else’s pages here!!

Happy planning to everyone 💛

Just sharing some daily spreads from the last week or so.

Ive been feeling very inspired by my ever growing ink collection.

Hello friends! I hope all has been well with you, I’ve had a couple of family emergency type things going on so I’ve been distant.. but I am going to try to be more present again.. things are calming down a little at the moment🤍 here is the week before last week completed spread in my hobonichi weeks 🐻‍❄️📖🐈‍⬛

All stickers used are from my shop Perabera.com. I was challenging myself to use all washi stickers. I didn’t complete my trackers, so I used the little ghosts & just love how they look with their transparency over the trackers👻✨

Last week all finished! Going through a fluorescent / bright color phase…idk what’s going on

I just finished up a unique spread after spending a day visiting museums and I'm really happy with how it turned out! Does anyone else enjoy creating interactive spreads?