What is The Hobonichi Techo Weeks Planner?
If you follow any planner instagramers or hashtags, you've definitely seen this popular Japanese planner. The Hobonichi Weeks planner has been a favorite for years in Japan, but recently (especally since they released an English edition in 2023), it has also become a must-have item with US based planner lovers as well.
If you haven't used one before, the Hobonichi Weeks is a narrow width planner. It's about the same size as another popular brand - the traveler's notebook (TN). The slim size is what makes it different from (and for those that love it, better than) your typical, full width planner. Its pages are compact and functional. The weekly layout features two pages for each week - the left hand side has each day of the week laid out vertically while the right hand side is an open grid. This compact yet functional design gives you enough space to include a few highlights for each day, and to take notes throughout the week. For those that love it, this layout is ideal because it encourages focus, which is key for productivity.
Tip: If you think you'll want extra space for taking notes, get the mega version which comes with additional grid pages.
Page design you've got to see and feel to appreciate
At first glance, it may look like an everyday weekly planner but if you delve deeper into the details, you'll see why it's so well loved. The layout is minimal yet thoughtful, and the delicate paper is of very high quality. The pages feature quotes in Japanese or English (depending on what version you buy), and it's available in a variety of colors and artist designed covers.
If you want to personalize it even further, there are various cases you can buy on many sites, including Etsy. With all of the available options, you're bound to find one that captures your personality and style.
What pen to use with the Hobonici Weeks Planner
Because the pages are delicate, heavier ink may show through to the other side. Due to this, you may want to use lighter weight pen. For this planner, we love the Sakura Figma Micron pen.
How To Use The Hobonichi Techo Weeks Planner
With it's open ended design, the Hobonichi Techo Weeks planner can of course be used as a weekly agenda with space for jotting down notes, but many people decide to get one (or multiple) for dedicated tracking of more specific things. You could think of it as a weekly layout for your bujo with some (or all) of the design work done for you.
If you want to specialize, we have a few ideas below you can draw inspiration from.
Goal progress and top to-dos
This is one our favorite uses of this planner. If you're working on a long term project or goal, it can be easy to get stuck or feel as if your final goal is too far away. Using your Hobonici Weeks to track each day's most pressing to-do is the perfect way to keep your end goal in sight, but to make sure you're unblocked on any given day.
Mood Tracker
Another great use for your Hobonichi Weeks is to take a wellness approach and use it as a mood tracker. This is a great way to maintain a daily ritual while keeping things simple. If you’re new to keeping trakers, keeping a daily mood tracker is a great place to start. From there, you can expand your daily tracking and journaling ritual to include other things such as fitness, homework, hydration, cleaning and more.
Minimalistic Daily Journal
If you’re into journaling, but find that filling an entire page to be too ambitious, journaling experience, you may want to start small (and focused), by using the limited space in your Hobonichi Weeks Planner as a daily journal. You can hone in on a particular theme by answering a specific question every day such as "What excited or motivated me today?" or "Who do I connect with today".
Meal Planner
If you have particular diet goals you're looking to follow or just looking to bring some organization to your meals, one way you can use your weeks is as a meal planner. You don't have to plan out every meal - you can note down a one or two each day and then use the notes page to organize your shopping list.
You can also add some washi tape to add a personal touch.
Budget Tracker
Another popular way to use your Hobonichi Weeks Planner is to track your budget. This is a great way to stay on top of your cash flow and plan for the future. You can mark down your payday and plan out your expenses beforehand so you know what to expect in the week ahead.
Weekly check-in
Another way to use the grid pages in your Weeks is as a weekly check-in. You can jot down what you were watching, reading, feeling, wanting, etc. This is a great way to use your Hobonichi Weeks so that when you look back, you can remember exactly where your head was during that particular week.
Gratitude Journal
Using your Hobonichi Weeks Planner as a gratitude journal is a perfect way to keep track of all of the things that bring you joy throughout the week.
Follow us on Instagram for more inspiration for how to use your Hobonici Weeks
We've listed a few ways you can use your weeks, but there are definitely others! We post planner inspiration frequently on our instagram at @journalxo.co, so be sure to follow us there for updates.
We also love to see what you're making, tag us @journalxo.co, #journalxo to be featured!
