Since one Book July I have been using the Hobonichi Techo Cousin A5 for my every day carry planner. Don't worry that does not mean that my favourite Filofax, Little Purple, has been relegated to a dusty corner of my over flowing book shelves!
I am using Little Purple as an information storage system, in the File of Facts manner at the moment and if I could get the exact Hobonichi style layout on Tomoe River paper pre-made for a personal sized filofax I would be using Little Purple for everything! (Yes I could print my own inserts on the Tomoe River paper, but last time I tried that the printer ate the paper as it is so thin!). I will do a post in the future of Little Purple as a 'file of facts' set up ...
Which reminds me . ..If you are interested in reading about filofaxes and how people use their organisers I encourage you to visit Philofaxy. Say hi to them from me!
Anyway, back to the Hobonichi.
I have been working out how best to use this organisation tool and have watched so many videos and flicked through so many images of how people use their Hobos (apparently that is what the cool kids call the Hobonichi diaries). I really need my organiser to be functional first, and if I can make it also aesthetically pleasing that is a bonus. I do like both function and beauty, but overall an organiser is a tool and so its function is important.
I added stick on tabs to differentiate sections in the Hobonichi as I found it difficult to use quickly if I could not find the right section fast. This is how the week spread looks before I add things to it.
 |
| (c) empressbat.blogspot.com |
I am starting to get in the swing of using this book as my every day carry organiser and am contemplating using one all of next year. Again, if I can obtain pre-printed Hobonichi style, cut and punched Tomoe River paper for Little Purple, I would use my filofax, but I have been unsuccessful in that search so far.
I use the weekly pages to give an overview of the week ahead and future planning. As I do also like things to be aesthetically pleasing and cheerful, I do add some stickers and washi tape to the layout! \
The washi tape I use is from Chiyogami Designs - I purchase from them as they have a huge range of tape, are a local Aussie small business and, have the most amazing friendly reliable customer service.
So back to the weekly spread.
I work fulltime and under a flexi time system meaning my start and finish times are not always the same. At the top of each day column I leave room for my work times which is a back up record in case the electronic record I have to use for work has a conniption!
On the far left column I have an overview of things coming up, list days off and also if I am on call that week I will not only add it to the week (using washing tape) but also note it on the side. Can't forget if it is written everywhere, right? ..right?!?
I then draw (or tape) a horizontal line about two thirds of the way down the page. This leaves the top part of the columns for my schedule where I add meetings and appointments and the bottom part of each column for noting tasks as they come in against the day they need to be done. I use a kind of bullet journal system with the tasks and will add an arrow to something if I did not get to it and it needs to carry over to another day.
I mark the weekend off with stickers - when a week is tiring it gives me a moment of joy to see the decorative weekend columns ahead!
On the bottom of the weekend columns I leave room to note anything coming up the next week that I need to remember and maybe prepare for.
 |
| (c) empressbat.blogspot.com |
This is how I use the weekly pages in the Hobonichi Cousin Techo A5. My scheduling and task system sits on these pages so decoration is minimal and functionality is the focus.
I would be interested in hearing how others use their Hobonichi planners or if they have found someone who sells a similar set up on Tomoe River paper prepunched for a filofax personal!
