Is it a bad thing to say that I am already planning what I want to do for and with my planning system come 2024?

Yes. I do realize that it is currently only January 2023, but I cannot help myself.

I think I shall blame all the amazing planners who post videos on YouTube. Or maybe I should just blame YouTube and be done with it.

In 2024, I want Hobonichi. More Hobonichi. I have my Hobonichi Weeks (Ophelia) this year. I am completely in love with her. I am using her for my writing and for tracking random and weird things in her back pages. She is a Mega, so there is plenty of room.

But, I am watching all these darn videos of people setting up and using the Hobonbichi Techo Cousin, in A5 size, in A6 size. I see the two-book year, the Avec, I believe it’s called. I have also seen the Hobonichi notebook, the dateless journal/planner.

I am smitten.

I think for 2024, I want another Mega Weeks, at least an A5 Cousin, as well as an A6 Cousin. Maybe another regular Weeks—I am still debating on how I want to divide and conquer next year.

I am already in the midst of expanding what I do. With the as-yet-unseen Zine, monthly dishcloth patterns, and free printables, and so forth. The #MakeItCal2023 is pushing me to post on Instagram and TikTok — only if I want to win prizes—and I would love to do so for once.

I am also working on posting more consistently and regularly on different platforms.

But…do I need to wait basically a year before I can put this methodology into effect?

I am of two minds at the moment.

One: I know that Hobonichi will be releasing an April start planner in the next few weeks (or a couple of months) and I can swap over to everything then.

And/or, Two: I can work with my current system to incorporate everything that I need before I hit the ground with Hobonichi.

Can’t I?

Some days, I wonder.

When I set up my monthly Bullet Journals, I usually go through with sticky notes and put those down so I don’t forget anything.

Last month, I simply took the sticky notes from the January set-up and moved them to the pages for February’s set-up.

And yet, in my A5 Bullet Journal (Roisin, my Archer and Olive notebook), there is no monthly spread.

I didn’t even notice that there was no monthly spread until the day after I finished setting up all the basic spreads in both my bujos.

My Sunshine Sticker Co slim dot grid (Morticia) has a monthly spread. No issues there. But I use the A5 for most of my tracking of things…and I sort of needed that February monthly spread so I would have plenty of room to write down due dates and dates to post where and all of that. Now, I realize I could put that monthly spread at the end of the month in the journal, but that being so out of order in conjunction with everything else will drive me bonkers.

On top of all of that, I saw a spread by someone—I have no idea who it was—I tend to binge-watch planner videos while doing other things and do not always pay attention to what I am watching—the spread is a two-page day in their Hobonichi Cousin.

That is what I very much need.

One page is to write out what I need to get done in the day.

The second page is to write out what I did get done in the day.

How many notebooks/planners am I using right now? On a daily basis? Six, I think. (That’s a daily basis, not the overall system. Then the number climbs significantly.)

If I had the Hobonichi set-up, I would need 1-2 Weeks, and 1-2 Cousins. Especially since other than Ophelia (my Weeks) I have work and everything else all in every notebook hither and yon.

The original plan was to use the slim dot grid and the A5 Bullet Journals to see which one worked best for me. And to see what spreads worked best for me. These are things I am still working on and figuring out.

The “Hobo” plan, as I call it in my head as I wander along, would give me a personal Weeks, a writing Weeks (which is Ophelia this year). I would have a Cousin for family, daily things, and schooling. The other smaller Cousin would be work and social media and that sort of thing.

This idea has only taken hold of me this past week.

I haven’t actually sat down and figured out what I need to do to revamp my current system to use what I have, which is exactly what I need to do.

Do you have any suggestions? I will absolutely welcome them at this time.