Hobonichi Techo Cousin A5 (Jan Start) 2017
Hello Bumbles!
Time is freaking flying by!! Let's skip the whole Christmas discussion and dive right into New Years shall we? 2017 is coming boys and girls, and y'all know it's that time of the year! (hint: new year resolutions)
For a person who is not exactly a new year resolution type of gal, I sure sound damn excited. But that's because I have all the right reason to be excited for the coming year! I got my very first planner!! (hoorayy) So let's not waste time and get right into it!
Product:
Hobonichi Techo Cousin 2017 A5 January Start (For short I will call it HTC)
the A5 planner only comes in Japanese, while the A6 planner comes in both Japanese and English. But the language of the planner really doesn't make it difficult to use or anything, it just so happen that the quotes at the bottom of each day is in Japanese. If you really want to know what it means, there are actually translations on the Hobonichi website.
When you purchase any planner, it comes with a pen and a plate that looks like a bread..(I have no idea what to use the plate for)
Btw, I really do love the pen that it came with! But I would never order off of the website because the starting shipping fee is $20!
Shipping Fee
Okay, listen guys, here is the best way to save money while buying this planner.
If you live in the U.S, you can easily buy the Hobonichi Cousin on Amazon.com. It costs $55 USD, and you can get a cover for around $18 USD. All I can say is, you guys are so damn lucky!
For my Canadian friends...The same planner on Amazon.ca (the Canadian amazon) costs $202 Canadian dollars. $202!! Like HELLO? WHY? What is this difference between us Canadians and Muricans!
Anyway, so your best bet is to order off of the Hobinichi Offical Website (like me), which is located in Japan, and just suck it up and pay the shipping fee and exchange rate. If you really want this planner, like me.
Basically, the planner itself costs $55 CAD after the exchange rate, but I ended up paying $81 CAD because that's just how expensive shipping is. The shipping fee is by weight, so the more you buy the more expensive shipping will be!
Delivery:
The delivery took about a week or so
Structure of the Planner:
Okay, let's get into the exciting part :)
The reason why I wanted this planner soooo badly was because of the spread and the option of planning it provides. I've looked at so many different planners, and ever since I saw the HTC, I never wanted ANYTHING else. Nope. Which is why I spend 80 bucks buying a notebook!
The Bullet Journal Spread
At the start of the journal, it gives you a vertical monthly view that kinda looks like a bullet journal spread. So the month is the header, and the days are numbered vertically from the first to the thirtieth/thirty-first.
I plan to use this spread to track daily habits, so I would color in a box everyday when I've done something. For example, some habits that I want to start tracking includes exercising and reading. So, I would color in a box on the days that I've done those activities. At the end of the year or at mid year, I can look at the color coding and reflect on my daily habits.
The Calendar Monthly Spread
The second spread that HTC provides is the normal monthly spread that goes horizontally. It starts from December 2016 (this month) till March of 2018. It's actually so scary to think about time this way, just by flipping through some pages, we are at year 2018...
I've already started using the December monthly spread. December is the month of exams..so it looks pretty hectic. Basically, I would use the monthly spread whenever I have deadlines, appointments, work and etc. I even decorate the days that are special, so at the end of the month, the spread looks real pretty :)
The Weekly Spread
After the monthly spreads come the weekly spreads. Unlike other planners that puts the weekly spread horizontally on two pages, HTC puts the weekly spread vertically two pages. It also has a timeline on each vertical strip.
I'm thinking of using the weekly spread to really plan out my day in terms of time. So I would plan ahead as to when I want to wake up, and do certain things. Hmm...I haven't really figured it out yet..If you have any ideas please let me know :)
The Daily Spread
The last spread is the daily spread. Basically, you have a page for each and every single day of 2017. At this point, it kinda feels redundant to have so many different spreads. Especially when the weekly spread is sufficiently enough to plan out the day. But I still wanted a daily spread because it gives me so much more room to be creative and elaborate on my thoughts.
I'm thinking of using the daily spread for more personal thoughts, it's almost like a dairy and planner combined! I'm thinking of using the daily spread to really think about what I am grateful about for the day, and maybe use it in a more creative way!
The Blank Pages and Other Pages
There are some blank pages in the planner and some other interesting pages as well. For example, there is one page where you can list your top 100 favourite things, and there is this other page that lets you brainstorm what kind of gifts you want to give to whom.
Tomeo River Paper
I love love the Tomeo River Paper that HTC uses. It is super smooth and can feel very thin, but it can definitely withhold all the writing because Tomeo River Paper is best paired with fountain pens! I am currently using erasable pens Pilot, and the paper does not break even though I keep erasing the writing.
For those of you who don't know, there are pens that can be erased through friction. Although erasing pens on HTC leaves a small dent, but the paper is still very strong! I also love how the pages crinkle with every word that is written!
All in all, HTC is a very practical and well thought out planner. I am very very excited to start using it in 2017! I know having a planner won't change my life, but it almost feels that way. It makes me feel like I can accomplish a lot of things and be productive throughout the year. But I am definitely scared that how I want to use this planner may not turnout that way. I might get lazy and just start leaving blank pages..and then that would discourage me from using it..But I am really hoping this is a habit that I can keep, because I know when I look back on it I will be glad that I stuck with it!
What are you most excited about in the coming year? Do you use planners as well? What are some of the ways you use a planner? Write down in the comments, I would love to hear from you :)
Time is freaking flying by!! Let's skip the whole Christmas discussion and dive right into New Years shall we? 2017 is coming boys and girls, and y'all know it's that time of the year! (hint: new year resolutions)
For a person who is not exactly a new year resolution type of gal, I sure sound damn excited. But that's because I have all the right reason to be excited for the coming year! I got my very first planner!! (hoorayy) So let's not waste time and get right into it!
Product:
Hobonichi Techo Cousin 2017 A5 January Start (For short I will call it HTC)
the A5 planner only comes in Japanese, while the A6 planner comes in both Japanese and English. But the language of the planner really doesn't make it difficult to use or anything, it just so happen that the quotes at the bottom of each day is in Japanese. If you really want to know what it means, there are actually translations on the Hobonichi website. When you purchase any planner, it comes with a pen and a plate that looks like a bread..(I have no idea what to use the plate for)
Btw, I really do love the pen that it came with! But I would never order off of the website because the starting shipping fee is $20!
Shipping Fee
Okay, listen guys, here is the best way to save money while buying this planner.
If you live in the U.S, you can easily buy the Hobonichi Cousin on Amazon.com. It costs $55 USD, and you can get a cover for around $18 USD. All I can say is, you guys are so damn lucky!
For my Canadian friends...The same planner on Amazon.ca (the Canadian amazon) costs $202 Canadian dollars. $202!! Like HELLO? WHY? What is this difference between us Canadians and Muricans!
Anyway, so your best bet is to order off of the Hobinichi Offical Website (like me), which is located in Japan, and just suck it up and pay the shipping fee and exchange rate. If you really want this planner, like me.
Basically, the planner itself costs $55 CAD after the exchange rate, but I ended up paying $81 CAD because that's just how expensive shipping is. The shipping fee is by weight, so the more you buy the more expensive shipping will be!
Delivery:
The delivery took about a week or so
Structure of the Planner:
Okay, let's get into the exciting part :)
The reason why I wanted this planner soooo badly was because of the spread and the option of planning it provides. I've looked at so many different planners, and ever since I saw the HTC, I never wanted ANYTHING else. Nope. Which is why I spend 80 bucks buying a notebook!
The Bullet Journal Spread
At the start of the journal, it gives you a vertical monthly view that kinda looks like a bullet journal spread. So the month is the header, and the days are numbered vertically from the first to the thirtieth/thirty-first.
I plan to use this spread to track daily habits, so I would color in a box everyday when I've done something. For example, some habits that I want to start tracking includes exercising and reading. So, I would color in a box on the days that I've done those activities. At the end of the year or at mid year, I can look at the color coding and reflect on my daily habits.
The Calendar Monthly Spread
The second spread that HTC provides is the normal monthly spread that goes horizontally. It starts from December 2016 (this month) till March of 2018. It's actually so scary to think about time this way, just by flipping through some pages, we are at year 2018...
I've already started using the December monthly spread. December is the month of exams..so it looks pretty hectic. Basically, I would use the monthly spread whenever I have deadlines, appointments, work and etc. I even decorate the days that are special, so at the end of the month, the spread looks real pretty :)
The Weekly Spread
After the monthly spreads come the weekly spreads. Unlike other planners that puts the weekly spread horizontally on two pages, HTC puts the weekly spread vertically two pages. It also has a timeline on each vertical strip.
I'm thinking of using the weekly spread to really plan out my day in terms of time. So I would plan ahead as to when I want to wake up, and do certain things. Hmm...I haven't really figured it out yet..If you have any ideas please let me know :)
The Daily Spread
The last spread is the daily spread. Basically, you have a page for each and every single day of 2017. At this point, it kinda feels redundant to have so many different spreads. Especially when the weekly spread is sufficiently enough to plan out the day. But I still wanted a daily spread because it gives me so much more room to be creative and elaborate on my thoughts.
I'm thinking of using the daily spread for more personal thoughts, it's almost like a dairy and planner combined! I'm thinking of using the daily spread to really think about what I am grateful about for the day, and maybe use it in a more creative way!
The Blank Pages and Other Pages
There are some blank pages in the planner and some other interesting pages as well. For example, there is one page where you can list your top 100 favourite things, and there is this other page that lets you brainstorm what kind of gifts you want to give to whom.
Tomeo River Paper
I love love the Tomeo River Paper that HTC uses. It is super smooth and can feel very thin, but it can definitely withhold all the writing because Tomeo River Paper is best paired with fountain pens! I am currently using erasable pens Pilot, and the paper does not break even though I keep erasing the writing.
For those of you who don't know, there are pens that can be erased through friction. Although erasing pens on HTC leaves a small dent, but the paper is still very strong! I also love how the pages crinkle with every word that is written!
All in all, HTC is a very practical and well thought out planner. I am very very excited to start using it in 2017! I know having a planner won't change my life, but it almost feels that way. It makes me feel like I can accomplish a lot of things and be productive throughout the year. But I am definitely scared that how I want to use this planner may not turnout that way. I might get lazy and just start leaving blank pages..and then that would discourage me from using it..But I am really hoping this is a habit that I can keep, because I know when I look back on it I will be glad that I stuck with it!
What are you most excited about in the coming year? Do you use planners as well? What are some of the ways you use a planner? Write down in the comments, I would love to hear from you :)
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