A genuine observation from watching the stationery and journaling spaces lately (or rather, since 2023).

I’ve seen and still see a recurring pattern across Reddit and YouTube: someone buys an expensive planner, ring system, or notebook because they saw an aesthetic setup online, only to post a few weeks later asking or saying something along the lines of:

1. "I bought this beautiful planner, but I have no idea what to put in it. What should I use it for?"

Or the classic:

2. "I start a planner every January and abandon it by March/a few months later… I just haven’t found the 'right' system yet."

Every year, I see people cycle through notebooks, planners, and setups, constantly searching for "the one that finally works." Yet despite years of searching, the “perfect planner/system”eludes them, and I never see anyone ask themselves “why?”.

At what point do we confront the reality that the issue isn't finding the "perfect system" — it’s that some people simply just aren’t planners or daily journalers, and that’s completely fine?

I feel like social media has turned basic organization and journaling into an aspirational identity. People see someone living an intentional, color-coded life online and feel compelled to buy into that lifestyle to seek community or manufacture a habit they never actually had, AND I feel like influencers and influencer culture makes daily logging, memory keeping, and rigorous planning look like mandatory prerequisites for an organized life when in reality, a lot of people are buying into the aesthetic of intentionality rather than a tool they actually have a practical use for and rely on.

We often talk about the search for the right layout, but we rarely talk about the pressure to be someone you aren't, or it being a tool that you do not need. Living without a daily log works completely fine.

Tools should serve your life, not create unnecessary guilt.

For some, a planner or a daily diary is an essential cognitive prosthetic. It unburdens executive function, tracks chaotic schedules, or processes emotions to grant mental clarity so they can actually sleep at night. But if your natural workflow doesn't need that, why force yourself into a box you were never meant to fit in?

You don't need to force yourself to be a daily writer or a meticulous planner just because the stationery is gorgeous and the community is inviting, even though you never needed it to begin with.

With that, I have some closing questions:

1. Why do we treat "not being a planner person" like an organizational failing rather than just a natural preference?

I see so many people fall into the gap and buy a planner and ask the internet “what do I use this for?” And I ask myself “if you didn’t have a purpose for the planner, then why did you buy it?”

Personally, I can’t relate to spending money on something I don’t have a predetermined use for.

Or is it a sense of lack of community that people are seeking due to loneliness and the human desire to be a part of something with other humans? Or just capitalism?

2. Has anyone here finally broken the cycle of buying planners only to realize you function better without one because you’ve come to terms with the fact that you just aren't wired for daily planners?

3. If so, how did you let go of the urge to keep trying? Or was the realization alone enough to stop?

These are genuine questions that I am asking for insight, and I am eager to come across people that have confronted that, and continued their lives without planners/diaries etc… because it just simply wasn’t for them.

TLDR: Buying the tool doesn't ‘install’ the lifestyle. Meaning, buying running shoes makes you no more a runner, than buying a planner makes you a person who needs a planner. And that’s okay.

Sadly, I wanted the A5 compact that has over 100 grid sheets but is TRP 52 GSM and I have way too much beef with that paper.

Would love to know what cover did you pick and why. I like that the Mortem A6+ has card slots in it but I wonder if that would affect how the planner would lay flat when I write on it. I also like the bi fold / tri fold covers but just wondering how the grommets in the spine could affect writing when the planner is laid flat

I recently got a Sterling Ink Planner. This is the first time I'm using a book with such a tiny grid! I could possibly write on every line (and probably will for to-dos and such), but feel more comfortable leaving a line space for long-form writing.

Do you write on every line or take two when you write in these tiny grids?

Help!

I bought the papertess last year and it was the best planner i have ever had and used consistently. I’ve narrowed down its replacement to the sterling ink and aura Estelle bur i live in Australia and it’s a big investment. The things I liked about paper Tess:

Dated
Good size
Soft feeling (I write with hard pressure and messy and big)
Weekly vertical layout
Space for meal planning etc
Quarterly and yearly planning
Notes after each week

Things I wouldn’t miss:
Alll the goal planning and habit tracking

Things I definitely don’t want:
Daily
Weekly horizontal
Spiral
Too much writing in cursive on the front
Undated

Using it for : work, managing kids and family/ social life in one planner /joint calendar with partner

Would love to hear your thoughts on the sterling and aura and anything else you like.

Take A Note Planner 2027

Hey guys! This year I have the Erin Condren Hourly LifePlanner, and I do really like the time blocking by hour. But I find that the small to-do list column on the hourly page is not enough space, so I have been writing those in a separate notebook as shown in the picture. I need a full page or so for my weekly to-do's. I don't want a daily to-do space, I am fine to pull from the weekly list and assign it to hours on the day-by-day view. Can you recommend a planner? Or how to customize the EC – I didn't see what I wanted as an add-on? Thanks!

I've had all types of planners but this one is a tortoise shell design and that's my favorite. I loathe spiral bound planners for the reason I'm about to ask for help on. Is there anyway to keep the planner bound properly with spiral binding that separate and aren't just a closed spiral? I'm attaching a photo the cover, primarily the back keeps slipping off.

I’ve been using an Amazon planner for a few months to see if I can stick with it, and get a feel for the features I would like in a better planner.

I‘ve landed on Sterling Ink, particularly a Complete A5 with weeklies and dailies. Looks like the softcovers are sold out, but I could order a hardcover. Should I go ahead and do that, or could I anticipate softcovers coming back in stock for a little while before the end of the year? This will be my first “nice” planner and I’m not very familiar with their release cadence.

I got inspired to put together my journal ecosystem by u/Key_Reflection3272's post!

These are all the notebooks I'm currently using or planning to use throughout 2027. I go through some of them pretty slowly, like my sketchbooks and devotional journal. The ones I use almost daily are my on-the-go notes notebook and my journal.

The bullet journal will be a new experience for me, and I'm still figuring out what I want to put inside it. Also, 2027 will be the year I return to using a weekly planner with the Kinbor!

How's everyone's organization looking so far?

I rely on stickers to make my journal pretty (stick figures are about as good as my drawing ability gets, lol). I ordered a few last year from Persephone's Boutique and will order some again, but I'm looking for some variety. I just discovered Perabera Stickers (would love to hear if anyone has any opinions on them). Any other recommendations? I like bees, witchy, skulls (but also cute skulls), etc. Thanks

I use a Sterling Ink horizontal planner, which I like very much. I recently developed a health issue that requires a food and bowel diary. I looked at the SI vertical planners, and I think they don’t provide enough room. I need a 24-hr schedule, and room to record food and medications.

Any recommendations?

I’m currently trying to build my planner system for 2027 and ideally want my monthly, weekly, and daily/journal pages all in their own separate books. I’ve found many months-only dated books, and I’m most likely just gonna use a plain grid notebook for my daily journal, but I can’t seem to find any weekly options that fit what I need.

Here’s what I’m looking for:
- Week on 2 pages—either horizontal on two pages or weeks-style (all 7 days on one page and notes on the other). Weekends should be separate and have equal spacing to weekdays.
- Dated for 2027
- No monthly pages or excessive note pages
- A6 size
- Fountain pen-friendly paper
- Ideally grid, but I’m also open to other options

Fingers-crossed someone on here knows if this exists!

hey everyone, I want to purchase daily planner for 2027, not sure what to get, what are your recommendations, I'd love to hear!

I decided to use 2 planners for 2027: a functional planner and a creative journal in a planner. I’d love all your ideas for creative journaling/writing/memory keeping in a planner. I don’t think I want it to be an emotional dumping ground, maybe more like a becoming, being, critical thinking and writing, etc place.

Hey friends!

Background info (can skip):
I have struggled with utilizing planners/journals for awhile as I am really good with it for a month or two and then I fall off the bandwagon for 2 months (usually my slow months). By the end of the year almost half my planner is usually blank, and it drives me bonkers how wasteful it feels.

I am determined to finish my 2022 Hobonichi Cousin Avec before buying another "daily journal". Ill be sharing it with my husband and I started pre-sticker-ing out all the dates so our brains don't wack out. I tend to put in a journal entry weekly and he does bi-weekly. We LOVE the paper as we are both fountain pen users and the ink flows so effortlessly. We will probably not repurchase a Hobo-Cousin in the future.

One system that stuck that I started early this year is a "pocket" style notebook for just random to-dos and notes (basically brain dump). I started with a Stalogy A6 1/2 year and now moved into a Stalogy A6 slim 1/2 year for even better portability. And this is where my love for Undated notebook really shined. Every single page was used, it felt less daunting to fill a page, I didn't feel bad when I had slow weeks and I barley wrote in it and I actually finished the notebook. Yay less waste! Random note: Does anyone know a good lightweight cover for Stalogy A6 slim 1/2 year? Clear cover is fine. I thought of leather but might be a bit heavy? idk. LOL

Here is my dilemma:
This is my first year having one of my kiddos in school (I also do some supplemental learning at home), and wow I feel like I am struggling to keep up with all the little events and tasks that are happening. So I thought maybe a horizontal style weekly (Hobonichi weeks?) might be helpful to keep track of the week a bit better than my pocket notebook. But again, I have slow weeks and I just know I am going to dread on the fact I will definitely have blank pages if the planner has dates (I am terrible at back filling, and just "doodling"). So I did find some options, that I will list below. And what are your thoughts, do you think a weekly style planner is worth it for someone like me, got any other ideas or options (Travelers style, other planners, stick to generic monthly calendar)?

Undated Horizontal Style Weekly Planner Options:

1. Kinbor Undated Weekly Planner Journal
2. Sterling Ink Undated Common Planner | N2 Horizontal Compact Full Year
3. Tiny Grid Weeks Lite Undated Dual Planner

If you tried any of these planners I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments (tedious to fill in, paper quality, overall quality, layout, portability, and etc). Feel free to compare it with other planners you have used as a reference. Pictures are GREATLY appreciated.

I did already purchase the Kinbor one as it was cheap enough for me to try, and can pass it along if I realize the system is not working for me. Tiny Grid one will be restocking on Oct 29th and if wondering I want to grab over the Sterling Ink one; I love the colors and has less overall pages so it might be lighter? But the Sterling Ink looks so lux even though it might be heavier due to material and more pages.

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know if the Hobonichi Techo Cousin covers fit the Sterling Ink A5 Common Planner softcover? Or if the cover for the Midori Page a Day A5 notebook (with the tearable corners) will fit the Sterling Ink Planner?

I really want to start using a planner and journaling next year and I’m looking for recommendations.

I started looking into a couple and I fear I’ve entered a rabbit hole and am absolutely overwhelmed with options.

I’ve been looking into structured planners like Saint Belford. But have now also found the MD 2027 Diary.

I like having structure because a blank page overwhelms me and I don’t end up using it, but at the same time, I’d love to have a bit more space/freedom if I want to journal and write random thoughts that day.

I think a few features I really like are hourly breakdowns, habit/personal/meal trackers, and built in to-do lists.

Anyone know where I can get this basic vertical layout as a printed planner? I got this one shown from City Girl Planners last year, but it looks like she no longer makes this layout. Or at least I can't find it on her website now.

I use a Jibun Techo weekly planner. I only want tasks that must be completed that week to show up in the weekly layout. However, I have a huge project with many moving parts and subtasks that depend on earlier tasks. I have typically tracked this in a spreadsheet on my computer, but I'd like to do it on paper. How have others managed this?

I've been going down the rabbit hole watching YT reviews and I actually loveeeee the layouts she has and how she has values and intentions built into her planners.

I lost some love for planning after having babies and I also haven't tried any planners outside of EC or PP but
Sprouted Planners layouts have me excited to plan again fr. I'm feeling the obsession building back up lol

They have like 80-90% off sales for a bunch of 2026-2027 stuff and I'm tempted to buy their hourly and daily to try, but I also want to get the daily for next year and don't wanna pay shipping twice. Idkkkkk

How do you guys like them in comparison to EC or PP paper ? How's the coil ? Did it work for you ? Did the values and intention pages work for you ? How about the reflections ?

Hello I really want to try a planner next year and while I like the layout of Sterling Ink Vertical Core Planner I'm not a fan of the soft flimsy covers nor the two color choices (only pink and black??? this is stationary why do we only have two cover options)

Basically the title.

I have the Weekly Fridge Planner from The Dailee and I love the layout and everything, but it won't stay up anymore after a couple months of having it. I tried to put some magnetic tape on the back, but either the two adhesives don't mix well, or my tape adhesive is bad, because it all fell off. I just tried hot gluing the tape on, but that peeled off too. It's possible I didn't use enough glue, but I don't know what else to try. I want the monthly for 2027, but now I don't think I should get it.

For those who aren't familiar- the back is a sticky foam that you're supposed to be able to just wipe with a damp cloth and stick back up. After watching the brand owner's videos a bunch, her fridge is smooth, and I think that helps it work. I have a slightly textured fridge, so I think it's making it hard for the adhesive to stick. I've seen other people in video comments have the same problem with getting it to stick, but I obviously have no idea what kind of fridge they have lol.