Review your analog notebook systems
How to conduct a Techo Kaigi, aka "notebook meeting"
After moving away from digital productivity systems in favor of notebooks and planners, I conducted my first ever mid-year Techo Kaigi.
During a Techo Kaigi (which means “notebook meeting” in Japanese), you meet with yourself to reflect on your current notebook systems and whether they’re running smoothly. If your notebooks have become too overwhelming or are being neglected altogether, Techo Kaigi is the time to sit with these issues and do something about it.
Usually Techo Kaigis are done towards the end of the year as folks prepare to buy new yearly planners and notebooks for the following year. But why wait a whole year when things could be improved now? A mid-year Techo Kaigi is perfect for clearing out the summer cobwebs, renewing our energy towards documenting and organizing life in analog systems.
Today I’ll share with you my current notebooks and a few changes I’m going to make as a result of my first Techo Kaigi. If you’d like to do a Techo Kaigi of your own, I have some helpful prompts at the end of this post to guide you through the process!
My analog notebook systems:
The first step of a Techo Kaigi is to take inventory of all notebooks one currently uses. I included all planners, journals, and freeform notebooks, but have excluded sketchbooks from this exercise.
For each notebook system, I’ve noted what’s working well ▶️ and what I plan to change 🔄 going forward.
For memory keeping: Traveler’s Notebook Refill 003 & Carta Pura blank notebook
I bought my first Traveler’s Notebook (TN) this year and have been obsessed with it ever since! I like to use blank notebook inserts for memory keeping, writing down lists, memories, and reflections paired with drawings and paper ephemera.
Last year I loved using Midori MD’s B6 Slim blank notebooks for this purpose, but I decided to try the TN standard refill in 003 since it came with the starter kit. Blech, I am not a fan of the TN white paper and the notebook length is just a tad too long.
On a whim I picked up a 24 page Carta Pura notebook for $3 at Goods for the Study in NYC (sorry that I am unable to find a link to this notebook anywhere!) It’s the width of a TN insert but slightly shorter at 7.5 inches, so I happily switched over. Once I use up the Carta Puras, I’ll likely switch back to lightweight Midori cream paper inserts.
▶️ What’s working well: Blank format, TN insert (or smaller)
🔄 What to change: Use cream paper inserts, preferably lightweight (like Midori MD Notebook Light or Refill for a Short Trip)
For time logging: The Traveler’s Notebook Weekly Vertical, Undated
The biggest addition to my analog system is this time logging notebook. I use a TN Free Weekly Vertical planner to record what I do during the day, which helps me have a much clearer snapshot of how I spend my time. I used to do this digitally through Google Calendar or productivity apps like Notion, but recording my time in analog is way more fun. It’s the perfect place to use tiny stickers!
I recently got into tarot so I had been drawing and coloring my daily tarot pull from January to May (example here). It’s been a great way for me to study the cards more deeply, but lately the routine has been feeling like homework that I cram in at the end of each week. I’m ready to let that practice go so I can make room for a short gratitude list in that area instead. Less cute, but more functional.
▶️ What’s working well: Vertical format, interspersing stickers
🔄 What to change: Pause daily tarot drawings, add daily gratitude list
For planning: The Traveler’s Notebook Weekly Horizontal, Undated
Planning is a tough balance to strike—sometimes I want to time block tasks down to the hour, other times I want to write a simple list of one or two things to accomplish per day. I used to plan everything in Notion where I could flexibly switch templates between these two moods depending on the busyness of the season. Though I miss that at times, it’s a small price to pay for the ease of thinking on paper and not having to rely on my device to see and adjust my plans.
In March I started using the TN weekly horizontal planner to plan my week after experimenting with an old Passion Planner and a Livework daily planner.
The Livework daily layout includes an hourly schedule, to dos (capping at three tasks, which is great!) and areas for notes and journaling. I really liked the layout but it was overkill to use every day.
The TN horizontal planner definitely leans more minimal, so I’ve been thinking of supplementing it with the Livework planner on days that I need to get a lot done. For the most part, the TN planner meets my needs well and I love that each spread has a blank page to brain dump before assigning tasks to days.
▶️ What’s working well: Minimal format, empty page for brain dumping
🔄 What to change: Use supplemental Livework planner during busy days
For freeform writing: LEUCHTTURM1917 Dot Grid A5 Notebook, Baronfig Notebook
I had a short-lived dot grid notebook phase many years ago, so I still have several abandoned notebooks that I have been trying to use up for my freeform writing. After trying out the two above, I’m going to stick with the Leuchtturm because the pages look and feel nicer.
I’ve noticed that a nice fountain pen will make the analog writing experience so much more enjoyable. My journaling pen of choice lately is the TWSBI Eco 1.1mm stub, which adds a romantic calligraphic flair.
▶️ What’s working well: Use TWSBI stub fountain pen
🔄 What to change: Ditch Baronfig notebook. In the future, switch to lined notebooks
For everyday carry: Meeplus Slimpad Mini
I may not need this adorably tiny leather binder (made by Meeplus, dupe of Plotter) but I do love it so! I use this as my wallet, and its functionality has changed over the few months I’ve been using it.
In this binder I include an assortment of papers with quotes or important notes. I have blank pages for jotting down notes or drawing when I’m bored. I’ve put in weekly planner pages which I had been using for daily gratitude. I also did micro journaling for a few months on Sora moon memo pad sheets.
During the Techo Kaigi I identified that I had no good system for planning and tracking meals, workouts, and water intake. I’m going to try using the Meeplus for that and move the daily gratitude lists to the TN weekly vertical.
▶️ What’s working well: Blank pages for notes and drawings, quotes and important notes on cute memo sheets
🔄 What to change: Ditch daily micro journaling, add meal/workout/water tracking
For brainstorming & thinking: Nina Cosford Sketchbook
In an attempt to reduce the number of notebooks I juggle, I tried to use my TN/Midori memory keeping notebooks for ideating and brainstorming. As much as I prefer portable notebooks, the small size was not working in my favor for big picture thinking.
Last week I brought out my Nina Cosford sketchbook (7x9”) and felt such freedom using it to think on paper! In fact I used it for this very Techo Kaigi. And because I mainly use it for brainstorming and thumbnailing, the notebook doesn’t have to leave home too often.
🔄 What to change: Introduce this notebook for brainstorming and ideating
How to conduct your own Techo Kaigi:
Make a list of all your planners and journals in current use, and what each is being used for. Take notes on whether you’re enjoying their use. Do you like its size, its layout, its portability?
Identify any overwhelming or redundant areas of your notebooks. Are they all necessary? What can be dropped? Simplify wherever you can!
Name any habits or areas in your life that are being missed in your systems. What are new ways you can experiment with recording or planning these missed areas?
Decide on your systems going forward. What notebooks will be used for what purpose? When will you sit each month, week, or day to record and plan?
Tell me what notebooks and planners you currently use 📓 Are you a minimalist or do you have a plethora of notebooks like me? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Stationery chats are the best chats!
Great post. This is a new quarter when I swap out my pocket reading log for a new one. Here’s how I review those: https://open.substack.com/pub/armchairnotes/p/reviewing-reading-logs-armchair-method
Here’s how I process Catch-Alls: https://open.substack.com/pub/armchairnotes/p/notebook-processing-catch-alls
Here is yesterday’s post about the Goldilocks Principle and finding just the right notebook for each kind of writing: https://open.substack.com/pub/armchairnotes/p/the-goldilocks-principle-of-notebooks
my current system:
- a very flippy-floppy lined notebook (like an exercise book) for morning pages. the lines are super close together so it does ask for more writing per page. don't love it but i have to use a bunch of them up
- a more robust softcover lined notebook with a lot more pages. this is my project book for my next album. has free-writing and lyrics in it, with coloured tabs i've added in.
- a boring page-per-day 2025 diary that i got from a stationery shop that i use to track what i eat in a day and how i feel physically (sore tummy girls rise up!!)
- a leuchtturm knock-off that i use for collaging.
i currently don't have a notebook that i take around with me places or a planner. i was very in the bullet journal stuff back in 2017/18 and have to go back to it but i haven't managed to keep it up. my biggest thing right now is just having stacks of blank index cards everywhere that i can pick up and write a to-do list on or an idea etc.