My notebook lineup for 2026

Also called "journaling ecosystem" or "Techo Kaigi"

Welcome to SEE YOU, a companion for artists, hobbyists, and analog lovers devoted to a creative life with practical ideas, inspiration, and reflections on making. Today I’m sharing the notebooks (planners, journals, sketchbooks) that I am using this year.

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My notebooks for 2026

Last month I shared snippets of all 18 notebooks I used in 2025. This year I am trying to streamline my lineup as much as possible, all while knowing that I will inevitably break my own system, ditching half-used notebooks and starting new ones.

I settled on my 2026 notebook lineup after conducting a notebook review (aka Techo Kaigi) in December. These three questions guided my decision making:

• Do I enjoy using this notebook?

• Is a particular need covered by this notebook?

• Is this honest to how I operate?

After a few weeks of testing, I’m happy to report that I’m feeling confident about the below notebook lineup becoming my mainstays of 2026!

Planning

2025: Travelers Notebook Weekly Horizontal insert

2026: Hobonichi Weeks

I went back and forth with paper and digital planning in 2025, ultimately finding the simplest setup to be a paper planner with a weekly horizontal layout.

Though digital planning has the benefit of easily moving tasks around, I find this to sometimes be a con since you can easily keep putting tasks off that you don’t even need to do. The act of rewriting the task forces you to reflect on whether the task really needs to be done.

Hobonichi Weeks with Kuretake marker

One gamechanger that’s helped me gravitate towards paper planners has been to cross off completed tasks with a colored marker. It is so much more visually satisfying to see a page at the end of the week filled with color instead of crossed out lines (or even worse...checkmarks!)

This year I’m using the Hobonichi Weeks, gifted from my friend Katie who visited Japan at the peak of planner season. There are monthly layouts in the Weeks (which are not a feature in the TN insert), so I’m using them for meal ideas and workout tracking. I am not a stickler for tracking habits, but I’ve been experimenting with using these cute Pochitto Moomin stamps to track how often I draw (yay!) and order takeout (boo).

There are also 69 extra grid pages in the back of the Weeks, which I’m using for work-related big picture planning and capturing newsletter or video ideas.

Journaling & memory keeping

2025: Travelers Notebook inserts

2026: Hobonichi Techo Original A6

One of my goals this year is to journal every day, combining memory keeping with reflection and documentation. This is different from the many journals I have filled with stream-of-consciousness morning pages that I never look back on. I want to create a memory-filled journal that I actually want to page through and reread.

I got the Hobonichi Techo Original to use for my daily journal along with the Iyo Okumi cover. This is not only my first Hobonichi, it’s also my first time committing to a daily dated journal—quite an intimidating leap! But since the notebook is a small A6 size, it’s been pretty easy to write a short recap every evening.

@carolynyoo

Carolyn Yoo on Instagram: "trying out daily journaling in my ne…

I have been more actively collecting tiny bits of junk and ephemera to put on my daily page. Abbey Sy's video on daily journaling layouts gives great inspiration as well!

Logbook

2025: Traveler's Notebook Weekly Vertical

2026: Traveler’s Notebook Weekly Vertical, minimally decorated

The best journaling decision I made last year was starting a logbook! This is a notebook dedicated to keeping a chronological record of activities each day. You can use a blank notebook and write a short list per day, but I like to use a notebook with time measurements so I can get as granular and honest as possible. Yes, the friend outings and project work go into the logbook, but so does the half hour here and there that I spend on the couch faffing on my phone.

Logbook from 2025

I’m using the same TN insert for this as I did last year, but I’ll be keeping the logbook mostly functional this year. I tried fun experiments like drawing my daily tarot card or decorating with stickers and photos in my 2025 logbook, but this year I want to devote that creative energy towards my daily journal.

Everyday carry

2025: Meeplus SlimPad Mini, Field Notes notebook, Midori MD Notebook Light in B6 Slim

2026: Keep it flexible (right now, Midori MD Notebook Light in B6 Slim)

As much as I love notebooks, my shoulders really dislike carrying a heavy bag. I’ve always prioritized a small and lightweight notebook for on-the-go drawing and writing. Even the portable Traveler’s Notebook with its leather cover is too heavy for me!

Midori MD Notebook Light

After experimenting with very tiny notebooks and ring binders last year, I’ve returned to the journal I fell in love with in 2024—the Midori MD Notebook Light. Midori’s cream paper is my absolute favorite, and I love that these light notebooks are only 48 pages. I stick to the B6 Slim size since it easily fits any bag and even most coat pockets. When I’m out and about I’ll carry this alone with a corresponding clear cover that holds my pen, but when I’m at home I insert it into my Traveler’s Notebook.

Thinking

2025: Traveler’s Notebook inserts, LEUCHTTURM1917 Dot Grid A5 Notebook, Baronfig Notebook, Midori A5 grid

2026: Midori A5 grid

I can no longer keep up with juggling different notebooks for freeform journaling, mind mapping, brainstorming, and commonplace notes. After watching Rachelle in Theory’s video on thinking books, I decided to work with one dedicated Midori grid notebook in the latter half of 2025.

Techo Kaigi planning in the thinking notebook

I have been really enjoying the A5 size to “think bigger” and use up the page more freely. One thing I’m slowly figuring out is how to regularly transfer my notes from this catch-all notebook. Sometimes their desired home is in the digital realm, either Notion for projects or Obsidian for commonplace notes. Other times I’ll rewrite highlights or reference notes in the back of my Hobonichi Weeks, where I can remember it all year.

I’m thinking of writing a future post on moving notes out of notebooks as I refine my process. I think it’s common to romanticize the act of writing for the sake of it, but I’ve struggled with figuring out what to do with all these notes and turn them into something useful to create or reflect on.

Drawing

2025: Too many to count

2026: Nina Cosford Sketchbook (sketching), Royal Talens Sketchbook A4 (mixed media)

This category has been the hardest to pin down! I have a bunch of half-used sketchbooks that I want to finish, but I have to get honest about my current practice and admit that I don’t use dedicated sketchbooks as much as I have in the past. These days I’m more likely to intersperse drawings with bits of text in my everyday journal.

My loyalty continues to lie with Royal Talens sketchbooks for mixed media, which strike the perfect balance of affordability and paper versatility. The A4 size is the one I prefer these days as I mostly draw from home. For sketching and thumbnails, I have used the same Nina Cosford sketchbook for years. It’s a dream to use with pencils!

If you’d like a closer look at how I use each notebook and see more of my notebook pages, watch my latest video:

I’m obsessed with artist Yumi Sekine’s modifications to her Midori notebook cover, combining embroidery with photo collage. She shares the process of making it in this video, and I’m inspired to try something similar for my next notebook!

Zine queen brattyxbre is begging you to make zines! I enjoyed her deep dive into some of her favorite zines that marry the personal with the practical, and was so shocked and honored that my zine How to Keep a Hobby From Becoming A Job made it on her roundup 🥹

Live in the US and want to spread the word on how to report ICE? Print copies of this Hands Off NYC zine for your state and distribute around your neighborhood. I spotted several in my local Little Free Library!

I’ve been heads down this month working on several projects, one of which is redoing my website! I’m really loving its evolution and can’t wait to share it with you all soon. Here’s a little sneak peek of a “bulletin board” that will live on my homepage:

If you’d been curious about making zines, my four week workshop Zine Lab will come back in March. It’ll be my third time running the workshop and I’m excited to introduce guest speakers for this cohort. Get on the waitlist to hear when signups open!