Craig McClellan

While it may seem strange to do a planner audit in August, most major planner companies release their 2025 models in the next few weeks. To be ready for these releases, this afternoon I took inventory of what has worked and not worked for me this year so I would know what to buy for next year. This exercise was helpful enough that I thought I would share in the hopes it would be beneficial for someone else to read as well.

So let’s start with what I used this year:

• Midori 3 Year Diary - This is my first year using a multi year diary. I got this as a Christmas gift, started it on January 1, and have every day filled in with something. I’m excited to reach next year so I can start second entries on pages. This has been really consistent and joyful for me. Definitely going to keep this going next year.

• Plotter Bible Size - My work planner. I am the Product Owner of a development team. I use monthly pages in the front of the Plotter to mark down specific days the team released software as a reference for later. Next, Plotter weekly refills hold my to-do lists and day plans. Then, at the back of the notebook, I keep Plotter project managers full of dot grid pages of notes on individual features we are building. This has also worked well and I’ve used it consistently. I plan on continuing this next year.

• Plotter A5 Size - My first Plotter, and originally my only planner, in 2024 this was primarily used for taking notes on sermons at church as well as for some classes I took. I love this binder, but didn’t use it nearly as much as I would have liked. Ideally, I could find something else to use it for next year.

• Plotter Mini 5 - Also received at Christmas, this has been my wallet for all of 2024. The goal was to use this as a catch all I could use when out and about to help keep me off my phone , but my phone has been used much more than this notebook.. It’s just a very expensive wallet where I occasionally make shopping or other similar lists.

• Traveler’s Notebook Passport - This has two inserts in it currently. One is my prayer notebook, and the other for long-form journaling. I like having each of these things, but I find myself not using this much. I think it may be too small and I don’t like having to hold it open to write.

• Jetpens Kanso Noto - This is mostly my go to notebook for trying out new inks. It is my last remaining notebook with original Tomoe River paper in it, so it shows off ink incredibly well. Maybe I could come up with another use for this, but I’m also being really stingy with it since the paper will be gone forever.

My main takeaway from this list is that two of the notebooks I struggled with most are pocket sized, made for people on the go…which I am not. I work from home and spend almost all of my time there. I should optimize for a home setup and then find ways to make it work outside the house. This has led to the following plan for next year.

• Midori 3 year, Plotter Bible, and Kanso Noto - Not changing a thing here.

• Plotter A5 Size I am going to attempt to make this my personal planner for the year. I will keep the items in it I did this year, but include monthly pages and make daily pages out of dot grid paper. On those daily pages I hope to include prayers, journal entries, and tasks I need to complete outside of work. I’m trying a proof of concept of this now. If it doesn’t go well over the next weeks (for instance if I don’t like having a real journal be ring bound where pages can be removed), I may order a Hobonichi with daily layouts to meet this need when those go on sale in a few weeks. In this case, I would return the A5 to it’s 2024 use. I don’t think it will be too burdensome to take this with me outside the house many places I go. And if I need to, I can carry it in one of my many Tom Bihn bags (which I need excuses to use).

• Plotter Mini 5 I think I’m going to keep this the same too, but with less pressure on it. It will be great to add a note into for the rare time I’m out and about without my full planner, but I’m not going to stress about using it more or less.

• Write Notepads Landscape Notebook - I am adding this notepad back into my rotation. I started it sometime last year, used it for a bit, and then put it on the shelf. But it’s great for larger form brainstorming, doodling during meetings, and temporary stuff. This is going to be for what I wanted the Mini 5 to be, but never used it for while sitting at my desk. Important things I write down on it may go into another planner. Others will just be for fun.

It’s a good thing I did this audit when I did because about an hour after completing it, Plotter announced their 2025 refills were on sale. I was able to grab the weekly and monthly refills I needed immediately.

No planner system is perfect, but I am pleased that I found a theme in my issues from 2024 and made a plan to address them. That feels like progress.

🖋️ Note to self: Don’t bring a pen inked with Diamine Writer’s Blood to a work event. When you get ink on your hands, you will draw a lot of concern from coworkers.

I just realized that after January 2nd, I switched back to writing 2023 in my Midori 3 year diary every day. I was so proud of how consistently I was writing in it, but I was also consistently wrong. 😂

🖋️ I don’t use micro.blog emoji in posts with titles, so I’m reposting my 2023 planner review in case it’s interesting for folks scrolling the pens category.