I have a gross amount of underused, blank notes pages in the rear of my Hobonichi Day-Free planner. The book ships with 171 pages of thoughtfully designed 3.7mm baby-grids. We’re roughly 83% through 2024. And, as of this post, I have used 80 utility pages — or 47% of my fanciest notebook. Under. Used?

A review of the pages I’m actively using, periodically referencing, and neglecting highlights two areas in need to dedicated reconfiguring: my habit tracking pages and the notes pages. The beginning and end of my notebook, respectively. Let’s begin, this week, with the beginning.

I feel an urge to check in with what’s working and what’s proved challenging to use in my Hobonichi Day-Free planner when the calendar turns to July. July is halfway through the year and so a window into how half my year has gone. With plenty of time left to re-leverage my Hobonichi Day-Free to better serve my day-to-day adventures.

The allure of beautiful ink bottles and box art is powerful. But the freedom to try ink with only a minimal commitment? That’s fun. It’s also why I now own a bottle of Diamine’s Celadon Cat.