Overcoming Excessive Consumerism and Inconsistency in the Planner Sphere? | One Book Summer 

I get you. I feel you. I consider myself a minimalist too and have been most unminimalistic and all over the place with ring planners. So now I got a simple B6 book cover in a cute design... I put in a nice B6 notebook and go at it as my one and only notebook till it's all done. Then add another. It's the Bullet journal system..altered to suit me... I seem to be at peace for now.

I'm so glad to hear that my video impacted you even if bullet journaling isn't your planning system forever. I loved hearing your thoughts on planners and bullet journaling, especially your perspective about how planning isn't always a hobby.

While on the hunt for the ever-elusive planner peace, I've tried Happy Planners --> Erin Condren --> Plum Paper, floundered between the three of them, then discovered the Hobonichi Cousin, then an Aura Estelle, Sterling Ink, Hemlock and Oak....and guess what I'm in right now? Hobonichi Cousin. This all started in 2020 and back then I didn't even know disc planners existed!! I'm grateful for being able to try discs, coils, bookbound, vertical, horizontal, dated, undated, customizable, minimal, decorated, dailies, weeklies, monthlies etc. I shopped the sales but also spent too much on new releases - It's the release cycles that really got to me - each brand has a different release timeline which makes it so easy to get swept up from release to release! And then you have the accessories....oof. For me, I've made a list of all the brands and types of planners I've used and wrote down why I stopped using them, and have begun referring to it whenever I get an itch. There's a reason most of the planners and layouts I tried didn't work, and now I know what DOES work - a5, bookbound, some flavor of Tomoe River paper, vertical weekly. And I've kept some of the planners that didnt work out to allow me to have a play in them if I hear the siren's song, and to remind myself of all the reasons I put them on the shelf.

I took a marker and "redid" the numbers on a planner I didn't use....I just use it for like yearly stuff I need to remember. I have a no spend for planners, accessories, etc until January...I actually stumbled upon a great inexpensive planner at Walmart that I'm using this year. And I keep a small notebook in my purse. That's it..❤ enjoyed your video. Thank you ❤

For years I've felt that the decorating mania in the planner world was a form of downsized scrapbooking. They got their "fix". But here's the thing. I'm not a planner. I keep a calendar on my phone. But I am a lifelong journaler. I jumped into the traveler's notebook world and "bought all of the things". Now I have covers I've never used and TONS of inserts in all sizes. Imo, not using weekday I have is wasteful. That said, Carpal Tunnel has taken over, and writing is very hard. My arm and hand go too numb. I don't throw away or return to my journals. Most of women's "herstory" has disappeared with the first of the past. My journals are my life. It's up to my niece to do what she wants with them when I've died. I began journaling at around age 9, and I'm currently 3 months shy of 67. Until age 45-50, I never missed a day and most days I wrote many pages. Now, carpal tunnel, fatigue, and brain fog interfere with writing.

Oh goodness this hit home! I am a hyper consumer in the planner world but I just cannot commit. I love it all and cannot commit! Trying! I have spent WAY TOO MUCH!

I always looking for tips to stop planner hopping! I'm a minimalist, but just can't declutter my planners... I rotate between a TN, personal ring, A5 rings and a bujo. And always think that the other will be better for me 🤦🏼‍♀️ Im constantly losing info, and rewriting things, because when there is a lot of pressure on me I set up a new planner... Still trying to find a solution but knowing this also helps...

I started in a Franklin Covey planner in the 90’s when I took a management position in the corporate world. It worked great for that but it’s too much for my slower life today. Now I have planner FOMO and I’ve tried Erin Condren, Passion Planner, BUJO, Hobinichi, back to BUJO and am now in a Common Planner. I have pens and washi tape and stamps and blah blah blah. I use none of it. I will be going back to a BUJO and plan to stay in it. No frills, I can include my reading journal notes, personal journaling as well as tasks and appointments and be at peace. This was a very thought provoking video and I appreciate your thoughts! I think many people will identify with so much of this. I sure did! 😊

You are so right! It is very complicated to find something when we have hop on many different systems! I have too decided to simplify my planner. It is rings but a simple week on 2 pages and It works very well. But me too when i see a video of a system that i love i am sooooo tempted!!

Just found your channel! You hit my looking for the “right” planner system. This is my “hobby” but buying it all is not working and not enjoying my hobby this past year. So I started with what size works best for me, size matters then type and paper 😮. For the last few months size became B6 slim, then insert had to include good paper which is grid and Nanami Cafe Notes ( one of the few B6 slim notebooks ) that’s big enough to hold few months and fits into my Travelers leather Cover, big enough to hold it all and small enough to fit into my purse. I have been consistent for past few months with this set up. Yes I still have squirrel obsession to want to try that new one your sharing but I end up back to what has been working! Thanks 🙏

I dont understand planner hopping. I always kept a journal - in a cheap af composition book - and eventually started time logging which lead me into bujo. But for me it's not really about planning so much as having a one place for my notes, thoughts, logs, and tracking for the year. I did finally make a connections journal cause i HATE migrating, but i am def one of those people who watch the "journal lineup" videos purely for the "why and how" of it cause it would so my head in. I do have a notebook problem but I don't quite think that's the same thing, and that's come down to don't go into office supply stores without a fixed goal and avoid box stores during back to school sales. Re the consumerism thing: it's not just about the cost. Yes it's a waste of money but not because the systems are more expensive but because we end up buying things we don't need. And it's also about waste and perpetuating the market cycle by supporting it with hauls, etc. My personal goal in anticonserism is to reduce waste. And that has brought me to the point of actually moving into getting a fountain pen (which took soo much research to pick one!) so that i can quit the tossing of dead pen bodies and empty refills all together in favor of recyclable glass in bottles.

Hey, hey! New sub here! Yes, planner consumerism absolutely has impacted me this year in particular... So, I have been using the Hobonichi Cousin for the last couple of years and thought it was my answer for everything planner-related. But, I found myself purchasing an A6 Hobonichi Techo; I ended up with not 1 but 2 Hobonichi Weeks books, plus the Cousin. I found that the Cousin worked so well for a daily planner. But the restriction wasn't working for my brain. I will begin student teaching and a teacher apprenticeship program in the fall. I felt the squeeze of limitations from not having "the next blank page," so I purchased a B6 Stalology book. I am back to bullet journaling; it is truly the answer to what I sought from buying all the Hobonichi books. I enjoy buying stickers and some washi and look forward to Helen's washi preorder this weekend. I would much rather spend my money on that than have a lot of half-used planners that, let's be honest, are not inexpensive books. But truly, in stepping away from the Cousin, I have a crap ton of Hobonichi Cousin weekly kits... I'll have to find ways to incorporate them into my bujo. Great video, BTW. I had to review all the books to reevaluate what worked. And to be honest, I enjoy some things about the Cousin (like a full page per day with a daily time ladder) that I can incorporate into my bujo and leave the rest.

Resonated with everything you said. Thank you SO much for this thoughtful, thought provoking video. I'm going to sub right now to walk this journey with you. Part of my struggle is watching planning videos & seeing other products/styles, and wanting to try new pretty things. But then the next thing is sparkly too! So I needed to hear you. ❤

I love bullet journaling but I have been distracted by all the "accessories" used by others. I have stockpiled/accumulated a lot of stickers and washi tape, but not a lot of planners, just blank notebooks and inserts in various sizes. It helped me to watch videos where people explained why a specific planner/layout didn't work for them or covered lists of their "Must Haves." It really helped me focus on how much space I actually use in a planner and what is unnecessary. I am actually working to down-size my planner into a single, portable setup (I like Field Notes.) I did buy a lot of supplies (stickers, washi, pens, etc.) but I did NOT buy printed planners. Hopefully, I will eventually work my way through all the supplies and not just hoard them. I like to spend money, but I don't like to waste money! I can always find ways to use blank notebooks but you can't do much with an out-of-date planner! I also know my limitations so drooling over someone else's "style" and decoration generally doesn't cause me to purchase stuff when I know I can't (or won't) re-create that same look in my planner set-up. It is; however, a time-waster, so now I only watch content from people who are most similar to me in their planner size/style. No more watching flips of Rings/Discs/Coil, A5 sized anything, or Hobonichi! Instead I look for keywords like "minimalist" and "pocket size" and "functional."

The over consumption is at an all time high. Ive been extremely guilty of it. I have tried them all lol. I need at least one place that will hold my full year for future planning, reference, and budgeting so i use a hobonichi weeks for that and then i bullet journal in a stalogy because i prefer the thinner paper. They are affordable and hold up to everything very well. I am remindind myself of this as we go further in the year so i dont waste money planning for next year.

Back in the day, I just had a Filofax, and bought Filofax inserts every year. I would buy different covers, but most of them are pretty basic so it wasn't as tempting to keep buying covers. I would stick with the inserts all year. Buying covers now from all these companies now can be so competitive that resellers snap them all up. I'm really tired of it all. I love Erin Condren paper too, and how they have all the U.S. holidays, but the planners are so big, I end up not using. My planner peace is probably the Hobonichi Cousin, but I don't always want to lug around an A5. Ironically, the best thing I used this year was the B6 Jibun Techo (daily), it worked great! But I still wanted to planner hop!

Let us know when you Swedish Death Clean your planners - you should livestream it so we can all tune in and clean out our stash with you.