The Small Planner Revolution Explained 

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I'm only a little bit in, but I remember reading an article about a piece of research that said in times of recession, people move to simpler and smaller things. Ie- clothes become more muted, makeup style looks more natural and less fussy. It trends then, planning would go the same way with less embellishments etc.

I just can’t handle the sensory feeling of my hand not on the page while I’m writing or my writing falling off when I get to the edge of the page

I like to believe the more years people are consistently using their paper planners, the more efficient they are and honest about what they can accomplish in a single day = smaller planner ❤ Go planner ppl!

It's funny when I watch these videos the cousin seems HUGE but then I got one for the first time this year and I've been really struck with how small it is! It's actually a lot smaller than I expected from how people talk about it. Maybe it's just my handwriting but I'm having really no issues with filling the space (and I just got my first roll of washi yesterday so it was just all pen!) Maybe after I've been in it a few months I'll wish I had a smaller one but for now it's actually the perfect size for me. I would feel really constrained by something smaller.

That's so funny I'm the exact opposite lol. I tried to use an A6 Hobonichi Techo Original for all of 30 minutes and was like NOPE NOPE NOPE I need my A5 back! Even a B6 is a little too small for me. A5 is my ideal size. But I use my planner more for journaling/memory keeping than daily to-do lists. I could totally understand if you were trying to keep daily to-do lists how having a bigger size would be intimidating. Plus, since I work from home, I can keep my planner at my desk and have access to it there 95% of the time. If I were going to work and/or school, I could definitely see the advantage of a smaller and more portable planner.

Smaller also takes the pressure of decorating with stickers and washi and highlighters away. I don't use sticker packs or washi but watching so many plan with me's, I see how it could happen. I love my hobonichi cousin. Undated dot grid is what I will use for work, but for home I really like what I have.

For me, I use A5 planner. And also a bullet journal notebook as well. I feel going smaller would be impractical for planing, but I often have tiny notebook in my purse just for notes. Writing things down on papir is so much easier and more tangible than putting it digitally. Great video. :)

I miss moleskin’s little cahier planners with a two week spread from 2012. Took me through grad school while working full time! I hope they bring them back.

I moved from narrow to passport and I like that my stickers last longer with the spreads. There’s less room for decorating, so I don’t use so many. It makes it easier on my no-buy too!

I like to have a small planner I can carry around with me (Hobonichi Weeks), but I still like a larger desk planner (A5 Common Planner) so that I can have an overview of my weekly schedule plus as granular a task list as I need on a given day. That said, I'm moving towards using fewer planners, just because it's too much work to update them all every day!

I do love the Cousin but because I do not use it as a planner :D I have an anxious brain that ends to forget about the good things so I use the cousin as a journal/memory keeping kind of thing

I've been considering sizing down to an A6 because I've been obsessed with those camera bag purses that have been so popular. My B6 Sterling Ink can fit in the one I have, but it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for anything else (and I hate leaving the house without an arsenal of pens).

I'm so happy that this is the case. Maintaining a big, beautiful bullet journal has always been intimidating for me, even though I've tried multiple times. I failed because I just don't work that way. As a perfectionist, I realized that using smaller notebooks and caring less about their appearance made them practical again for me. That's all I want from my carry-on notebook.

Personal was the largest size I ever used. I've now settled into the Hobonichi Weeks but am also a huge fan of A6 and pocket sized notebooks/planners. I do remember waaaay back when the default planner and paper size was A4 which seems huge to me now.

100% agree with smaller planner trend. I have been trying to use a planner and *adult* and I bought soo many planners with amazing layouts but they were all huge 8x10, 7x9 etc. I just bought a hobo weeks size from sterling ink and have loved it! I don’t feel the pressure to fill up a vast blank space!

I have rather large handwriting and I need a schedule that shows time blocks for appointments and events because I have time blindness and I need to have a visual representation of the time that is available in a day. So I don’t think I will be in a small notebook anytime soon. A5 is probably the smallest I can go and still have it be functional. I am scaling down the number or notebooks and planning pages and free floating lists though because I was losing track of things and there was a huge amount of duplication of effort going on.

I love that my planner is small and light enough that it's never a hassle to carry it with me. I've never used anything larger than personal or A6 wo2p. I used to try A5 planners every couple of years, but it just never jived with me - mainly because I hate having a lot of empty space. If I find myself having a lot of empty space on my pages, I just go down a planner size. I'm considering going back up to a pocket size from my current mini (5 rings) just for some variety, but I feel too lazy to bother 😅 My big planner wish for 2024 is for smaller ring sizes to also become trendy, so I can get some nice 19-15 mm or smaller binders 😅 and more mini binders, there are tragically few nice mini binders!

Used Moleskine large size for years and that was perfect. I tried a regular TN for 2023 and really like that. I decided to add an a6 hobonichi for work to-dos and tracking deadlines for this year. Big mistake and waste of money. I just find it so impractical to write in - the grid is just too small and I hate not having the weekly. So regular TN is where it seems to be at for me.

I use an A5 because i love the size, its small enough for me to not feel cramped when i want to decorate but also big enough that i can do my braindumping etc in it. I've considered downsizing to a B6 but don't think i can ever go smaller then that. I always carry a backfack for one reason or another so its never been a issue just throwing it in.

2024 is my first time using a planner in years and the reasons you listed about larger planners are exactly why I thought I didn't like planners! Having full day spreads and missing a couple makes me just want to stop using the planner, or it makes me write down things that are not helpful and make me overwhelmed. I learned about hobonichi weeks in November and bought one, and while it feels silly to say, it feels pretty life-changing so far. I love how small it is, and that I can keep it open to the current week and add some decoration slowly over a full week, but mostly focus on daily/weekly tasks. It's amazing finding a little book/system that feels like it just fits with how my brain works :')

Funny thing is that for me the Hobonichi Cousin A5 I'm using for 2024 (my first Hobonichi planner ever), is a smaller, scaled down version compared with what I usually use. Last year I used planners that were full letter size, like the Big Happy Planner, so my A5 cousin feels petite!

A big part for me is that I'm always on the move, so im more aware of context and practicality. Passport wallet+reference booklet and weeks planner for day to day carry. Then the desk: A5 for longform writing and a B5 for studying

I got a smaller notebook for Christmas that I’ve been using since the start of the year, I’ve been so surprised how much I enjoyed it so far. I think it just feels much more simpler and straightforward.

First of all thank you for this video because I am now convinced small notebooks are the way to go for me for the new year. I definitely feel you with getting overwhelmed by big planners and notebooks. I can't stand trying to pull out a big planner with a spiral that is always in the way when im at a doctor's or pediatrician appointment it's just ridiculous. Lol i love making my own notebooks and I always use old notebook or planner pages to construct something that works better for me and is portable. Makes sense for my journey towards minimalism too. I adore that cute notebook you used for the thumbnail. I feel inspired 🤍

I used a B6 dated Sterling Ink last year; started late as it did not arrive until the last wek in March. I used about 2/3 of blank pages. I divided each blank page in half. That made journaling much better for accomplishment. This year I have the TN Sterling Ink notebook. I am having so much fun!!! It is my kind of smal notebook. It is my favorite all inclusive planner. I put a great deal of notes for a great deal of my life in my journal, Alice by name. I took an empty notebook several months before the end of the year and created my own!!! 💚💚💚 I having fun.

I use a weekly planner for my classes, coursework, appts etc. and then a pocket notebook for my daily plans and for jotting down ideas

Spot-on, for personal journaling, I'm sticking with my A5 Cousin. For work "capture/daily actionables", I moved to A6 weekly supplement combined with a A6 stalogy. Perfect size for me to grab along with my computer for meetings. :)

I've been in "pocket sizes" ever since I started using planners/bullet journals, so I LOVE this trend. I'm definitely someone who tends to fill up any "extra" space provided with what is ultimately unnecessary fluff - I like how a smaller size forces me to be picky about what is given space. And as a disabled person I just find a smaller planner less overwhelming on my bad days. Also, pocket sized things are cute and portable. 🥰 I did venture out of my comfort zone with an A5 journal this year - it looks so big to me! I'm looking forward to using A5 size, but this purchased definitely increased my bafflement towards people who regularly fill (and lug around!) A5+ books.

I used to keep a little pocket moleskine in my bag years ago and it worked fine but then I got into bullet journaling in a full sized one and I stopped carrying it around because of how unwieldy that turned out. Then I got into Hobonichi and got a Cousin that went basically unused for most of the year. Last year I did a little experiment with a Weeks and a TN passport and I liked it so much, I'm using that system again this year. I want to get to a point where I have just one book for everything in order to avoid duplicating information but I get different things out of each book and this year I'm squeezing as much usage out of my Weeks as I possibly can but I still feel like I need the passport. If I could get as much out of a TN insert as I do a Weeks, I'd never look back. But then I'd have to go back to drawing all my spreads and I don't have the patience for that, lol

I just cut one of those decomposition notebooks (the pocket size) in half so it's even smaller to catch fleeting thoughts and it just lives in my pocket. I've started to keep a commonplace/journal (not a planner) to collect thoughts in a Hemlock and Oak Daily and it's been helpful. My TickTick app controls my meetings and work tasks. It feels the most relaxed of all my options.

I’m going back to pocket size, too. As much I love the Leuchtturm 1917 B6 Monthly Planner, the convenience of pocket sizes is so worthy. And I fill my spaces, in the B6 are more pages blank. I wish Leuchtturm 1917 would do an A6/pocket size Monthly Planner, because of the amount of pages. I do a Bullet Journal, but I hate drawing my own monthly. I will switch to the Moleskine Monthly Planner pocket again like last the first half of the last year and add a second notebook for my dailies 😊

I am a mom of two preteens with a very packed schedule, and I keep track of a lot of info and log a lot. I prefer b6 slim or smaller for my planner. Easy to carry, feels great to fill it and be messy. I keep a Cousin as a health journal and a Weeks for work which I use to schedule, strategize, and notes. I’d prefer to blow through small size planners and notebooks quarterly than carry around anything bigger. It’s revolutionized life.

I’ve downsized in the last few years. I was obsessed with trying to find the perfect planner and size, it’s only in the last year that I moved smaller and gotten less and less stickers. This is for many reasons, one I don’t like the sticker styles of the planner world. None of the styles I was seeing were speaking to me 🤷🏻‍♀️ I couldn’t find a place to fit in. Secondly, I prioritized getting it on paper instead of making it pretty. Pocket notebooks are awesome. I switched to Field Notes for pretty covers. 🤣

It’s not “a turn toward smaller planners” - it’s cyclical. The last time was around 2015/2016. I have always been a small planner girl. The largest size I can use regularly is B6 Slim. Falling in love with the Sterling Ink common planner proved that even B6 is far too big for me. I’m in A6 now. I feel like I’m home. ❤ My standard EDC is A6 because B6 Slim is tough to find and what you can find doesn’t have consistent dimensions. I actually hate when the planner community trends toward smaller planners because a whole bunch of things come out that get retired when “the planner community” decides it’s no longer “aesthetic” even though all the benefits you so expertly laid out still exist. As long as I don’t lose the A6 common planner and this delicious A6 Hobo HON I’m loving on this year. I also got the A6 Magic of I. I thought my planning dissatisfaction was being in multiple books, but it’s all about size for me. I think I’m A6. Anything bigger feels overwhelming and ultimately confuses and frustrates me.

Love the way you export the tasks for the day into a distraction free zone- I am testing that myself now.

I kept my Sterling Ink B6 6-month planners for journaling- it's the perfect size and layout for me for that purpose. I'm trying slightly smaller for my planner - have used a large moleskine weekly for years but switched to the compact TN from Sterling Ink for this year. I like that it has some blank pages in the back- the moleskine didn't have any- but it's still slim enough to throw in my bag. I don't use covers for either because I think that makes them too bulky. So, I'd say I like medium sized, thin notebooks. They seem to be the easiest for me to carry around while still having all the room I need.

I changed my wallet to a TN passport and it solves all my on the go/quick reference needs. My fave planner is the Jibun Techo B6 mini. Perfect for me.

I got the A6 HON because I couldn’t afford the A5 HON (and I just HAD to get the HON because of the cats cover) and now I’m sooo glad I did because it’s really quick and easy to fill up a page so I never feel guilty about empty space! It also prevents my blank A5 creative/art/memory keeping journal becoming redundant. But even with that creative journal, it feels too big so when the notebook is finished, I will be moving into a passport sized TN with blank Tomoe River Paper inserts. In the meantime, I’m not forcing myself to fill up a whole A5 page for each day anymore 😊

Great video! I feel like I’m always ahead of or behind the curve. I used small planners and notebooks when “everyone” was bullet journaling in an LT1917 or filling up a Cousin. But now that my sight is declining, and I’ve never had small handwriting, I’m moving to books that are more roomy and have darker and/or larger type and lines. The Midori MD Notebook Diary has been awesome because it’s like a Day-free but with thicker paper, wider ruling, a stiffer paper cover, and it’s still thinner than a Cousin. It comes in A4, A5, B6 Slim and A6 so there’s something for almost everyone. (They even have an extra thin version in some sizes that’s like a TN booklet.) For 2024 I’m using an A5 for work and I carry the B6 Slim with me for personal stuff. I look forward to seeing what you do with the Day-free!

I've definitely downsized my planners over the last few years in general! I've gone from using both the Big and Classic Happy Planners down to a Hobonichi Weeks Mega for 2024 and I'm absolutely LOVING the change! I initially started Hobonichi by testing the Techo in the 2nd half of '23 but that was too small for me, but the Weeks Mega is perfect. Also, the pocket-sized books are just so stinkin cute! lol

I do like the space of an a5 to plan my days during the homeschool year. I use a pocket TN for my EDC, when I go out and then I use it as my primary planner during the summer. I see myself using smaller notebooks when I retire from teaching. I think your TO DO hybrid is a great idea. I am going to try it. I have a brain dump notebook that I use, but I find myself using my reminders app more often for my TO DO list, but to write it down is so helpful for my brain if I just choose a few at a time to complete and to minimize overwhelm. Thanks for the great tips!!

This was interesting, because in the planner communities I’ve been hanging out in, I’m noticing more and more people using notebooks and planners for fun rather than for productivity. Maybe there’s a difference in choice of planner size between folks who are moving away from productivity territory into hobby territory vs. the other way around.

I like your videos very much and find them very helpful and interesting - BUT - I have to comment this time on your gorgeous nails. LOVE THEM. 🌻

I'm totally new to the planner community and was sick of google calendar time blocking, so I bought a SI B6 compact, I like the clean space better than the Hobonichi ones and, like you, I don't need a full year's worth of blank pages in the back. I think the tiny planner is a rebuttal to the consumerism and FOMO that seems to have taken over the planner trend. Simple and minimalistic.

Thanks for sharing about using a smaller planner. 😊 I prefer having my planner with me everywhere I go. 📖👜 It has multiple uses, so I’m very intentional about the size. ✏️

I'm a B5 girlie all day, every day LOL

I need me a big, fat A5 for creative things: decorating, drawing, memory keeping, etc, but I also have a Hobo Weeks as my EDC, and an A6 notebook for writing on the go. Oh, and I have a GIGANTIC letter-size lined hardcover for brain dumping, budgeting, etc. I like having a choice.

I like my A5 size a lot. It's the most comfortable size for me to write things down! My needs over the last few years have changed. When I was in university, having half a page per day was helpful because of class schedules, assignments, etc. Now, I have a repetitive job and few plans/appointments to keep track of. I work from home, so I don't need any portability features because I can keep my journal on my desk. My days are mostly to-do lists, and I didn't want to use up so many pages in a nice dot grid notebook. I kept using sticky notes, but there wasn't enough space to break down my tasks to the smallest steps (because executive functioning struggles), while many notebooks were a bit too big. For 2024, I've got a personal planner (half letter size) that I print out pages I need for day-to-day active tasks with a design I made, as well as grid pages and lined pages for other notes. I've also got a bullet journal for logging/tracking past information, because that's what I want to keep a record of rather than all my to-do lists. I never got into decorating a bullet journal with stickers (it was out of my budget), so I've leaned toward minimal styles anyway.

I have just switched from an A5 Filofax to a Filofax Mini (!), for the same reasons. There was so much info in the A5 that it was difficult to focus on the current task, and I started to resent lugging the thing around and it not fitting in a smaller handbag. It literally felt like a heavy workload. So I got the Mini as an additional planner to take places but it turns out I can do pretty much everything in it except longer notes, so I'll add a simple A5 notebook. Cheers!

I like the idea that folks are using smaller planners to more easily swap notebooks for phones. The portability and healthier time investment are a great combination

I left an A5 around Covid lockdown hitting because I didn’t have as much need for the page space. I was fine with Weeks and B6 sizes and but they don’t offer the page space I need to draw out ideas for how my advisor and I want to make figures. I’m currently in a standard size for this school year and absolutely loving it but I’m moving back up to an A5 for next school year (in part because the PTD notebooks are my favorite currently on the market and the standard size aren’t gridded notebooks). Maybe once I’m done with grad school, I try for an A6 but right now, I need the page space too much.

I love my pocket bullet journal. It keeps me from writing endless lists.

I am still an A5 or bigger planner person. I love to sticker/stamp or decorate even if I don't have many tasks. Also, multiple planners. If it's not written in like 5 places, I will definitely forget to complete it 😅

My only note about “a smaller planner feels less wasteful” is that often times you get significantly less paper for only a little bit less money. I was just thinking about this for my Hobonichi notebooks (not a planner, I know), the A6 size is 244 pages, the A5 is 288 pages. So not only do you get twice as much space on the page, there is also more pages, all for $5 more on average. This translates over to planners as well, though not as dramatically. Obviously having space you just don’t use feels wasteful, but redating planners and using them as you go definitely reduces that feeling. (Which is not practical advice for most people, but it absolutely helps with the pressure of filling big pages as well as with the feeling like you need to hold back because you only have the one page.)

I have an online business and I work from home, so portability isn't an issue for me. That said, I have downsized slightly, from a Happy Planner Classic to an undated A5 Common Planner. I think it's a good size for me for the moment - it gives me the space I need without the bulk of the discs, or the distraction of the artwork

Me after using Hobonichi A6s and weeks since 2020: i just bought an A5 Slim jibun techo planner and it's so fun xD

I've always kept a pocket size notebook near me or in my bag, just in case I wanted to jot down a quick note, thought or idea. As for those pocket size planners, I realized that they're too small for me. Cute pajama set.

I used to use a weeks sized planner, or a nurses pocket planner before I got into the planner community. Then I went to personal, then A6. I keep a passport notebook in my bag for any thoughts while out and about. The rest of stuff I play around with is just fluff, but it’s fun lol

I just realized this weekend that I can switch my Weeks to personal and Cousin to work because I don't need allllll of the space on a daily basis for my personal life but I need way more space for my job! I write large enough that the Cousin daily pages will be filled &I have a use for the hourly section to track meetings & appts.

I switch from a letter to A5 and will try passport for February, I agree with you that bigger planners are intimidating.

I went from a massive planner down to a Hobonichi Weeks. But I have a separate planner for homeschooling my kiddo since there’s quite a bit to track

I've been in a Weeks for personal planning/bujoing for years but this year I'm using another Weeks for work. The small size signals to my brain that the tasks are small and manageable, which helps tremendously with my ADHD procrastination. I can also take it with me anywhere, to jot things down and check my lists, so no excuses about getting things done on the go either. ☺️

I know when I was working from home in 2020, I had an A5 or TN Standard journal/planner. Then, I went back to work in person and wanted something more portable that I could keep in my purse. So then I was in a B6 slim, then an A6, and now a passport 😂

I keep a B6+ Leucctrum and a Sterling Ink passport size. They work great. (If I ever bought another planner, I'd get a Moleskine Daily in the pocket size.)

I thought I was the only one that's been going smaller with their planner. I really thought I would use a5 forever but last year I used a pocket planner and it was a game changer. I used all the space, I could use smaller purses, and it made me not want to buy stickers/washi because I just didn't have the space. I went to a Hobinichi weeks this year, but that bit that is a little taller then the pocket, am just not a fan. Next year, am back to the pocket.

I do think the smaller planners are trending, but I'm still in my A5 hobonichi. It works for me. I'm a chemistry teacher, track and cross country coach, wife, mother, and graduate student. The space is helpful, plus I like to journal to stay sane. I feel like with all trends there will be those who stick with the smaller planners and those who move on when something new comes along.

That's true. I had a hige daily and a huge weekly last year and switched to hobonichi weeks and a6 size this year. I can fit everything in them.

These are so cute, I love them ☺☺

I hate small planners. I want the big size things. And an a5 for my purse.

I like the look of smaller planners, but for this year I also picked A5 and I think this is where my heart belongs. Did switch from making my own planner in a Leuchtturm to a Hobonichi Cousin. I like the space for my ramblings and journaling, and it is not too big for me since I like to stick down photos or write down quotes on empty spaces. I also don’t bring it with me, so I don’t care about the weight.

The smallest I've used was A6, but didn't like it and it was only for tracking my food, medicine, and movement. I love A5, B6, or Standard and most of my books are pen only. Also, I like to see white space, which a larger notebook and planner gives me.

I like space. I need it to think and my handwriting is kinda chunky

I love Cousin because of the weekly section, which reminds me of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The daily view is too heavy for me, as I love my B5 undated. The A6 me have also given me a headache.

Over the last few years I've sized down with my planners too, but for me it was 8.5x11, then 7x9, now A5. I'm not sure I'll ever go smaller. I thought about b6, but when I did page mock-ups I just felt so restricted.

What’s the most popular size? There are so many to choose from.

I keep a pocket notebook in my purse to record things while out and about. My main planner is a classic Happy Planner. I need the space. I am thinking about using an A5 size bullet journal for 2025.

I have not considered myself part of the planner community and I only started watching planner RU-vid this year, but I went from a letter sized planner to an A5 and then a weeks. I guess I am not immune to marketing! I do already think I’m going to go back up to an A6 next year, though. I think my handwriting is too naturally big and honestly I just miss a vertical weekly.

Love a B6 but also like heavier paper which cuts my choices way down

my issue with pocket planners is that I have A5 size handwriting, but hate carrying a big planner. However, I cannot write small enough for a pocket planner. It just looks terrible. I love the Hobonichi Weeks though.

For me it was the opposite, I went from A6 to A5. But I also noticed that people prefer smaller ones on the internet lately.

“Smol” you are too cute 😂

🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️ this year I went from B6 to passport

I tried many different planners but find a weekly planer serves me well because I have appointments on the hour. Does anyone have ideas for a unique or different version than the traditional 8 to 5 weekly planner. It is practical but I want a change.

I love my erin condren small planner!!!

I feel like 2020/2021 stay at home shit show had a lot to do with the size of planners. I also transferred from pocket all the way up to A5 and decorating a this year I’m moving to B6 and mostly no decor (using bujo all the time not a planner).

Sorry but I just need to say your nails are BEAUTIFUL!~

this time next year everyone will be Bujo-ing in a plain ol A6 :P

A6 forces me to not over plan. Using the common planner to time block

What does inclusive underwear mean?

We’re just entering an empty nest stage of life so my schedule is just taking up less space. I thought it was just something everyone in my generation was doing because they were going through the same stage…. But I guess not.

People were tired of covering up all the extra quotes with stickers & washi 🤑🤑 and lugging all that around for what.

There is a difference between simplistic and simple. I think you mean to say simple.

I was using an A6 as my journal last year and it didn’t work for long form writing, but I decided to try out a A6 hobonichi as my messy task list planner and keep my common planner as more of a bullet journal aesthetic space. I carry both everyday (I commute by train so already use a backpack anyway) and it is working well for me! Added benefit is I can keep work tasks separate and not worry about accidentally sharing something sensitive on social media. I work in a school and found out recently that as a public employee technically any book I use to record work-related stuff could be subject to a public records request. While I don’t generally write or do very scandalous things, and it is very unlikely I’d ever need to hand it over (I’m not that parent-facing in my role), it’s certainly more comfortable keeping the personal and professional somewhat separate! Do I occasionally write some personal tasks in my Common Planner (sidequests a la @clairefromonline)? Yes! Do I sometimes write shower thoughts or lists in my lil A6 messy planner? Absolutely (shoutout to “this veggie goulash is saving my life”)! I’m loving this two book* life! *also shoutout to my weeks I’m using to do budgeting