2018 Analogue System Preview
As we wind down in one year and gear up for another during the month of December, I like to take some time to reflect. What good or bad things happened this year? Why? And how can I improve next year?
For better or for worse, I have not had that time of reflection yet. This month has gone by so fast amidst festivities and work that I haven't sat down to properly process everything that occurred. My 2018 analogue system is set up in a much similar way - I think these are the notebooks I want to use, but who knows how life will change next year, let alone in the next few months?
Regardless, I'm excited to try a different system. My goal is to consolidate and only have one everyday carry, which I believe will work out. Without further rambling, here are the notebooks I'll be using for 2018!
MD Diary (Daily)
The Midori MD Diary will be my catch-all for next year. It's going to house my work schedule, to-do lists, reflections, reminders... you name it and I will be writing it down here. I don't plan to decorate it much, since it'll get too bulky to carry to work otherwise. It'll truly be a functional planner for everyday needs.
The monthly spreads will be used to mark birthdays and other important occasions. The daily pages are undated, which means I'll be able to use as little or as many pages as I want. I've already stamped the dates for January to see if I'll enjoy the true "1 day 1 page" approach, but if not, there's always room to experiment.
I love the clean lines and the functionality of the daily pages as well. The simple design makes it less overwhelming to use - I get a peaceful feeling each time I open a new page, if that makes any sense. I purchased this notebook months ago with great anticipation and I'm really looking forward to breaking it in during the last week of this month!
Traveler's Notebook
I'll continue to use my olive traveler's notebook for creative journaling next year. I currently have one blank insert that I use as an art journal and one weekly insert that I use to plan my blog posts. Going forward, I'll use the weekly insert for memory-keeping and continue to decorate the pages with washi and add ephemera from daily life.
Once the current inserts are finished, I plan to use the lightweight paper insert and the weekly vertical to try something different. I've never logged daily reflections in my traveler's notebook before, so it'll be interesting to switch from the Hobonichi to this setup.
Other
Here are a few other notebooks I'll be rotating into next year. My MD notebook (top left) houses my random ideas and thoughts. The PacMan Moleskine (top right) is for my creative long form writing, and it's actually fairly old - I remember buying it at least a few years ago - so it'll be great to finish that one up. I have a steady supply of Field Notes (bottom left) for my personal, silly movie reviews, and then last but not least, my new project coffee journal (bottom right) that will be used as a log for all of the different coffee beans I'm trying and cafes I'll visit in the future.
I used to be obsessed with categorizing everything into separate notebooks - and while there's still a bit of that going on with my planned setup, I'm glad I have finally managed to downsize my everyday carry to just one journal. I've accepted that analogue systems are very much like ourselves in that they're designed to adapt to life's circumstances. I think a simple and straightforward setup between the MD Diary and the Traveler's Notebook will suit my lifestyle well next year, even though my work and personal lives will blend into each one a bit more than what I'm used to. At the end of the day, it's all about finding a system that works for you.