Which Planner Is Best For You 📓 4 Notebooks To Consider For 2025

[@sanan4144]

Great video! A little con for me with the Hobonichi Day Free is the amount of free pages, 170 pages only. I'll be using Sterling Ink this year, 365 pages!

[@markyourpages]

Oh wow! I’ll have to check them out.

[@Penelope222]

I discovered Sterling Ink Common Planners this year after falling in love with the layout of Hobonichi Weeks, but not the extra bits on the page. I’m still experimenting with the pens I can use (I can handle a certain level of shadowing/ghosting, but not too much), but I’m feeling really happy with the ability to have my monthlies and weeklies together, and then a ton of pages to journal, use more bullet journal-esque layouts, store collections/commonplace style lists, etc.

[@markyourpages]

I’ve heard such good things about the common place planners. I’ll have to keep my eye out for one.

[@Penelope222]

@ i honestly thought the shadowing would be a dealbreaker, but with the right pen it’s working for me!

[@annae2375]

I just got the Nolty Ecri Weekly graph planner for 2025. I love the Bullet Journal Method but having to set up every spread was starting to get time-consuming for me as I get busier with work and I'm hoping this planner strikes a balance between a traditional planner and bullet journaling.

[@markyourpages]

I haven’t heard of that one. I’ll have to check it out.

[@mollymollie6048]

I was one and done with Hobonichi Cousin for this year. Too much busyness, the color red Sundays, and quotes were visually distracting and not something I liked. While I also love my A&O and Rhodia notebooks, I like having a more structured planner. There are a lot of small businesses that have started up using TRP and a similar organization style, but most without all the fluff, bright print, quotes, etc, etc. I went with Sterling Ink, liking that it’s a small woman owned business with high quality. I absolutely love the minimalist aesthetic, elegant print…and all those empty undated pages after the quarterly, monthly and weekly organization. She also offers them in a large variety of sizes which is a nice feature! Additionally, every page is numbered!!! Also, beware that Hobonichi switched paper (quietly) from 52gsm TRP-S to 47gsm TRP-S. They have also had a problem with “bad batches” mainly in the 5 year journals (horrible bleeding, feathering…unusable, basically) but also in some Cousins. As a large company, they didn’t respond for nearly a month, and their response was essentially blaming the customer, imo, but giving a form to fill out and send to them and “each will be decided on an individual basis.” When you’ve spent $60-100 for a limited time planner (and the 5 year being sort of an heirloom to pass down) that’s pretty poor business practice. I will also check out the other TRP paper planner you suggested. (Like you, I started with Bullet Journaling when my friend forwarded me a link to the website…went out, found a Leuchsterm 1917, and loved the method. I needed out of the structure of my paper planner and something that went along with the digital planner used by everyone (no choice) at work. I loved it! (Not the paper…I just don’t like that paper.) I do love that beautiful cover this year with the stars, and like that they’ve included some stickers to help people who feel overwhelmed filling everything out themselves. (P.S., I wish A&O had page numbers in all the notebooks, too! If someone doesn’t like it, it’s easy to cover with a white gel pen or similar on a page where it interferes with something. Midori also makes beautiful 1 day page a year and the Hibino 2 pages a day per year books, as well as a variety of minimalist planners in different sizes with a variety of structure levels and different paper types. (Actually, the number of cool notebooks/planners out there is a little overwhelming!! I think it’s good to try different things…if you don’t like something, repurpose it into something else! My Cousin is going with me to a bookbinding class where they are working toward people repurposing things (like old unused planners) into something else that’s usable and won’t feel like you’ve wasted something. (I recommend donating unused/lightly used old notebooks/planners to shelters, nursing homes, hospitals, schools and other places where they can be put to use and people can enjoy having fun with them, or having something very helpful for them as they work toward a better life.)

[@tiredofit4761]

I too have gone with Sterling Ink for 2025. I love having all the additional writing space.

[@GeeBeeRrrr]

I'll recommend Wonderland 222 - also a small, woman-owned business. Their planner and notebooks are great.

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for your thoughts on the topic! I’ve heard a lot about some of the small companies you mentioned here. I’ll have to spend some time on them in the future to see if they’d work for me.

[@mollymollie6048]

@ I think you’d like the clean, minimalist aesthetic of Sterling Ink planners. Most of them come in gender neutral colors and would look perfect in a professional setting. Also, the layout gives you a lot of freedom for daily pages with some structure built in for yearly/monthly/weekly - kind of a hybrid from a Bullet Journal to a fully organized planner. It appealed to me because I have used both…sort of the best of both worlds, with really nice paper (yes, it took me a while to like the TRP…but I like it as well as the 160 GSM A&O style for different reasons and different things.)

[@AdyGrafovna]

I have a Hobonichi Cousin this year and I have actually loved the structure and quality. The biggest thing for me was that I needed to get a cover for it to be carried around in my bag easily without being damaged. I use stickers in my planner and usually cover up the red Sunday and quotes with my own stickers. I am planning to move into a different planner in 2025, but not because I disliked the Hobonichi. I was the Full Focus planner in 2025 because I really need to focus on some goals in 2025 and I think the guided pages there will help me achieve what I need to.

[@nekomiao]

Awwww that owl paper planner looked perfect but too smaaaaalll....A5 definitely required for the amount I like to write.

[@teaforthesoul]

I'm loving my TAN, planner wise, still experimenting with notebooks!

[@markyourpages]

Sweet! Thanks for sharing

[@kerimcaffee6411]

2nd year in a Weeks, I like the size, don’t mind the ghosting. Happy there are so many options of notebooks overall (not just Hobonichi) so we can choose our best fit. May try the owl planner for work. Thanks for the review!

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for your vote for the weeks. I’ve always heard good things.

[@annettefertitta6868]

I love TRP but not Hobonichi- l prefer the to find my own quotes and love a vertical spread - love Sterling Ink, preferring the white paper and I detest the red/pink weekends - I love to use different layouts and find the vertical much more versatile. I also love A&O, particularly for memory keeping and other things - absolutely adore the newer covers - waiting for your design as we speak! I went on the A & O website today about an hour after the launch started and they were already out of northern lights washi and the storybook snowflake washi. I was at a professional conference today - I was crushed - clearly they didn’t order enough - really hope they restock. I also love some of the other brands like Twines & paper and Just scribble

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for all your feedback and also for the support of the notebooks :-) sorry to hear about the washi. I was a few hrs late as well but luckily the advent box and some accessories were still available

[@michellerussell3494]

I spent several years using A&O journals and loved them, but got to the point where I found a layout I loved and reproducing it every month/week became tiring and time consuming. I still loved the creativity of decorating and the practicality of using my spreads, I just didn’t want to draw them out every time. Tomoe River paper intrigued me and I had started using fountain pens at the start of 2024, so I ended up purchasing a Sterling Ink Common Planner. I absolutely love it!! The ghosting does not bother me like I was afraid it might, in fact I strangely enjoy it. And SI is also a woman run small business that I am happy to support. Catherine has put out so many size and layout choices for 2025 it was hard to choose! 😅

[@markyourpages]

I’ve heard so many good things about Sterling.

[@runecleric]

Hadn't looked into the Night Owl Planner before. They look really nice, but I tend to do a bit of everything (planning/scheduling, memory keeping, journaling) so I really can't make use of anything smaller than an A5.

[@markyourpages]

Makes sense. I found it to be workable, especially going from a B5 partnership and with it. but you know what you need. They are great notebooks though. I know she's been thinking about going a big bigger

[@PlanYourOneLife]

I'll have to check out Owl Journals. I don't mind ghosting, but I don't like bleed through.

[@jn9850]

I make something similar to the Night Owl for my self, using dotted, blank and lined paper with card stock dividers and pockets front and back. I love making custom planners/appointment books.

[@markyourpages]

This sounds so cool. How do you bind them?

[@jn9850]

Depends on where I get the paper, usually some kind of coil because it's what I prefer. But glue in and sewn are fun, just not my personal preference.

[@l.j.charles2504]

Nice review Mark. I’m an A&O woman because I need the 160gm paper…probably too much. Just decimated my budget on the winter collection including the Advent box. And I have 2 of your collaboration. Love them.

[@cvvzdesigns]

Ditto. 🥲 Half of my black Friday money went to this order, and there's still 2 weeks and 4 sites I'm watching!

[@markyourpages]

Awww yay!!! Thanks for your support. And my winter stuff is arriving today! Can’t wait to dig into this adventure box.

[@cvvzdesigns]

@@markyourpages Some people have had their box a week already and there's no sneak videos. I've seen the photo's in Jess's discord, but it doesn't have the same feel as someone holding them in hand and giving demo's if needed. I see so many people talking about not digging the box, but I'm one of the folks that is glad they ordered it, and even more so because I had a 25% off discount code (Thank you Honey browser app!) that dropped it below $100. 😳

[@markyourpages]

@ well hopfully I can be a first. Filming my unboxing today.

[@NTKendallDiaz]

15:02 @Mark did I spy that we share the same birthday in February? 😮 Love your videos as you solidified my Tom's Studio pen purchases as well. Thank you for your detailed analysis and for keeping paper planning alive ❤.

[@markyourpages]

No way! I love sharing birthdays :-) so glad you are a fan of Tom’s. They have quickly become a favorite

[@edwinboatswain7426]

That was useful. I've been wondering what those Hobonichis were all about but hadn't had a good peek inside.

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for checking out the video

[@doubledutch4721]

I have used and loved the Jibun techo it’s similar to the Hobonichi design but cheaper - the paper is gorgeous

[@markyourpages]

Oh good to know!!! I’ve heard of them before. I’ll keep my eye out.

[@cc_likesknives]

I kind of wish the Night Owl Planner was undated.....like still have the spreads printed on the pages....but undated so I can start in random parts of the year.

[@markyourpages]

I’ll pass on the feedback. It would be a cool idea.

[@KitSixx]

I love that there was just like a -f that pocket- moment when it wouldnt come up in the A&O xD

[@markyourpages]

Hahahahah.

[@aleksandarp3388]

I could lose hours flipping the journal with the fox animation 😊

[@markyourpages]

It's a fun little features, I will give it that

[@LeoTheShortGuy]

I like them all!!!

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for watching.

[@bellemeri8155]

As much as I like A&O, I now prefer Notebook Therapy as a working journal. I think A&O is becoming overpriced because the last two journals I received from them weren't the same quality as the earlier ones I purchased. They both started coming apart at the spine where the pages join the covers. Some have had crooked pages or misaligned dots. It's frustrating that the price went up and the quality went way down.

[@markyourpages]

Oh wow. I’ve had 1 notebook fall a part but none other than that one. Crazy you had so much issue.

[@bellemeri8155]

@@markyourpages Worse still, it happened over two different collections several months apart. After it happened, I pretty much gave up on them.

[@markyourpages]

@ damn.

[@handymanny7936]

My ultimate notebook would be a A4 with Hobonichi paper in dotted. 🤤

[@markyourpages]

Ooooooo

[@hollycantleberry4039]

Wait, you can’t get that AO TN cover can you?! I’ve looked before and never found it on their website but I’m obsessed with it every time I see it in your videos!

[@markyourpages]

Maybe on a resell page, but this one came as apart of another box I think

[@truthIess]

what was the little glass ball thing you used to swatch the ink?

[@markyourpages]

@@truthIess oh, that’s an ink muddler.

[@truthIess]

@@markyourpages you are an absolute legend, tysm!

[@unicorn-in-the-library1508]

thank you for assuring me in my resolution to go with a&o for 2026 😂 i've been buying my bujos from a local brand so far, to support small businesses and all but their designs are getting annoyingly bland and i was already looking for something better. out of these only a&o sounds usable to me, ngl. the ghosting is unacceptable and i use a modified key so the bullet journal notebook coming with a pre-printed one is just meh

[@markyourpages]

Glad to know you feel good with your journal choice! When they work they just work.

[@Pym1975]

Hey Mark great video just one issue Tomoe River Paper is pronounced toe-moe-way river paper not tom-moe

[@markyourpages]

Good to know. I’ve always pronounce it this way and hadn’t heard other say it differently. I’ll be sure to try and get the right pronunciation for the future.

[@Pym1975]

Mark in a previous video and in the most recent Planner Pals video with Jashii you mentioned die cuts where did you get your die cut machine and plates

[@Pym1975]

@ I used to pronounce it the same way until my Japanese friend who lives in Japan corrected me he said a lot of people get it wrong

[@DaniDacey]

I wish A&O made books with a lower GSM. I love their covers, but I'll never buy their products due to the paper weight. The thick paper also means their notebooks have fewer pages; $40 for a notebook with less than 200 pages is just a no-go for me. I'm a big Hobonichi fan. I like ghosting because it makes my notebooks feel used and worn in. Like mine. I've never tried the Day Free but I've always been tempted. They have removed the flip book character, by the way!

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for checking out the video. I thought about it afterwards that the page count is a con - with that gsm. And good to know about the little character. 🦊

[@cvvzdesigns]

And there we saw on the square why A&O has moved away from linen covers. 😆 Edit: We were talking about the dirt over in Jess's discord just yesterday, which is why it immediately caught my eye.

[@markyourpages]

Oh yes!!! Jess and actually talk about it on the next podcast. They got so gross on the edges.

[@user-fc3ul2ye2m]

I already have the Hobo cousin for 2025 but I am tired of the quotes taking my space so in 2026 I am getting another journal.

[@markyourpages]

Thanks for checking out the video

[@susiekidd9183]

I’ve tried so many notebooks & planners & keep going back to basic BuJo. But, I’ve been struggling with quality control on Leuchtturm, mostly related to ink (the ink can be so light you can hardly see it). I’ve reached out to them & they admit there’s an issue but have an “it is what it is” response. I have a little more luck with sticking to the A5 size, branded & 120 weight paper, but even with those I will sometimes get a notebook with poor ink quality; I can even see rather extreme variation within one single notebook, lighter & darker dots. Frustrating!

[@markyourpages]

Yes, and it is so hard when those changes get made and there is no communication. It makes a big difference and in many cases we buy their notebooks for that reason. It's rare (a few brands only) that I am like, i need this LT1917 for its cover. Let me know when you change your paper.

[@robeoteu]

I'm an OG moleskine user and would be interested on your thought of them.

[@markyourpages]

It’s been a number of years since I’ve used one. When I did they were good all around notebooks. I don’t think they really have anything that is “new” or overly exciting. Just good notebooks that people can trust - which is a feature on its own.

[@nt0020]

Just want notebooks that don't bleed or ghost with my fountain pens, markers or just plain pens

[@markyourpages]

Same.