Last year I didn’t stick to any specific notebook system and my organization (not to mention my personal well-being) suffered for it. I had thought that by moving from three dated Hobonichi planners to a more flexible undated system, I’d have more versatility, but as it turns out I do need more structure for the business side of things. Accordingly, I’ve added back one dated planner. The rest of my rotation will look similar to those who have followed me in the past, with a ring binder and a standard personal journal as my other primary daily drivers. I continue to use some e-readers for “junk paper replacement,” and a variety of single-purpose notebooks that will rotate in and out of use throughout the year.
My Wonderland222 currently lives in this gorgeous leather A5 cover sent to me by British Belt Company. When I travel, I will likely consolidate with other notebooks and notepads in an A5 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter.
Business Planner: Wonderland222 A5 Core (S) (“Stacked”)
I’ve already done a separate YouTube video on why I chose this particular planner, but to briefly recap, I needed more structure to track the T.G.S. business, including all the various moving parts surrounding website content, ordering product for the shop, general administration, travel, and more. I have so many different things going on right now that I need to be much more disciplined with my time, making the Wonderland222’s vertical weekly layout perfect for my method of time blocking. (“Stacked” refers to stacked weekends, meaning that Saturday and Sunday are a single column since I don’t fully plan-out either day.) This planner also contains annual and quarterly layouts, a Gantt chart/habit-tracking layout, monthly recap pages, and even 80+ blank pages at the back which can be used for more detailed daily planning if the need arises. I view the Wonderland222 A5 Core as offering most of the functionality of the A5 Hobonichi Cousin in a format that’s far less bulky.
The black exterior with burgundy interior didn’t hurt either.
General Looseleaf Notebook: SPAD by Brelio A5 6-Ring Binder
I’ve usually kept some form of ring or disc binder as a working notebook, since much of my notetaking and writing lives on looseleaf sheets, and I like to be able to move notes around and organize them. I would have run it back for another year with my A5 Plotter, but when Lisa Vanness brought the Brelio brand back from Japan, I immediately gravitated towards this slightly more robust leather planner with - dare I say it - a more polished finish and larger rings. The integrated pen loop and four pockets sealed it, since it allows me to carry paper, index cards, and other accessories. Alongside my Wonderland222 Planner, I’ve used this notebook daily since mid-December.
I love a clean, versatile dot grid format. The Mnemosyne has margin guides so you can lay it out as a planner or bullet journal if you so desire.
Personal Journal: Mnemosyne Hardcover Journal
My biggest regret from 2025 was the lapse in my journaling habit. I wrote far less in this A5 Mnemosyne journal than I would have liked, so it will stay in rotation and get finished. Because my personal journal contains things like stream-of-consciousness writing, random rants, and lists in addition to drafts and other longer musings, I like this journal to be more of a “commodity notebook” - something I’m not afraid to scuff up and get dirty. Once I finish this Mnemosyne I have a couple of Leuchtturm1917 notebooks lined up to take its place.
Electronic Notebook: Remarkable2 E-Ink Tablet
For the past few years I’ve used a Remarkable2 to store larger pdfs and research source material for both personal/TGS projects as well as my legal practice. While I always prefer reading and writing on physical paper, the Remarkable2 gets “remarkably” close to the tactile feel of analogue while still offering the convenience of not lugging around a 300-page three-ringed binder when you’re doing an up-and-back-same-day business trip with four connections. Similarly, since I enjoy reading doorstop biographies and history books, I have a Kindle Scribe that I use for travel. I’ve also experimented with using both the Remarkable2 and Scribe for notetaking and journaling on airplanes, after a couple of semi-traumatic experiences of having physical pens roll off the tray table mid-flight or otherwise losing them in an airplane seat.
Experimentation/Pen Show Notebook: Roterfaden TGS_25 A5-Slim
I’ve always kept a “scratch notebook” that I use to test pens and inks, draft posts, and otherwise just experiment and have fun. I usually take this notebook with me on vacations and to pen shows, and there’s no real set purpose. If I have a writing project that I want to do but doesn’t “fit” anywhere else, it probably goes in this notebook. Similarly, if someone offers to let me test a pen or ink, or asks me to demonstrate something for them at a show or meetup, I’ll pull out this notebook. Since early Summer I’ve been using our own Roterfaden TGS_25 cover, in the portable A5 Slim format.
My system may not be the most efficient, but hey, I’ve got shelf space for all those notebooks.
Other Notebooks
I keep a variety of single-purpose notebooks for specific projects that I don’t engage with on a daily basis. Most of these don’t travel with me, live at my desk or on my bookshelf, and play very specific roles in my workflow. I have a few Plotters, two of which are used to organize ink swatches and paper samples, and another that I am using to organize research and ideas on a longer-form writing project. I use a William Hannah A5 as a paper tasting and paper sample reference journal. I have various Filofax notebooks that I use as archives and to organize research on topics of interest that I have followed for years. I tend to print a lot of online articles and read/annotate them in physical form, hence the large archive.
Tune in Next Week to “On the Paper Trail…”
Lisa Vanness and I are collaborating on a YouTube and Podcast project titled “On the Paper Trail…”, the first episode of which is slated for release sometime next week (or sooner). We’ll be discussing our respective 2026 Notebook Setups in more detail, as well as providing a general introduction to the project and answering reader/listener questions. You can subscribe to the YouTube Channel, and we will also be setting up an RSS Feed for those who wish to listen in a podcast app.
The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can always come talk pens in person at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee, open from 1-6pm Thursdays and Fridays and from 10am-6pm Saturdays.
