Why you need to review your notebook system (techo kaigi)

Is your analog system still serving you? Or is it time for an upgrade?

While vegetables sometimes wilt in my fridge and lip glosses separate before I can finish them, notebooks never go to waste in my life. I started my first journal when I was 10 and have since always had a notebook in progress. My journaling habit and purpose has changed a lot over the years but to this day, you’ll never catch me without one. Currently I write a personal journal every day but also have a smorgasbord of different notebooks for different reasons.

Since acquiring my first Paper Republic notebook¹ over a year ago, my system has evolved through several iterations. I love reviewing my system and finding optimization opportunities—whether for efficiency, creativity, or simplicity. Fall always inspires me to reset, so I decided to conduct a techo kaigi to welcome the new season.

What is a techo kaigi

Techo kaigi (手帳会議) is a Japanese term that translates to "notebook/planner meeting." It's a dedicated time you spend reflecting on your notebook system and considering potential changes.

While many people conduct this ritual near year's end when purchasing new planners, I’m a firm believer that you should do it whenever you feel the need. Your systems should serve you! There's no value in maintaining analog or digital systems you don't actually use.

If you're conducting your first techo kaigi, here are some prompts I use to determine what to keep and what to change:

1. What notebooks am I currently using, and for what? (make a list)

2. which parts of my system feels overwhelming or redundant?

3. Which parts of my system feel energizing, helpful, or enjoyable?

4. Am I actually using each notebook consistently? If not, why?

5. Could any of the notebooks be combined? Could any of them be split up for better organization?

6. Where does digital fit in? Is there anything I want to move from analog to digital (or the other way around)?

7. Where do most of my important notes or ideas end up getting lost?

8. Do I have a system that helps me capture what matters most right now?

My current analog system

I recently created a video discussing my journaling ecosystem, so I've already been reflecting on how my current system functions. My notebooks generally fall into three main categories: personal, business, and action. Though I no longer organize them this way within my Paper Republic (PR) covers, these categories remain conceptually useful.

For clarity, I'll review my system based on the way they’re currently organized in my PR covers. Taking a page from my tech career (pun intended), I’ll use the “Start, Stop, Continue” framework to figure out whether any changes are needed.

My daily driver and my junk journal

My red A5 portfolio is one that I use daily. It contains my Kinship notebook, my business journal, and my personal journal. I knew I wanted to use one of my portfolio covers for notebooks that I write in every day because the extra inner pockets allow me to carry sticky notes, tags, stickers, and anything else I may need for organization.

Start: Recording learnings in business notebook as well. Currently it just acts like a week to week summary of what’s going on.

Stop: No notes for now. This seems to be working pretty well.

Continue: Trying out having these 3 notebooks together to see if I like it better than carrying personal and business notebooks separately.

I only started junk journaling this year after feeling like I needed a physical creativity outlet that wasn’t going to take up too much space. I used to scrap book in high school so this felt like an easy transition.

Start: Collecting physical ephemera when I’m out and about

Stop: Worrying about aesthetics over collection

Continue: Trying it out in it’s own cover. May move this back with personal journal at some point

The size difference! Here’s the A4 Grand Voyageur in Chestnut and the XL Grand Voyageur in Natural

My learning and ideating journals

In my PR Grand Voyageur XL, I keep most of the notebooks I use for recording and learning. Currently I have a reading journal, an Italian journal, and my commonplace notebook. As much as I’d love to say that I use these everyday, they typically sit on my bedside for when I read. I use the PR refills for reading and Italian, and then a thicker Leuchtturm A5 dotted notebook for my commonplace.

Start: Utilize my language journal more and adding reading lists and recommendations to the end of my reading journal.

Stop: Starting new notebooks for every topic I’m learning. I used to do this more but I’ve narrowed it down to these 3. I may even narrow it down more once I wrap these up to avoid having too many notebooks. I may also move my commonplace notebook to an A6/pocket size so I can carry it around with me.

Continue: No notes

In my A4 Grand Voyageur, I have a PR refill as my big ideas notebook and a PR Book refill as my business learnings notebook. I’m mainly using the big ideas notebook to draw mind maps and diagrams while the business learnings notebook is for taking notes on courses and other materials I consume for work.

Start: Using the big ideas notebook for more than just diagrams. Build the ideas out further.

Stop: Worrying about “wasting the pages” (I sometimes feel like this when I get a new notebook)

Continue: No notes

My action journal

My “action” journal is the notebook that goes everywhere with me. She’s an PR portfolio in the A6 size, also in chestnut. This cover has definitely seen the most change: when I first started using it I had 5 different notebooks in it. I’m currently using 3 and I think it’s more than enough.

The first two notebooks are PR book refills. I use one as my planner/weekly to-do list although I think once I’m finished with this one I’m going to switch to the cheaper pocket Muji notebooks since I usually recycle these types of notebooks anyways. Then I have a writing notebook. I’ve been loving Jeys Journals tiktoks on writing a column about your life so I started this one to always have a writing outlet with me. I’ve been wanting to practice writing prose and more narrative-style pieces so this is the perfect place for me to do it.

The last notebook is a blank pocket notebook from Moleskine. This is what I used to use as a pocket notebook before I got my PR covers so I kept the habit even after I got the covers. I like that there are more pages in these notebooks while still maintaining a compact size. This is where I jot down video ideas, writing ideas, or really just any ideas that come to mind when I’m out and about.

Start: Replace to-do notebooks with a cheaper option

Stop: Writing random notes in the ideas notebook—they get lost and it’s not what it’s for

Continue: Practicing my writing!

The one notebook trial method

My notebook system evolved gradually to its current state. When exploring a new note-taking method or starting a new journal type, I use a “one notebook trial” approach—committing to completing a single notebook for that purpose before deciding whether to continue. In the past, I struggled with abandoning notebooks midway when I lost interest in their format or topic. That being said, this trial method definitely works best with smaller notebooks. My favorite ones are the Paper Republic refills because their limited page count makes completion feel achievable rather than daunting. Once I’ve filled a notebook, I can confidently decide whether to keep using that format, abandon it, or try something different.

An example of a notebook trial I’m currently testing is a “columns” notebook within my pocket sized Paper Republic. I was inspired by Lina’s columns about her own life and how she carries a pocket writing notebook with her everywhere she goes. Historically, I’ve always kept my writing notebooks in an A5 size but it meant that I was less-inclined to always have them on hand. The goal of this trial is to see if I will write more if I have a dedicated notebook with me. I’m really hoping this one sticks!

1. I love Paper Republic so much I’ve since gotten a discount code from them! You can use ‘AngelPR30” for 30% any of their bundles.