Revisiting what sparks joy
Plus techo kaigi
I had a great conversation with an old friend recently about revisiting things that used to spark joy. We talked about wearing colors that we had rejected in high school as “too girly”, and reading books we actually enjoy. And, unsurprisingly, we talked about stationery.
As I’ve written before, I stepped away from my stationery Instagram last year because it no longer sparked joy. Since then, I have purchased very little new stationery, and only when needed. I am no longer curating a collection for public display; but rather acquiring tools to help me live a happier, more balanced life. Which brings me to the planners I’ll be using in 2026, and how they fit into the life I am trying to build. A life with room to revisit things that sparked joy.
Personal planner ($-$$) - I keep a personal planner because I like planning, writing, and doodling (but I can’t relax if I have work tasks staring me in the face). This year I’m using an A6-size Sterling Ink Common Planner. Sure, the inside looks like any planner you could buy at the dollar store - but it’s made with high-quality paper so I can write with nice fountain pens, and it has gilded edges! I mostly write social events, holidays, and grocery lists in there.
Work planner ($$) - While my job is “teaching”, I currently spend most of my time doing some form of project management. Having tried many digital options and hated all of them (partly because of dumb work security restrictions), I caved and built a custom planner using Agendio. I am currently on version 2.0 of my custom work planner, and it rocks! It actually (mostly) anticipates my needs (good job, past me) and all unneeded bullshit is gone. It’s a relatively small number of pages printed on 8.5x11” paper and stuck in a 3-ring binder, so it’s eco-friendly too! I am looking forward to designing v.3 next semester.
Notebook ($) - I also keep an A6-size notebook with my personal planner. The notebook is a catch-all for everything else that isn’t an event or task, such as a cool song I heard, a book recommendation, something I learned from a Youtube video, some crazy shit I heard on the street, a favor that I promised my mom that I really, really shouldn’t forget… anything really, and I tag it with a little symbol, like [ $ ] for finances or [ ♡ ] for family.
Some people call this a catch-all or a junk notebook. I think of it as a common-place book. Usually, common-place books are nicely curated collections of something (like quotes or verses), but I consider this to be my collection of ideas and observations, and the only curation I need is the impulse to write it down. Like an outlet for chaos.
This is overkill for some of you, I’m sure. But it makes me happy. And considering everything else going on in the world, that’s something.
Until I feel like writing again, take care of yourself and your people. In the meantime, message me on atabook (return to monke old school internet).
