September 21, 2026
New here? The Stationery Pulse is a short weekly letter for people who still think on paper. Every Monday I round up what's worth reading in the analog world: pens, notebooks, planners, and the people using them well, then close with whatever's new from Planning Engineered. The full gear catalog lives on the Shelf, linked at the bottom. One letter, once a week. That's it.
The planning system itself has stayed very consistent, even though I did stop using the Sterling Ink planners. I've started to take a look at my whole system and make sure everything fits in its place. I'm taking this opportunity to look at my notebooks, look at my setup, and understand if this is the planner lineup, the journal lineup, and the analog system that I want to carry for the second half of 2026. A little bit of reflection each day, and then a deeper look at how I'm feeling and how I'm doing at the end of the week, used to be scattered in different notebooks. That is the question behind this week's links: what deserves a place in the system, and what does not?
What's new in analog
Sunday Reading for September 20, 2026 (The We-Have-a-New-Storefront Edition!) (Gentleman Stationer): This weekly roundup introduces the new online storefront alongside a San Francisco Pen Show recap, an interview with Carolina Pen Company’s Jonathon Brooks, pen rotation ideas, larger Galen Leather cases, and planner coverage. Open it for a broad, opinionated set of stationery links worth exploring.
The New Look Gentleman Stationer Storefront Is Now Live! (Gentleman Stationer): The T.G.S. store has moved from Squarespace Commerce to Shopify, while the main blog remains on Squarespace and existing orders continue through the old platform. Read it to understand the account, order-history, and fulfillment details behind the transition.
The 1 step process to finally be consistent. (Rachelle in Theory): Consistency comes down to one habit for using your system, even if you currently have only a scattered mix of calendars, notebooks, and neglected task managers. Watch for a simpler answer to the gap between planning a life and actually showing up for it.
This Notebook Helps Me Feel Things (Gare the Bear): A notebook becomes a place to process complicated emotions, prompted here by David Whyte’s description of anger as a deep form of care. The personal look at why pain produced tears in childhood but anger in adulthood gives you a sharp question to take to your own pages.
A Day In My Journals | Hobonichi Cousin & Weeks (The Coffee Monsterzco): Across one day, the creator fills the daily and weekly sections of a Hobonichi Cousin and the weekly section of a Hobonichi Weeks. It is useful for seeing why the Cousin daily pages matter more to her and how her weekly pages split roughly 65 percent function and 35 percent decoration. Shop (affiliate): Hobonichi Techo, Hobonichi Cousin.
Favorite Specialty Nibs That Don't Require a Nib Grind or Modification (Gentleman Stationer): Stock specialty nibs offer a reversible way to test formats such as stubs and architects before permanently modifying a favorite pen. Start here if you need more than a few sample lines to judge a nib, including TWSBI’s smooth, well-flowing 1.1 mm stub.
Planner Review: Owl Paper Co. 2026 B6 Dated Bullet Journal (80gsm Delphina Paper) (Well-Appointed Desk): Owl Paper Co.’s six-month B6 planner uses 80 gsm Delphina paper, which the reviewer has not found in another planner or journal. Open the review for concrete layout details, from its month and tracker spreads to 27 vertical weekly spreads and 247 blank grid pages.
I Made a Notebook for my Paper Republic Grand Voyager Pocket (AlexanderWrites): Dissatisfied with the included Grand Voyageur Pocket insert, Alexander makes his own from a Clairefontaine plain letter pad. Watch to see the process and learn how approachable a homemade replacement can be using paper you already have. Shop (affiliate): Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket).
Gratitude Journaling Doesn't Work... but this does | Encouragement Journaling (Steven Foster): Gratitude journaling can feel shallow and disconnected from the narrative arc of life, so Steven Foster proposes encouragement journaling instead. The video is for anyone tired of repeatedly listing coffee or a spouse without feeling that the exercise is powerful or helpful.
The Best Planners for 2027 (JetPens): JetPens compares dated, undated, and long-term planners for people struggling to match a planner to the way they work. Read the guide to narrow a crowded field by planning style.
The Best Highlighter Pens (JetPens): This guide explains how to choose a highlighter and recommends pens for specific uses. Open it when you want to mark important information in your notes with a tool suited to the job.
Links marked (affiliate) support Planning Engineered at no extra cost to you.
From this week's video
From the channel
New on the blog: - Best Field Notes Alternatives for Fountain Pen Users
That's it for this week. See you back here next Monday.
The Shelf is the full catalog: 123 products across 19 categories, from pens and inks to notebooks, covers and planners.
Want the short version? The Planning Engineered resources page is the start-here list.
Luis.
Every field note starts with a good cup.
Colombian coffee from my family's farms in Caldas, roasted fresh and shipped within a week.
