Techo Kaigi 2026: What I Cut From My Planner Lineup

Here is the short version of my mid-year review: I cut the Sterling Ink Common Planner and moved the LOCHBY Mini Field Journal and LOCHBY Voyager off core duty.

The MeePlus SlimPad, a ring-bound personal-size planner I got about a month or two before this review, now runs my monthly, weekly, work notes, and long-term lists.

The rest of my lineup stayed exactly where it was: the Traveler's Notebook in regular size and my Field Notes catch-all in a Paper Republic pocket cover.

Watch the full video for a closer look at each notebook.

What a techo kaigi actually is

Techo kaigi translates roughly to "planner meeting," often a meeting with yourself. In the Japanese planning community, it usually happens at the end of the year or the start of a new one, when people set up their notebook lineup for the next twelve months.

Many planners now do a mid-year version too, and that is what this is. A techo kaigi does not mean throwing everything overboard. It means looking at the setup you already have and asking whether each piece still does the job you picked it for.

One question decides whether a tool stays: does it serve the purpose I need right now? If it does not, it gets cut, no matter how good the product is on its own.

By that test, two parts of my setup had stopped earning their place: the Sterling Ink planners and my two LOCHBY covers.

What stayed: the core three

Traveler's Notebook (regular size) is my long-form journal, and it has been in my lineup since before this channel started. I keep it chronological on purpose, moving page to page with no jumping around, because journaling is the one place I want that rigidity.

I also keep a Traveler's Company sticker release paper insert in it for stickers, plus a few index cards with journaling and review prompts for when I hit a mental block.

Field Notes, in a Paper Republic Grand Voyageur pocket cover, is my catch-all. I run two notebooks in the same cover. The first is a daily log I have started calling my captain's log: timestamped notes on tasks, events, and even workouts, written plainly with one pen in one color.

The second is a longer-term collection notebook for things like devotions, home maintenance notes, and a to-be-read list at the front. I like the green patina on the Paper Republic cover, and it's small enough to live in a pocket or slide into any sling.

MeePlus SlimPad (personal size) is the real change this year, and it now runs most of my planning. MeePlus sent it to me for free, and all opinions here are my own.

I started out just testing whether it would fit my system. My biggest complaint with bound planners was never being able to move pages around or size a spread to the project instead of a fixed page count, and the MeePlus solved that directly.

I'm running my monthly, weekly, work notes, and long-term lists in it, and I've started designing my own inserts and folding layouts, currently a tri-fold that gives me more surface without losing the compact size.

What got cut, and why

None of this is a knock on Sterling Ink or LOCHBY as products. I still think the Sterling Ink planners are well made, and I probably could have kept the monthly.

The weekly is what pushed the cut, because its layout stopped feeling fresh. The MeePlus lets me print custom weekly inserts, so I can redesign every week: a tri-fold one week, a bi-fold the next. That flexibility keeps me motivated to plan the next week, which is the part that matters.

The LOCHBY covers are going in a drawer for other uses, not the trash, but they no longer carry my core system.

Where the pens fit in

I wanted to write with fountain pens more this year, which is why the Pilot Vanishing Point earns a spot. It has no cap at all. One click exposes the nib, which matters when you are only writing a couple of words at a time.

The pens I carry in my LOCHBY Quattro have also changed quite a bit since I first showed it about six months ago. I was also sent two new Conklin fountain pens, which I now keep clipped to my Traveler's Notebook. I am saving them for a full review once I have more mileage on them.

MeePlus SlimPad vs. Traveler's Notebook: the real tradeoff

The real tension in this lineup is flexibility against rigidity. The MeePlus lets you resize a project on the fly and reorder pages, while a bound Traveler's Notebook locks you into the order you wrote in.

I used to think I needed one system to do both jobs. I don't anymore. The Traveler's Notebook stays chronological because journaling benefits from that discipline, and the MeePlus stays flexible because planning and project notes need room to change.

Best for daily journaling and reflection: Traveler's Notebook regular size, bound and chronological on purpose.

Best for planning, tasks, and project notes: MeePlus SlimPad, ring-bound so pages move and resize with the work.

Best for a pocket catch-all: Field Notes in a Paper Republic pocket cover, small enough to carry everywhere.

Also consider: a Sterling Ink Common Planner monthly if you want a fixed, no-fuss monthly grid and don't need to redesign your week.

The lineup for the second half of 2026

For the back half of the year, my lineup is three notebooks:

• Field Notes in the Paper Republic pocket cover for my daily catch-all and longer-term collections.
• The MeePlus SlimPad in personal size for my monthly, weekly, work notes, and lists.
• The Traveler's Notebook in regular size for long-form journaling.

I am hoping this lineup holds into 2027. After going through phases of carrying too many notebooks, three feels like the right number.

If you're doing your own mid-year check, ask the same question I did: is this tool actually serving the purpose I picked it for right now? If the answer is no, it does not matter how well made it is.

The MeePlus SlimPad is the one addition I'd point people to first if the rigidity of a bound planner has been bothering you the way it bothered me.

The gear worth a look

• Hobonichi Techo (Original / Cousin / Weeks): Not part of my lineup. Techo kaigi is a general planning-community term and does not refer to the Hobonichi brand.
• Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket): The pocket cover that holds my Field Notes catch-all and collection notebook. I chose it for the patina and because everything carries in one clean package.
• Field Notes: The notebooks inside the Paper Republic cover, one used as a daily captain's log and one as a longer-term collection notebook.
• MeePlus SlimPad: My biggest change of the year. This ring-bound personal-size planner now runs my monthly, weekly, work notes, and lists, thanks to movable pages and custom inserts.
• Sterling Ink Common Planner: Cut from my core rotation this year. The monthly held up, but the weekly layout stopped feeling fresh.
• Index Cards (3x5, Ruled): I keep a few in my Traveler's Notebook with journaling and review prompts for when I hit a mental block.
• Two Conklin fountain pens: The two pens I keep clipped to my Traveler's Notebook. Both are new to my rotation, and I am holding them for a dedicated review once I have more mileage on them.
• LOCHBY Quattro: Still my fountain pen case, though the pens inside have changed noticeably since I first showed it six months ago.
• Pilot Vanishing Point: The capless fountain pen I carry daily, because a single click gets it writing without unscrewing a cap.
• LOCHBY Mini Field Journal: One of the two covers I cut from my core system this year. It is still a fine product, just not part of my current lineup.
• LOCHBY Voyager: The second cover I cut from my core system. I am keeping it for other uses, but it is no longer central to my daily planning.

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Related reading

• Analog Planning With ADHD: Why Paper Holds What My Brain Drops
• How to Set Up a Ring Planner Without Overbuying
• How to Print Planner Inserts at Home Without Wrecking the Margins
• Planner Insert Sizes Explained: A5, Personal, Pocket, and the Rest

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a techo kaigi?

Techo kaigi is a Japanese planning-community term for a planner meeting with yourself, usually done at year-end or the start of a new year to set up your notebook lineup, though many planners now do a mid-year version too.

Why did the Sterling Ink Common Planner get cut?

I cut the Sterling Ink Common Planner because its weekly layout started to feel stale and its fixed structure could not change week to week. The monthly held up fine, but a ring-bound system with custom inserts lets me redesign every week.

What replaced the LOCHBY Mini Field Journal and LOCHBY Voyager?

The MeePlus SlimPad in personal size took over my core planning and note-taking. The LOCHBY Mini Field Journal and LOCHBY Voyager were not thrown out; they just left my core rotation.

Is the MeePlus SlimPad flexible enough to replace a monthly and weekly planner?

Yes. The MeePlus SlimPad currently runs my monthly, weekly, work notes, and long-term lists in one ring-bound system, using custom-printed inserts and fold-out layouts like a tri-fold for extra space.