Blog · Planner Systems
Techo Kaigi 2026: What I Cut From My Planner Lineup
Six months into 2026, I sat down for a techo kaigi, the Japanese planner meeting with yourself, and cut two systems that weren't earning their spot. Here's what stayed, what got cut, and why.
The short answer: 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. Everything else, the Traveler's Notebook regular size and my Field Notes catch-all in a Paper Republic pocket cover, stayed exactly where it was.
What a techo kaigi actually is
Techo kaigi translates roughly to a planner meeting, and in the Japanese planning community it's usually done at the end of the year or the start of a new one, when people are setting up their lineup for the next twelve months. A lot of planners now do a mid-year version too, and that's what this is. It doesn't mean throwing everything overboard. It means looking at the setup you already have and asking whether it's still doing the job you picked it for. One question decides whether a tool stays: does it serve the purpose I need right now? If it doesn't, it gets cut, no matter how good the product is on its own.
That framing matters because analog systems only work when the friction is doing something for you. Notebooks share a property digital tools don't: bounded page space that forces you to decide what's worth capturing. That's a feature, not a limitation, but only if the notebook still fits the job. Six months ago, two of mine stopped fitting.
What stayed: the core three
Traveler's Notebook (regular size) is my long-form journal and it's been in my lineup since before this channel started. I keep it chronological on purpose, page to page, no jumping around, because journaling is the one place I want that rigidity. I keep a Traveler's Company sticker release paper insert alongside 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: one is a daily catch-all I've started calling the captain's log, timestamped notes on tasks, events, even workouts, nothing fancy, one pen, one color. The second is a longer-term collection notebook, 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 actual change this year, and it's the one doing the most work now. I got it as a gift and didn't expect it to take over my system, but 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. 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
| System | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling Ink Common Planner (monthly + weekly) | Cut from core rotation | Weekly layout felt stale; fixed structure didn't flex with changing weeks |
| LOCHBY Mini Field Journal | Cut from core rotation | Great cover, but not the core system anymore |
| LOCHBY Voyager | Cut from core rotation | Same reason, still a fine product on its own |
| MeePlus SlimPad | Promoted to core | Ring binding lets me move pages and print my own inserts |
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'd have probably kept the monthly. The weekly is what pushed the cut: the layout stopped feeling fresh, and once the MeePlus let me print custom weekly inserts, I could redesign every week, tri-fold one week, bi-fold the next. That flexibility is what kept me motivated to plan the next week, which is the part that matters. The LOCHBY covers are staying in a drawer for other uses, not the trash, but they're not carrying my core system anymore.
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: no cap at all, just a click to expose the nib, ready in one motion, which matters when you're only writing a couple of words at a time. The LOCHBY Quattro has also changed since I first talked about it six months ago. I've got two new Conklin Endura Deco Crest pens in rotation that I'm saving for a full review later, since I want more mileage on them before I make a call.
MeePlus SlimPad vs. Traveler's Notebook: the real tradeoff
The honest tension in this lineup is flexibility against rigidity. The MeePlus lets you resize a project on the fly and reorder pages; a bound Traveler's Notebook locks you into whatever 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 wants that discipline, and the MeePlus stays flexible because planning and project notes don't.
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
Going into the back half of the year: Field Notes in the Paper Republic pocket cover for daily catch-all and the longer-term collection notebook, the MeePlus SlimPad in personal size for monthly, weekly, work, and lists, and the Traveler's Notebook regular size for long-form journaling. I'm hoping this holds into 2027, and honestly, three notebooks feel like the right number after going through phases of carrying too many.
If you're doing your own mid-year check, ask the same single question I did: Is this tool actually serving the purpose I picked it for right now? If the answer is no, it doesn't matter how well made it is. 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 this lineup; techo kaigi is a general planning-community term, not a reference to this specific brand.
- Traveler's Company Brass Ballpoint Pen: One of the two pens kept clipped to the Traveler's Notebook, part of the everyday journaling carry.
- Paper Republic Grand Voyageur (Pocket): The pocket cover that houses the Field Notes catch-all and collection notebook, chosen for the patina and the clean one-package carry.
- Field Notes: The actual notebooks inside the Paper Republic cover, split between a daily captain's log and a longer-term collection notebook.
- MeePlus SlimPad: The biggest change of the year, a ring-bound personal-size planner that now runs the monthly, weekly, work notes, and lists thanks to movable pages and custom inserts.
- Sterling Ink Common Planner: Cut from the core rotation this year; the monthly held up but the weekly layout stopped feeling fresh.
- Index Cards (3x5, Ruled): Kept alongside the Traveler's Notebook for journaling and review prompts when a mental block hits.
- Conklin Endura Deco Crest: Two new pens just added to rotation, held back for a dedicated review once there's more mileage on them.
- LOCHBY Quattro: Still in rotation but changed noticeably since it was last discussed six months ago.
- Pilot Vanishing Point: The capless fountain pen carried daily specifically because it writes without the ritual of uncapping a pen with a screw-on cap.
- LOCHBY Mini Field Journal: One of the two covers cut from the core system this year, still a fine product just not part of the current lineup.
- LOCHBY Voyager: The second cover cut from the core system, kept for other uses but no longer central to daily planning.
Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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
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?
The monthly held up fine, but the weekly layout started feeling stale and its fixed structure couldn't flex week to week the way a ring-bound system with custom inserts can.
What replaced the LOCHBY Mini Field Journal and LOCHBY Voyager?
The MeePlus SlimPad in personal size took over the core planning and note-taking duties; the LOCHBY covers weren't cut entirely, they just stopped being part of the core rotation.
Is the MeePlus SlimPad flexible enough to replace a monthly and weekly planner?
Yes, it's currently running the monthly, weekly, work notes, and long-term lists in one ring-bound system, with custom-printed inserts and foldable layouts like a tri-fold for extra space.