Week 34 in my Hobonichi | 2024

“I feel entirely demoralized by the sun now, and wish for fog, snow, rain, humanity.” Virginia Woolf letter to Edward Sackville-West, 9/22/1926

Listen, I hate to complain. But we hit a muggy patch yesterday and it really irritated me. I had no idea Virginia Woolf was such a fan of dreary days but this woman understood my problem. I’m not sure how many times you’ll let me get away with complaining about the summer and pining for fall, but I’m going to press my luck again today. I am ready for rainy, dreary days! How is the weather treating you?

Today’s post was meant to be published over on Substack but I chickened out. I’m much more comfortable here at WordPress so I’m going to do what’s easy this morning. More on my thoughts on Substack later this week but today I’m sharing a peek into my notebook, which I haven’t done in quite a while.

I used to publish pictures of my notebooks every Monday morning but it felt like it was getting too repetitive. And at one point I read in someone’s blog that they hated seeing these kinds of posts because it seemed like the blogger was bragging about their life. That was hard to shake. Trust me – there’s nothing glamorous or exciting about my life. I like sharing my notebook on my blog because:

• My notebook is a regular part of my life and is almost always with me. It makes sense that it shows up in my blog regularly too.
• Keeping a notebook keeps me sane, emotionally and organizationally. Maybe someone else is struggling and seeing this will help them find a way to help.
• I love looking at other people’s notebooks and seeing how they organize their day to day life. Maybe my posts could be part of a conversation that helps a person create a notebook spread they need in the moment.
• It gives me an opportunity to reflect on my week and recognize all the little things that worked.

So now that I’ve justified the reason for this post (!!), here is my notebook spread from last week:

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Just a few logistics about the tools that I use:

• The notebook: Hobonichi Hon A5. (The 2025 line went on sale yesterday!)
• Pen: Zebra Sarasa 0.4
• Highlighter: Mild Grey Mildliner and Tombow Brush Pen 990
• Dots: Washi Paper dots

The weekly set up is still working well and the time required to set it up is minimal – about 2 minutes. I use a ruler to create the boxes at the end of each day to write to-do lists and log my workouts, which has been helpful. On the left side of the page I list the things I need to do around the house weekly and try to do 1-2 of them each day (my success rate varies) and I write down what we actually had for dinner each evening (not what I planned to have. That almost never goes to plan!).

Last week felt like one of survival. Colton’s school district had class on Wednesday and Thursday, but had the rest of the week off. Which means that our little Blackberry Bluff School did the same. School anchors our day in so many ways and when it doesn’t happen, we all feel a little upside down. So friends, the days were LONG and untethered and it felt completely out of control.

But my notebook reminds me that:

• I cooked a meal for my family 5/7 evenings last week. The other two meals included leftovers (that I cooked the week before) and one pizza order. That is good.
• I did 3 resistance workouts, 2 bike workouts, and 4 sessions of yoga. That is good.
• I finished 3 books. That is excellent.
• We completed 2 days of school during which, on top of the typical reading, writing, and math, we also studied The Indus Valley civilization. That is cool.
• I worked a shift at the library, gave myself a lot of tasks that I enjoy (finishing the newsletter, creating graphics and holiday posters, setting up the social media posts for the week, etc), and completed them all. Plus I helped patrons navigate technology challenges and find good books.That is success!
• My husband and I watched a movie together on Saturday night and I stayed awake for the whole thing. That’s a miracle. (The Fall Guy – highly recommend!)
• I kept my daily to-do lists as small as possible because I knew the week was going to be emotionally and physically draining. That’s called learning.
• I stayed grounded by returning to my notebook, again and again throughout the day, and recording my day-to-day. That’s good practice.

So, did I cry multiple times last week? Yes, I did. Did I yell more than I’d like? Yes. Did I resort to threats that I’m not proud of? Absolutely. But we’re all here on Monday morning, ready to do it again. And I hope you’re ready for a new week, too.

Friends, I hope you’ll share some glimpses into your own notebooks in the coming weeks. Or even think about the habits that help you stay grounded and focused on the positives in your life. And I hope that your Monday morning treats you as kindly as possible. Take good care!