After I bought my Hobonichi 2027, I felt a relief I hadn’t felt in years. For the first time since I started using Hobonichi, I didn’t spend weeks agonizing over which edition to buy. It was HON, no question. I already know the rhythm of most of its pages by heart (read My Hobonichi HON A6 Setup for Journaling), and I’ve settled into them comfortably, except for two sections: the Memo pages, which I always leave blank, and the Monthly Calendar, where I only write down the occasional interesting event.

Until, at some point, I realized I had a lot more to write than I gave myself credit for.

Juggling between Hobbies

I juggle several hobbies, and in each one I keep experimenting, testing, adjusting. What I hadn’t been doing was writing any of it down. I wanted a place to hold the discoveries from each experiment, and the memories that come from doing the things I love.

For a while, I seriously considered buying a new Hobonichi, or a separate notebook altogether, just for hobby journaling. I went as far as browsing what different stationery stores of where I live had to offer. But the more I thought it through, the more a dedicated notebook felt excessive. I have multiple hobbies and plenty worth noting, sure, but a whole separate book still felt like too much, especially with pages sitting half-used in my HON daily journal already.

So instead of buying something new, I optimized what I had. I turned the pages that used to sit sparse, sometimes empty, into pages that are now packed and purposeful. This is the journal that acts as my daily driver, and now it represents me far more accurately, because it holds the actual personalities of my hobbies and experiences.

Monthly Calendar

I used to treat this page as nothing more than a place for deadlines and bill due dates. Now I use it to track my hobbies too. For example:

Coffee
In the calendar boxes themselves, I note when and where I bought new specialty beans, and when I first tried out a new tool, like the milk frother. In the space around the calendar grid, I write the beans and grind size I used, the tasting notes, and whether I should adjust the grind finer or coarser for the next brew.

Gardening
In the calendar boxes, I log when I planted seeds, when I transferred seedlings, when I fertilized, and when fruit appeared and started changing color. In the surrounding space, I write treatment notes, like how dry the soil gets before I water again, along with any steps I missed or think are worth remembering for next season.

Books
In the calendar, I mark book events and release dates.

What used to be a page of dates and payment reminders is now compact, full, and personally mine.

Memo Pages

I’ve left this section empty since the very first Hobonichi I owned. Now I use it to draw conclusions from what I’ve been experimenting out of my hobbies.

If the notes around the calendar are the log book, the place where I record the day-to-day experimenting, then the Memo pages are where I write the actual findings that come out of those observations, such as:

Gardening
How long each plant takes to sprout, to transfer, to fruit, to change color, and any tips worth remembering.

Coffee
A running list of the beans I’ve used, their roastery, tasting notes, optimal grind size, and brew time for each method, espresso, cappuccino, and so on, along with the bean weight and water volume for each.

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My Hobonichi finally represents me a lot more. It fills up with what I experience daily or record how I feel as well as keeps track of who I am, through my various interests and personal observations. The coffee I brewed and adjusted, the plants I watched grow, season after season, and the books I meant to read. All of them, tracked in the same book I personally owned.

Hopefully this gives you some inspiration to add more personality into how you use your own Hobonichi HON!