After spending time reflecting on how I journaled throughout 2025 using Hobonichi Weeks Mega, I came to a decision: the Hobonichi HON A6 is the journal that will most likely suit my journaling style, at least for the coming year, 2026.

In this post, I want to share how I use the different feature pages in the Hobonichi HON A6 and what I write in each section.

Yearly Index

I divide the yearly index of each month into two columns.

On the left side, I track my mood using a small line chart. Nothing complicated, just a visual rhythm of how my year moves and shifts.

On the right side, I write one to three descriptive words that capture the day. Not full sentences. Just quick emotional anchors. The kind I can understand at a glance, even months later.

Monthly Calendar Pages

The monthly calendar hold events I want to attend and important dates I don’t want to forget.

Meanwhile, the blank space on the left side of the page will become my monthly checklist: things I need to do, bills I need to pay, and small responsibilities that I have to do on that month.

Daily Pages

This is where my journal truly lives.

I use the checkboxes at the top for short bullet-point highlights: what I did, where I went, what stood out. Beneath that, the rest of the page will be dedicated to paragraph-style journaling, where thoughts stretch out and stories take their time.

Memo Pages

For now… I honestly don’t know what to do with this page. I will update this blog post once I have any idea what to do with this space.

Maybe they’ll turn into overflow journaling pages. Maybe notes, lists, or reflections that don’t belong anywhere else yet. I’m intentionally leaving this section open and letting it reveal its purpose over time.

Bonus Pages

I’m planning to use the bonus pages exactly as Hobonichi intended, following the little prompts and structures printed right there in the book.

For the 365 Days Check-Off Sheet, I use it to track my Finnish language learning. In previous years, I leaned heavily on Duolingo and a few other online platforms, and I measured my consistency by chasing the streak. But I’ve already completed the Finnish modules there (even though I still keep my streak alive), and now my learning looks different. These days, I’m studying more independently, pulling from multiple platforms and resources depending on what I need: grammar one day, listening practice the next, and vocabulary when my brain can handle it.

To make the tracking feel simple (and a little motivating), I color-code each day based on how long I studied. Green means more than three hours, yellow is one to three hours, and red is less than an hour. It’s a simple system, but it helps me see patterns at a glance whether I showed up as well as how I’m showing up. Therefore, it turns the check-off sheet into both a consistency tracker and a daily reflection on my discipline.

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This setup is about leaving enough room to breathe, to notice, and to return to myself at the end of the day. I want my journal to feel like a loyal and helpful companion: one that holds my days without judgment, and allows my thoughts to unfold at their own pace.

May the year ahead be filled with beautiful things written in our journals that are worth remembering.