In July I held my mid-year techo kaigi and set my planner lineup against the one I started the year with.
Techo kaigi is a Japanese planning term for a planner meeting, a lot of times with yourself. It doesn't really mean you're throwing everything overboard every six months.
What changed between January and July
The planner, and why it moved. In January my planner was Sterling Ink's N1-size monthly and weekly books, carried in the Lochby Voyager cover. That system was probably the one that had stayed most consistent for me.
By July it was the MeePlus SlimPad in the personal size, a ring planner, which means the pages sit on rings and can be moved. MeePlus sent it to me for free, and I was very grateful for that. Obviously all my opinions are my own.
I got it a month or two before the video, just testing and seeing if it was going to fit me. By July I was running everything in it: monthly, weekly, work notes, tasks and long-term lists.
Some of the things I struggled with most were not being able to move things around as things change, and not knowing how many pages to leave for a list or a project. On a regular planner I couldn't hold that much information, because I was stuck with the chronological order of pages.
The bound Traveler's Notebook stayed as my long form journal. I'm writing on a daily basis and a weekly basis, and I can see the order almost like telling a story. That fits perfectly there.
But for projects, for lists, for things that move around, I don't know how much space I'm going to need.
The weekly. In January I had been enjoying the weekly vertical, a page layout in the Sterling book, for about three months, and it had been fantastic. By July I had stopped using the Sterling Ink planners.
I could have stuck with the monthly, but the weekly was starting to feel a little stale, which I don't like. On the rings I print my own inserts, a tri-fold weekly among them, and swap in a new one whenever I need to.
What I carried. In January the Lochby Mini Field Journal, holding four Field Notes, was the one I carried no matter where I went. In July it was a Paper Republic Grand Voyageur in the pocket size with two Field Notes. One is a catch-all. The other I call my collection, for anything I want to reference long term.
I like the patina on that cover, and a pen rides on the side.
What came off, and what didn't
The two cuts in that review were the two Lochby covers, the Voyager and the Mini Field Journal. I used the Mini Field Journal for several months. I had a cool four notebook system in it, but it became a little bulky.
What really failed was just the size. They were very protective, which was great, but I wanted them to be a little more compact. I'm still planning on using them for something else, because they haven't been serving the core system.
Quality was not the reason for any of the three, the two covers or the Sterling Ink planners.
They are great covers. I love the Sterling Ink planners too, and I think they're fantastic products that just were not serving the purpose I wanted.
One question, no formal test
One question really decides whether a tool sticks in my lineup or gets cut. Does it serve the purpose I want right now?
I wouldn't say I do a specific test.
I'm enjoying the tools I have and making sure I'm using them, and not only for them to be aesthetically pleasing, which is also a big factor in why I get some stuff. I do want to make sure they function the way they need to and serve the purpose I intend them to have.
The Mini Field Journal and the Paper Republic both serve a unique purpose, but what matters is which one you will actually have on you when you need it.
I'm curious to hear what your techo kaigi looks like. What did you cut, and was it the product or the job you gave it? Reply and tell me.
Both lineups are on the channel: Techo Kaigi Setup: My Complete 2026 Analog Planner System from January and MeePlus Ring Planner vs Bound Planner: My Mid-Year Techo Kaigi from July.
Some of the links above are affiliate links, and the MeePlus link is a referral link. They cost you nothing and they help pay for the testing.
Luis