I fill the blanks on the monthly calendar with the date and reason I buy new books. After I finish each one, I write my thoughts on it in the graph paper notebook pages. Ever since I turned my techo into a book-reading notebook, I’ve been having a great time watching the accumulation of all the books I read. I like having this overview because it can show me how my tastes have changed over time. Looking through the monthly calendar also shows me which books I’ve bought but haven’t yet read, which is helpful.

I’ve always used the Hobonichi Techo Cousin to ignore dates and write everything down, from notes I take during meetings for Dokonoko (which I’m in charge of), to information from pet seminars, to personal entries about my own dog. Then I transfer my work-related to-do lists to the A6 Hobonichi Techo Original. The Day-Free is light, but it has plenty of pages, so it’ll be much more comfortable for me to carry around.

I enjoy cataloging the things I own. I wrote out all the clothes my son and I currently own, and that spread is now a useful index that I reference often. It’s really helpful to check while planning outfits for trips or for days I spend out on the town. While the Day-Free is great for writing down things that have already happened, it’s also really handy for future plans.

I’m currently studying Portuguese and attending classes once a week. I take my lesson notes in the graph-paper pages so that I can gather all the information I’ve studied. I use the monthly calendar to write down three new vocabulary words a day to memorize. Techos are great for studying when you can use them without worrying about page counts.

I’m getting married this year, and there’s so much to research and choose! I decided to use the Day-Free to help pick out a venue, track the schedule of the wedding day, and write down any information that pertains to our wedding ceremony. Writing out a list of pros and cons for venues makes it easier to compare and make decisions with a clear mind. Even after the wedding is over, I’m sure the book will be filled with precious memories that I’ll want to read back on.

I never used to be a big fan of any particular actor or singer, but one day that all changed—I discovered tofubeats. I never used to go to small venues, but now I attend every one of his shows. I’ve already filled six pages with reflections on those concerts! I really recommend writing down your memories about anything you’re a fan of.

I love going to cafés! But of course, I don’t go every single day. The Day-Free seemed perfect for writing about the cafés I go to a few times a week, so I started writing entries and pasting in things like paper coasters and shop business cards. It’s nice being able to use as much space as I need for each entry. Right now I use the Hobonichi Techo Weeks most often, but this notebook is a great fit to keep as a café diary on the side.

I use the Day-Free as one of my notebooks for work. I recently drew out some rough sketches of an upcoming photo shoot, and I was grateful for the ability to brainstorm how to set up the shoot and sketch things out without having to worry about how many pages I’m using. The notebook lets me write out the guidelines and schedule for the photo shoot, and the monthly calendar lets me track my work schedule. I think this could be a great idea book for me to use later on for new projects as I read back through old entries.

I write down anything and everything in my Hobonichi Techo, including work notes and personal entries. The pages in my daily techo fill up pretty fast, so I use the Day-Free as a spill-over book to write all the things I couldn’t fit in there. After writing about things I notice while playing with my children and thoughts that pop into my mind during work, I found I’d filled a two-page spread with ten days’ worth of things I don’t want to forget. The book is nice and light, making it easy to pull it out and write little things in it anytime.

Whether it’s a small show or a big production, I love the theater. Sometimes I’ll go watch two shows in a single day. A page-per-day techo would fill up just from the tickets I paste in, so the Day-Free is nice—I can include as many tickets as I want and still have plenty of room to write down my thoughts on each show. Being able to keep all my tickets and my impressions in a single book is really handy. If I don’t write things down right away, I’ll forget about them later, so I’m glad the book is so easy to carry around.

I’ve participated in the world championships for the card game Saboteur for two years in a row. In 2017 I reached second place, but haven’t been able to place since then. I want to bring home the gold this time around, so I’ve made a page in my Day-Free for organizing my most important cards. I use this page to memorize how many of each card I have so I can bring that advantage to the competition. I’m also writing out schedules and rankings for the Japan finals and the world championships. I’d like this book to serve as my means of becoming the Saboteur champion.

I wrote all about my time at a festival I attended, and it was nice to have the freedom to write anything I wanted about those three special days. Since the pages aren’t dated, I was able to split a single page lengthwise and fill in entries for two days. Over time I’ve gotten even more ideas for using the book, like splitting a two-page spread into a full week of entries, or keeping workday columns slim and weekday columns bigger so I can write about the meals I’ve eaten. Being able to write about anything I want, as I think of it, makes this notebook perfect for me.