My Journal System Failed, So I'm Going Back to One Notebook

I planned my perfect journal lineup for 2026 — and I got it completely wrong. Here’s why I’m going back to **one catch-all notebook for 2027**. Last year during planner season, I put a lot of thought into my new planner setup. I wanted it to be functional and beautiful, with a place for everything. After almost a year, I realized I was asking the wrong question. For me, a journaling system doesn’t work because it’s functional — *it works if I actually enjoy sitting down to write.* In this video, I share: • My failed 2026 journal lineup • Why I was a one-journal person for 35 years • What I tried with collections and memory keeping • Why I’m now going back to one catch-it-all notebook for meetings, tasks, and daily notes If you’re feeling confused in the middle of planner season, I hope this helps you define what *“works”* means for you. *What does “works” mean for you right now?* Tell me in the comments — I’m really curious. *Watch next:* 📖 My way of memory keeping with collections:    • How I Actually Keep Memories Now   📓 My current catch-it-all setup:    • I used the Lochby Voyager for a year: Here...   00:00 I got my 2026 lineup completely wrong 00:22 The wrong question I was asking 00:35 35 years as a one-journal person 01:28 Why I thought that was a problem 01:52 Why pretty memory-keeping isn't for me 02:22 My real mistake: only thinking about functionality 03:02 What "works for me" actually means 03:53 Why so many lineups fail after a few weeks 04:40 What I enjoy: just sit down and write 05:16 What does "works" mean for you? 05:27 Back to one catch-it-all 05:48 There is no 90% recipe 06:38 Don't be frustrated by a failed lineup 06:58 Back to writing again #planner #journaling #plannersetup ------- My journal for work Lochby B5 Field Folio in navy and cream, containing Lochby inserts with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. My non work-related journals Lochby Voyager Journal in Bumblebee: Sterling Ink Common Planner Academic Year N1 Archer & Olive B5 Coiled Key from the 2025 Halloween collection for my reading journal