WIRED

The 4 Best Planners of 2026: Roterunner, Hobonichi, Cloth & Paper

2026-03-19 · 11:09 UTC ·Nena Farrell ·2 min read

Brief

WIRED’s planner recommendations focus on paper planning systems that emphasize customization, writing feel, and layout design rather than digital productivity features. The most detailed section covers the Kokuyo Jibun Techo First Kit, a modular 2026 planner system built around three separate books: a central Diary for monthly and weekly planning, a front Life book with structured self-tracking prompts like the “100 Wishes List” and password pages, and a rear Idea notebook with grid paper for open-ended notes. The article also points to the appeal of Japanese planner design, including Hobonichi’s Techo line, whose thin paper keeps page counts high without excessive thickness, though the soft cover may need protection. Additional picks include Plum Paper’s customizable A5 Vertical Priorities layout and the Day Designer Daily Planner, which trades portability for more room to manage schedules and task lists.

Source evidence

title: The 4 Best Planners of 2026: Roterunner, Hobonichi, Cloth & Paper | WIRED
author: Nena Farrell
contenttype: article
publication: WIRED
published: 2026-03-19T11:09:00+00:00
sourceurl: https://www.wired.com/story/best-paper-planners/

word_count: 505

There are tons of colors, covers, and other accessories you can get for it, too. I recommend picking out a protective cover since I did ding up my soft cover quite a bit, and that was just from being used around the house with an occasional trip in a bag. (The Techo also has a nice faux leather cover option, if that's more your style than a protective cover.) There are little quotes in the corners, but I got a Japanese version instead of an English one, so I can't actually read mine. But honestly, I'm glad I did; I prefer the Japanese lettering to distracting English words on the corners of each page.KokuyoJibun Techo First KitThe Kokuyo Jibun Techo is another Japanese planner (as indicated by the Japanese word “techo,” meaning “notebook” or “planner”), but this one is a travel-notebook-style design, making it more customizable with a cover and multiple books that fit inside it. I've started using the Jibun Techo First Kit, which comes with three books that fit into the included cover: Diary (labeled simply with the year 2026), Life, and Idea. The Diary is in the center and is the true planner, with monthly spreads and weekly spreads for the whole year, plus other fun pages. The Life book goes in the front and features lots of specific prompts, like the 100 Wishes List and places to track specific information, like passwords. Finally, the Idea book, which goes in the back, has just grid paper, so you can write out whatever you'd like in whatever style.It's a really fun planner thanks to all the interesting pages it comes with, and how much space you have to work with. I love turning the project planner pages into a habit tracker, for example, but I also love using the prompt pages like 100 Wishes as they're designed. Similar to the Hobonichi above, the Jibun Techo uses a super-thin, super-soft paper that makes it possible to include all these pages and books without making the whole planner super-thick. It's also smooth and satisfying to write on, thanks to that nice paper. It's a bigger investment than the Roterunner and I don't use every single page so far, but it's still a fantastic planner if you want an option with tons of different pages you can use for planning and reflecting on everything in your life.Honorable MentionsLike I said, there's a huge world of planners out there. Here are a few that the Reviews team and I at WIRED have tested and enjoyed.Plum PaperA5 Vertical Priorities PlannerPlum Paper is my favorite classic-style planner, and you can easily customize it to start at any time of year, and design the pages to fit your needs. I especially like the weekly A5 Vertical Priorities layout.
Day DesignerDaily PlannerIf you're looking for a great daily planner, the Day Designer is a popular option for a reason. It's bulky since it has pages for every single day, but leaves room for both your schedule and a long to-do list.