Stationery Essentials for Planning and Journaling: 12 Tools Our Team Swears By

Introduction

We asked our team a simple question: what stationery can you just not plan or journal without? The answers ranged from everyday basics like gel pens and highlighters to small helpers most people never think about, such as writing boards and blotting paper. Here are the picks, organized by how each person actually uses them, so you can build a setup that fits your own planner or journal.

Planning Essentials: The Jibun Techo Lite System

Ann plans everything in the Jibun Techo Lite Diary, a compact daily planner that leaves room for the extras she layers on top. The grid paper handles gel pen and highlighter work well, which makes it easy to build a color-coded weekly routine around it.

To track her to-dos, she reaches for Suatelier Planner Sticky Notes, which come in many designs and two different sizes so you can match the note to the length of your list. One practical tip from daily use: trimming the top strip off a sticky note pad saves space in the planner. Sticky notes are also a good starting point if your collection has grown overwhelming, since they are not precious to save and each note can be recycled when you are done.

Suatelier Planner Sticky Notes

These notes work well because the two sizes cover both quick reminders and longer weekly lists, and the variety of designs keeps planning visually fun without getting in the way of the writing itself.

Uni-ball One Gel Pen

Ann writes almost everything in black with the Uni-ball One Gel Pen. The clean white body, colored binder clip accent, and debossed logo give it a tidy, understated look. The ink is formulated to stay on the surface of the paper, so the black reads noticeably darker, and it writes smoothly on the Jibun Techo’s paper.

Zebra Mildliner Highlighters

For blocking out time and color coding, she uses Zebra Mildliner Highlighters. The trick for gel pen users: highlight first, then write over the highlight with gel ink so nothing smudges. The chisel tip is wider than the Jibun Techo’s grid, which means one swipe covers a lot of space. Mild Lemon Yellow is a favorite because it pops without being fluorescent.

Journal Must-Haves: Connie’s Picks

Connie keeps both a planner and a journal, and as a left-handed fountain pen user she has learned to plan around smudging. Her picks focus on keeping fountain pen ink looking its best and making a DIY planner easier to organize.

A sheet of blotting paper is non-negotiable. It absorbs extra ink from the page to help prevent smearing, and she also places a sheet under her hand so skin oils do not get on the writing surface. The same sheet can be reused over and over, so a pack of ten from Herbin lasts a very long time.

Mark’s Masté Washi Tapes solve two common frustrations. They are perforated, so you get neat strips without a cutter, and unlike typical washi tapes they are writable with water-based pens, including gel pens and brush pens. Her Northern Europe roll features Scandinavian-inspired designs with three different tapes on one roll, and the rectangular designs double as labels in her journal.

Midori Chiratto Index Tabs

Organizing a planner with these tabs has been a genuine gamechanger. You line the edge of the colored tab up with the edge of the paper, so alignment is easy, and the tabs are repositionable if you make a mistake.

Sonic Nano Pita Ruler

Because Connie uses a DIY planner, a good ruler matters. The Sonic Nano Pita has lasted her years and still holds up well. Centimeter markings are printed on the top and bottom of both sides, so it measures easily no matter how you hold it. The clear body lets you see the paper underneath, and an anti-slip texture on the back keeps it from sliding.

Journal Must-Haves: Stephanie’s Picks

Stephanie’s picks all serve her Hobonichi journal, where she mixes fountain pen writing with plenty of ephemera.

The Kokuyo Dotliner makes adding paper scraps simple. The dispenser applies strips of dry adhesive that will not wrinkle the Hobonichi’s thin paper, and a tape runner is more precise than a glue stick when you need adhesive along edges and corners. It comes in several body types, so you can pick one that fits your craft kit or pen case.

For decoration, she leans on mt Washi Tapes. They are versatile enough to tape in paper scraps, section off pages, or simply decorate a spread however you like. With many designs available, a favorite is the Solar System tape, whose vintage style works with almost any spread.

Kyoei Orions Shitajiki

It might not look like much, but this writing board is an essential part of the setup. A shitajiki goes under the page you are writing on, protecting the sheets underneath from bleedthrough or dents. Bleedthrough is less of a worry on the Hobonichi’s fountain pen friendly Tomoe River paper, but writing over the edges of stickers and ephemera makes a flat surface genuinely useful. It also keeps hand oils off the paper so inks show up at their best.

Monteverde Invincia Nebula

Among all the fountain pens in the collection, one stands out as a favorite. The Monteverde Invincia Nebula with an extra fine nib gets used constantly, and even with a nib that shows wear from heavy use, it remains the pen of choice. That kind of loyalty says more than any spec sheet.

Building Your Own Kit

The common thread across these picks is that each tool removes a small friction point: smudging, wrinkled paper, crooked tabs, messy tape edges. Start with the writing instrument you enjoy most, add one organizational helper such as index tabs or sticky notes, and then bring in the protective pieces like blotting paper or a writing board once you know how you journal. None of these items require a big commitment on their own, and most are inexpensive enough to experiment with freely.

If you use a thin-paper journal, prioritize the Dotliner and the shitajiki. If you write with fountain pens and are left-handed, blotting paper will change your pages immediately. And if you are building a planning system from scratch, the Jibun Techo Lite paired with Mildliners and a smooth gel pen is a proven combination.

Conclusion

Good planning and journaling setups are rarely built from one perfect product. They come from a handful of tools that each solve a real problem: darker ink, cleaner tape strips, straighter lines, and pages that stay protected. Pick the ones that match your own habits and your pages will thank you.