THE POINT OF KEEPING A NOTEBOOK

keeping a notebook is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. there’s much to gain from gathering information and playing on the page. in an ever-developing world profiting off of our dependence on digital screens, adopting an analog hobby is an effective way to combat that dependency. keeping a notebook in any fashion is a great entry point.

often times, whenever i share my notebook to curious eyes, i still get a non-believer scoffing at me and rolling their eyes while questioning what the point of it all is. they’re usually the ones who believe an eternal loop of beginning a notebook and pittering off after a few entries is the sole universal experience for the majority. they wave it off as being a useless endeavor.

they say, “i don’t have enough time. journaling doesn’t work for me. i can’t write every day so it’s not worth trying it out. i don’t see the point in doing any of this.”

there’s a kind of rigidity that i sense in these people. of course you’re going to find suffering in notebook keeping if you think it means sticking to a concrete set of rules with the promise of a concrete reward.

it’s more important to consider your notebook as an extension of your mind. every human is unique. sticking to rules that only make the journaling experience insufferable will only teach your mind to run for the hills from your notebook. it’s better to treat your notebook as a space for play, for exploration of the unknown, for learning more about yourself and the world.

that’s why i keep a notebook. to me, that is the whole “point” of it all. i’m not the only one who thinks this way either; there’s a whole sub-genre calling themselves “notebook people.” trina o’gorman on the baum-kuchen blog invested her time into a whole project interviewing a variety of people on how they keep their notebooks and their motivation for doing so. it’s telling how different each system can be. these people experimented and adapted until their notebook works for them, not the other way around. this peaceful relationship with their notebook has led to clarity in their thriving lives. i figured i’d throw in my own perspective too.

i also used to be that kid enamored with the idea of keeping a journal. amelia’s notebook and the amazing days of abby hayes were my favorite books as a child. but no matter how many notebooks i’ve started, i ended up with a whole graveyard of mostly-empty books with only a few fleeting entries and ideas. it wasn’t until i graduated high school did i decide to take journaling more seriously.

i was super eager for college. it was the first taste of independence and freedom from an abusive household that often suffocated me. i became involved on tumblr in what was called the “studyblr” community, blogging among fellow ambitious students. it was around that time in 2015 when the bullet journal method rose in popularity, so it wasn’t long before i was influenced by everyone posting pictures of their own bullet journal setups. i knew in that moment that i wanted to document my times in college, and once i re-attempted journaling with that intent in mind, it was as if i had come into something that irrevocably changed my life for the better. 

i stuck with that dark green moleskine my entire freshman year, wrote through my brutal breakup and intense therapy sessions sophomore year, and finally filling it entirely just in time for me to get a brand new notebook for my junior year, where i’ve successfully changed majors and schools. that first journal was full of a lot of pain, but it was full of growth too. i made my feelings more real in the form of ink on the page, until i became convinced enough to escape my miserable circumstances. it isn’t hyperbole to say that my notebook helped saved my life.

since early 2026, i’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, autism, and C-PTSD. i imagine i’ve had the first two all my life, but the fact i was a young girl plus my younger autistic brother had higher needs meant my neurodivergence had been ignored, and consequently, unsupported. i’ve been victim to multiple people gaslighting me, subconsciously teaching me that my own memory is untrustworthy. even now, i struggle to recall certain memories or have doubt in their legitimacy. that’s additionally why i write things down. once it’s written down, it’s concrete. it’s physical evidence that what i remembered was real and true. no longer does life feel a blur, because the people i see, the things i do, and the senses i feel prove i’m alive through ink on paper.

over the years, i’ve experimented with countless systems and methods that have gone “viral” on the internet, and i’ve adapted and built an ideal notebook system that works for me along the way. i loved the simplistic structure of a bullet journal, i loved having multiple booklets keeping certain kinds of writing separate from each other. i loved the bright and colorful customization that the hobonichi brand encourages. i wanted a notebook that i had fun playing in, one that also held a role in keeping my life organized and reasonably managed. i wanted something that kept everything essential in one place, something that i would feel urged to bring everywhere with me. 

as a result, my notebook has become a space i cultivated into my own, covered in patches and stickers while carrying various self-indulgent ephemera in its pockets. it’s become a sensory haven for me. the traveler’s notebook system has been my favorite to use, and it continues to be my daily driver. it’s been so easy for me to use everyday thanks to the time and effort i spent developing a system that would work best for me. 

the weekly horizontal layout of the hobonichi weeks planner honestly changed how i viewed journaling. having a similar layout in a bigger sized booklet has been my bread and butter. on the left, i could utilize the bullet journal method to organize my to-do’s, while on the right, i had a handful of free lines to list what i did each day as briefly as possible. five minutes a day is often the bare minimum i need to make my daily entry, and it’s gratifying to gradually watch my notebook become full of memories and brief thoughts each week. it’s the lack of resistance that allows me to write more if i please, teaching me that when it comes to keeping a notebook, there are no rules.

my fine-nib TWSBI ECO glow green fountain pen still remains my favorite pen to journal with. i’ve always loved earthy mossy colors, and green continues to be my favorite color, reflected in both my daily pen and notebook. 

but another big contender for my favorite pen is, surprisingly, the 0.7mm uniball zento signature pen in signature gold. i’ve been interested in this model since i first heard about it having a sleek magnetic cap that just clicks into place. i wasn’t that desperate to buy it though. fuck the scalpers snatching up the limited stock and re-selling them for twice the retail price. 

my interest only piqued after jetpens shared their team members’ techo kaigi, where takumi demonstrated how he keeps the pen in his planner’s pen loop and takes it out to use it by pulling the body off its magnetic cap. it blew me away. the way people “hack” their stationery is always so fun to see. i was incredibly lucky that i managed to get one when the 0.7mm model first released. i’ve been using mine the same way as takumi’s ever since, and it’s made writing in my notebook a whole lot easier.

like me once, there are definitely people who want to keep a notebook but don’t know how or where to get started. i wrote a small post about this topic with my own advice, and i still agree with the main points:

1) do not overcommit.

2) don’t be afraid to experiment a lot and abandon methods quickly.

3) all you need is a notebook and a writing utensil you enjoy using.

i would also like to add this point:

4) you do not have to write about your emotions.

some people hear the word “journal” and associate it with the stereotypical image of teenagers crying while writing about their turmoils in a diary with a physical lock and key. a notebook can be a great use case for self-introspection, as i’ve stated earlier from my own personal experience. but i understand that using it that way can be an intimidating prospect for some.

however, it’s not mandatory for your notebook. like i said, there are no rules. you can use it however you want. you can keep it practical and prioritize writing to-do lists and project/work notes. you can write about the media you’ve been enjoying. you can write about your other hobbiess. hell, i’ve written the rough draft of a good chunk of this article in my own notebook. 

for a notebook to work, it must support you, not the other way around. that’s the beauty of it. keeping a notebook is one of the most freeing things you can do. it never expects you to conform.