When I posted a close-cropped photo of my notebook on social media a few weeks ago, someone asked for a look at the full spread. I share this curiosity about other people’s notebooks and other thought containers. However, it’s taken me a minute to gather some photos. I tend to fuss over choosing a representative sample. Then there’s the issue of privacy — both mine and others’.
In the spirit of keeping this blog casual, I’ve tossed out most of my perfectionism. If I’ve left a stone unturned, point it out and I’ll probably do another journal post someday.
Me and my notebook: besties since the seventh grade
I’ve kept a notebook consistently since around 1996, when I first read Harriet the Spy. Before that I’d penned screeds on looseleaf paper, which I hid behind the framing of my bedroom window. Back then it was a lot of bad song lyrics and stream of consciousness journaling. In high school I added lists: both practical ones of things to buy or pack for upcoming activities, and fun ones of mixtapes I’d made and people I liked.
This continued for a long time. I have a terrible memory, and my notebooks give me a sense of what my life looked and felt like at any given time. They’re super important to me and I’ve kept every one.
In 2016, I discovered Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal method. I loved its simplicity and structure. It was kind of like a dayplanner and a journal in one. I especially appreciated the index, which helped me track down my notes on specific topics.
Bullet Journal isn’t meant to be pretty
Before I share images from my own Bullet Journal, I want to address the social media elephant in the room. Instagram and Pinterest and probably other platforms are full of gorgeous notebooks. I’m talking true works of art with hand lettering, illustration, custom stickers, the whole works.
I don’t do that.
A lot of people have told me they “can’t” Bullet Journal because they aren’t creative enough or it would look too ugly or messy. I think this is sad. Ryder Carroll created this as a minimalist, efficient method to organize his own life as a person with ADHD (relatable!). His original tutorial had no “aesthetic,” no calligraphy, no Instagram-ready spreads.
It’s really fine if yours doesn’t either and I don’t think people say that often enough.
That’s my soapbox.
A few sample pages that could’ve been pretty
That said, I do use my notebook to practice hand lettering. I just don’t allow anything to rely on it. I write headings normally, or leave them blank, or sketch things quickly in pencil. Then I come back and ink the final version when I have time…or I don’t.
You’ll see that below, in my book log. I got so far as to make pencil outlines of the headings, but never got around to finishing them.
That’s okay. I care about the function, not the form. This year I swapped out Goodreads for my good-old-fashioned notebook. I love it because I can write whatever I want without impacting anyone else. I can also include friends’ unpublished manuscripts.
I printed cover thumbnails on sticker paper once I had enough to fill a full page. Until then, I mark out the boundaries of the future sticker and write around it. Again, my priority is being able to use my notebook for its functional purpose in the moment, never allowing visual or design elements to become a bottleneck.
In June I was so busy I didn’t bother with the pretense of going back to the lettering for my monthly log. I just used a fat pen.
Why, when, and how I journal
My monthly log has gone through many iterations. This visual format shown above feels really helpful. It gives me a zoomed-out view of my month. I update it once a week or so, filling in recent events and notes.
My daily log fills most of my notebook pages. It’s mostly a bulleted list, with no fancy writing. There are days I don’t have time or energy to journal, but most days I jot down at least something. I do it as I go, with my notebook open on my desk all day. Weekends and vacations are a grab bag in terms of how much I will record.
I start each Monday by edging a new page with washi tape to make it easy to flip to. Then I create the first two sections of the daily log, jotting down a few important tasks (“this week” or “diese woche”), and setting intentions for my four daily habits (“jeden Tag machen”).
As with many of my journaling and organizational habits, this is not something I make time for because it’s fun or cute. I do it because it feels necessary. I struggle a lot with time perception and memory. Often this makes it difficult to have a good grip or perspective on my days.
Writing it down helps. A lot. Not only does it give me a reference for what happened in a conversation I had with my husband a week ago, the tactile experience of writing gives my brain a better chance of processing and retaining the information.
Why the German?
You might have noticed many of my headings are in German. Sometime in the past year or so I decided to use my notebook for language learning practice. I don’t have the fluency to journal exclusively in German, but things like “this week” and date and time information are low-hanging fruit.
Also, I’ve occasionally written something I wouldn’t want another person to read if they happened to skim that page in German. I keep meaning to write at least a little bit of my daily log bullet points in German every day regardless, but it’s easy to forget. However, something is always better than nothing!
Toppings and add-ins
I also tend to use my notebook like a scrapbook. I’ll paste in concert wrist bands, “I voted” stickers, conference name tags, any artifact from the day that feels fun to include but too trivial to save anywhere else.
See the sticky notes peeking out from the bottom? My notebook often provides a landing spot for those.
Last but not least, I decorate the front cover of every notebook with stickers. It helps me tell them apart and separate life into six-month eras. I’m a very non-visual person but somehow I’ll remember oh, that was in the notebook with the Primal Surf sticker on it.
(Almost) everything lives in here
I also use my notebook to jot down notes for writing projects, but I’m not at liberty to share most of those here 😉
In general, though, I use my notebook less and less to craft and organize writing projects. My phone’s Notes and Voice Memos apps often feel quicker at hand to record ideas while I’m on the move. For actual writing, I prefer typing to longhand. My typing speed comes much closer to my thinking speed, which feels far more natural for longer-form writing.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour! I’d love to answer questions and/or hear ideas for more of these behind-the-scenes posts.
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