Today, I wanted to talk to you about how to choose the right notebook. Well, probably the most important key for me, when it comes to choosing a “life companion”, is the quality of the paper, rather than the brand. It’s important to note, that Leuchtturm1917 still remains the most popular bullet journal today, obviously thanks to that bullets structure.
However, these days you can buy notebooks from many other suppliers, that offer the dots design as well so that Leuchtturm1917 is not your only option anymore.
Personally, I don’t like Leuchtturm1917, because of their poor quality of paper, it’s extremely thin, only 70g/m2 paper, which is an awfully thin paper, that does not allow drawing or writing on both sides of the paper, without having it leaking to the other side. I absolutely hate it, when the writings leak-through!
And considering, that today we almost always use oil-based ink pens to write in our notebooks, these types of pens (such as Sakura), always leak to the other side, unless it’s a 90g/m2 paper.
The Rhodia is a very good 90g/m2 alternative from France, that stood the leak-through test bravely with nearly all my pens, while Moleskin is by far the worst notebook (yes, despite the price and brand’s popularity!).
And, although I’m absolutely in love with the dotted paper structure, lately I found myself switching over local “Oxford” notebooks, which have significantly thicker and higher quality paper, even though they offer only classical grid-based design.
You can also look on Amazon or eBay for more alternatives, all you need to do is pay attention to the quality of the paper, how thick it is (which determines grams per meter square, the more – the better), and whether the paper was bleached, polished or is it generic.
Another important point is the size. And yes, size matters. Most notebooks are offered in an A5 format (because it’s perhaps the most popular size ), which is exactly half of your A4 paper. This size is convenient to take with you, it’s very portable, yet offers enough space for all your notes, lists, plans, and logs.
I personally have both A4 and A5 notebooks. I find it when I want to plan something ahead, like making a business plan, or mapping out a project, A4 works better, as it offers more space. Since I always make plenty of remarks, and I tend to write down every thought that comes into my head, while planning something.
On the other hand, for my day-to-day notes, daily to-do-lists, lists of upcoming or completed tasks, the A5 notebook works best, because I can take it with me, it doesn’t take up too much space, and I still have plenty of room for my ramblings.
Last year I also had a smaller notebook in A6 format, and I must say I totally hated it. It was way too small, so I had to always write my remarks in “keywords” rather than in full sentences, to make sure I don’t overflow the entire notebook in one day.
So we discussed the size and the quality of the paper one else is important? Obviously, the cover. Previous times in the past five years I always made the mistake of judging the book by its cover, by choosing a notebook based on how beautifully gilded its cover is. This is why for many years was a faithful client of Paperblanks.
Of course, it’s not only the cover but also the quality of their paper, that won me over. However, since I am very much into doing it yourself crafts, I realized that, if the notebook, or a diary, offers a hardcover, you can do pretty anything with its’ design. You can completely wrap it up in a different wrapping paper and seal it masking tape.
You can print a personal photo or a message and build your design around it. If you search eBay, for instance, for the keyword “scrapbooking”, you’ll find so many ideas and design elements, all for even less than a dollar.
Last year, I bought myself a set of iron book corners, which I can easily attach to any notebook, to give it and instantly more expensive look, and also to protect the corners of my notebook from getting scuffed.
Moreover, if you’re crafty enough, you can take the hardcover from a previously used notebook or diary, (which is what I did with my old paperbacks diary!), and attach it to the new diary. That way, you don’t need to pay so much money just for the cover. With a little bit of imagination, washi tapes, glue, and some scrapbooking elements, you can create your own unique diary, it will be much more luxurious any of the ones you can find in stores, moreover, it will be one-of-a-kind…
How To Choose The Right Bullet Journal Notebook
I have compiled a list of my favorite spiral ball magazines to help you buy only the 3, 4, 5 and 6 that are not suitable for you and make your life easier today. If you feel overwhelmed and want more information on how to apply the Bullet Journal methodology correctly, I asked five hardcore bullet journalists to share the tools they like and use every day.
Although there is a lot of information on how to use it correctly, you can learn this simple system by yourself, which I learned with only a few hints.
Once you have a Bullet Journal notebook as the foundation for your BUJO journey, the next step is to learn how to bring your organized creation to life. From what I have gathered, you can adapt the Bullet Journal to your needs, but it won’t really do you much good. Once you start with a bullet journal, you have some work to do to adapt the system to your specific needs.
Choosing a Companion Notebook
If you are wondering what to get for your next Bullet Journal, I’m sure you’re looking for a cheat sheet on Bullet Journal Hacks, but I’ve found that once you’ve sorted your stocks, you can come up with new ideas. Midori has the best paper in the notebook, and it comes in many beautiful colors, so check out whether your Bullet Journal is likely to contain scribbles and complex drawings that are likely to bleed from the poor quality of the paper. Check out the selection of point grid journals for unique, very good, or test this notebook to see if it’s good for you to try bullet journalism if you want to keep your delivery costs to a minimum.
If you’re looking for a bullet journal with extra-thick paper, check out this beautiful notebook from Archer Olive to get the best paper and a great price.
If you are not sure whether bullet journaling is right for you or if you have a spare booklet lying around, you can always try it with any bullet journaling you have lying around.
Before you grab a notebook that you happen to have lying around, or before you buy the first notebook you see, spend a little time thinking about what you want and need in a notebook. You can literally use this notebook as a bullet journal, and if you don’t have a fancy notebook, you can start over and start over. If you want to plan or move your Bullet Journal less often, you might want to use a larger notebook.
However, the use of notebooks of this size is very minimal when it comes to planning and publishing specialist journals. I didn’t feel like I had any notebooks lying around, so I didn’t feel the need to.
After 2 years of Bullet Journal, I have tried 3 of them, and it’s time to share with you my favorite disk-bound Bullet Journal Book. Read on to learn more about the different types of notebooks you’ll love to create a bullet journal at home.
This particular Bullet Journal distribution is from my colleague Rachel from BUJO Planning Mindfully, who has a whole blog dedicated to creating and maintaining her own Bullet Journals. When I go with this book because I have used it to find a balance in my life, it also has stimuli for myself – development and positive thinking.
If you really want to try bullet journaling, but don’t quite want to take the plunge and buy it, you can download the free point grid page and get some practice to see how to write journals with bullets. The winner today, however, is the Bullet Journal Dot Grid Notebook by Rachel from BUJO Planning Mindfully, which helps you start your practice BulletJournaling. Before choosing the best magazine for your Bullet magazine, you should look at the other bullet magazines on the market, such as the one from The New York Times.
Empty notebooks are best when you’re looking for a minimalist bullet journal, because you’re making a lot of illustrations and you don’t want the dots to get in the way. One of the drawbacks of these notebooks is that the point is very dark and could affect your ability to create circulation notebooks, doodles and letters. Honestly, I’m a big fan of Bullet Journal-coined covers, but I’m also a bit worried about the size and weight of some of them.
Picking the right notebook to start a bullet journal can be daunting, but the most important thing is not to rethink it. Picking and choosing the right notebook will seem a little stressful on your first try with Bullet Journals, and it should. If you’re taking the plunge into Bullet magazine, there are a number of options to consider before you jump, as well as some tips and tricks to choose the right notebook. Once you have found the “right” notebook for your bullet journal, you will have it much easier than if you tried it for the first time.
I hope these tips help and will assist you the next time you decide on buying a new notebook or diary. Feel free to let me know in the comments below, what are YOU looking for when choosing a notebook?
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something not enough people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my hunt for something regarding this.