Handy-Dandy Notebooks

I always have notebooks at home. I like collecting different kinds of notebooks; different sizes, different paper, different texture, dotted pages, grid pages, blank pages, regular lined pages. Stationeries were what I collected when I was younger; but now, notebooks fascinate me.

Same notebook, different covers.

They fascinate me but I'm not obsessed with them. I don't always carry them in my bag ,for example. For a while, I had them stashed away, unused. I use a keyboard to write for work most of the time and there are many applications online that you can use to save your notes.

However, this isolation period has compelled many of us to clean house and rediscover old mementos and even old hobbies. Writing and doodling on notebooks were one of mine. And so when I uncovered my collection of notebooks again, I was inspired to make use of them.

Bullet journaling has always been useful to me when handling several projects at the same time. A good-looking notebook makes the process easier. It inspires me to be more organize when I write. I need to organize my thoughts before writing and I become better at organizing my life in the process.

Writing always requires you to organize your thoughts but with a notebook; you tend to become more cautious of making a mistake. You are fully aware that there is no going back when you make a mistake, especially if you don't want to blemish a beautiful page. So you don't write as haphazardly as you would on a document on your computer. I know there are different kinds of erasers to correct a written mistake on paper, but I don't really like using them.

Now, I also keep a notebook just to write down my thoughts for the day. The writing helps me slow down as I review my day and get ready for sleep. Once I put my thoughts on paper, it's like emptying my mind of the day's clutter, including tomorrow's concerns. That way, my mind and body can truly rest for the night.

If you've got a stash of old notebooks just waiting to be used, try using them as a diary. Write down your thoughts about the day; write a story you suddenly came up with; write down a quote; write down the things you are grateful for. 

Then try using it as a bullet journal. Once you try this, you may end up like me. I make my own bullet journal rather than buy one. It encourages you to be creative in laying out your bullet journal so you can indulge your artsy side. But it also helps you become organized as you plan out each day.

And so, I have made it a habit to carry a pen and a notebook with me when I go out for a meeting. I notice that sometimes I would rather take out my notebook than my laptop to take notes. My penmanship has worsened because I use the keyboard most of the time. So writing on my notebook helps me improve my handwriting too.