What kind of notebook should I buy?
notebook buying guide
Notebooks are soooooooo versatile - use a notebook to take notes in meetings or for course notes in college, plan a big project or travel adventure, start a business, remodel your house, organise your thoughts and keep on top of your productivity or to track your habits, thoughts and progress towards your goals.
It’s so nice to open a Brand Spanking new notebook isn’t it? - but which kind should you get? Big, small? Lined or plain? Here’s a notebook buying guide to help you to choose the perfect notebook for you, to increase your productivity, make notes in class or meetings or to use as a journal.
Should I have a plain, lined or dot grid notebook?
Think about how you like to work and record in your notebook. Do you need a guide to keep your writing straight? Or do you prefer to doodle and have freedom to dump your thoughts on the page? Will you be only writing down your thoughts at the end of the day? Or brainstorming ideas for your next big adventure?
Notebooks with plain pages
Notebooks with plain pages allow complete freedom for you to doodle, and to write wherever feels right at the time.
Just because the paper is plain doesn't mean that it needs to stay plain though, if you figure out a system that really works for you, you can easily add in sections and boxes to your pages.
Maybe you find that you need to have a little section for a to-do list and a habit tracker but also you want lots of space and freedom for doodling and for writing notes. You can draw in . your own sections, boxes and trackers where you know it’s going to work for you for your workflow.
Notebooks with lined pages
Lined Pages are really great if you know that you're mainly going to be using your notebook for writing and that you like the lines to keep your handwriting even and legible.
You can still divide the page up into separate sections if you want to. Maybe you need to have a section for separate notes that you need to come back to or a checkbox for when certain tasks have been completed.
What can I use a dot grid notebook for?
Notebooks with dots printed onto the pages can be an amazing compromise between a plain page that offers absolutely no structure or lined pages which you may find a little bit prescriptive.
The dots help to keep writing straight but they're unobtrusive so you can doodle over them as well if you want to (and they make doodling geometric patterns very easy if you need a little distraction every now and then).
How can I use a blank notebook as a planner?
If you love getting creative (It’s also an amazing excuse to gather a pencil case full of pretty coloured pens) and just taking some time to sit down each week or each month to organise your layout, a blank notebook is absolutely perfect. Experimenting with different layouts is great fun and exercises your creative muscles.
The dots are amazing at helping you to make layouts and the sections on your pages too. You can just draw a line with a ruler or even without a ruler and keep your pages organised with boxes or sections for different items. .
Maybe you want to have a habit tracker section and a box to pop your to-do list in and then another for days of the week so that you can attribute your to-do list tasks to a specific day
What size notebook should I buy?
Pocket Sized Notebook
A pocket notebook is exactly what it says on the tin. It's nice and small and really easy to fit into your pocket or a small bag so that you have got something with you to jot down notes when you’re out and about. If you’re collecting inspiration for a creative project It’s always helpful to have something with you so that you can write it down when inspiration strikes. it's also the best thing to write your shopping list in!
Epic Sized Notebook
An A4 epic size notebook is is a big beast of a notebook! It’s really great for planning a big project or for taking course notes at college. Each page is around A4 in size and so there is plenty of room there to write down all of your plans and have a massive brain dump if you're trying to brainstorm ideas for a new project. It's just an amazing size I absolutely love using A4 Epic sized notebooks when I’m attending training or planning how to move a big project forward.
Planner Sized Notebook
A planner size notebook is roughly A5. It's small enough to fit into a bag that you're taking out with you for the day and a great size for taking into meetings to make notes.
A5 Planner sized notebooks are really popular to use as a productivity planner - There’s plenty of room to have your to do list but also space to write notes or do a little brain dump when needed. This is my most popular size for Blue Stiggy Notebooks It's perfect to use to organise your time or as a notebook to take into lessons or meetings and to use as a daily journal to process your thoughts.
Blue Stiggy - Eco Conscious Notebooks
• Dot Grid
• Lined
• Plain
• Pocket Sized
• Planner Sized
• Epic Sized