After testing out a seasonal bullet journal in the summer, an entire system refresh seemed to be enticing, too. Every so often I like to change things up when I get a little too “comfortable” in my routines, and fall seemed to be the perfect opportunity to try out some new systems with my notebooks. After much thought and test runs, here’s where I landed with my notebook stack for the next few months.
1. My main notebook
The notebook: Leuchtturm1917 hardcover notebook in B6+, dot grid
My main notebook is half bullet journal, half long-form journal. This is the notebook I use for seasonal planning and goal-setting. It’s where I keep my trackers, projects, and tasks, and where I memory-keep, brain dump, and process my thoughts. It is a part of my “everyday carry,” meaning I take it wherever I go — even to work.
I recently went into why I’m sticking with a seasonal notebook, and also shared the details of its actual setup, if you are interested in learning more.
2. My pocket notes
The notebook: Smythson Panama notebook in pocket size (2019)
Meet another member of my everyday carry. To minimize the number of distractions on my phone, I decided to try out a pocket notebook in place of my Notes app on my phone. (Groundbreaking, right? So old school.) I noticed that almost every time I reached for my phone to type up a note, I would get easily distracted by something else. Having a little notebook to jot things down instead helps me stay present and limit screen time. Plus it’s cute!
The goal of this notebook is to act as an “inbox.” I will review it nightly or weekly and then transfer the notes where they belong. I also really liked the idea of keeping my notes instead of deleting them, like I do with my Notes app. I already love keeping my journals to look back on; why not my notes, too?
3. My monthly planner
The notebook: Leuchtturm1917 soft cover monthly planner in B5, dot grid
Recently, I realized that when it comes to the first stage of planning and “holding” days for both content and personal tasks, I like to do it on paper. The tangibility is part of the enjoyment process for me; something I don’t get from a digital calendar. I also need a lot of space for this; an A5 spread just won’t do, let alone a B6+ spread.
Enter the B5 monthly planner, which I am treating as my high-level content & goals calendar. It has so much space for multiple sticky notes and weekly summaries, and also over 130 pages of dot grid paper for further planning, notes, or collection pages if required.
This notebook stays at home and I really only pull it out at the top of the month, when I start thinking about the following month (so at the beginning of October, I will pull it out to start soft-planning for November). Once I get a good idea of what I’d like to accomplish content- or goal-wise over the next month, then I enshrine it in my digital calendar and bullet journal.
That’s my updated notebook system that I’m testing out for fall: a monthly planner to capture high-level plans, a bullet journal to get into the details, and a pocket notebook for distraction-free note-taking. This is working for me now, but we’ll see how I feel about it in a few months.
Remember: it’s perfectly fine to change up your system, experiment, and be flexible as your needs change and as you grow. Try to do what works best for you, and if you aren’t certain, it’s okay to take some time to try out different ideas until something feels right. There are no rules here. That’s part of the fun, and what makes each system so unique.
