What I Look For in a Notebook

When you've been bullet journaling as long as I have (10+ years), you go through a lot of notebooks and you learn a few things about what works and what doesn't.

While I should have a favourite brand that I'm loyal to, one of the things I look forward to when finishing one note book is getting to know the quirks and foibles of the next, new notebook.

Here are some things I look for when I buy a new note book...

Paper style

Size

I would say I'm A5 for life, but I suppose there have been some exceptions. A5 is big enough for me to fit in a good density of information, but small enough to be fairly portable.

Paper Thickness

I'm not enough of a stationery nerd yet to know everything about paper grades, and I confess I don't pay attention to those numbers when buying mostly. I have been burned by seeing ink bleed-through in some notebooks. It lessens legibility of the current page when the evidence of the previous page is marking up the background. At the very least, I should try to feel the thickness and try to judge it that way before buying; which won't work for online purchases.

Extras

Numbered pages. While I always want the pages undated (it's a notebook which needs to be versatile in what the pages are used for - not a dedicated planner), I'm fine with the pages being numbered in advance so I don't have to do that manually.

Pen loop. That way my pen is never far, though I have found a solution when the pen loop is not included.

Back pocket. These sometimes have extra stickers or stencils to help liven up the journal or aid with organisation. I haven't really made huge use of these in the past, sometimes I store a business or appointment card in them.

Bookmarks. At least 2 is good, there's always pages I want to refer back to often and quickly.

As I mentioned, I'm always looking forward to a new notebook experience, but some favourites from the past include:

Leuchturm 1917 (the "official" Bullet Journal product uses a variant of these)

Moleskine

Lamy (I got one in Nashville with Nashville branding - it had graph paper)

Denk Zettel (found this one in Germany)

Baronfig . Their 'Confidant' notebook is a non-standard size, but they sell a ' Clear Habits Journal' (from James Clear ) that I adored.