I did a long overdue update to my “Using Now” photo in the sidebar. My usage has actually been pretty consistent for the last few years, so it wasn’t all that out of date, but here’s the details on my routine notebook usage.
Moleskine Pocket Squared– I almost always have one of these going as my daily journal, log-book and catchall. I record what I’ve eaten, my exercise and other health notes in this notebook, as well as my current to-do lists, divided into various subjects. I write journal entries here, and occasionally do a quick sketch and paste in clippings of images that appeal to me. This notebook is always with me.
Moleskine Pocket Sketchbook– I carry this with me almost always, and use it for sketches in pen, pencil, and sometimes watercolor. I’ve been going through these sketchbooks a little faster since doing a couple of 100 Day challenges.
Moleskine Volant– I alternate between these and Field Notes and other similar thin notebooks for my notes from my French lessons.
All these Moleskines are older stock not manufactured in recent years, for reasons I outline in this post.
Conceptum– I reviewed this notebook quite a while back. When the need arose to start a single-subject notebook, I decided to use this one, partly because of its extra bookmark. This year has involved a lot of changes for me in my career and home life, and I’ve been recording goals and to-do lists and other resources and info in this notebook as my partner and I prepare to move and renovate our new home, as well as looking for new jobs in a new location. New, new, new! The notebook contains lists of things we need to move, things to be sold, an inventory of our storage unit, restaurants and gyms and yoga centers to check out in our new community, etc. And also dreams and wishes!
Pentalic Watercolor Sketchbook– I’ve been trying to do more watercolor painting, and I’ve been filling a lot of this notebook with my various attempts. I have a couple other watercolor sketchbooks (reviewed here along with the Pentalic) that are also partially filled.
Not included in this list are a couple of HandBook Artist Journals that I haven’t completed yet, which I’ll return to at some point, and all my Moleskine City Notebooks, which I pick up whenever I have a note I want to enter about something to do or see in each of the cities they cover. I also have one other Moleskine Plain notebook that I had been using to try to catch all my doodling while on conference calls, so as not to waste all those good doodles on work papers that would end up being thrown out or filed. I’ve only filled a few pages, and nowadays I’m not on any conference calls, which is seriously curtailing my doodling! Who in the world ever said “I need to get a more demanding job so I can draw more?!?”
There are lots of other notebooks that I would love to be able to use everyday, but the system I have now works well for me. I like having a density of material in a few notebooks rather than spreading things out too much.
As for pens, for years now I have been using the Uni-Ball Signo RT 0.38 in black or blue-black, as well as the Uni-ball Style Fit bodies with various colors of 0.38 inserts. (Mostly bought at JetPens, but Amazon has great prices on these.) I have various other pencils (Blackwing, Faber-Castell) that I use regularly for drawing. And of course a whole set of things I use for testing when I do reviews. I’ve just bought some more inexpensive fountain pens and inks, which will be fun to play with, and my favorite Winsor & Newton watercolor box gets regular usage.
What are you using these days?
Just got back from a vacation trip and used a Moleskine JRR Tolkien Large Notebook and a Shinola pocket notebook to record the journey (3500 land miles there and back again – no dragons). Finishing up a Field Notes EDC Pocket Notebook and waiting to try a sweet little Pelle Journal next.
Scripta Notes hardcover blank pages for my pencil journal.
Spicebox hardcover ruled for my pen journal.
Field Notes kraft grid for my task lists.
Office ledger sized printer paper for working on engineering problems.
A steno pad for aiding in those engineering problems.
A PaperMate Classic #2 for my pencil of the month.
CoCalc ad pen I got recently for pen needs.
Always great to read about the notebooks you’re currently using :)
I’m using a Traveler’s Notebook at the moment for planning, lists and random notes. My goal is to stick with it for a while. “Don’t change the notebook, change how you use it.” I’m also using a pocket size Moleskine for journaling.
It would be great to have a visual comparison of the old Moleskines with the new ones. I definitely have my preferences in notebook brands, but I can’t really pinpoint what my “quality standards” are, it’s just a general “that feels nice”.
I’m impressed that you seem to have a great system worked out with your assortment. I long to have a catch-all notebook like your Moleskine pocket squared to record everything about my day, but I’ve never been able to make that work for me. But my current assortment has been going well for several years, so I guess it means I don’t really need that thing that I still seem to long for (in concept, anyway). My assortment: At home: an A5 Rhodia or Leuchtturm notebook for my daily log (short notes about key items I did today, books read, restaurants eaten at, movies seen) and longer journal entries as needed; several Field Notes-size notebooks of single topics (interests and hobbies). In my daily-carry bag: a slim pocket-size notebook (usually Field Notes) for short memos to myself and casual pen/pencil sketches; 9″x6″ DIY sketchbook (4 watercolor pages folded and stitched) for larger sketches with color. I also use a variety of purchased sketchbooks for special purposes, like toned paper, landscape format watercolor paper, etc. And when I travel I usually take a pocket-size Rhodia Rhodiarama, which I start using as soon as I start planning the trip.
Recently I decided to return to keeping a sketchbook/journal. I’ve purchased a handful off the shelf from a local Hobby Lobby type shop, and been disappointed in all of them. Except one.
A Stillman & Birn Nova Series journal. The pages are not white, more of a medium grey. So my sketches have to be augmented with grey and white colors. But the book is becoming more fun, as other colors do pop on the page if I take any notes in, say, a highlighter blue type color.
I just ordered a Pocket Notebook, around 3.75 x 4.75 from Zequenz for small doodling. Never seen one up close but am interested in the 360 degree ability of the book.
Truthfully? I’ve been so frustrated in finding what I’m looking for that I’ve started looking into tutorials on how to bind my own books. I might try to start making my own from scratch.
Like your site.
Best,
Ken