journalsandplanners | advice for a newbie?

tinkaton posting in

Hello! So I recently discovered the concept of a commonplace book, got really excited about it because I haven't journaled by hand since high school and every previous attempt of mine at keeping a planner/bujo has failed, and have now ended up here looking for advice. I've watched a bunch of YouTube videos of people showing off their own commonplace books to get ideas on content, setup, etc. and am curious what kind of supplies you guys would recommend for somewhat casual journaling? There's a lot more to consider about notebooks/pens than I realized before looking into the subject and I have basically no knowledge of paper types and fancy pens and whatnot.

For reference I've done a little browsing and I'm eyeing things like this Hobonichi Plain Notebook or this Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover (I'd probably want something medium size, with dot or grid paper), but I'd love to see what you guys prefer, or what pens you'd recommend, that kind of thing! Any advice you'd give for someone who's only previous notebook concern was whether the cover was cute or not lol.

(Any tips on commonplace books or journaling in general is welcome too! I love seeing how people prefer to set up their journals/how they like to decorate/etc.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

olivermoss

Hobonichi uses a special very thin paper that some people hate and some people love. They can be very aesthetic if done right, but you need to be very careful with what pens you use. I don't use those sorts of journals, so I don't have the deets.

I tend to like thicker paper so I can use a lot of different types of pens. But I use a basic Sakura Pigma PN, or a pen by the same maker with the same ink, for most things. I also like a book that can take a but of rough handling, that can take the thickness of me putting in stickers or parts of labels from microbrew beers I had that week.

From:

tinkaton

I do like the look of journals with thin paper, but I definitely don't want to buy one + new pens only to find out they're too heavy for the paper or something. I'm kind of heavy-handed when I write haha. And good point on making sure it can handle stickers/added papers, I'd like to decorate the pages like that too so I'll have to keep that in mind. Thanks for the tips!

From:

olivermoss

The thin paper can look amazing, especially once you've filled the book. But, it's very fussy. Bleed through is a big issue.

Welcome!

From:

lunabee34

Welcome to the comm!

I agree with

olivermoss re: Hobinichi. If you aren't going to use fountain pens, I wouldn't fool with Hobinichi. You have to use a pencil board so you don't dent the page underneath, and Tomoe River paper (the paper Hobo uses) is very sensitive to hand oils, so you need to keep a piece of paper underneath your hand as you write. It's extremely fiddly paper that's just not worth it IMHO unless you are hardcore into fountain pens and wanting to show off the properties of the ink.

I really like Leuchtturm 1917 and have used that brand multiple times for a journal; they're one of the only brands that have numbered pages if that's a feature that's important to you. I also like Midori. For inexpensive journals, Walmart carries a brand called Pen and Gear that has truly excellent paper that can even handle fountain pens.

I love using stickers and washi tape. I rec stickers that are made of washi because they are extremely thin and won't bulk out your journal. Also when you put down a sticker and then write on the back of the sticker, it's so thin that you don't get that weird bump you usually get from writing on the back of stickers.

From:

havocthecat

I...do not know what the difference between you and I happens to be, but I've never had to keep a piece of paper under my hand with Tomoe River in order to keep it unaffected. I'm not saying you don't! But maybe I just have really dry hands? Which I do! I'm constantly putting on lotion. I do love Tomoe River as a paper, but I also love fiddling around with different inks and showing off their properties.

Leuchtturm 1917 is really great and it's my second favorite paper. It's also not fussy at all!

From:

tinkaton

The Leuchtturm seems to be a popular choice based on the comments here, so I'll definitely keep it in mind while I keep browsing options.

From:

lunabee34

I am a greasy monster! LOL

It's a thing that happens to a lot of people, though. Here's a little blurb on JetPens about it (under the blotting paper section): https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Pens-Accessories-for-Tomoe-River-S-Paper/pt/992#Best%20Accessories

From:

havocthecat

I do have excessively dry skin, so the amount of lotion I have to slather on daily is insane, I guess I should get lucky in one thing somewhere? I mean, I believe you in that it's a thing that happens! I'm just saying that I think I'm a statistical outlier and this is why. Though the blotting paper is a good idea on the ink transfer, I usually just deal with it by closing slowly and I don't always have time to.

From:

lunabee34

*nods nods nods*

Which now that I've linked to an article that suggests buying fancy blotting paper, I feel compelled to say for anyone who might not know (which I know you do) that you don't need to buy blotting paper ever. You can just use a sheet of notebook paper or whatever.

From:

havocthecat

It's true! You only need fancy blotting paper if you want fancy blotting paper!

From:

tinkaton

Hello, thank you! Everyone's been leaving very helpful comments, I appreciate the advice.

I'm thinking I probablyyy won't fuss with fountain pens unless I surprisingly end up getting really into journaling, so that's good to know! I haven't looked into Midori yet so I'll have to check them out. And I have tonsss of washi tape I do nothing with except buy more of lmao so I'm definitely thinking about how to incorporate that/regular stickers to decorate.

From:

lunabee34

I love using washi tape and stickers. I can't draw, so they help me feel creative.

From:

annofowlshire

Commonplace Books are something I've been wanting to do in adulthood but never manage to keep up on! (I did keep some in my childhood, but I didn't know they were called that at the time...)

I think what you use depends a bit on what you want to do with it. Leuchtturm1917 is usually a great choice, but I'd even consider a sketchbook if I wanted to add drawings and the like.

From:

tinkaton

I used to write down all sorts of random little bits of info like that when I was a kid too, it's interesting how I never thought of the concept again until I saw someone be like "so this is a thing." It's never to late to try it out though, I suppose!

I'm not an artsy person at all, so I'd be going for mostly text and stickers/washi/clippings for any decoration. The Leuchtturm does seem popular, I'll definitely bookmark it for consideration.

From:

octahedrite

I had a commonplace notebook for a few years. I'm curious about the different setups you mention; I would just fill it in page by page lol.

Anyway. Use a book that you're okay with getting beat up a bit. Like if it's an expensive delicate notebook, you'll end up wanting to "preserve" it and not write in it. Also, the desire for perfectionism is less with a cheaper notebook, which is important if your hand cramps up copying out longer stuff. You might also end up sticking printouts in it, so consider the best type of notebook for that case.

Finally, the best advice I can give is to just stick with it. Start with a slim notebook so you'll have the satisfaction of filling it.

From:

tinkaton

Mostly I saw people had different organizational systems for their books, like doing a page-by-page index at the front or categorizing the entries with colored stickers. I always get too caught up in organizing and planning things out so I feel like just leaving everything un-indexed would be easier for me.

Thank you for the advice! Given my track record never finishing things I start, doing a practice run with a cheap/small notebook is probably a good idea lol

From:

okrablossom

I find the Leuchtturms to be nice and sturdy. I write in them with fountain pens (with wetter inks), which does bleed through some, just so you know.

And thank you for asking about Hobonichi! I learned a lot about the paper in them that I didn't know because of the responses to your question :D

From:

tinkaton

Good to know, thank you! I'm thinking I likely won't bother with fountain pens, at least to start, so hopefully heavy bleed through won't be an issue.

A lot of the videos I watched with people showing off planners had Hobonichis, so I was definitely curious about people's opinions. They're very cute for sure, but I think for me something sturdy is probably better.

From:

seleneheart

I use Leuchtturm 1917 for my bullet journal, but I started bullet journaling when someone gifted a small thin notebook that I didn't know what else to do with. Any notebook that you feel comfortable with and has the potential for portability will do. As for pens, same answer - anything you feel comfortable with.

Although I'd warn that Papermate Flairs and Sharpies will bleed through almost any paper.

From:

tinkaton

Thank you for the tips! I'm definitely going to read up some more/watch some more videos to get ideas, but a "starter" notebook and pens I already own are probably what I'll end up using first just to see how it goes.

From:

finch

I like the Leuchtturm as a go-to option, though I've actually been using small sketch books lately as I enjoying playing with watercolors and markers and stuff in my books.

For a first go at something, I almost always recommend using something you already have or are familiar with if you're the kind of person who worries about messing up something "nice" but Leuchtturm are a good middle-ground: more expensive than a school notebook but not as expensive as high-end stationary, and good quality for the money.

For a good all-around pen my go-to recommendation is a uniball signo, because they come in lots of colors, and both with caps and clicky-style, and are relatively easy to find.

From:

tinkaton

Thank you for the advice, and the pen rec! I know in my heart I should practice with a cheap notebook I already own, but I love buying stationery so I'm just like "I need to buy a nice new one" sjdfhskjh. May do the former while shopping around for the latter, though the Leuchtturm seems like a decent choice based on the comments here.

From:

feast_of_regrets

I love commonplacing and I love Hobonichi. I think the Hobonichi notebook (plain or with cute covers!) is a great choice for a dedicated commonplace book (although I have a tendency to just commonplace in whatever I am 'living in' at the moment, which last year was a Hobonichi Weeks Mega). I personally feel that the beauty and touch of the Tomoe River paper actually helps me stay engaged with my journaling (and I'm not particularly into fountain pens or pretty inks), but I do agree you have to be particular about pens, because a lot of gel pens and even some ballpoints do not work well on this paper. I wield a Uni Jetstream multipen 0.38 for quick jotting, a Tombow Mono drawing pen 01 for when I want the writing really permanent or need to draw a format, Tomobow brush pens for color, and Platinum Curidas EF with Platinum Carbon Black when I do want a fountain pen (mostly for comfort in long writing sessions).

From:

tinkaton

Thank you for the thoughts on the Hobonichi, and the pen recs! I do like the look and feel of thin paper like that, so it's awfully tempting. I watched a few videos of people showing off their Hobonichi Cousin planners and I was like 👀👀👀 despite spectacularly failing to use a planner properly last year lmao

From:

feast_of_regrets

The Cousin is such a poster child of a book. I failed to use the one I had last year (though I am still using it for art experiments, so no loss), and I still bought one to try again this year. I probably should have just stuck with the notebook or the Weeks. So yeah, I definitely hear you on the temptation!

From:

independence1776

I am pretty low-key when it comes to journaling. I use the mass-market journals found in bookstores and I am a hardcore user of Pilot Better Ball Point with a fine tip pens. Seriously. There's only one store in my city that I know sells them and I go there specifically for these pens. They are not high-quality pens but I've been using them since I was a kid and I love them.

As for as decorations go, I love stickers. I avoid the puffy/3-d ones scrapbookers tend to use, but there are plenty of flat stickers out there that won't bulk up your journal.

From:

tinkaton

Honestly that's how I SHOULD be because I have a bad habit of buying things for a new hobby that never get used, but I've always been weak to pretty stationery. At the very least I want to use up all the washi tape and stickers I've gathered over the years that just sit unused in a box!!

From:

havocthecat

As a continuation of this (do we need a continuation? idk, but do I want to link this? 100% yes), I was scrolling through Tumblr and found this quite enjoyable post discussing various types of paper: https://www.tumblr.com/mamoru/672059141544624128/proud-to-be-the-worlds-1-moleskine-hater-get

Moleskine actually used to be pretty good? But yeah, they kind of coast on name recognition and anyone who likes to use an EF nib only these days.

It starts out trashing Moleskine but it moves on from there.

Edited Date: 2024-02-05 02:34 pm (UTC)

From:

tinkaton

I'm happy to take any links on the topic you've got, haha. Even if I don't end up buying something fancy myself I like reading about this stuff (as do most people in this comm, I'm sure lmao). So thank you!

From:

dialecticdreamer

Okay, I'm going to separate my answer into three parts: Why commonplace? WHAT commonplace? and-- How to adjust your method?

Why commonplace?

I've kept commonplace books off and on since elementary school. Sometimes, they were topical, what I called study books, and sometimes they were lifechanging thoughts in someone else's words. One of my favorite quotes, put in the front of every commonplace book for decades was a long quote from Lazarus Long, a RA Heinlein character, that ends with the mic drop: specialization is for insects.

So, a commonplace book is basically your conversation with what you read, and how you do it isn't as important as that you're investing in the commonplace book.

What commonplace book?

Here's where everyone shrieks and clutches their pearls: I have kept commonplace books first in spiral notebooks (I didn't buy my school supplies as a kid), and then in three ring binders or, later, disc notebooks. I've gone back to my favorite every single time: a simple stitched composition book. I used to buy them 4/$1 at the school stock-up sales, but the daily price is $1 here in my part of the US, which is no financial hardship as an investment.

Everything else I have to suggest falls under how to ADJUST your commonplace practice. It applies to journaling, too.

I have a stack of disabilities that means that the reader does not see the near-constant ratio of at least one typo per word while creating this message. Writing in pen with an error rate like that... Just no.

So my go-to writing tool is a pencil. I've looked it up and graphite is infinitely durable unless something else affects the paper/graphite, like water or heat.

My current dexterity makes decorating a commonplace book or a bujo about as effective as asking a two-year-old to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa, or even Munch's "The Scream." Never going to happen. So I don't. I dislike sticker embellishments in general, so yeah, my commonplace book is pretty bare-bones visually.

But I also use a key with shortcut symbols, Bujo style, to keep track of where I'm quoting, where I'm summarizing, and when I throw my own opinions into the page (usually because the reaction to what I'm reading is very strong.)

My final advice:

Take all the bells and whistles out. Try a commonplace book with a pencil and a composition book. If you like it, if you find yourself slowing down to invest TIME into making your penmanship as clear as possible, or paging back to re-read something you'd cited from four chapters earlier, or another book, you've found a good resource, and a tool which can last your lifetime.

Dressing it up, well, my first advice is to look at the Jarman penmanship based on what was taught in British schools a few decades ago. You print, but the style of each letter means that you end up with a sentence that looks to be in italic cursive. It's fast. It's beautiful (at least to me), and it's easy to learn. Then play with embellished capitals, the fancy first letters at the beginning of each chapter of many older books (pre 1900, generally). Printing styles change more slowly than clothing, but there is still an enormous pool of print styles that can appeal to your aesthetics.

Side note: the practice will gradually change your 'natural' penmanship, which lets me look back at a journal from 1994 and see not just what I was reading at the time, but the influences of things like studying a non-Roman script on my penmanship.

Practical matters, like difficulty turning very thin pages, has long since kicked me out of the discussion about best paper, or fountain pens at all. (I still own mine, but it's like a golfer refusing to give up their favorite driver after a disastrous accident.) What I will say is that visual strain matters. Try to compare a bright white to a matte white to a cream paper with the same pencil or cheap ballpoint writing. One will undoubtedly be easier on your eyes, in part based on your vision, lighting preference, and a dozen other mechanical details that can add up to whanging headaches versus getting caught up in reading or writing for two hours with no signs of strain at all.

Everything written above can apply to journaling your own thoughts and feelings.

My only other tip... Start with a goal that is just a BIT of a stretch. "I'm going to make commonplace notes about a book every month" is probably too ambitious for most. When I developed the problems in my hands, I literally had to relearn how to hold a fork, and then a pen. Not use, just hold and not DROP the thing. To learn how to write again, I cut up an adult coloring book page into pieces 4*6", and at first would have someone prep a stack by drawing a vertical line down the middle. Coloring in, regardless of how accurately, started off as half an hour or more of intense work for something the size of a Zentangle.

So, start where you are. If you find timers motivating, great. Five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening are a great way to build the habit of journaling. They are also mercy from the Universe when no matter how hard you stare, words just won't FORM to go onto paper. For those times, when the timer rings, I quit. (I started writing "I tried." and the date and time, but after a few weeks, it was easier to get those first words from my head onto paper, and I didn't need that step.

One final idea: Use a fine-tip marker to write the title and date (i.e. Common Thoughts 2024) on the edges of the book at the top and bottom. It makes sorting through a growing collection much easier. (The long edge is good for tab coloring, if that appeals.)

From:

lunabee34

This is such fantastic advice. Thanks for sharing it.

I particularly like your point that pencils are very long-lasting and you can get such luxe fancy pencils now to make up for any pen FOMO.

From:

dialecticdreamer

You are very welcome. I talk about my experiences and the intersection of journaling/commonplace books and assorted physical disabilities, because I cannot journal exactly the same ways that I did in high school, or in my thirties. The point is that the process supports those adaptations, so there's no fear of "one right way." Your journals and commonplace books are scrapbooks of your thoughts.

The one down side in using pencil NOW is that I have a heavy hand, so there's a bit of smudging on earlier pages. Not lines or distinct marks, just a slight tint across the whole page. If that bothers you, I can suggest Frixion pens as a quality erasable pen, but I haven't checked the durability/archival quality of the ink.

From:

lunabee34

Frixion pens react to heat so the writing can disappear if left in a hot car, for example.

I completely agree with you that this stationery hobby we all love is infinitely adaptable.

From:

dialecticdreamer

Oh, thanks for the information! I tried them once or twice, but they move differently along the page, and using one effectively ruined my penmanship, so I went back to using pencil. On the other hand, they're more readily available than fabric marking pens, where the heat erasure is a feature rather than a bug.