High End Notebooks, What do you use them for?

[top pen]

I was browsing earlier and saw a Paperblanks notebook which reminded me of a particular U2 song which I like (who's gonna ride your wild horses) however I have habit of buying high end notebooks (talking Webnote books, Castelli, leuchtturm etc) and never finding a good use for them and they end up as shelf decoration. I've tried journalling over the summer but I found I couldn't keep it up for more then about 10 days.

General writing tasks for me consists mainly of university notes which I use Oxford file paper for. I do have a Midori style notebook which I use for to do lists and a Filofax flex pocket which I use in the same way.

Just kind of curious what other's use these higher end notebooks for? Maybe even list what notebooks you have on the go?

[da vinci]

I use an a5 Leuchtturm as a pen and ink "record".

I have a Namami TR notebook, plus 2 MD notebooks that I am struggling to bring myself to use. I am going to use 1 of the 3 for handwriting out quotes or other information that is important or meaningful. Not sure about the other 2.

[ypsilanti]

A notebook too nice to use? It doesn't exist! It's a figment of your imagination.

You have a really nice notebook, a fountain pen, a bottle of ink. What makes you think that your scribbles are worthy of the awesome pen and ink, but not the notebook? You're totally worth it! Does everything that comes out of your nice pen have to be profound or beautiful or somehow measure up to a squishy idea of worthiness? No! You have a really nice notebook. So use it. For anything. Anything is a 'good use' of it because using it, period, is good. It feels good to scribble with fountain pens on really nice paper.

I suggest defacing it with doodles immediately, take the pressure off. With practice, this will become totally comfortable. Enjoyable! I promise.

[VertOlive]

I bought something like 7 or 8 amazing Paperblanks on sale and they sat on the shelf until I used up the journal I had going at the time. Then their beauty caused me to hesitate too. Finally, when I got a special new pen, I was able to at least write the date on the front page of one that seemed to "deserve" the pen. Then I was off and writing.

So right now I'm using the Paperblanks Vincent Van Gogh for a daily personal journal.
Then a Circa with Rhodia paper for a Bullet Journal. Those movable pages are so handy!
And a Clairefontaine for a Diet/Exercise Journal.
A second, different colored Clairefontaine for notes for my Latin class.

Compared to any other back to school notebook, I suppose they are high-end, but pens and writing are my main hobby so that's what I enjoy and use. It's what pen geeks do!

[sharmon202]

I bought something like 7 or 8 amazing Paperblanks on sale and they sat on the shelf until I used up the journal I had going at the time. Then their beauty caused me to hesitate too. Finally, when I got a special new pen, I was able to at least write the date on the front page of one that seemed to "deserve" the pen. Then I was off and writing.

So right now I'm using the Paperblanks Vincent Van Gogh for a daily personal journal.
Then a Circa with Rhodia paper for a Bullet Journal. Those movable pages are so handy!
And a Clairefontaine for a Diet/Exercise Journal.
A second, different colored Clairefontaine for notes for my Latin class.

Compared to any other back to school notebook, I suppose they are high-end, but pens and writing are my main hobby so that's what I enjoy and use. It's what pen geeks do!

Do you use Circa punch to use Rhodia paper or what? That is what I have been thinking about trying. Love the Circa, have used it for years for work.

[sharmon202]

I was browsing earlier and saw a Paperblanks notebook which reminded me of a particular U2 song which I like (who's gonna ride your wild horses) however I have habit of buying high end notebooks (talking Webnote books, Castelli, leuchtturm etc) and never finding a good use for them and they end up as shelf decoration. I've tried journalling over the summer but I found I couldn't keep it up for more then about 10 days.

General writing tasks for me consists mainly of university notes which I use Oxford file paper for. I do have a Midori style notebook which I use for to do lists and a Filofax flex pocket which I use in the same way.

Just kind of curious what other's use these higher end notebooks for? Maybe even list what notebooks you have on the go?

My first choice is dot grid if I can get it.
Rhodia 6x8.25 stapled black for ink/pen journal.
Paperblanks for daily gratitude journal.
I use different notebooks with 28-50 pages for projects at work, one book per project.
Leuchtturm 1917 dot grid as a miscellaneous book, some call it a commonplace book. For collecting things I do not want to lose or forget. Two seconds to write what it is and page number in index and I can find things quickly. I do this with most notebooks, thanks to the Bullet Journal guy!!

[VertOlive]

"Do you use Circa punch to use Rhodia paper or what?": No, I bought Rhodia paper pages made for Circa from Levenger last year. When I went to find a link for you, I don't see them anymore but did send an email to enquire if they still exist.

[velo]

Just kind of curious what other's use these higher end notebooks for? Maybe even list what notebooks you have on the go?

I agree with ypsilanti that you shouldn't view them as being too nice to use. I used to wait until I felt I had something worthy of writing down and all you end up with, like you said, is a shelf of pretty but empty notebooks.

[nospam666]

I have two notebooks going all the time. One is a pocket-sized hardback, usually Leuchtturm1917 or Moleskine, that I use for my Getting Things Done system and to log the work that I have done or delegated on a daily basis.

The other is usually a5 sized, also hardback, & I use it to write random musings, story ideas, to draft scenes (I am a novelist and I always begin a scene with pen and paper before I switch over to the computer) , and for personal improvement and recovery journaling.

Probably more information than anyone needed lol.

[inklord]

My Rhodia pocket webbie has been a constant companion part of last year and all of this to write down my haiku/zen poems. I find it easier to convey the mood of a day in short poems than in descriptive prose, and since the poems are that short, one notebook stays with me for a long time and gets carried around a lot. It therefore needs to be of sturdy bind, and, of course, fp friendly. I also love the way the covers of the Rhodia webnotebooks age.
That being said, I recently found a webbie-like notebook with even better paper by Daler-Rowney for less than $5.- at the () local universal big box store (I already confessed to my stationer, and she'll try to get them in her store).
Otherwise I use Rhodia, Clairefontaine and Fabriano A5 staple-bound (lined or dotted) notebooks for random thoughts, and a Rhodia or Fabriano spiral A5 pad for scribbling and trying out pens and inks...

[JackdeSpadas]

I think newbie excitement for experimenting is all that has buoyed me past my own reluctance to "sully" my beautiful (more) expensive notebooks. Otherwise, I would have the same quandary. Ypsilanti is absolutely correct, and to paraphrase Twain: you will regret not writing in them far more than what you write. Don't get too hung up on the reluctance either, though, because it's natural and ubiquitous. My wife is an artist and has trouble taking the plunge with a new (fill in the blank) all the time. Our culture trains us to doubt our selves and our worth.

In answer to the question, though:

I have a very small Rhodia flip top for passing notes at meetings--I know, real mature, right?

Then there are the Clairfontaine and something else for logging new ink/pen combos; a dot-grid Fabriano that was going to be a planner, but has fallen out of favor; and the Midori TN insert that preceded the Fabriano. Both are now go-to sketch pads.

I'm now using Piccadilly which I blocked out as week-on-two pages for my planner (I like the extra width vs. Midori) and another for my first draft of a writing project. My Paperblanks book is where I am writing my second draft, as well as using the very last page for logging ink/pen combo before I decided which to use in there.

They are pure joy to write in. Ypsilanti is right. Print her post and keep it handy. Or perhaps quote the salient details on the first page of your notebook. Most of all, enjoy!

[ypsilanti]

Don't get too hung up on the reluctance either, though, because it's natural and ubiquitous. My wife is an artist and has trouble taking the plunge with a new (fill in the blank) all the time. Our culture trains us to doubt our selves and our worth.

Well said, Jack. I spoke the other day with the zeal of the converted. I, too, used to wonder what to do with my lovely notebooks. Thought I'd save them for something "special." That's so much pressure! You can't enjoy your creativity (not to mention the notebooks) under that kind of pressure. I started many journals over the years but was too self-critical to keep it up (or to keep them, period, which bums me out). But I've been writing nearly every day for two years now and I can't tell you how freeing it is to let go of the judgment and unrealistic expectations of brilliance.

To answer your question, top pen... I use the Paper for Fountain Pens B5 journal for my daily scribbles. I carry a pocket notebook with me everywhere for random notes, usually a Field Notes or Doane. I use a cheap comp book for tracking/planning fitness stuff. I'm intermittent with my Hobonichi Techo, trying to make it a daily practice. Those are the notebooks I use all the time. I have several others in play -- a handmade Tomoe River notebook I use as a commonplace book; Clairfontaine notebooks to capture poems and ink swabs; Paperblanks to list the books I've read; Circa for projects...

Have fun!

[VertOlive]

Thanks Ypsi--you reminded me that I want to start a book'n'movies notebook for 2016. Another notebook on the stack!

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I bought a few high-end Apica and Clairefontaine notebooks. As it turns out, I used them for the same things as I used lower-end notebooks. Hence, I don't buy any more higher-end notebooks.

If I buy more of them, it will be for a really specific purpose which I haven't figured out yet.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I got a Rhodia Webnotebook to use as a daily journal, but that was based on both wanting something that I was planning to keep for a long time as well as just wanting to experience the nice paper of it. I also got a Paperblanks journal as a gift and I'm currently using that one.

To be honest, unless it's for something like a journal where I plan to keep it for a long time, I probably wouldn't purchase a super high-end notebook. Whatever the best deal I can get on a notebook with FP-friendly paper is what I'd use for more mundane purposes like taking meeting notes, etc. Right now I'm kinda torn between some Clairefontaine notebooks that I've seen online for reasonable prices vs. Black and Red that I can get at my local Staples. Clairefontaine is a bit better and a bit cheaper (depending on the model), but I'm not sure if shipping will offset that somewhat.

[JackdeSpadas]

Last night I used a staple bound Clairefontaine as a table leg shim at the coffee shop.

[inklord]

Last night I used a staple bound Clairefontaine as a table leg shim at the coffee shop.

[bogiesan]

I buy notebooks based on price opportunity. High end or not, they're just paper. And they're empty. So I fill them up with irregular notes and sketches. Mollie's, webbies, Leuchies, whitelines, Midori, and many more. Paper just screaming for ink. I know people who have cars and bicycles they don't drive or ride. I have my grandfather's carpentry tools and I use them on every project!