I keep paper notebooks at work. So much of my output is captured digitally - be it code, updates in tickets, slack, email. But a lot of my thinking happens on paper. It’s much easier to sketch things out, think through a problem - it helps me think. Anyways, here are the notebooks I’ve used at work for the past 5+ years. I don’t often refer back to them, but I like having them near me.

This is the first notebook I used when I started seriously noting at work. It was a good notebook, good paper, but a little bit too small (I think it’s B6 slim size?). I used this while at Corptax and Machinery Pete.

I liked this notebook a lot, but don’t remember where I got it from. Maybe Topdrawer? Nice size, nice paper though. Used while working at Machinery Pete.

Then I found these Kokuyo Campus notebooks. A5 size, only 50 sheets so not too bulky and lays flat easily. I bought a couple, then they were out of stock when I went to buy some more. I was dismayed. Now I buy a few at a time so I always have a couple at hand. When it’s time for a new one, I grab one out of the cabinet, slap some stickers on it, and it’s ready to go.

I took a brief detour with this Letterfolk Composition Notebook. I used to use a ton of composition notebooks when I was in college, you could get them for like a dollar at the bookstore. Great for scratching out math homework, but terrible quality paper. This one has better quality paper, but it was just a bit too big. I was hooked on the Kokuyo notebooks, and nothing else could compare.

Back to the Kokuyo Campus, and I see myself sticking with these for a long long time. Another great thing about this size - I print out monthly calendars so I can draw my calendar, and they fit inside the cover perfectly when folded in half.