Notebook Review: ProFolio Oasis Notebook

ProFolio Oasis notebooks landed on my radar at the first San Francisco Pen Show that I attended, where I had a chance to browse the Sailor/Itoya table. As a huge fan of multi-lined rulings such as Clairefontaine French/Seyes ruling and the Nakabayashi “Logical” lined rulings, I immediately jumped at the ProFolio layout, which distributor/manufacturer Itoya describes as a combination of “dots, graph, and lines.”

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The ProFolio Oasis multi-lined layout.

Itoya highlights versatility as the main selling point of this notebook:

“The Profolio Oasis Notebook was designed to make the hard choice of “which journal” much easier. While many people have a hard time choosing between dot grid, graph, or lined, the Oasis Journal combines the best of all three with its new proprietary paper pattern. The combination of dots, grids, and lines as well as their light application makes this notebook ideal for handwriting, bullet journaling, and even drawing straight lines without the necessity of a ruler.”

— Itoya Marketing Copy

I promise current and former co-workers who may be reading this that the meeting reflected in these notes is entirely fictional.

Personally, I use rulings such as this one to alternate the size of my script, which allows me to take different types of notes and make annotations all over the page. If I need to emphasize a certain note, I’ll use larger letters, and if I want to add annotations I’ll not only write smaller but will use the interior dotted lines instead of the wider, bold ruling. Each page of the notebook features a header section, so that you can date and label as necessary. Some of you may find the header section useful for summarizing meetings or key takeaways from a page of notes.

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The paper is excellent. The current version of the ProFolio notebook features lightweight 75gsm Japanese paper that handles fountain pen ink quite well. If you enjoy the look of Clairefontaine French-ruled paper, yet find Clairefontaine too slick, the ProFolio paper has a softer texture more akin to Nakabayashi. (It might even be the same paper used in the Logical line, though that is pure speculation and there are slight differences in layout, particularly the header.) I picked an A5 version in “Brick Red” to test, and so far this paper has performed quite well with every fountain pen ink I’ve tried. Other available sizes include A6 and B5.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Itoya ProFolio Oasis series gets the T.G.S. stamp of approval. In addition to featuring quality paper with a versatile ruling/layout, ProFolio earns bonus points for multiple convenient sizes and a lie-flat binding. These Oasis notebooks are now available in our own shop and priced from $9.99 to $15.99, depending on size. As noted above, these come in A6, A5, and the coveted B5, which sits between A5 and A4. There are also five different colors. I didn’t realize the extent to which people appreciated this B5 size until I started carrying Nakabayashi and ProFolio, and I’ll try to find more in the future.

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In recent years there has been a proliferation of notebooks marketed as “fountain pen friendly”, and not all of them live up to their billing. Given the current demand for good paper, I make it a point to test as many notebooks as I can because I know that eventually I’ll get questions on brands that are receiving a lot of attention on social media. If you’d like to read more on what I consider to be fountain pen friendly paper and specific brands you might want to try, I recently updated the “Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper” site resource.

This post does not contain third-party advertising or affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Back to Hobonichi: My Daily Journaling Setup for 2024

I spent a lot of time over the past four months thinking about how I wanted to approach journaling in 2024. Over the past year, I definitely became more consistent in terms of how often I sit down to write (always by hand, never on the computer), but until my work sabbatical in October didn’t spend much time thinking through a coherent journaling strategy and how I wanted to use journaling to support my personal and professional goals. After some experimentation, I decided to divide my journaling between three different books: (1) a professional “journal” that I use to track how I spent my time each day, mainly on work and more structured personal projects; (2) a “observations” journal that’s in a smaller format I can carry with me; and (3) a more traditional “reflections” journal that I write in each morning.

*Note: I don’t use a traditional paper “planner” (i.e., a calendar to track dates and appointments) for professional reasons. My schedule is too complex and deadline-dependent to rely on manual updates and edits, especially since due dates and meetings constantly change (often without my knowledge). I mention this up front because I know that I’m going to get the question: why does someone need three planners? The answer is that even though the Hobonichi Techo - and other similar “planners” such as those from Stalogy and the Midori Codex - are marketed as traditional calendar/diaries, the layouts are extremely flexible and can easily be used as journals or dated notebooks, which is how I’ve always viewed them.

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Journal No. 1: Hobonichi Cousin A5

My primary everyday professional notebook/journal is going to be the Hobonichi Cousin A5. For the last quarter of 2023, I experimented with “time blocking” as part of an effort to improve my concentration and focus, which is a time-management technique that can be helpful for those of us who work more than one job and/or whose profession involves managing multiple complex projects. A full discussion of this technique (and how I’ve adapted it to my needs) is beyond the scope of this simple blog post, but the general idea is that you sit down each morning for 15-20 minutes and plan out your day in blocks of time dedicated to a specific task or project, to the exclusion of anything else that may distract you. You intersperse your day with “admin” blocks to keep up with more routine things such as e-mail, phone calls, paying bills, etc. It might seem rigid at first, but two things happen: (1) the “a time and place for everything” philosophy underlying the structure creates space for better concentration, and eventually you’re more easily able to resist things such as checking e-mail that pull you out of the work your doing because you know you’ve set aside time for them later; and (2) you’re able to finish tasks quicker because you’re giving yourself the space to concentrate on a single thing rather than multi-tasking.

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Yes, the Cousin fits in the Roterfaden, but you will need to embrace the “one notebook” Roterfaden strategy (unless you go with the Cousin Avec).

For those interested in learning more, I’d recommend picking up a copy of the “Time Block Planner” (the most recent version of which contains decent paper). I found that the layout didn’t work perfectly for me - I think it’s actually intended more as a “workbook” to help you learn the technique for the first time - but the experience of working through the planner for eight weeks or so was invaluable.

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A sample time block plan. Obviously I had to redact details.

I draw my time blocks on the left-hand side of the Hobonichi Techo, and use the remainder of the daily page for my “catch-all” notes and administrative task lists. If you’re in the middle of a time block and an unrelated thought/task/observation pops into your head, you jot it down in the free space on your planner or notebook. In addition to being useful for organizing my work and thoughts, I enjoy having a fairly detailed record of exactly how I spend my time. The page layout of the Hobonichi Cousin A5 is well-suited to how I time-block.

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I use the monthly calendar as a way to experiment with content plans. (Most of this is a draft which then gets imported into my computer as I decide what I’m going to publish/write about.)

I currently have the Hobonichi Cousin in my A5 Roterfaden binder. Because the Cousin is a thick notebook, I attached it to the Roterfaden using the center clip, use the front clip as a bookmark for the “weekly” view, and plan to use the third clip to hold loose papers, etc. (For those who are interested, we currently have A6 Roterfadens in stock with another shipment of A4 and A5 binders on the way from Germany as we speak.)

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On Sunday afternoon I try to sketch out a “weekly time block plan” which is intended to be rough. I then flesh it out either in the morning before the workday starts or the night before.

Journal No. 2: Hobonichi Weeks Mega

Less a journal and more of an “observations” notebook without any strict format requirements. This year I’m making a conscious effort to be more present, to read more, and generally to engage in activities that necessarily require a longer attention span, such as tackling more difficult books and watching longer films. I constantly collect book and movie recommendations, and always maintain a running annual list of books read/movies watched for the year, which is probably how I will use the blank pages at the back of the Weeks. I also enjoy having a “week on a page” layout, which I’ve used so far to jot down just one or two memorable things I did/observed on each day. My Hobonichi Weeks had a start date of November 27, 2023, so I already have about six weeks under my belt.

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Journal No. 3: Hobonichi A6

Finally, my third journal is my reflections journal. I’ve managed to keep up my morning journaling routine to the point where I reliably write most mornings, reflecting on the prior day. For this journal I chose the standard Hobonichi A6, which contains just enough space to allow me to write a meaningful entry in 30 minutes or less.

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I don’t have a cover for this third journal yet. As discussed below, I’m waiting for a new shipment of Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter covers, so I may choose an A6 size for this one, but since this journal typically stays on my desk at home the best choice might be a slimmer Gfeller undyed leather cover or one of the Galen Leather “Crazy Horse” varieties.

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Stay tuned, because throughout the year, I plan to share more about both journaling strategies and my likes/dislikes of the various Hobonichi editions. Currently, they’re all pretty much exactly what I was suspecting, with no surprises other than how effortless it’s been to enjoy them. Happy New Year, everyone!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon in yesterday’s post.

Adventures in Pen Travel and Pens for Vacation, 2023 Edition

Now that I’ve had a few days to decompress, It seems like a good opportunity to talk a bit more about my travels over the past two months, the ongoing “hard reset” of my work and personal life, and, of course, my marathon pen cleaning session last week.

I recently announced that I’m changing day jobs, which is a big move for me. I held my old position for nearly 10 years, and while I won’t be changing employers, I’m stepping into a role that (1) involves less of an overall time commitment; and (2) has fewer administrative responsibilities. One reason for the shift is the rapid growth of T.G.S. - while it’s not yet a full-time project, it requires more attention each month, and I’m of course more than happy to rearrange my working life to accommodate the expansion. That said, it’s likely going to require a complete reorganization of my workflows and how I go about my daily working life if I want to keep things manageable.

These two pens - shown here with a new ink I tested at the Dallas Pen Show - stayed in rotation!

The biggest change is the lack of formal structure. My new duties are primarily project-based, allowing me to work mostly remotely, on my own schedule. Outside of the posting routine that I’ve fallen into over the years, T.G.S. also doesn’t have a “schedule”, so my greatest concern about the new arrangement involves my ability to structure my time in a way that ensures that (A) I get everything done, and (B) I keep work confined to “regular” hours as much as I can, allowing me to have a greater semblance of a personal life that includes picking back up other hobbies and interests that I’ve necessarily had to let slide. Case-in-point: I’ve not done nearly as much personal writing and journaling as I would have liked over the past year, despite having a half-dozen notebooks “in rotation” and 30+ fountain pens inked up.

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The 10 pens I took with me on vacation, identified and discussed below from left.

Current Setup: Fountain Pens

While of course there’s a lot that I’m thinking through and working on that I can’t publicly discuss here, I CAN tell you what I’m doing about my pen problem. The first order of business was to flush 20 or so pens, most of which had been inked for the Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Dallas Pen Shows. The cleaning process was aided considerably by the Schon DSGN Luer Syringe Cleaning System, which Ian kindly gifted me in San Francisco to test out. The system consists of a series of fittings designed to attach to the section and/or nib unit of your pen, with different attachments made to fit JoWo, Bock, Pilot, and Sailor (with more to come). You can then thread a 1cc syringe into the fitting and easily flush out a pen in much less time than it would take you to clean using a converter, and with less mess than a bulb syringe. I left nine pens inked up, which I’ll identify from the photo above, listed from left:

• Santini Libra in Blue Swirled Ebonite: This pen is on loan from a friend, and I left it inked because I need to write with it and get it reviewed so I can return it to her! Santini pens have long interested me because they are made entirely in-house, nibs included! Though Santini visited this year’s D.C. Pen Show, I was disappointed that I didn’t have the chance to visit their table.

• Leonardo Momento Zero in Bohemian Twilight Resin. Jonathan Brooks’ Bohemian Twilight material is one of my favorites, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick one of these up since I didn’t yet have a pen in this material in my personal collection. The ink I chose to pair with this pen? Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly Green, from the recently released Anderillium Lepidopteran Series. It’s a slightly brighter dark green than the swirls in the pen, which complements it perfectly.

• Conid Bulkfiller Kingsize. I’m torn on Conid, and I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the brand, especially compared with the Kyuseido Kakari (discussed more below). While extremely well-constructed, I’m not loving the Bock Titanium nib, and I hope to soon procure a gold nib option because I need more consistent inkflow and less of a “squeaky” writing experience. This pen is currently inked with Nahvalur “Dark Forest,” an excellent ink that I plan to review in more detail as soon as I’ve had the opportunity to try more from the series.

• Sailor Pro Gear “Moonlight over the Ocean”. I’ve long loved the form factor of the Sailor Pro Gear, and odd name aside, this edition spoke to me so I picked one up for my personal collection. It’s inked with Anderillium Atlas Moth Brown, also from the Lepidopteran Series. For some reason I thought this pen needed a good brown-black ink?

• TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR “Sunset Yellow”. I always have a TWSBI inked and in rotation, and the one I haven’t been able to put down is the recently released “Sunset Yellow,” - really more of an orange gold. The matching ink is Monarch Butterfly Orange, from yet again, the Anderillium Lepidopteran Series.

• Montblanc 149 in Rose Gold with Bokumondoh Urushi Work. This pen will stay inked for the foreseeable future because it’s beautiful, and the result of a year spent on the Studio Bokumondoh wait list. Fittingly, when I reviewed this pen nearly three years ago I was on vacation in the same spot I’m sitting in now typing this list.

• Kyuseido Kakari Fountain Pen. The Kakari is the first pen release from Kyuseido, the new company recently started with C.Y. of Tokyo Station Pens and the Tokyo Inklings podcast. I chose the black PVD titanium version, with a Sankakusen nib grind. It’s worth reading Kyuseido’s description of the “Pump-Piston” filling mechanism - you’ll see why this pen is of interest to so many people. The pen is currently inked with unobtanium: Diamine “Suman” created especially for this past year’s Manila Pen Show that a friend was kind enough to gift to me.

• Nagasawa Kobe Affection Kyomachi Legend Blue Sailor 1911L. My friends at Vanness Pens are now the exclusive U.S. retail partner for Kobe Japan-based Nagasawa Stationery, and I couldn’t resist taking home two of their current Sailor collaborations from the Dallas Pen Show. The first is the 1911L version of the “Kyomachi Legend” pen, which features a metal section similar to that on my 1911 Black Luster. Currently I have this pen inked with Sailor Souboku in cartridge form. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this pen is the broad nib I chose. I’ve never used a Sailor Broad (which frankly writes very much like a JoWo medium), and I’m enjoying it.

• Nagasawa Kobe Pro Gear Mini “Mouette”. The two-toned grey on this one got me, along with the fact that this edition of the Pro Gear Mini doesn’t have threads on the end of the barrel, allowing for quicker deployment. I inked this one up with Taccia Hiroshige-Ainezu, a beautiful grey that I’m enjoying.

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Current Setup: Notebooks

I took four notebooks with me: My Roterfaden A5 kitted out with my Laconic Monthly Calendar and two Plotter pads; my older (and now-discontinued) Traveler’s-sized Roterfaden with a few blank Traveler’s Midori MD refills; my Midori 5-Year Diary, and a Bank Paper journal from Atelier Musubi. As I mentioned above, I haven’t done much personal journaling and want to experiment with different formats. So far I’ve managed to write each day for at least an hour! What didn’t I bring? My Plotter notebooks. I use them more as binders to organize papers by topic, and since I’m not actively working on any projects this week I decided to leave them at home as I can incorporate pages from the Plotter notepads as necessary upon my return.

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One goal of mine is to streamline my everyday carry. As I journal more, I want to finish up several notebooks “in progress” and limit what’s active going forward.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my current stationery life! As you might imagine, things are a bit chaotic right now, but in a good way, as I’m excited about what’s to come. Stay tuned as I have much more to announce over the coming month!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid advertising or third-party affiliate links.

My Personal Notebooks and Planners to Enter 2023

I use the week between Christmas and New Year’s as a “catch up and close out” week, where in addition to cleaning out my office and starting to take down all the holiday decorations, I also revisit my notebooks and planners. During this process, I look at what worked for me, what didn’t, and adjust accordingly based on how things worked out for me during the prior year. Without further ado, here’s The Gentleman Stationer’s 2023 notebook and planner lineup!

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Plotter A5 and Plotter Mini-5. (You can probably figure out which is which.)

“Everyday” Notebooks

By “Everyday Notebooks,” I mean notebooks that stay with me at all times, either at my desk or in my bag. In terms of what I physically carry around with me, the first four on this list pretty much go everywhere, with the Midori 5-year journal living full-time on my desk at home but seeing daily use.

• William Hannah UK A5 Ring-bound Notebook. I’ve teased this one but haven’t reviewed it yet, since I only started using it around November. To start, I plan to use the William Hannah as my “work planner” and general-purpose notebook for my day job, since I like their undated calendar refills that come in both weekly and monthly formats. Since the paper is excellent and comes in a versatile array of layouts (including a theme-style journal format), this notebook’s role may expand once I buy some dividers and other accessories.

• Plotter A5. My Plotter A5 contains most of my T.G.S.-related notes and drafts that I’m working on at the moment. In terms of paper and accessories, in this notebook I use the Plotter refills (which contain excellent paper), as well as Midori MD Cotton A5 paper from the standard writing pad that I’ve hole-punched. I archive notes that I’m not currently using in an older Filofax A5 binder, since Plotter refills are not proprietary and fit most standard 6-ring binder layouts.

• Plotter Mini-5. What can I say, I operate in extremes. My largest and smallest Plotters are the two that I use the most. My Mini-5 contains a wallet/card insert, so the Plotter pulls double duty as my wallet and pocket notebook. The Plotter Mini-5 has been surprisingly polarizing, with people labeling it “overpriced” and “too small to use.” Honestly, I mostly write this up to clickbait/social media trolling and people missing the point of the product. Yes, the Plotter Mini-5 is an upscale leather pocket notebook, but it still starts at less than $100 for the cover - last I checked, comparable to many Field Notes custom leather covers - and while it’s small, it’s a pocket notebook. You’re not supposed to be writing a novel in it. The fact that it doubles as a wallet and allows me to consolidate my daily carry is a huge plus. I guess I just don’t see how spending $100-150 on something that pulls double/triple duty as a wallet, pen holder, and leather notebook is overly expensive….

• Traveler’s Notebook Standard Size. My standard-size Traveler’s Notebook will likely become my long-form journal and repository for morning pages and random scribblings. I also use the PVC pouch, sticky-note holder, and kraft folder accessories to hold things such as clips, stickies, Book Darts, receipts, and washi tape.

• Midori 5-Year Journal. The layout on the Midori multi-year journals features 365 pages, one for every day of the year, divided into five boxes, allowing you to write just a few lines on each day and reflect back on the prior years. (Three and ten-year versions are also available.) While the idea of keeping a journal for five years might seem intimidating, when you only have a few lines to write the momentum takes over.

Note: You’re going to see the Plotter system featured heavily in this post. To read more about Plotter and how it works, check out this prior article.

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From left, Plotter Narrow, Plotter Bible (5th Anniversary Cover), and Nanami Paper Cafe Note (B6 Slim)

Notebooks Used Less Frequently, But still regularly

Most of these notebooks don’t travel with me unless I’m working on the specific project to which they’re dedicated. They have a narrower focus, or are used more as archives/binders to hold notes for future reference. However, they still get used on a weekly basis.

• Plotter Bible-Size. I’ve been using my Plotter 5th Anniversary Bible-size notebook as my commonplace book, and I love having the ability to organize and reorganize by topic and move pages around - my main complaint about my prior commonplace book setup. (I need to revisit my commonplace book articles soon.)

• Plotter Narrow. I love making lists. Practically speaking, I should probably do it electronically, particularly for lists I want to keep long-term like books to read, products to review, etc., but I’ve always done it by hand and there’s something incredibly soothing about it. When I’m recapping my monthly finances I also like to do the math manually, as again, there’s a methodical aspect to it that I find relaxing. All of these lists live in the Plotter Narrow, whose paper format perfectly fits these projects.

• Levenger Circa Notebooks and Filofax Spiral Notebooks. If I take notes on A4 or letter-size writing pads, I typically either shred them, scan them to my computer at work for secure archiving, or file them away in project-specific notebooks or binders. The Levenger Circa and Filofax notebooks have long been my binders/notebooks of choice for this type of storage. I have 4-5 of them in use at any given time. I highly recommend investing in a hole punch (which will also work well enough with the William Hannah notebooks). The Circa is a classic disc-bound system, while the Filofax uses a spiral binding that works the same way by allowing you to move pages around.

• Lochby Field Journal. My Field Journal holds a Nanami Paper Seven Seas Writer that contains drafts of longer-term writing projects I’ve been working on. I don’t use the notebook every day, but the sturdy Field Journal works very well for when I want to dedicate a day to working on one of my creative or “fun” projects and I can just take it with me and go.

• Nanami Paper Cafe Note. My traditional pen show/pen club meetup notebook that I use to test pens and play with inks. I also use it as a scratch pad and for writing samples in connection with T.G.S. reviews. The B6 Slim size is excellent for travel.

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Disc-bound notebook systems like the Levenger Circa are great ways to store large volumes of paper notes.

I use a lot of different notebooks - more than most people, even in this community - but they all have a specific purpose and they all get used. I’ve found that I focus much better when I compartmentalize different projects, whether that be my day job, the blog, personal writing done for fun, etc. The physical shift from one notebook to another helps me concentrate on the specific task at hand. For years I’ve been meaning to write more about my workflow and notetaking strategies, and I only now feel comfortable starting that process, maybe as a continuation of the “Notebook Systems” series. Stay tuned!

This post does not contain affiliate links or paid advertising. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely via purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Don’t miss our annual year-end inventory reduction and clearance - take 10% off shop orders through 11:59pm on January 1, 2023 using the code “LOYAL10” at checkout!

Practical Planning: How I Use Planners

Somewhat surprisingly, two of the products that received the most interest at this year’s D.C. Pen Show were the two undated planners we had at the table: The Write Notepads Weekly Planner, and the Planner Desk Pads from WMS & Co. I learned two things this weekend about interest in planners: People LOVE having the option of an undated style, and there are many, many people who would love to use a paper planner but are somewhat intimidated by “Planner Instagram” and the ornate bullet-journal style planners that dominate online. Well, I’m here to tell you that doesn’t need to be the case!

Two undated planner options: Write Notepads (top) and WMS & Co. (bottom).

My Planners Are Objectively Ugly, and I’m Fine With That.

Personally, I stick to a practical approach to planning that focuses on task management. First, I don’t keep a paper calendar to manage appointments or deadlines, at least for work stuff. (It’s much easier to use an electronic calendar when you have to coordinate with multiple teams and other people need the ability to see your schedule and make changes to common events.) I do, however, use the Write and WMS & Co. “weekly layout” pages to generally sketch out my week, typically in a list or bullet-style format that allows me to think through what I want to accomplish on each day. This is 30,000-foot level planning stuff that I do on Sunday afternoon and quickly revisit each morning - I very rarely go back to these “planners” after the week is over, and since the WMS & Co. is a tear-off pad, I usually just shred the calendar page after I’m done. If there are notes I make to myself that I want to retain, I’ll transfer them to another notebook or my laptop.

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The Keyboard-sized WMS & Co. Planner fits perfectly underneath my Macbook Air (as well as my full-size keyboard that I use at work). I also like the narrow ruling - I write small.

I keep another “Bullet Journal”-style notebook that is more “work journal” than “planner”, which currently lives in my blue Standard Traveler’s Notebook containing a cut-down Stalogy 1/2-year and a homemade Tomoe River refill. In the Stalogy (which has lasted for just under a year and will likely need to be replaced next month), I have the notebook tabbed by numbered month using these inexpensive Midori numbered labels, with the first page of each month containing a Midori MD Diary sticker, followed by a “monthly task list” page. [Note: Obviously, I can’t show you an actual page of this journal in use because I would literally have to redact EVERYTHING and it wouldn’t be useful at all.]

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While I don’t track deadlines and appointments on paper, I still find it helpful to have one of these planner stickers at the front of each monthly “section” in order to visualize the month and block off dates when I am out of the office, traveling, or needing to focus exclusively on certain things.

I use the “Monthly Tasks” page to track, in list format, projects and open items that come up as the month goes on. It’s a running list, and one of the reasons I enjoy the Traveler’s-style layout is that the long, narrow page is conducive to this type of task-tracking and list making. Even though I have dozens of action items that come up in any given month, I can use the Stalogy’s narrow ruling to keep this section to a couple of pages.

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Here’s where I depart from standard bullet journaling technique. After the “Monthly Tasks” Section, I have pages of “daily entries,” but I don’t start a new page for every day. I will write the day, record what it is that I worked on and any notes I need to make for myself relating to follow-up, and once that day is over, I’ll skip a couple of lines and write a header for the next day. This method works for me because (1) it doesn’t waste paper; and (2) I often have days where I will work on two or three things, and I don’t need to make a full page of notes to record what I’ve been doing. The purpose of this journal isn’t to serve as a general purpose repository of information - I have separate binders and project-specific notebooks for that - but rather to serve as a record of how I spent my time.

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These Midori page tabs are infinitely useful. There are options other than “numbered”, and we also carry metal versions and Maruman labels as well.

Other Things I Keep In My Notebook

The second refill, after the Stalogy, is used solely as a scratch pad (i.e., infrequent rough calculations, notes from impromptu phone calls, jotted phone numbers, etc.). This notebook is typically thrown away after it’s full - I often find that what’s written in there makes no sense to me even a week later.

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At the front, I have two pockets on the inside cover to hold loose papers and cards, a PVC zippered pouch that holds miscellaneous stamps and flags/labels, and my Traveler’s Sticky Notes. I use the back flap of the PVC pouch refill to hold some index cards, and I usually keep a ballpoint or other “write anywhere” pen in a Traveler’s Notebook Pen Loop.

Fountain pen friendly sticky notes are few and far between. These Traveler’s Company versions are great.

You never know when you might need index cards!

Takeaways and Final Thoughts

To be sure, there is nothing ornate or pretty about my “Planner”, though I personally find a notebook that’s been used as intended to be oddly satisfying, and for that reason I have shelves full of them that I’ve finished that I can’t bear to throw away. I’m torn over whether or not anyone will be interested in a post like this, but given the feedback from the table in D.C., I thought I would go ahead and test it out. What do you think? Do you want to see similar content? Maybe more practical posts on pen-and-paper notetaking?

The Gentleman Stationer is supported exclusively by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain links to paid third-party sponsors or affiliates.