I've spent the past 20 years looking for the perfect notebook (haven't we all)... 'The One' that can sit on your desk, combine all the things you need AND magically keep you organised.
In my former life I was a (stationery loving) PA. I knew exactly what I wanted from a notebook, and tried them all. Eventually I decided to make myself the ultimate day pad. I designed my own, printed 100 of them, and gave them to almost everyone I knew because it turns out I didn't actually need 100 50 page notepads all to myself!
Over the years, this pad has been refined over and over. When I set up my first business, I made a few tweaks, and since then it's gone through several formats. This is the one I've used the most and I honestly know that it is THE notebook.
First and most importantly, it's a A5 double page spread - your to-do list (more on this shortly!) on the left, and a blank lined page to the right, for all your notes, sketches, scribbles, and other things you need to take note of. New day, new spread - start your list all over again. This is the holy grail of notebook layouts.
It's undated, so no pages going to waste if you work occasional days, or want to carry on where you left off.
The to-do page is loosely based on a Covey Matrix. You might know it as an Eisenhower Matrix, or you also might be wondering what I'm talking about. I won't bore you to death, but these are productivity hacks that help you take a big pile of stuff, and prioritise the important stuff. The notebook will come with instructions to help you make the best use of it, but the general gist of it is you write out your whole to-do list. Big stuff and little stuff and then:
- Take your top 3-5 important and urgent tasks - these go in the 'Do Now' area.
- Things that are less urgent, need scheduling or looking at later - go in the 'Do Later' square, once you've got through the top tasks.
- Finally, you delegate. This could be work , life , anything where you could be better off having someone else do it for you.
Having these sections help you with procrastination, overwhelm and tackling tasks. They're key to getting yourself organised every morning.
Other things that are extremely important....
Completely lay flat binding, from first use. The notebooks will be OTO bound - which is top of the range for lay flat binding (believe it or not, this is a thing!).
140 pages. This is the perfect amount. I have tested big fat 300 page notebooks (which were my original preference) - but these have a terrible wrist position and are really uncomfortable to write in unless you're in the middle of the notebook. 140 is ideal all the way through.
This means there are 70 two page spreads - at least three months worth of working days. That also works out at .25p per day on being an organisational ninja.
Ivory paper, easy on the eyes. Looks sophisticated.
Bleedproof, no show through, and fountain pen friendly. I've tested the paper with every pen I can think of, from paint pens, to brush pens, highlighters through to all sorts of ink. Other than alcohol based pens (i.e. Sharpies) nothing makes a mark on the other side of the paper.
Made in the UK. In fact, made in the South East by a family run printer and book binder who specialise in flat lay binding. They know their stuff.
A softback notebook with GFSmith covers in a choice of limited designs and colours
So to summarise all the good bits:
- A5, lay flat, soft cover notebook
- 140 pages
- Undated, double page spread that will keep you organised
- Off white, Bleed proof, fountain pen friendly 100GSM paper
- Made in the UK by a small family run bookbinder
