I’ve always loved writing on paper. The sensation of jotting thoughts into a notebook is something digital tools don’t quite replace. Perhaps it’s because humans have worked with paper for thousands of years — far longer than with screens. For me, using notebooks, each with a specific purpose, is key. Some help organize my tasks, others help organize my mind.

Here’s my collection of paper notebooks.

1. Notebooks for Journaling: Morning and Night

Journaling is a routine of my mental and spiritual health. 
I keep two journals — one for the start of the day, and one for the end.

In my morning journal, I often write about:

• How do I feel this morning: Did I sleep well? Do I feel energized after my morning workout?
• Three things I’m grateful for: To keep this fresh and avoid autopilot, I use a tip from Tim Ferriss’s 5-Minute Morning Journal (Tools of Titans book). The things you’re grateful for don’t need to be big, small things count too, like noticing a plant nearby. You can be grateful for recent happenings, things in the present moment, or opportunities you have now or see in your near future.
• One key task for the day: The single most important thing I need to focus on to make today productive.
• I often end with affirmations to appreciate what I have, believe in myself, and love my work and my life.

In my night journal (about 5 to 10 minutes), I write about:

• What did I do well today?
• What’s my focus for tomorrow?

These are prompts to get me started, but I also write down anything else that comes to mind. The goal is to get thoughts onto paper so they don’t occupy mental space all day.

Journaling is also a powerful way for me to reflect on experiences. As John Dewey said,

“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.”

2. Notebooks for Planning: The Big Picture and Daily Steps

Planning is more than just making to-do lists. 
It’s about seeing the bigger picture and having a map to guide your direction.

Of course, plans can change. Life happens. When things shift, the plan shifts too. The key is not to get frustrated but to accept it and plan again. Planning helps me see the long-term path and consider the consequences of consequences of my actions (what Shane Parrish calls “second-order thinking” in The Great Mental Models Vol. 1).

I use two notebooks for planning:

• Monthly and Weekly Planning Notebook: On Sunday evenings, I map out the week ahead. I set one main achievement target and list tasks for each day. At the end of the month, I set a target for the next.
• Daily Planning Notebook: Each night, I create a timed schedule for the next day. For example:
  5:30–6:00 AM: Wake up and meditate
  6:00–7:00 AM: Workout
  …
  8:30–9:30 PM: Read books
  9:30 PM: Go to bed

This ritual helps me know what I’ll be doing before the day begins.

3. Notebooks for Learning and Working: Freedom to Think

For focused learning and work tasks, I prefer using loose yellow A4 paper. I’ve read that yellow paper might help increase your concentration and thinking, and I find it works for me. So, I use yellow paper for most of my note-taking. After writing, I gather the sheets into a pile.

This method gives me the freedom and space I need. I can write without the constraint of lines and easily draw diagrams or mind maps. It serves me better than a fixed notebook for these activities.

While I take these notes on paper, I later organize and link them in my digital note-taking system. Sometimes, I also take notes directly in a digital notebook while working with my paper ones. The system is flexible, as long as I eventually have a digital version of what I learn and work on.

4. Notebooks for Random Notes: Capturing Fleeting Thoughts

I carry a small A5 or A6 notebook with me to seminars or meetings. I find that bringing a laptop can be distracting and makes me harder to focus on the speaker. This small notebook is perfect for quickly jotting down points, especially if information is shared rapidly, which helps when I write meeting minutes later. I also use it to capture any random thoughts or ideas that pop into my mind.

Our capacity for focused mental effort is limited. Having an external place to hold these thoughts frees up mental space for other tasks.

5. Notebooks for Idea Creating: Building My Idea Muscle

This is my newest notebook, inspired by a habit I learned from James Altucher in Tim Ferriss’s Tools of Titans.

Altucher suggests writing down 10 ideas each day — business concepts, book titles, or blog topics — to build your “idea muscle”. This sparked an idea for me. I don’t aim for 10 ideas yet. Instead, I’ve aim for generating Only One blog post idea a day. I was reminded of Chade-Meng Tan’s principle that “One Breath a Day” is enough to start a meditation practice (also in Tim Ferriss’s Tools of Titans). For me, one idea a day is enough to begin building my idea muscle. It’s a small, hard-to-fail step to get the ball rolling, beat the friction, create momentum, and then build a routine.

You might not think of 100 ideas in one day, but you can generate 100 ideas in 100 days by creating one idea daily. Small, consistent steps make big things possible. Even if the idea isn’t great, the regular practice matters more.

Final Thoughts

A friend once asked me if I often go back and read all my notes. My answer was: for some notebooks, almost never.

For me, the act of writing in these notebooks isn’t just about storing information for retrieving later. The writing itself serves the purpose.

Some notebooks help me reflect on myself and my experiences. Others help me think more clearly as I write. Some guide my path, and others help me train my mental muscles. Each one, in its own way, helps me grow.