My Current Notebook Setup: Third Year of Analogue Living in 2026
It's working well
Time marches on, and I am now in my third year of making more use of analogue tools in my life. A big part of this is in the way that I use notebooks for various tasks, and I thought today that I would bring you up to date with my current system.
As with any new methods, we learn as we go. My use of notebooks has changed over the months and years, and may well do so in the future. Sometimes, that’s because our needs change, and at other times, we see ways to improve.
My current notebook setup
In January 2025, I started Bullet Journaling and purchased a Dingbat A5+ Wildlife Collection1 notebook. It’s been a brilliant tool, and with plenty of spare pages, I have continued into 2026 in this notebook.
I keep another A5 notebook, just a cheap supermarket purchase for research notes for stories or things I am just interested in. It’s kept on my desk upright with other notebooks between bookends, always ready for action. When this book is full, I will switch to a Filofax Refillable Notebook. This has the advantage of being able to remove or add pages anywhere in it and to store them if required and continue using the notebook indefinitely. Many of the notes I write like this will end up as stories on Substack, and once used, can mostly be destroyed.
Next on my list are the passport-sized notebooks from Flame Tree Publishing2. I reviewed this notebook, and you can read the review by following the link in the footnotes. To suit my purposes, I have three on the go.
One is for Roland’s Travels, and this I make notes of the things I need to see and photograph when visiting somewhere. It’s annoying travelling to write about a place and leaving only to have forgotten to see a particular feature and photograph it. I can also make notes in this book of things I see that call for further research before I write the story.
The second one I keep is labelled ‘Words Learned’. When I come across a word that I need to check the meaning of, I record it in the notebook. If I don’t, although understanding the word at that precise moment of need, I will often forget it long-term. Writing a word down with its meaning helps me to retain it for future use.
My third notebook is titled ‘Commonplace’. This is my everyday carry, and anything that comes up I can make a note of it here. It could be anything from a phone number or an idea for a story to recording a conversation or important observation. Anything can be dumped into this book, and if appropriate, moved to another notebook or calendar later.
On my desk is an A7 spiral-bound notebook just kept for adding tasks that I am working on at my desk. Perhaps an email requires me to pay an invoice, a quick note on the pad and I can carry on with what I am doing and that note will be acted upon when convenient.
My Filofax, Personal size, is my backup calendar. I do like to use my Apple Calendar3 and the reminders that can be set within it. But, just in case, major appointments are on paper in case of electronic issues. This organiser is also where I keep my To-do list and ideas for future stories here on Substack. A few phone numbers are kept too, just in case my phone becomes lost, as these days there are very few numbers that I have memorised. It’s worth thinking about this!
I am finding that this system of notebooks is working well. It’s an enjoyable way to reduce my use of digital tools. As I have mentioned in the past, by using pen and paper, I have found that my memory has greatly improved.
How about you? Are you using notebooks in your life? Let me know in the comments.
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I could never be that organised! I have several notebooks on my desk next to my desk where I write stuff, but unlike you, I don't always remember where I've written something. I still use my computer for things. I write myself notes on my phone too.
I do have one notebook where I write my paid jobs that i do writing for someone else, and tick them off when done and when sent over to them. My handwriting has got incredibly messy - I spend so much time typing and find it far quicker - so when I write I lose the will to live half way through a word, and often can't read what I've written!
Sadly I'm not a tidy worker either - I bet your desk is incredibly neat! Not mine.
You're very well organised, Roland. Perhaps you are influencing me because I recently bought a larger notepad, which is by my side in the living room. Nothing fancy, but I'm trying to do things the old way a little more often. And I still haven't forgotten about fountain pens. The more I think about them, the more I want to get one for the sheer joy of how it feels to use.