The simple joy of a notebook
Inside Someone Else’s Notebook - Eve Sturdy of Sturdy Socials and Design
Prefer to watch? head to the video here….
Hello, I’m Eve Sturdy, founder of Sturdy Socials and Design. I offer social media support, graphic design & content creation for small business owners. My aim is to give business owners more time to dream and do
I’m also a self-confessed stationery nerd and tea lover (rarely seen without a cuppa).
Today I’m sharing a peek inside my notebooks and how I use them both in my personal and professional life.
How my love of notebooks began
I’ve loved all things stationery for as long as I can remember. Stickers, funky paperclips, pencil cases, different coloured pens (I grew up in gel pen mania), and more. My two favourite stationery items however are my fountain pens and my notebooks. You can’t go wrong with ink & paper!
When I was younger, I used to jot down ideas in notebooks. I wanted to be a writer and I used my notebooks as a place to escape and express myself. They were part journal, part scrapbook. This was before journaling and scrapbooking became so popular - it wasn’t really a thing yet then, at least not like it is now.
My notebooks had used train tickets, stickers, receipts etc. stuck in amongst thoughts, feelings, song lyrics and poems. I had a diary, but it was ruled paper and felt too restrictive (I’ll talk about my dislike of ruled notebooks later on). A notebook just seemed more liberating!
Why do I still use notebooks even though I work in digital media?
I think it’s the process of pen and paper. By writing things down with an ink pen rather than typing them, the words just seem to come more naturally. Maybe it’s the flow of the ink that helps guide the words out of my brain and onto the page?
I often write out letters, blogs and emails before typing them. The whole pen to paper process creates the first draft and often when I type it up, I go through a natural editing activity.
I’ve been asked before “Doesn’t it take much longer to do anything?”. And yes, in theory it does, because you are effectively doing the work twice. However, on a computer screen, the fear of the blank page is more overwhelming than on paper somehow.
In my notebook, I have crossings out and scribbles in the margins that I can look back at, so an idea isn’t ever lost. Whereas unless I save several versions of my typed document, once I’ve saved it I cannot press undo.
How many notebooks is too many?
Generally I have at least one notebook I use daily to make notes when talking to clients and to also write my “to-do” lists in. I used to have one notebook per client, but I changed that as it got a bit complicated at times and I didn’t want to turn up to a meeting with the wrong one! I use sticky tabs at the side to highlight which client the notes are for instead.
This year I also have a notebook for working on my business. It’s got goals, ideas and notes from small business workshops I’ve attended. I decorate this one much more as it’s kind of my inspiration book too. I use washi tape, stickers, pictures cut from magazines and even a bit of gold Christmas cracker hat stuck to a page!
In total I currently have 2 notebooks, 1 planner, 1 diary and 1 journal in use at the same time and I’ve listed them below.
Lemon Green Moleskin - for notes about client work and to-do lists.
Myrtle Green Moleskin - for notes about my business.
Clever Fox Planner - for my monthly overviews and quarterly plans/reviews.
Emma Bridgewater diary - for everything (personal, work, co-parenting, pta jobs etc.)
The Journal Club - this is a new edition and a lovely way to unwind at the end of the day as it has loads of bits to colour in.
Confession - I have a lot of notebooks that are just for looking at!
I have at least 2 notebooks in the drawers next to my desk and another load in storage that haven’t been written in yet!
Some I’ve started writing in but the paper didn’t work with my fountain pen, or they aren’t lay flat. I don’t get on very well with the binder style.
And others are simply too beautiful to use. You know the ones I mean - the notebooks you’ve received as a present and just love to look at. The paper is really gorgeous or it has the perfect quote or image on the front and you want to “save it for something special”.
Michaela has very kindly offered to come and spill coffee on my notebook from her so that it’s less beautiful and I have to use it!
How does writing things down help with generating ideas, connecting points together and organising projects?
It gets all my thoughts and ideas out of my head and onto the paper where I can see it. I’m a visual learner, so I retain information much better if I’ve written it down or seen it in a book/on a piece of paper. I have reminders and notes around my desk. Anything important or motivational needs to be where I can see it regularly.
Notebooks are great for creating mood boards, especially when working on a new client project. If they’ve got a particular colour scheme or theme, you can pop those ideas in your notebook so you can keep referring to them and think “yes, that person wants their customer to feel this way”.
I use a mind map to generate initial ideas for a piece of writing or a project too. I find it a really useful method to extract lots of ideas from one subject or statement. I often use this process for content creation or keyword planning.
Out come my chunky pens, the A3 paper, I set a timer and go. It’s “Big paper = big ideas” time! Then when all the ideas are out of my head and I can see them written down in front of me, I start to write a caption/blog/email.
If I’m out and about and want to do a mind map, I simply turn my notebook to landscape. Immediately it feels like there is more space to explore my ideas rather than worrying that my ideas will stop when I run out of space!
How I structure my notebooks…this might be a bit odd!
I really find the first page intimidating, so I skip it and start on the double page spread. Sometimes I go back later and add a quote, a postcard, a photo or even my own business card, but I hardly ever write on it.
In most of my notebooks you will find the day to day notes & lists in the front but in the back I write contact details, notes from workshops or courses I’ve attended. I also use sticky notes to add reminders or mark pages to turn back to later on.
I’m a very colourful maximalist and I find black and white documents difficult to process. My notebooks reflect this with different coloured headers. This visual organisation helps me quickly find information when skimming through my notebooks.
One day I might get around to numbering all the pages so I can do a contents page, but as yet this hasn’t happened!
What is it about starting a new notebook that you love?
It’s that “fresh” feeling I suppose. And the endless possibilities of new ideas, plans and projects. It’s like the feeling of spring but in notebook form and makes me think of one of my favourite quotes;
“Spring is the time of plans & projects” - Leo Tolstoy
Notebooks can often contain gold that you’d forgotten about too!
Before I start a new notebook, I go through the old one. I check the “to-do” lists to make sure I haven’t missed anything and make a note of any numbers or contacts I’ve jotted down. Sometimes there is a quote, website or profile I was going to check out or another gem of an idea - it’s always rather exciting to have a flick through.
They can bring back memories too. There might be a note about something else entirely written in a margin like “don’t forget to pack X” for a holiday or a scribble by my 3yr old niece. Those little moments, frozen in time in my notebook to cherish.
There is also a lot of “don’t forget to buy milk”...those are less precious!
My favourite style of notebook
I’m going to say this a bit like someone ordering a coffee in Starbucks!
B5, plain ivory 70g/m², lay flat.
Did that make sense? I’ll break it down as to why I have these preferences.
B5 or Composition is in my opinion the perfect sized notebook for the everyday. I also like A4, but B5 tends to fit in all of my bags easily. A5 never gives me enough room, unless I’m using it for a scrapbook or travel book!
I prefer plain pages as it gives me more options. With plain or blank pages I can draw, doodle, stick pictures in and I can always add lines myself if I want to. My writing is quite large so it doesn’t always fit between the lines of traditional ruled notebooks. I never really got on with dots and gridded paper makes me think of Maths!
I prefer ivory or cream paper. White paper is fresh and crisp, but it can also be harsh when you are writing a lot (in my experience). I also need paper that doesn’t let the ink from my fountain pen bleed and it’s not as easy to find as you think.
Finally, I love a lay flat notebook because I want to be able to write without needing to hold the notebook down. I want it to stay open so I can use it as a reference point if needed and it’s simply a more comfortable writing position for me too.
My favourite type of pen
Fountain pen - all day, everyday. Not so great in the rain or on postcards I’ll grant you, but I love them all the same.
My current pen of choice is the Kaweco Perkeo but I also love a Lamy Safari. Both write really beautiful, have a wide range of coloured inks available (or an adapter if you use bottled ink) and they don’t cost too much.
I primarily use blue ink as it’s the easiest for most people to read, but I also love Green, Orange and Brown.
I don’t do proper joined up writing - some parts of the word are joined and others aren’t. It’s not particularly neat, but I think most people can read it!
The pens I would like to explore next are the Tom’s Studio pens, as I love the design principles behind them.
My favourite hot beverage
My go to drink is always Tea - I think I’ve been drinking it since I was 8! I prefer loose leaf, brewed in a pot. Yorkshire Tea or Yorkshire Gold are my current favourites, but if money was no object then I love Bettys Tea Room Blend from Taylors of Harrogate.
Alternatively, I love a chai latte!
If you want to start using a notebook instead of a computer to plan projects, here is my advice…
Don’t overthink it!
Keep a notebook next to your desk and when you need to plan something, take notes or jot down ideas, you can reach for your notebook instead of your keyboard.
Make it fun!
Use bright coloured pens, write landscape instead of portrait, stick post-it notes in and write on those.
Do the things you can’t easily do on a computer!
Look through magazines and cut out images, words or phrases that resonate. Stick them in your notebook and write notes around them. Not only will you be more likely to generate more ideas, you are also more likely to want to revisit the page.
Above all, enjoy it!
How I became involved in Michaela’s “Inside my notebook” series.
Michaela and I met virtually at a brilliant workshop run by Hannah Isted (check her out here).
When I discovered that Michaela made her own notebooks I was immediately interested and after showing an interest, we got to talking. Michaela wanted to do a series of interviews to discover how people use their notebooks in different ways. I obviously jumped at the chance to take part, being the stationery loving nerd I am!
Michaela’s notebooks are a work of art. Handmade using beautiful, ethical materials, you are holding something very special in your hands. Michaela offers a unique personalisation service, typing your messages on her stationery with her vintage typewriter Dorothy.
Perfect for gifts for family and friends…or yourself!
Beyond notebooks
I’m passionate about letter writing and in April I did a letter writing challenge where I aimed to write a letter every day. You can still find my prompts in my Instagram bio and I am hoping to do another one in September, although perhaps not every day!
With so many of us using screens for over 6 hours a day, I think it’s important to be able to switch off and letter writing is one of the ways you can do it. I also wanted to show my 8-year old son that writing isn’t a chore and can be fun.
I love writing letters and have always written thank you letters. I think the joy of receiving a letter or a card through the post that you don't know is coming is one of the nicest surprises. Obviously around your birthday or Christmas you might expect cards, but randomly in April or September to receive a card through the post from somebody - it just feels a bit magical to me ✨
Find me on Instagram @sturdysocialsanddesign where you will instantly recognise my bright, colourful, maximalist style. Come and say hello 👋
Guest blog by Eve Sturdy - Sturdy Socials and Design
July 2025
