My new room looks more or less like what you'd expect. There's a bed in the corner, a desk full of clutter and important papers, a corner with a pile of guitars and ukuleles and a bookshelf near the window.
What you probably wouldn't expect is the box under my bed with dozens of notebooks, both in-progress and completed. I've always loved to write (both coherent pieces and meaningless scribbles), and I think there's something therapeutic about putting it down on paper instead of opening up a Word file. Typing out all my thoughts on a computer might be more efficient, but it also feels vaguely impersonal, while a notebook can be a reflection of your personality, mood, day or ideas.
With that said, I'd recommend just about anyone to try it out – get a notebook and go nuts! Putting down thoughts on paper can be useful to look back on, and you just might get to know yourself better this way.
If you're interested in this, here's a few ideas for you, based on what I usually do with my notebooks.
The most standard thing to try is, of course, a diary or journal. This is very straightforward in that all you do is write down what happened during the day and how you're feeling about it. Personally, I haven't had a lot of success with journal attempts for two reasons: a lack of diligence in updating it regularly, and a lack of variability in my days. (You can only write "16-hour Netflix marathon" so many times before you start feeling really aimless.) But if you're the kind of person with a fun or multifaceted life, this might be a perfect notebook for you!
One of my notebooks right now is actually dedicated to letters to an old friend. I don't know if I'll ever send it to him or show him, because a lot of its content is just things I wasn't strong enough to tell him in person, but it's interesting to look back on because it's just a huge roller coaster of emotion. And who knows? Maybe he'll see it someday, and it'll be interesting to him, too.
The one pictured in this article's picture was a gift from one of the people that's inspired me the most. I use that notebook for ideas and plans to make my loved ones proud – whether it's my college and scholarship application list, thoughts for a nonprofit I'm building or just hopes and dreams for a happy and successful future.
I have a little purple Moleskine that I'll never finish writing in: I dedicated it to songs I played with a band of people that were once my closest friends. We've drifted for many reasons, and I almost certainly won't get the chance to play with them again, but that notebook reminds me of happier, simpler times. I won't ever fill it up, but that's okay; life doesn't always consist of set beginnings and endings, and that's something I've figured out with my notebook journey.
Last but not least, a trend that has taken over the artsy/study-centered part of the Internet: the bullet journal! It's the young, hip new cousin of agendas and to-do lists, but with more aesthetic. I'm fascinated with this one, but I don't have the time and dedication to make something that is consistently aesthetically pleasing, so I'll stick with simplistic task lists on legal pads. I highly recommend it for the aesthetic-driven studious folks out there, though! I love that it allows for so much creative liberty while still helping to keep you organized.
That's my run-through of a few types of notebooks that you could easily start! I've started to see each notebook I keep as a chapter in my life, and even though it's sometimes frustrating when it doesn't go the way I wanted it to, I'll keep hoping that things will work out in the end. And I'll have ample documentation of the journey.
(In the meantime, if I ever want to change it up, I just might try scrapbooking.)
