The Start-Up Journal by Tim Jaudszims - Full Review

If you have ever had an idea for a new product or company but didn’t know where to start, this is the notebook to help make it happen.

“Together with Tim Jaudszims, author and business angel, LEUCHTTURM1917 developed an analogue journal for business entrepreneurs, which helps to successfully overcome the hurdles involved with setting up a business, keeping an overview in focus. The new Start-up Journal is a personal workbook and notebook combined that is clearly structured according to topics, featuring useful suggestions, practical templates and helpful techniques”

— Leuchtturm.com

This is not a notebook filled with over-used quotes and lots of blank pages. This is a mini-MBA walk-through system-driven notebook laid out in a step-by-step style to help guide you along the way.

This notebook is dense! It is the thickest Leuchtturm notebook I have ever seen and it is honestly the best start-up book I have ever seen and I have read or listened to!

One of my favorite parts of the book is presented right away which is the simple question of “What does success look like to you?” But this notebook is the first one that helps quantify what this actually looks like. The way the author, Tim Jaudszims, simplifies broad reaching and in most cases, complex ideas, is highly engaging and a lot of fun to work through.

The notebook starts by asking about five ideas that you have and walks you through a self-evaluation of the ideas. While it may look like a simple questionnaire, there is one question that is huge when it comes to evaluating an idea, “Did you pitch your idea to at least five other people? Did they like it?”

In almost every entrepreneur book, the number one thing they mention is to not keep your idea a secret. I was just listening to a book, “Will it Fly, How to test your next business idea so you don’t waste your time and money” by Pat Flynn and he literally just recommended an idea on this same concept. He used to buy the person’s cup of coffee behind him and while they waited for their coffee, he would ask them about his latest idea and listen to every bit of feedback on the idea.

Will it Fly Audible Book

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The Notebook

• 295 numbered pages filled with advice start-to-finish startup guide

• Hardcover in two colors, orange and blue

• Medium A5 size 8.25in x 5.75in

• Cost $39.95

• Weight is 1.25 lbs

• High Quality 100 g/m² paper

• Back pocket

• 2 bookmarks

• Set of sticky labels

• 15 chapters:

  • Idea

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Types of start-ups

  • Leadership

  • Storytelling

  • Branding

  • MVP, MLP, MSP, and PMF

  • Research

  • Pitch Deck with 12 sub -chapters

  • Marketing = Sales

  • Growth Hacking

  • Pivot

  • Valuation

  • Fundraising

  • Reasons for failure

While I work on building my new company OCBags, I will be using this notebook as a roadmap to help develop my packs, and grow my company! I really like this notebook and highly recommend it!

Please let me know if you have any questions about this and I will add updates along the way about my new company with this notebook.

Mike

As always, I purchased this notebook and did not receive anything for it. My thoughts are my own.

The Orange Notebook from Don't Look Up

The first time I saw this movie, the red notebook that Leonardo DiCaprio is holding in his meeting with the president caught my eye.

It’s a red hardcover notebook with a really interesting grid line pattern layout.

At first I thought it was a simple moleskin with meeting note layouts bit it didn’t look exactly right. Further, on the back of it were five distinct lines from the brand logo.

 Next, I thought it was a Leuchtturm with custom grid lines that the movie prop team had drawn on the paper.

I put it up on the notebook subreddit asking for help and after two months user iainr3 came to the rescue!

I quickly found the notebook on Amazon for $12.95.

The Notebook

The notebook is really interesting but it is a very niche-use-case notebook.  The gridlines are dark and force the user to only really use this for things like taking down data points in the field.

I get that this is the reason it was most likely made, but I was hoping I could work it into other uses like keeping it in my gym bag to track my lifting numbers. 

The Details

• 160 pages

• 4 5/8 wide  by 7 ¼ tall

• Left Side 6 Vertical Columns

• Right Side 8x4 to the inch

• Waterproof cover

• Archival paper quality

• 8 ounces

There is a 15-page reference guide in the back that includes commonly used Trigonometry tables and relations.  This is primarly used in surveying land and also includes a measurement I haven’t heard of called links.  Links were invented in England for surveying land and are equivalent to 66ft for 100 links.

ELAN has a variety of notebooks and the one that stood out to me is the Weatherproof Spiral Notebook. This is also on Amazon and is $14.85.

If you like movies check out my review of the Netflix x Baron Fig notebook:

Please let me know if there are any other notebooks, pens, or cases in movies that I should look into!

Cheers,

Mike :)

As always, I was not paid for this review and my thoughts are my own.

Netflix x Baronfig Notebook and Pen Review

For as long as I can remember my brother, Andy, and I have loved quizzing each other on movie quotes. See if you know any of these from the 80’s:

“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do.”

“Dead or alive, you're coming with me.”

“You keep using that word, I do not think you know what it means.”

(Answers are at the bottom)

Andy and I liked the same movies growing up so this always helps when trying to figure out the movie. Back then it would have been nice to write down some things about each movie as we watched them so when I saw that one of my favorite notebook companies came out with a Netflix notebook, it was an instant buy for me!

Baronfig teamed up with Netflix to make a notebook and pen combo that surpirsed me for how much I liked it. The act of filling out the premade page layouts was helpful to think more about the movies I know and love.

The pages include the following:

• Title:

• Year:

• Director

• Actors/People

• Synopsis

• Acting

• Dialogue

• Editing

• Originality

• Plot

• Theme

• Cinematography

• Directing

• Effects

• Pacing

• Soundtrack

• Entertainment

• Rating

• Overall

I was never in a film study course, but this feels like being back in school and learning about the movies in a deeper level.

I added the pen loop and always add them to notebooks. I get mine from Amazon

The Notebook

The notebook is the same design and quality as all the confidant styles and has 192 pages with the bookmark and elastic closure. Aside from the first guide page explaining the genre icons and the last few pages that are for ‘Top 10’ lists, the notebook is filled with the Stream Log pages that you can see in the image above.

While I do like these single-page layouts, there is a lot missing from them. Most notable is the theme of the movie. This is a huge omission in the notes section and while you can fill it in next to the smiley/sad face rating, I do think they should have areas to write in your own ideas. Other items I think they missed are; favorite part, favorite actor/actress, and songs or music.

I can’t figure out why they didn’t do a two-page spread to help fill in everything and give more room for notes and especially a Quotes page to help remember the good ones!

One other thing that caught my attention that I didn’t see before with Baronfig and their own pens, is the ghosting, or pen show-through, on the backs of the pages. The ink that Baronfig uses is a heavy line of gel ink from the Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 refills and while it is a smooth, and highly popular gel-ink, it is a very dark line on the back of the page.

Okay one more thing, why not send a red ink refill with the pen?!

The Pen

Like all Baron Fig Squires, this one does not disappoint. The bright ‘Netflix’ Red color is a nice addition to my collection and I like the playbar design they came up with along the side.

In the past Baronfig has had some trouble making the twist mechanism to extend the pen point perfectly line up with the body. On this pen there is barely a gap between the two parts and they have done an amazing job correcting this.

My only gripe with the pen is that it doesn’t quite match the darker red notebook and suspect this is just from the difference of materials. Not a big deal but one that I noticed.

In Summary

Overall I am happy with the notebook and I have enjoyed using this notebook to keep track of the movies I am watching, but I just think they made some compromises with this notebook and pen combo. Perhaps I am just being grumpy but I feel like there are a lot of things they could have done better with this collaboration.

If you are still interested in checking them out, they are still for sale on Baronfig’s site for:

Play Stream Journal $26

Play Stream Squire $65

I would not order these from Netflix as my order took months for them to do….nothing. They ignored my order and so I finally canceled it and went right to Baronfig.com

While I was writing this article I found this movie about how Netflix came to be called Netflix vs The World. It’s available on….Amazon?

Thanks for checking out my review and please let me know if I missed anything!

Mike :)

Quote Answers:

“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do.” Answer - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 1986

“Dead or alive, you're coming with me.” Answer - Robocop 1987

“You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” Answer - The Princess Bride 1987

How to Break a Bad Habit with a Notebook

30 days to break your bad habit…guaranteed?!

It sounded too good to be true when I came across this notebook online. The makers of the Bad Habit Breaker Journal offer you your money back if it doesn’t work…mmhmmm alright I’ll bite…

“The first 30 years of your life you develop habits. The second 30 years is spent living with them.”

Unknown

Do you have any bad habits? Of course not, you are perfect, I know…I see you. You are great!

I have plenty of bad habits but the one main bad habit that I want to break is snacking on junk food at the end of the day. I have been working on a diet called Optavia and it has been working so far but I keep running into trouble after about 9pm. This is my weak spot and holding me back from what actually will make me happier at the end of the day.

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THE NOTEBOOK

Right out of the gate, the first thing you notice about this journal is that it is expensive. At $48 USD this starts as a premium notebook. Using the popup code on the website you can get 20% off to lower the cost to $38.40. To justify the purchase I noticed that it ships free within the US. That accounts for roughly $8. So at $30 what do we get.

The notebook itself is well made and has a soft fake leather feel. The pages lay flat with the smyth sewn binding. Overall, the notebook is broken down into three sections:

1. First is the extensive 25-page guide to help set you up for the next 30 days.

2. Then, each day is broken down into morning and evening questions and daily reviews.

3. The final section of the book, includes 30 daily quotes to help stay motivated.

For $30 I would gladly appreciate a healthier lifestyle and finally achieve my goal weight. They also have a notebook for this specific goal in mind called the Weight Loss Wonder Journal.

The Bad Habit Breaker notebook also comes with 7 bonus gifts, which are a collection of quotes, plans, templates, checklists, and examples to help get you started before you get the notebook.

From their website, here is a summary of the gifts you will receive:

1. The Beautiful Life Purpose Template

A lot of the time, bad habits come into our lives because we are bored, and lack purpose or a large goal to work towards. This template will help you create a life goal that will act as a shield to keep future bad habits out of your life. 

2. The Magnificent 7 Habits Guide

This is a guide that details 7 of our favorite habits that we think you should create and add to your life. Winning in life has a lot to do with maintaining good and productive habits, and these are our Top 7.

3. The 7 Habits From Hell Guide

This is a guide that will go over 7 habits we think you should break first. These habits all have a terrible destructive impact on your life, whether you realize it or not, and you can break all of these with your Bad Habit Breaker Journal.

4. Top 3 Superachiever Quotes

This is a one-page download that you can print out or save in your phone so you can constantly draw upon these three quotes for inspiration when times get tough, and you need some motivation to keep going.

5. The Famous Daily Planner & Productivity Template

This is a one-page template that will help you be 10x+ as productive as you are now. This is a game-changing planning template that has helped our customers just as much as the journal and potentially even more.

6. The Ultimate Habit Breaking Checklist

This is a checklist that you can fill out and go through to help you determine whether you truly have broken your bad habit or not. Although in most cases, it will be very obvious, this checklist will help you know for sure, and is an invaluable part of the process. 

7. Five Lifechanging Examples

This is a package of examples for how to use the journal to break certain habits. You will be shown how to break bad habits using the journal with exact examples that have worked for us and others in the past, and you can replicate these examples, or tailor them to your own goals.

The first week of emails are automatically generated but are actually helpful. They get you thinking about your habit and how to start moving forward, and the most important step I found is to address the problem and accept that a little help is needed.

I have been using the notebook for the month of June to help lose weight and it has worked so far. There is a lot of repetition in the system to keep writing down the same goal, but this is easy and quick to do and serves as a good reminder at the end of the day.

I have been trying out different pens each day and found that gel ink pens work best. They add a nice contrast to the cream colored paper and makes the task enjoyable to write out.

What I like most about this notebook is when you start out, there are 25 pages of information, inspirational quotes, and guides to help move you forward. You don’t need to reference anything online and it is all self-contained.

What I really don’t like is that the system recommends telling lots of people that you are breaking your bad habit. I am not sure my friends want to know how I am doing with my late-night snacking…

I’ll post an update at the end of June to this post to let everyone know how I did with the system and if it worked, or if I am going to ask for my money back…

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INTERVIEW WITH MATT LARSEN THE CREATOR

I wanted to know more about the writer and creator of the journal so I reached out to Matt from Achievement Journals and he was quick to reply. Here are a few things I learned:

Me: How did you develop the journal in the first place? I know that we all want to break bad habits but what pushed you to help others with this notebook system?

Matt: I developed this journal based on the exercises that I have been using myself for years. I used to just print out the daily exercises on blank paper, and use them myself twice per day for several years, and had great success with breaking bad habits for myself. It has been many years since I have overspent, consumed caffeine, consumed alcohol, smoked anything, eaten sugar, eaten fast food and so on, and I quit all of these things through using the exercises. I planned on creating the journals for about three years before I actually did it. I get them from China because it just costs too much to have them printed in the United States. They would have to be like $200 each if I got them printed here, unfortunately.

The inspiration/method comes from a combination of things. The whole idea that "your bad habit is the cause of your pain, not the relief of it" is from a series of books called The Easy Way series by Allan Carr. I think we would probably be the number one affiliate for that book series as lots of our customers end up buying books from that author.

Other parts of the journal are basic self-help type concepts such as visualizing yourself as no longer doing your bad habit, accountability in the form of texting three people per day, giving yourself a good "why" and reason to quit by writing down all of the reasons, and so on.

The progress calendar is very effective for a lot of people as it is a visual way to see how far you have come.

I pretty much used all of these tools for years before just on blank paper or printed out before I created this journal. I decided to try and start selling it because it worked for me, and for some people close to me, so why not try and help everyone else too

Me: I like that you offer the guarantee on the notebook but can you share how many people request a refund?

Matt: Total, 1.77% of people request a refund. 454 out of 25644 customers have requested a refund.

I really wanted to remove the risk for people to try it, and I like the guarantee. I don't want to take people's money if it doesn't work.

Of that 1.77%, 79% of them requested a refund because it didn't work for them or they didn't like it, 8% requested a refund before they ever received the journal (ie. canceled their order), and then 13% of them returned the journal without using it at all (which is unfortunate).

Me: Can you tell me more about yourself and your background?

Matt: Hi. Yes sure. My name is Matt and I am in my late 20s. I split my time between living in Florida and living in Canada. I was born in Canada.

I have a few different very successful brands (multi-seven-figure plus revenue) that I either started or have a majority equity position in. I mostly take care of the advertising and marketing for these brands, and then have partners and/or employees to do the shipping, customer service, supply chain, etc.

I've worked at a hedge fund for most of my adult life/career, and still do.

I am an avid reader and combined many of the best concepts and ideas from different books as well as my own experiences to create the journal, and plan to create eight different versions in total, each focusing on a specific problem that can be solved (ie. breaking bad habits, weight loss, etc).

My two major life skills are data analysis (hedge fund) and advertising, and I really enjoy them both.

I'd say that if you can become a master of advertising, and can either create, source, or find high quality products to sell, you will be able to do very well in life regardless of your age, race, education, background, where you live, etc.

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If you have any questions or have tried this journal please let me know your experience! Go check out the notebook at Achievement Journals.

Cheers,

Mike

As always, I paid full price for this notebook and have not received anything in return for writing this review.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey - Notebook Review

Life advice from a movie star? More like a memoir.

Greenlights is all about life, and Mr. McConaughey’s love of it. His novel is a great breath of fresh air to hear about some great life stories he has and also a few lessons on how to look at things in your own life. Before you buy the book, Greenlights, I recommend (and your friends probably already have too) getting the audio version as you will miss the inflection points if you just read it yourself.

Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck, or figure out how to do it less often."

To hear an introduction to the book in his own words, here is a good book review from BookTube:

Following up on the novel, Matthew designed and released a notebook which is a semi-guided journal to keep track of your own Red, Yellow, and Green lights.

The notebook is a 65-page collection of simple writing prompts to help start your own journal and help you find some depth in your own life. It is very free-flowing and not organized or structured at all. There aren’t even lines on the pages!

Some of the writing prompts if you can call them that are:

• What is some outlaw logic that you were raised on?

• Are you good at what you love?

• In this noisy world, we have to work hard to hear ourselves. How will you do the work?

Personally, I am going to use this notebook as a collection point for good life quotes, advice, and things I don’t want to forget that I see or hear. As it isn’t structured, I won’t use this as anything more than just a life selection of personal experiences.

The ability to use the notebook however you like allows for anything to go in and it is a nice break from my other regimented notebooks that require dates, times, page numbers etc.

I started with where I am right now and it was a nice chance to take inventory of all the great things I have going for me right now and it set me in a positive mood for the rest of the day!

The paper in the notebook is smooth and Gel inks, pencils, ballpoints, and felt tip pens write very nicely in the notebook. I would not suggest using a fountain pen as it bleeds very easily. The paper is similar to a 20# printer paper weight so there is a little bit of ghosting through the paper with the felt-tip pens.

Notebook details:

• Dimensions 8 3/4in x 6 1/8in x 1/2 in

• Price: $12.86

• Light Cream Paper

• Not Fountain Pen Friendly

• Back Pocket

• Elastic Strap

• Website

Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions!

Cheers,

Mike :)

The Great Notebook Giveaway!

I generally post a Holiday Buying Guide this time of year but instead of making you spend more money, I want to do the opposite. I want to giveaway as many notebooks as I possibly can! I have extra notebooks and some that I won’t ever use. I hope you will sign up below for a chance to win these to use, or even re-gift to someone else!

The notebooks up for grabs are:

• Field Notes - 3 pack “Snowy Evening”

• Field Notes - 2 pack “Heavy Duty”

• OC Books - Project Notebook

• Artist’s Loft - Journal

• Appointed - District Notepad

• Leuchtturm 1917 - Dotted Notebook

• Field Notes - Steno Book

• Write Notepads - Together We Build

• Doape Paper - Composition Notebook

• Moleskin - Ruled Notebook

• Moleskin - Blue Notebook

No notebooks were harmed in the making of these photos :)

Good Luck!

Mike

Let's talk about Onion Skin notebooks

While this thin style of paper isn’t new, it is relatively new in blank notebooks. I have been seeing some great notebook IG accounts showing up and they are very impressive!

Check out layora88 on IG!

The Onion Skin Journal on Instagram

Follow redsr1 on Instagram

After doing my research into these journals, one style kept showing up as a good option, The Onion Skin Journal from Remy Road. They have a lot of good choices for style, but they all include this amazing lightweight, high-density paper quality. After playing with this notebook, I highly recommend it for anyone looking to join this new journaling style.

Is that a greedy python I see?

I purchased the hardcover classic style notebook for $46. This version includes the following, from their website description:

• Reversible line and dot grid insert to guide your pen

• 320 pages of blank onion skin paper (160 sheets)

• Linen cover

• Smyth-Sewn

• Matching ribbon

• Made in America

• Fabricated by a 3rd generation bookmaker

• Fountain Pen Friendly!

Woodcase pencils work perfectly on this style of paper.

As expected, the sharpie bleed through.

General Pen Test. I didn’t do a full test because this paper isn’t intended for everything.

I don’t want to be critical of a paper like this as it isn’t intended to be suited for everyday purposes. This style of paper is made for creativity and exploration. This may come across as romantic, but this style of notebook is made for those of us that want to reach further into our creative depth to bring out something new.

I liked the pencil on this paper the most, but that is only my opinion. For fountain pens, this paper can absorb, bleed, feather, shade, and sheen. It can be frustrating if used as a regular paper, but it is a great paper to use when looking for something new and inventive.

The notebook is only 5/8in think and very light at 11oz. Hard to believe with 320 pages!

Page layout guide sheets. The other side is lined at 1/4in.

Overall I am impressed with this notebook, and look forward to using it more!

Mike

As with all my reviews, I did not receive anything for free.

10 Skill Share classes that you can use a notebook with

So now you bought all the notebooks, what are you going to do with them all?

I am constantly using paper notebooks for everything from sketching new product ideas, writing, note-taking, and daily to do lists. During the pandemic lockdown I worked on using my notebooks for more creative pursuits, and found some great Skill Share classes. They were running free 3 month promotions and after getting hooked, I still have my sub. I highly recommend the following classes to help fill up some pages in your notebooks! Enjoy :)

1. Sketching Class with Jazza

Transform the way you draw with an in-depth illustration class like no other from creative mastermind and YouTube star Jazza! 

With over five million followers on YouTube, Jazza has crafted a career out of helping others find the fun in illustration. Now, he shares his own creative process in never-before-seen detail, distilling his favorite tips, tricks, and techniques into a comprehensive masterclass for artists of all levels.

2. Sketchbook

Always Drawing is a new series from NYTimes bestselling illustrator, Mike Lowery. Mike has kept a daily sketchbook for more than 20 years and wants to help you start a daily routine of keeping one, too. And "sketchbook basics" isn't basic at all! It's geared towards artists of all skill types, from beginner to advanced students.

3. Cafe Sketching

Cafes are really the perfect sketching spots. Just imagine: interiors can be beautiful and inspiring, food sometimes looks like a piece of art, you can meet wonderful characters there.

And also it’s very comfortable to draw in a cafe! There’s always a table waiting for you, a chair, lighting, bathroom and coffee, of course. In other words, everything that an artist may need.

4. Aaron Draplin - Logo Design

Want to level up your logo design? Join acclaimed graphic designer and DDC founder Aaron Draplin for a 60-minute tour de force championing the techniques and challenges of combining type and icons into a circle, a foundational shape of graphic design.

Sketching and preparation. A modern graphic designer relying on pencil and paper? You bet! You’ll learn why “going analog” is so vital to Aaron’s artistic process, and why taking time away from the computer generates stronger ideas. Plus, Aaron will suggest specific tools to help encourage your creativity and focus as you map out your design.

5. Hand Lettering Basics

Learn the basics of hand lettering with the popular online workshop that's inspired more than 50,000 Skillshare students! Lettering artist Mary Kate McDevitt covers everything beginners need to draw, ink, and transform handwriting into artful drawings.

In this 2-hour class, Mary Kate reveals the first steps of hand lettering and shares how to concept, design, and letter phrases for any use—a poster, magazine, t-shirt, or anything else you might imagine. Over the course of 16 bite-sized video lessons, you'll learn:

• Researching and Brainstorming

• Sketching for Lettering

• Styles for Lettering

• Inking and Finalizing

6. Learn to Draw

This is an easy beginner guide that was better than most of the other drawing classes I found.

In this class, we’ll walk through basic fundamentals to build your drawing skills!

You'll learn how to see your subjects as basic shapes, how to place your subject on your paper with simple angles, and how to draw by seeing the negative space. I'll share measuring tricks that will help you draw accurately, exercises that will help you activate your creative right brain, and I'll share how you can find beautiful rhythms in your subjects.

7. Class Note-Taking

Hello! Welcome to an introduction to note taking, all about how to keep organized and effective notes. 

This beginner class is designed to teach you the basics to note taking and some tips to take your notes to the next level. It will cover everything from the basic supplies to elevating your notes to be more organized and effective. 

This class is great for anytime when you need to take notes whether it’s in school, your personal life, work environment, or just anybody who wants to take notes, this class is perfect for you!

8. Modern Watercolor Basics

Welcome to Modern Watercolor Techniques for Beginners with Ana Victoria! Here you will learn both basic watercolor techniques and fun new ways to use your paints mixed with other mediums and house hold supplies, such as salt and bleach. I will give you an in depth look into my favorite art supplies and how to use them properly. Watercolor can be intimidading, but I promise I will make it easy and fun with these tips and tricks. You will be amazed with the results you can obtain with my simple direction!

9. Art Journaling

Break out the collection of notebooks that’s taking up an entire section of your bookshelf and join YouTube star Amanda Rach Lee as she guides you through three art journaling exercises she uses all the time in her personal journals. Whether you’re an illustrator, a bujo maven, a person with a Washi tape collection that’s getting a tiny bit out of control, or somewhere in between, Amanda’s class is for the feelings in all of us — and can help you feel gratitude for your present and dream for your future.

10. Sketch An Interface For Your Mobile App

If you have ever wanted to make your own app, this intro is a good place to start learning how to design it. Also, I recommend the Studio Neat Panobook that is designed for just such an application!

Sketching is a great method that helps you communicate your ideas and demonstrate the intended layout and functionality of your application or concept.

Some of UX designers would think that the sketching step would be hard because they “Can’t draw” but the thing is: you don’t have to be an artist to sketch your ideas!

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Let me know if you have any classes I should add or if you have any artwork you would like to share!

As always, I have not received anything for recommending the classes above and my thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike :)

10 of the Best Wellness Journals on the Market

After working with several journals to find a good system, I wanted to share what I found on the market to help make a decision.

Before we get into the list, I spoke with a registered therapist recently about the use of notebooks for introspection and personal growth. She said therapists recommend using a notebook (or really any tool) to practice the act of self-reflection and organize your thoughts into a record. This standard practice is helpful to anyone that wants to see where they are, where they have been, and where they are going.

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I. Therapy Notebooks

Designed by a team of therapists, these notebooks act as mental health tools to grow and learn through self-reflection. Taken from their site “The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based notebook entries are made to help you track your emotions, become more aware of thought patterns, and grow over time specifically to reduce anxiety and manage stress.”

What I like most about these notebooks is that they don’t over-promise. A lot of notebooks like these make unrealistic claims through their marketing copy, but as this has been made by doctors, they know that this isn’t the end-all-be-all of therapy. These are well thought-out notebooks and have an muted design aesthetic.

The notebooks include:

• 100 Journal Entries you can use whenever you feel stressed or anxious.

• Structured exercises proven to help you feel less anxious and track patterns.

• 5 Check-Ins covering different therapy tools for anxiety.

• 100+ notes and tips from therapists throughout the notebook to help guide and encourage reflection.

• 270 guided pages on 8”x5” paper.

The notebook is filled with 100+ notes from therapists, one per a journal entry. They’ll help guide you as you journal, serve as additional reflection questions, and provide tips you can use anytime.

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II. Monk Manual

I have been using this notebook for over a month and genuinely like the layout and overall benefit that it provides. This notebook is more than just a standard to-do list and is built around living a more purposeful life.

The monk manual is a 90-day journal that promotes more planning and reflection rather than just filling up the day with tasks and checking them off. This notebook is very helpful if you are looking for more in life than just the short-term feeling of completing tasks, and shows you what you have accomplished while moving toward a greater goal in your life.

If you want to read more about this notebook I wrote up a full review last month Here.

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III. Full Focus Journal

This is also a 90-day planner that starts with a plan to set up and organize your life goals. This planning method, along with the weekly strategy to accomplish your goals, is intended to help relieve stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Developed by Michael Hyatt, a leadership coach, this notebook and the courses that you can join are all designed around getting the more important things done in life, not just the number of things you try to get done.

I will say that this notebook looks like it has a large marketing budget behind it and while I have not used it yet, I feel like this is made more for the business professional or team leader.

Full Focus Planner

Full Focus Planner

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IV. Bloom Meditation Journal

This notebook is a collaboration between Baron Fig the notebook company, and Justine Bloome, a well-known mindfulness expert. This book helps get into meditation and make it a daily practice and to build self-awareness.

I have several of the guided Baron Fig Notebooks and they always do an amazing job with their products. I have only used meditation apps to help but believe this notebook would be a great tool to help beginners and anyone that has trouble staying consistant.

The notebook comes with:

• Meditation Guide

• Meditation Log

• Daily Tracker

• 40 Day Challenge

• 4 Toolkits

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V. Mind Journal

This notebook is geared towards men due to the founder, Olie Aplin, designing the book for his own benefit first, and then selling it to other men that have had the same problems. This singular focus has helped him to make a solid notebook that did well on Kickstarter and I was moved by his personal story.

Features:

• 3 Months of Journaling

• Signature Check-in Tool

• 30 Life-Changing Exercises

• 3 Stages of Self-Discovery

• 264 Ruled 110gsm Ivory Pages

Once you complete the Journal, there is a second notebook called the Jotter that is designed for moving forward and is a free-form style of journaling without much in the way of guidance.

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VI. Bullet Journal (2nd Edition)

Ryder Carol is steadfast in his dedication to helping us lived well-intented lives. He has always come across as genuine and authentic without any reason to doubt his work. The bullet journal system is more than a productivity tool because it taps into a deeper thought process of self-reflection. In applying the BuJo system, you are able to get more done, so along with a feeling of self-worth, you also become more efficient. I have always been a huge fan of this system and have been using it for five years.

“Leading an intentional life is about keeping your actions aligned with your beliefs. It’s about penning a story that you believe in and that you can be proud of.”

— Ryder Carol

Ryder also wrote a book called The Bullet Journal Method and it is a great companion. The last section of the book is about the importance of reflection and he writes, “If you don’t do, if you don’t dare, then you rob the world-and yourself-of the chance to contribute something meaningful.” The time used for reflection in our journals is key to the purpose of the system. While it takes time to do this, it is one reason why it works so well and keeps us all on task at the greater life purpose.

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VII. Ink+Volt Gratitude Journal

Ink + Volt continues to impress me and I have been a long-time fan of the creator of these quality notebooks, Kate Matsudaira. I had the chance to catch up with her when she was first developing the Spark Notebook and that notebook was very well organized and perfectly designed. From there, she has designed a whole line of notebooks to help with self-improvement.

The Gratitude notebook is something that is recognized in the therapy world as a helpful tool to pick yourself up and nurture positive thinking. This notebook has a lot to offer and recommend checking out the different styles, as well as other notebook options.

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VIII. Best Self Co.

While this company only started with two people, it has grown into a full sized self-help company. I initially backed their Kickstarter in 2015 and the notebook was just okay. Since then, they have built out an entire suite of products and completely redesigned their flagship notebook called the Self Journal.

Features:

• 13 week goal planner

• 100gsm white ivory paper

• Hardcover 5.75in by 8.5in

• Includes videos and guides from website to help

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IV. Papier Wellness Journal

This notebook has a little bit of everything. While it does lack the in-depth guides that some of the notebooks above provide, it makes up for it with the number of sections. It includes:

• Goal Planning

• Wish Lists

• Daily Planning

• Meal Planning

• Gratitude Journal

• Goal Check-ins

• Reflection

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V. Blank Notebook

The number one recommended notebook by therapists is…a blank one. They don’t tell you which one, they just want you to use whatever works best for you. The act of using a single voice so that you are required to think about what you are trying to say and write so that it comes out in one direction. This is the reason there is a market for notebooks because the therapists don’t want you to get distracted, but the key point is that you get into the practice of getting your thoughts out and into some form of record keeping.

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Good luck and I hope I have helped!

As always, I have not received anything from any of the aforementioned companies and my thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike

Karst Stone Paper Review

In theory, these notebooks should be awesome, on paper, they are far from it.

Karst Sketchpad $30.

Karst Softcover Notebook A5 $25.

Karst Notepad $25.

With the Karst Stone Paper notebooks, I was intrigued by the design process of using stone to make paper. The process is very interesting and to help the planet move away from cutting down trees is a great idea…but after testing these out, I feel they are still missing something.

While the paper may work for commercial printers, to use this as a notebook is actually a pretty terrible idea. I hate to say this, but with the high cost associated with these notebooks, I don’t want anyone else to make the same mistake that I did!

The Notebooks

The first issue is using a pencil on this paper. Even one with as soft graphite as the Blackwing pencil, the tip kept catching on the soft paper. While the paper is tear-resistant, it does not do well with a sharp pencil point, and forget about using a mechanical pencil on these notebooks!

Moving on to pens, the only option to avoid problems, is a gel ink rollerball pen. Fountain pens, ballpoint, and needle point pens all fair poorly for various reasons due to the construction and coating that is put on the pages. The fountain pens skip and take forever to dry. Ballpoint pens push too hard on the soft paper, and needle point pens like the Hi Tec C catch on the paper and even created a hole!

Pens pushing through the paper to the back.

The three notebooks I purchased were much heavier than I originally thought. Even with the stone, I was surprised at just how heavy they are and all ended up being about twice the weight of a standard notebook the same size and page number.

Notepad A4 size - 1lb 5.6oz

Sketchpad - 1lb 4.4oz

A5 Softcover Notebook - 14oz

The Pencils

The unique pencils were also intriguing due to their all-graphite design. I had to wait a long time for these to be restocked so I was fairly disappointed when they did arrive. While they work okay on standard paper, they are unusable on the notebooks and even the sketch pad.

They did fair better on regular paper but they are quite soft and I would recommend them to an artist rather than a writer.

You only get 5 pencils for $22!

In Summary

I honestly don’t like writing negative reviews and I wish these notebooks and pencils could find a good use case, but I don’t see one. Even if the notebooks worked better, there is nothing special about the layouts. It is lined, dot grid or square. Nothing new in the design or use case.

If anyone disagrees with me and enjoys them, please do let me know!

As always, I purchased these items (really wish I hadn’t) and did not receive anything for free. My thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike