A few months ago, I wrote about my latest work notebook, a vintage Filofax. It’s working so well for me that I wish I had bought a Filofax in this size years ago to use for this purpose. I can’t help regretting all those wasted decades of using random office supply closet notebooks (as well as some nicer notebooks received as samples or bought since starting this blog)! Now that I have found a satisfying set-up, I think I’ll be sticking with it, but the question is how long will I continue to need a work notebook if I am likely to retire within the next decade? This is just one more indication of my notebook addiction– I’m worried that if I stop working, I’ll have fewer notes to write, and fewer reasons to use notebooks!

But I’m not alone. I recently saw a Reddit thread where someone asked for suggestions on how to fill a Filofax when your life isn’t very busy. Sometimes the desire to use notebooks is greater than the actual need to use notebooks. One of the all-time most visited posts on this site is 10 Uses for Spare Notebooks, where there are 165 comments suggesting ideas: gratitude journal, dream journal, doodle notebook, writing songs, writing down puns and jokes, keeping a food diary, keeping a friend diary, and many many more.

I think my own desire to use notebooks is due to a few different factors:

• Tactile sensations: A nice pen on a smooth notebook page is just a sensual pleasure, and notebooks with nice shapes and cover textures are just enjoyable to hold. Maybe it’s just my equivalent of a fidget spinner.
• The brain dump: Some of us just gravitate to writing things down, to work out what’s going on in our lives, or organize ourselves with lists. It’s become more and more of a habit for me over the years.
• Record-keeping: I like being able to refer back to see what I did at a certain time, where I went on a trip, how I felt about an experience. It’s helpful to have memory prompts.
• Feeling productive: This can be creative productivity if I’m drawing in a sketchbook or writing an article, but what I think I love even more is having lists of things to do and then crossing them off when I’ve done them.
• Feeling active: A planner full of events and appointments makes me feel like my life is full– if they’re work appointments, it can tie to the productivity impulse above, or it can mean I’m immersed in cultural events and connected to friends and community.

So yes, an empty notebook can be a symptom of … well, I won’t say an empty life, but perhaps a life that is lacking in things that I value. (And that aspiration to a creative, productive, social and cultured life is exactly what most notebook marketing tries to tap into!) But there are other reasons to use notebooks, whether or not you really “need to.” Fill a page with squiggles if you feel like it. Write your grocery list. Track what you’ve watched on TV. Log your sleep. Paste in some pictures. Whatever. If you like notebooks, and want to use notebooks, you’ll be able to find a way.