It’s been ages since I updated my “using now” photo, and while some things have stayed the same, there have been some changes along the way.

I’m still using my Nolty Gold diary/planner to log exercise, meals, to-do lists, and grocery lists, as well as noting appointments and keeping track of habits. More details here: How I Use My Nolty Gold Planner

I still have a Moleskine sketchbook going at all times. I go through phases when I draw a lot, and then phases when I don’t. I’m in a mostly not-drawing phase right now, so my current sketchbook has been in use since March.

My journal tends to alternate between squared Moleskine and plain or dotted Bindewerk Linen Travel Journal. At the moment, I’m actually using a plain Moleskine. I do find myself missing the squares! I’m not good about keeping my handwriting aligned on the page, so squares or dots are helpful. I’ve also thought about using some sort of guide sheet under the page but I don’t have anything and am not sure I care enough to bother.

For the last couple of years, I’ve also had a fourth notebook in the mix. In my 2024 post Every Day Carry Notebooks, I talked about how I’d added the Filofax Guildford Extra Slim, despite finding it somewhat redundant. Since then, I’ve swapped in various other refillable notebooks from my collection, including some that were featured in my History of the Pocket Slim Filofax series of posts. It’s easy to just swap the contents from one notebook to another, so I’ve tried at least 5 or 6 in the past year, some for very short periods of time. The one that stuck the longest other than the Guildford was the Filofax Grosvenor whose modification to larger rings I documented in this post: Vintage Filofax Modification. I really loved using it, despite feeling like I should find a better way to attach the rings! But I recently made yet another swap to a MeePlus notebook that I received as a sample for review. I’ll be doing a full review soon, but spoiler alert: I really like it!

I use this refillable looseleaf notebook for longer term lists and notes that I know I’ll want to refer to beyond the timeframe of my journal (about 3 months) or my yearly diary/planner.

So that’s a quick look at my most frequently used notebooks. I’m also still using and loving my personal size Filofax Gloucester that I use for my job. Details here: My New Work Notebook: A Surprise Filofax. I am also using a Field Notes notebook for my French class, a Moleskine watercolor book for the occasional dabbles with paint, a Nebula Casual Note as a desktop scratch pad, and a Nolty #1221 for my weekly image diary. I also continue to use a Louise Carmen notebook— sans actual notebook– as a wallet.

So that’s the update! I often feel like I should be trying to use some of the other brands from my collection, but I’m a creature of habit, and I’ve found a routine that works for me.