Officially, the 15 Best Notebooks of All Time

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If there is one thing I am certain of, it is that notebooks are a lifeline. I am a lifetime buyer and user of notebooks of every style and flavor, and this journey has been one imbued with learning. Learning about paper weights and constructions, how my favorite pen (a Pilot G-2, .7mm, not up for debate unless you are left handed) feels on a fresh piece of paper. Over a lifetime of notebooks, I have learned about the world outside and I have learned, above all, about the world inside myself.

I have learned that the actual act of writing—the thinking thoughts and putting them down—is pretty excruciating, no matter how long you've been at it. But a good notebook that fits the situation dulls the pain. To really capitalize on this, I'm a big proponent of notebooks dedicated to certain forms of writing. There's the work notebook for planning, the night journal for anxious thoughts, the tiny backpack notebook for traveling, and the holy grail notebook for only the most thought-provoking notes and quotes.

Here, I've rounded up the 15 best notebooks for different occasions and preferences. These range as they should, from useful and cheap to fancy and luxurious. They're great for amping up your desk at home or for gifting to the paper nerd in your own life. Please, go ahead, and reap the benefits of my life's work.

Classic Expanded Notebook

First things first. Moleskine's classic notebook is a no-brainer. You can go soft or hardcover, but the soft is nice and bendy for really getting into the writing. It's nice and thin, easy to keep in any bag or stowed in a drawer.

The Notebook

If you like ample table space for writing, Appointed's spiral notebook opens up and invites you into it. The perforated sheets are made with a substantial 70-lb text-weight stock, and the front cover is water-resistant.

3-Pack Planting Tree Paper Notebook

For something cheap to buy in bulk, Muji's spiral paper notebooks are outstanding. They are simple, thin, and airy. I have a few of these on hand at any given point for quick notes that won't weigh down a bag.

Pro Notebook

Another favorite from Moleskine is the hardcover Pro notebook, made for keeping track of tasks and projects. It has the same weight and feel of the classic, but the pages are lined so that you can more easily keep lists. A great buy for work.

Heavyweight Writing Pad, 4 Pack

I guess technically this isn't a notebook but that's just semantics. A classic legal writing pad is a great option to have in your desk for brainstorming and panic writing down phone numbers from your insurance company.

Emerald Cloth Large Spiral Notebook

Baltic Club makes this spiral notebook that is smaller and thinner than something like you might've bought in college. It feels intimate to write in, and the matte laminated cardstock is silky smooth.

A5 Journal

If you're on the hunt for a more personal notebook—something for journaling or gratitude or what have you—this is it. The structure is nice and bendy and the wider ruled pages are good for bigger handwriting.

Soho Notebook

Bury me in Smythson notebooks. The leather extraordinaires took their talents to the page with these leather notebooks. The Soho size is roomy enough for comfortable writing but still small enough to fit comfortably in a bag.

Cross-Grain Leather Notebook

Also fancy-feeling: Montblanc's leather notebook. The pages feel like luxury, and I like keeping my most esteemed thoughts and inspired ideas from conversations in here.

reMarkable 2

I am the e-book and e-reader skeptic for the ages, but reMarkable knows its audience. It's super thin, has a paper feel, and easily digitizes your notes. I'm also a big fan of its PDF function, where you can sync papers across from your laptop and write notes directly onto the PDF.

The Anti-Anxiety Notebook

Most self-help notebooks are bad but this one is not. The Anti-Anxiety Notebook was designed in part with therapists to come up with introspective prompts that can walk you through a spiral. A nice little add to your nightstand.

National Parks Series 3-Pack

Now, the classic three-pack of Field Notes is not my personal favorite writing experience but they are extremely useful to have. They're tiny (5.5"x3.5"), flexible, and good for when you want to have paper on hand without it weighing you down.

Karst A6 Stone Paper Field Journal

Writing in the great outdoors sounds like such a wholesome experience until it starts pouring and your notebook is ruined. A waxed, waterproof journal won't have the silkiness of an Inside Notebook but it has its purpose.

Colorblock

Papier's colorblocked notebooks are the grown-up version of all those spiral notebooks you used to use in school. They look a hell of a lot better, though, and are satisfying and easy to write on. These are great to gift, too—personalize it with your giftee's favorite color combo and monogram.

Decomposition Notebook

I love paper but I also love earth and don't want to destroy any more trees than I already have. Decomposition notebooks are made with post-consumer-waste recycled paper, which has a little gritty of a feel to it. That's useful for lefties trying not to smear their work, and anyone using a super inky pen.

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