A project notebook is not an official term. It’s just one that I made up. And so maybe it’s self-explanatory, but let’s talk about ways to start and document and finish a project.
These are my current (big) project notebooks. Smaller projects go into smaller notebooks, like my reading journal for example. And this tells you something about the size of projects I take on too. I’ve read of people who keep their projects in cardboard filing boxes. But I digress…
These notebooks keep my migraine notes, a wedding plan, and the blog plan, and this is generally how I use them:
Starting
I start with a quote on the first page. Something to inspire and set the tone. Sometimes they even become a little bit of a mantra. On the first page of my blog notebook I have this one …
If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.
Lemony Snicket, from The Ersatz Elevator
After that I sometimes make a moodboard, which I’ve written about here. Then I usually choose a few highlighters or Tombow brush markers, some stickers and washi tapes to decorate the pages with. (Caveat: my migraine notes do not have decorated pages…)
Documenting
And then, it depends a little bit what kind of project it is, but there are some types of pages (they’re called “spreads” in the bullet journaling world, although my notebooks are very far from proper bullet journals) which I use pretty consistently.
- monthly calendars
- brainstorming
- checklists
- and more lists
- templates
- journaling
- photos
I don’t think my systems are that organized actually. I just turn to the next blank page, stamp the date and set up what I need. Which brings me to one of the reasons I like the Leuchturm. The pages are numbered and there’s an index at the front, so even though the pages are in no particular order, at least there’s a way to find the ones I’m looking for. Also to help with the organizing, there are two pretty ribbon bookmarks. They sometimes fall out of other notebooks I’ve used, but so far these are good. And inside the back cover is a good-sized pocket for keeping some sticknotes, the stickers and washi tape, loose papers, photos to be pasted in, etc etc.
Finishing
At the end of the project, or end of the notebook, I do a few things:
- Paste in any photos or ephemera that are still loose.
- Sometimes, write up one last little journal entry that’s like a reflection.
- Label the spine with the title and dates of the contents.
It’s incredibly satisfying to have a notebook filled with ideas and plans that have been accomplished, lists fully checked off, photos of the progress along the way. And exciting to think of what the next notebook might hold.
Stationery in the photo
P.S. This post isn’t sponsored in any way. None of my posts are. Just sharing what I use and why I like it.
P.P.S. This is a video from Simone sharing how she uses notebooks for her projects.
P.P.P.S. Someday I’ll show you a flip-through of the wedding planner. It’s already so pretty.
