Our Essential 2025 Notebook Features 📙

[@sarasmith3676]

FYI: If you have the means and the know-how, covering a journal you like, but the cover isn't what you want is pretty easy. I use this when I love the inside of a notebook and the outside leaves me uninspired. Or when certain brands go on sale, but I don't want to pay for the more popular covers. As an example, A&O has a mermaid design that is on sale, but I'm not a fan. Instead, I would pick a cherry blossom fabric to completely wrap the notebook. There are all these book binding shorts on YT now and it requires fabric, fabric glue, and a cheep brush, all of which is available from the Dollar Tree or Walmart in the United States.

[@elliesnotes]

That’s such a good idea!

[@RosHaywood]

Shipping is another thing I look at. For instance, I LOVE a lot of the Archer & Olive notebooks - but the shipping! it's sometimes more than the notebook itself.

[@elliesnotes]

Really good point! I always end up getting $100 worth of products just because it’s free shipping (I’m in the US). So if I can’t get $100 worth then I just don’t buy anything.

[@cwalsh4992]

I'm based in Europe so buying anything from the US can be very expensive!!

[@RyeMiArt]

@@cwalsh4992 Exactly! And then you get hit by more charges at the border.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Really great point on the shipping! -Mark

[@tirarosaurioreads]

This, exactly.

[@LegallyLlama]

10:19 Scotchgard! I learned the hard way when I got my first A&O journal. I left it where my then 6 year old was able to get her grubby little paws on it. Every notebook and journal since has been given a liberal coat of Scotchguard! Works particularly well for my Hobo Hons! Otherwise I use 80 micron librarian contact plastic. Has the benefit of not only protecting but also makes thin covers thicker.

[@sunfastrose]

I just got my first A&O notebook - the new purple penguin - and I love the feeling of the cover material. Your conversation about how a weight on a bookmark helps it lay flat made me think about taking some random beads from around the house and threading them on a ribbon bookmark to have a homemade weight.

[@wendyking638]

Podcast gold! I look forward to Planner Pals each week (every other week). Thank you!!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Glad you enjoy it! 😄 Thanks for watching 🥳

[@iicydiamonds]

I'm amused by how much Jess loves bright white, because I greatly prefer a very slightly cream colour. I find the bright is just too harsh to look at - for me! :)

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Haha very fair 😝 when I’m reading a book, I prefer slightly cream paper for that reason too 👌 - Jess

[@RyeMiArt]

My must haves are definitely dots, pretty hard cover, awesome paper, and affordable SHIPPING. While I liked A&O bullet journals, shipping is usually price of a full journal so I was forced to find and alternative and I can't be happier now because I found my ultimate journal made by a small business from France. Their Reverie journals have 160gsm watercolour paper which makes it possible to use literally ANYTHING inside (except alcohol markers of course) and there is no bleeding, I even did some watercolour illustrations in there and it was great, not even a ripple. And I like it much more to the touch as well. The paper is light cream colour which I've realized I love. The dots are brown so you can't see them on photos and such. And the journal can handle so much! I stuff them full of stickers, paper and everything during the year so they are almost impossible to close 🤣 but they hold beautifully, no cracked spines. Gosh, this is like love letter to Mellow Days (the company I use journals from) 😅 Not sponsored I swear. So if you're in Europe and are looking for great quality journal, check Mellow Days out!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Shipping is a really good must have note! Thanks for sharing your other must have's -Mark

[@alxh8835]

22:24 if you want more ribbon bookmarks, they’re pretty easy to stick in more yourself!

[@inescaldeira6677]

19:12 Yeeees Savannah Scribbles' work has been such an inspiration for me this past few month

[@elliesnotes]

My must haves are Dot Grid (I very much struggle with anything that’s not dot grid at this point) A Beautiful Cover (this could be any kind of cover I like) Thick paper (anything that is thick enough to hold all of the stickers and junk I stuff into my journals and not break the spine by the time the journal is finished) And that’s pretty much it 😅 I’m not picky and that’s probably going to be my ultimate downfall. I don’t mind the covers or journals getting dirty or anything as I use them. It kind of makes me happy that they are so used and loved. Thanks for the video guys!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Thanks for sharing with us -Mark

[@prexytheartist]

Agree to all! I'll add stark white color of the paper coz I'd love to see the colors for the way they actually look like, like Jess mentioned in the podcast.

[@SheilaSanchezblog]

Must have: at least 250 pages. I don't want to have to migrate from one notebook to another in the middle of the year. I need one notebook with enough pages to last me the whole year. I also prefer dot grid paper with darker dots so I can actually see them. Everything else is negotiable. Great episode, as always!!

[@mooncraftbujo]

Chappel Roan reference let's go! Your favourite podcast's favourite podcast 😂

[@markyourpages]

Good job!~ -Mark

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

lol there was no way I was going to get that reference 😂 - Jess

[@talliyahrose]

I'm learning I like the heavier weight paper, sturdy spine, dot grid is a must, more than one bookmarker ribbon, nice cover art, and more on the larger side. I used three A5 Journals I got from Amazon for this first year. 1. because I wanted to see if I could maintain it and would I like it, and 2. because funds were limited. Now that I know I am really enjoying journaling enough to expand by a couple of journals, I am going to a B5 for my everyday, staying with an A5 for my yearly, and a square for a reading journal. Getting into this has helped me greatly surpass one goal I had this year, and that is my reading goal. The goal was 1 book a month, and after joining Bujo Buddies, I think I will actually triple that goal by the new year. Thank you both for all your thoughts and sharing. It gives me things to think about and look for as I continue and expand on my BuJo Lifestyle.

[@Keasha274]

I am not the only person out here who was consigned to cheap mead plain cover notebooks with wooly paper that bled and feathered itself til it expired, as a result i love over the top sparkly, dark academia, grimoire, leather like, stamped, art deco inspired embossed journals and notebooks, my dream is an a5 journal with a dark academia 🎉🎉inspired palate with metallic accents, and a art deco inspired cover with embossed spine , cream colored pages, grid and lined 400 pg lay flat with matching pens, highlighters, washi tape, stamps and stickers🎉

[@kathyaakananabluebird]

I love lines not dots. I am such a cursive written list maker. Medium thick paper and lots of pages as I do everything books.

[@DistanceTraveled]

32:48 ahhh. **sip** We definitely enjoy some proper tea time chats. **sip**

[@MikaDoesStuff23]

Ghosting doesn't bother me at all, LT1917 has been my daily for over 5 years. So fun to hear other preferences!

[@ShaunaStory]

I use a line grid for my everyday notebook. My monthly habit trackers take seconds, since i just draw the border and write the day numbers to the side. I also indent a lot for nested notes or pseudocode, so the vertical lines help me with readability. I used engineering pads a ton in college, so it felt really natural when I switched from dot grid. My biggest need is modularity, so I'm in a Traveler's Notebook. Splitting up my long-term and everyday setups really helped me let go of aligning new everyday notebooks with the new year, so I'm not wasting pages and only migrate a few long-term setups every few years.

[@Voltergeist]

Must be either square grid or blank, I cannot do dot grid which rules out most of a&o. I love hemlock and oak for this reason, but I also love hobonichi and leuchtturm. I love them to be plain cover except for maybe a well executed simple design for it. Absolutely no quotes.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

thank you! and another vote for H&O - I need to check them out.

[@ariellecaraway7920]

@@PlannerPalsPodcast yeah I was just coming to make sure someone told you about Hemlock & Oak. They have pre-printed planners and graph grid and dot grid notebooks with page numbers and 150gsm. They also seem to be an ethical company that’s focused on sustainability and has great customer service. I discovered them last year and have really enjoyed their products. There are also a lot of content creators who put out ideas using their products like the Joyful Sojourn.

[@rode_rash3956]

In order: 1. Size. I'm totally a B5 girl, and I now feel like I'm an A&O captive because they are the only ones putting out a good B5. 2. Stark white paper (160 gsm). 3. Numbered pages (not getting this very often, thankyouthankyouthankyou, @MarkYourPages !!!. 4. Attractive covers. I have to admit I'm not into "cutsie" covers. So even puts out journals I would never spend money on.

[@LewisLittle66]

The main features I look for in a notebook are; A5 or A6 size, soft cover because I like to put them into my favourite leather covers, so I really don't care what the cover looks like, as long as it's flexible. Medium-to-thick fountain-pen-friendly paper, little/no ghosting. Clairefontaine and Rhodia are my favourites. Lined, dot or grid doesn't matter, I have uses for all three. Additional must-have features for a planner are horizontal weeklies and full-size Saturday/Sunday, plus notes pages for custom collections.

[@AlexPlatte]

I love the talk of all the notebook alternatives! “Padded cover” made me think of the Rhodia Goalbook, which I stumbled on and used this year. As a fountain pen user, I was pleasantly surprised and see the Goalbook as a comparable but superior alternative to LT1917. Probably not the first choice for Mark and Jess because of ghosting and ivory paper, but very well made and pleasant for the fountain pen!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Thank you for sharing with us and knowing that ghosting hurts my feelings :-). -Mark

[@GeeBeeRrrr]

Another fun podcast! Thank you, both! Mark, Hemlock and Oak has 150gsm notebooks with a square grid (I haven't tried them yet, but that might be what you are looking for - I used their planner with the same paper a couple of years ago & it was nice). I don't think I'm *too* particular about paper/notebooks for "everyday use/portability" ...except the paper has to be white. I'm just getting into using "nicer" notebooks for hobbies/memory keeping - cooking journal, RPG journal, etc. Dot grid is OK, though I do prefer grid/graph lines. A couple of years ago, I HATED ghosting, but the planners that work for me are TRP and I've gotten used to it. (Though weirdly, I still hate ghosting on other paper. 🤷‍♀) Those A&O covers, though, are so pretty - they keep me coming back! 🤣

[@bettybstompin]

Personally I use a grid line book and I tend to sticker bomb my cover and put packing tape over to seal in the stickers.

[@emilymakescoffee1741]

I needed this today! What a great way to start the day.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Awww yay Planner Pal. We got you. -Mark

[@JannekeK]

In order of importance to me: 160 gsm paper, a beautiful cover (love the A&O storybook designs) and numbered pages is a big bonus. And the more pages the better. I bought the Marked because that one ticked all the boxes. You better design another one, because I use 2 journals a year and never the same design twice…😉

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

haah, thanks for the support of the MARKED. It makes me so happy to know that others are loving it. I hope to do another one with them. It would be so fun. -Mark

[@sarabockenstedt9237]

Must have: hard cover. Most notebooks are hard covered, but there are some soft covers out there.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

thanks for sharing -Mark

[@dancing_butterfly_art]

What I'm looking for is 1. Does it lay flat? 2. Does it have page numbers bc I do actually index 3. How do my tombows and fountainpen react to the paper? 4. Is the creator a decent human being/company? 5. Is it somewhat local bc shipping costs.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

All great things to look for. Thanks for sharing with us. -Mark

[@blacKKorat]

I'm gonna copy your list. I think these are great criteria that fit my needs as well!

[@AlexHarvey-l9g]

I'm fairly new to the high-end notebook world but have fallen in love with A&O. I bought one to use as a reading journal this year...and have bought three more since. My husband just bought his first...he saw me looking at Mark's A&O and had to have it! He's so excited!

[@AxisOAnarchy]

My must haves are definitely 120+ gsm paper now. I don't do much with wet media but I do like having the flexibility to do so if I choose to. I use a Hobonichi for a lot of my long form journaling because I enjoy fountain pens as well. I also tend to do some more specific journaling in Traveler's Notebook inserts because they're easier to bring along and are fountain pen friendly so I can do a mix of collaging. I use that for things such as my coffee log and keeping track of favorite drink orders and trying out local coffee shops as well as chains and franchises.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Thanks for sharing with us planner pals -Mark

[@andries2320]

Scribbles that matter is on Amazon in Australia. I assume then it would be in NZ too?

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

New Zealand doesn't have its own Amazon, we use Amazon AU as well 😊 While the journals are on the website, they won't ship them to NZ for some reason 😅

[@tsmith6250]

Just received a Buke notebook yesterday. 160gsm bamboo paper. We shall see. It's not for my everyday journal so willing to try. So far no ghosting or bleed through. Was intrigued with bamboo paper. Very reasonably priced.

[@Renza_S]

I have one of these arriving tomorrow to be a commonplace book. I'm happy to hear that ghosting isn't an issue as really wasn't sure on that from reviews. I'm interested to give it a go!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Let us know how it goes once you've given it some use! 👀

[@NikkiAmeling]

I will actually say that I started with a BUKE notebook because I didnt want to splurge on A&O (now im a subscriber lol) and they are really good cheaper alternative without loosing too much quality. Totally worth a shot.

[@NicoleThorsenbooklovingfool]

I love buying from book binderies. Citrus Book Bindery has ones that you can customize and are beautiful.

[@DistanceTraveled]

This last year, I used the Russel + Hazel weekly/monthly vegan leather planner in A5 camel. I love the size, but having more room for decoration and stickers by going for the B5 size is tempting. It also is allergy friendly for me, has a pocket, has goal pages, and is anesthetically neutral and pleasing. Office Depot is where I found it.

[@CareyHAuthor]

Elastic closure with my monthly and travel journals are a must. Since I write and junk journal and scrapbook, those books get thiiiick and need the elastic to help.

[@aliciaw2564]

Mark! I accidentally cut my ribbon from my bookmark when I was trimming my collage in my last journal! I was so devastated! I get it Jess! The A&O charm ensures the ribbon doesn’t get weird folds in it! It’s a sensory, perfectionist trait that I want the ribbon to be straight. I am embracing my quirkiness ❤

[@alxh8835]

Thinking about my personal list, my first ones are definitely dot/grid ruling and page numbers for anything over like 70 pages.

[@UnlimitedPocky123]

Omg I LOVE the velvet covers! Idk if Archer & Olive do them much but I had one from Notebook Therapy and it was one of my favorites. I want more of them lol. I really respect Archer & Olive but I've come to the realization that I don't really love them as much as my journals from Notebook Therapy. A&O has more size options for sure but I find the NT journals are slightly more affordable for the same quality. Notebook Therapy also matches my aesthetic for stationery items more than A&O does. I LOVE stationery from East Asian companies/brands and I feel as if NT captures that essence perfectly. The only downside is that they don't have pen loops but you can easily make your own or just buy one to stick onto the back cover.

[@tungstensmum1491]

Another brand that does line grid pages is Hemlock & Oak

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

A friend of mine loves their notebooks. I need to try at some point. -Mark

[@kc9qxd]

Hi there. I’m a sucker for covers on journals, but lined journals break it for me. Reminds me of doing homework/schoolwork and writing assignments

[@julia-here]

I think you both know where I stand these days 😂- it’s gotta be fountain pen friendly (first and foremost); I also enjoy dot grid or grid, an elastic closure (or cover with a closure) is a must, and I - like Jess - am notorious for having little bits of paper stuffed about so I like having some sort of pocket or internal storage situation. Honestly, I’m really loving covers on my notebooks to give it a little more functionality. You guys didn’t mention pen loops at all.. is it a must have??

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

For me at least, not a must have 😛 I don't often use them, plus if I don't have my pencil case, where will I put all ma badges!? 😝 - Jess

[@jouwjournalnl]

It depends on what I use it for what features I like in my notebook. If I'm just writing I love Tomoe River Paper. If I'm crafty I'm loving 160 gsm :)

[@angelinam.1524]

I like hearing other perspectives about the variety of notebooks. I'm very happy with my inexpensive Artist Loft journals (dot grid with index). They handle my microns, stabilos, zebra mildliners, and pilot G2 pens without issues, at least that I've noticed. Offhand, I don't recall the gsm but I love the books.

[@pamelasnyder9745]

I prefer a lighter weight fountain pen friendly note book with dot or grid. 2. Just off white, either cream or gray. 3. Must lay completely flat. 4. Numbered pages a bonus for ease of indexing. I’m new to journaling and am not very familiar with Archer & Olive. What do I search to find Mark’s collaborations?

[@amyeck3737]

I use the Buke due to the price. I have used fountain pens, gel, all different kinds of inks and haven't had any issues. My must haves are 160GSM paper, dot grid, elastic band closure. I do wish the Buke carried a cheaper spiral bound notebook though. I have a cheap notebook that sits open on my desk that is a spiral bound and I find myself writing quick notes on it since it sits open always. Love how "real" you both are with each other and us viewers. Always great videos. Would love to see a live or recorded version that hasn't been edited. You both make me smile

[@krystal37276]

This was a solid podcast! Thank you so much for sharing!! Must have for me is smooth paper. I do wish I could take the bullet journal brand paper and put it in the Archer & Olive covers- perfection! Also am I the only one that wants to either zoom out on Jess or zoom in on Mark? They are not level and now I'm showing my perfectionist tendencies- LOL!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Haha, Jess and I talk about how uneven we are every episode, we are trying to equal it out a little bit. -Mark

[@chrissiedcohen]

Must Haves: Elastic closure Sturdy cover Non-thin paper Dot grid

[@jennifermitchell7569]

I love your podcast! I just found it. I've used LT1917 and other brands. I wonder if you'd like a travelers notebook system with soft notebooks on strings. Designs by Planner Perfect has beautiful notebooks with fabulous paper!

[@Mongoly8]

blank pages are a need for sure. I hate dot grid because I'm a tiny writer and the dot grid just seems to confining

[@Mongoly8]

Mark were you talking about the freewheel press pens?

[@citrinedragonfly]

My regular bullet journal I'm less picky about, ironically. For my teacher planner, though, I've discovered I work best with a large Happy Planner with the Standard (3 boxes per day vertical) Layout. I've tried using the teacher layout several times, and it really, really doesn't work for me. I teach on a block schedule, and only have 3 classes/day, so the 3-boxes is perfect for me. Paper's thick enough I can use Flair pens, Inkjoys, Pilot G-2s, highlighters, whatever I need, and can color code to my heart's content. I use Saturday's and Sunday's boxes for things like to-do lists, meetings, things I need to copy, parent-contact, notes while teaching, club activities, etc. And I've started a weekly habit tracker on the left margin to check off the things I'm doing daily (lesson plans, objectives on the board, copies, printing, grading, putting the grades online, etc.) so I don't forget. I love the discbound system, since it means I can add and move things around. I have the attendance/checklist pages and I keep them at the end of the current month, then a bookmark to flip back to the current week after attendance is done. I can punch papers to add in, so I have a section for 504s and IEPs, an admin section, notes from meetings. And since we're on block, our classes change at the end of a semester, so I only have to keep half a school year's worth of months in the planner at one time. which leaves me room for all the extras (including a pocket for emergency attendance cards, because I like having extras, and inevitably someone forgets to grab them during fire drills). For my personal planner, a bullet journal is my go-to, but not always a Bullet Journal. I've used the dot grid journals from Michaels for the last few years ($10 for the level 2 paper, which is better than LT paper, but not as robust as A&O). I keep finding cheap LTs at HomeGoods and buying them, so one of those might be my journal for next year. I also splurged on a Nuuna Brandbook last December (giftcards!), and I've been thinking of using it, too. The boxes are so small inside! But it's soooo pretty.

[@juliapasch1157]

My husband bought me such a beautiful notebook. It is lined and the paper bleeds and ghosts so much. But I am loving it because it was such a Beautiful thing that he gifted it to me. My next one will be a tifosi 🍀

[@MaFinCL]

I wish you could order a notebook like a pizza just the way you like it😂. My priorities are cotton cloth not 'vegan leather' since it almost always causes me hives, local, no ghosting, 200+ pages pockets hardbound. The one thing I can't get anymore is local manufacturers. I did use a cute travelers style made fully in the US for a while but the ghosting was just too much and I sadly gave up. I like bright white, Kraft and black out but ever since Archer and Olive put out the dark blue paper notebook in a sub box I've wished they would release another because it was amazing.

[@ShellyLoves-h9z]

my must have... paper that doesn't feather. and dark dark ink.

[@bonniefouzou]

I’ve been using a gray toned notebook for a year now and I LOVE it! I actually dislike working with white paper quite a bit. So I usually use a blackout notebook and I plan to use a tan notebook at some point. For my essentials; I just need a notebook that doesn’t ghost, and I’m used to working with blank pages so :)

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Which journal are you using with the gray paper -Mark

[@bonniefouzou]

@@PlannerPalsPodcast I did some bujo surgery and took the paper of a strathmore toned gray notebook and put it in the cover of another sketchbook to get a black hardcover (spiral bound btw) :D

[@ShaunaStory]

Gray toned paper is so underrated! I used Whitelines notebooks for class notes in grad school. They have a very pleasant light cool gray paper with unobtrusive white grid lines, which don't show up when photocopying. They used to have a variety of softcover and staple-bound notebooks, but they unfortunately dropped those and only do spiral-bound now it seems. I did see Neue Gray products (from a Japanese company) at Stationery Fest, and they looked nice and clean. Seemed fairly new? I'm definitely interested to see the stuff they come out with.

[@bonniefouzou]

@@ShaunaStory it definitely is! I used gray paper digitally while in uni because it was the most comfortable for long term use. My bujo surgery was the only way I could use a gray paper without selling an arm and a leg lol. I’ll definitely check out those brands! I personally don’t mind spiral bound as long as it ticks the other boxes

[@pyenygren2299]

25:06 Too short bookmarks is a bunmer. Especially because I always make a knot at the end.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Yeah, that's a no go -Mark

[@Cora68]

It really irritates me when the dots on the left and right pages are not at the same level. Two-page designs don't flow. I still haven't found a brand that gets it right all the time. People often say A&O, but they don't always line up. Other things: hardcover, flat when open, NO pen-loop, no pre-printed pages for index etc.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

I hear you on that with the dots not lining up. And the lined ups are hit or miss. I know the goals is to make them, but when you are making thousands, I am sure there a alignment issues that can happen. Thanks for sharing your wants and needs - Mark

[@JessTK22]

My biggest consideration is what color of the A5 hardcover dot grid LT1917 I'm getting next. I've tried so many others, like the official BuJo, but for me, thicker pages and heavier notebook is not ideal, because my journal goes with me EVERYWHERE and I use it constantly. It's 80gsm, and I am a fountain pen users, but I rarely have bleed through and I honestly kinda like the ghosting and the "used" feel it gives my pages. I go through about 3-4 per year because I am an "everything journal" person and long form journal often

[@cvvzdesigns]

Oooo. The broken assed book spine you were talking about is part of their "bring back the favourites" launching Friday. I REALLY hope they've fixed the issue!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

um... not sure. We didnt say it on the show, but for us it was the Galaxy Drip notebooks that they did with GraterGood. -Mark

[@cvvzdesigns]

@@PlannerPalsPodcast Yes, that exact one. It's the 3rd they show in today's IG video.

[@cvvzdesigns]

@@PlannerPalsPodcast Ooo. They just posted on FB with the info that all of the favourites have been updated to have the new style of spine and binding (plus pretty inside covers). If you guys wanted to get them again, there shouldn't be any issues this time.

[@DistanceTraveled]

My #1 requirement is allergy friendly. I have some strange allergies and I have to feel and smell the materials to find out if it is going to be safe for me or not.

[@BNris]

Must have good paper! I also hate ghosting 😅

[@k.ande.southworth9197]

You guys have mentioned some cool stuff notebooks, square grid notebooks, and fountain pens, could you provide some links to these items?

[@k.ande.southworth9197]

I missed it, how do we get your new notebook Mark?

[@Pym1975]

I prefer grid, I used to be a 160gsm dot grid only user, but I was also bullet journaling full time then and I used A&O until I found a cheaper more reliable quality solution. I bought A&O journals 3 times in a row and within 1 month the spine broke and pages fell out or the cover became wonky when I contacted A&O about them I was told “sorry but not sorry try another book by us” I was pissed and that forced me to find a good 160 gsm book but now my life transitioned out of bullet journaling, and back to basic planning and I use Hobonichi, and use grid notebooks as my additional notebooks.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

That sounds wild that you had those quality issues - and that they werent willing to help. Their customer service is usually so good. Sorry to hear that but good to know you found a better alternative. -Mark

[@kimberlyhuffman3115]

The Page Number Issue - I don't use page numbers in order to create an index or to find things in my bujo. I use the page numbers to help gauge how many pages I have left...and can adjust accordingly, so I don't end up with too many or few pages at the end of the year.

[@nt0020]

Mark, What are your recommendations for fountain pen friendly notebooks other than A&O? Hate the ghosting. Tried alot of brands and have been totally disappointed

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

I'll be honest, I haven't found a notebook that is a ride or die for fountain pens. I need to do some paper testing to really see what might be a good alternative.

[@ceevee963]

Leuchtturm or MD paper are my fave FP friendly notebooks

[@vidaus-ir-lauko-durys]

Попробуйте сменить ручку и чернила. Это не бумага плохая, а ручка с толстым пером и плохими чернилами.

[@Andi.Plans2]

Mark, I’ll take your “manky” notebooks!!! I’m trying to practice rebinding 🤷🏻‍♀️🙏🏼🥹

[@allisonbb716]

I actually like the new bullet journal notebook with the starry cover because it lacks the branding of Bullet Journal. Thanks for the great podcast!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

It's a good new design for sure. And I didnt even notice it didnt have the branding. Good eyes! -Mark

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Technically the branding is there, it’s just very sneaky 😈 little lightning bolt under the elastic closure 👌 - Jess

[@Laurely22]

160 gsm cover, dotted, elastic closure, numbered pages and of course a nice cover.

[@katendress6142]

I'm pretty flexible with mine: A5, 5mm dot grid, 100gsm or higher paper.

[@Melody-bg2wl]

The one notebook that had every single one of my must haves got discontinued (RIP Maisie Lane Co) - I was very pleased to see the updates in the A&O ones though, bc I agree the linen covers were nasty! My old one got covered in coffee stains lmao

[@Melody-bg2wl]

My 100% make or break is a 192 page notebook though - because I have my journalling down to exactly that many pages per year and I would rather die than have multiple notebooks in a year/not fill one up lmao

[@alytags]

The Sterling Ink Commonplace books are graph/square on the page. It was the reason I didn’t go for it. I wanted to try it but knew it would make me crazy.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

OOO I will have to look into that -Mark

[@theusefuljournal]

As a minimum, FSC certified paper (or equivalent) because there’s still too many forests being cut down without considering the environment or local communities involved

[@candicefelice8380]

I’m one of those people who feels like I don’t have the skill/creativity to bullet journal but I love watching videos of set ups. I use a preprinted plum paper horizontal layout planner personally.

[@cwalsh4992]

Stickers, PET and washii tapes are fantastic for decoration! Especially for those of use who aren't that strong in decorating department!

[@candicefelice8380]

@cwalsh4992 That's really true. Thank you! I'm toying around with trying it again for 2025. We shall see.

[@cwalsh4992]

​@@candicefelice8380🤓🫶

[@RyeMiArt]

You can use stickers, coloured pens, washi or other stuff. Or you don't need to decorate your journal at all if you don't feel like it. My old journals look so 'bad' comparing to today and honestly I can't believe how far I've come. It just took lots of time :D Pre-printed is a great way to do it as well! The journal is there for you not the other way around :D

[@candicefelice8380]

@RyeMiArt I am always so impressed by how great people's journals look. I tend to be a harsh critic of myself. I for sure have to put in the time to get better at things.

[@Megan-ug8vz]

My notebooks last me for a full year, so typically I choose covers that are not season specific. Also, no more linen notebooks for me. I have two small children and no space in my home that is safe from them. My linen notebook is definitely looking rough compared to the faux leather notebook.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

oh yeah, non-linen is a must for you! Honestly for us all. -Mark

[@SuperCutealien]

Some people will cringe at this but I’ve gone fully digital for my planners. I use them more in digital form. And I don’t feel wasteful if I take a month long break. My washi tape now gets used when I’m painting.

[@kris_art_AK]

Shipping cost is very important. I don’t like paying more in shipping than the product costs.

[@elenhin]

I use A&O for my main. Size is important to me, LS (LOVE), 8x8 or b5. I have a stack of about 7 notebooks. However, I need SCRIBBLE books to all my notebooks too, preferably LINED, for ideas on the fly, testing things, research notes, my writing projects etc. SO, I use spirals, and other things too. Tiefossi, Notebook Therapy, Quirky cup and others are used aswell. :) I want a pretty cover, thick paper and size. I will never understand how people can write in these bible-pages (thickness of paper) books and see next week clear as day through the page. Oh yeah, before I accepted the dot grid, which took a fair while for a writer like me, I did the blank page books. It was pretty easy, I just used the width of the rulers as reference. I have a lot of different ones. 🤣🤣 I also have some from the Jotting Dots that I like. :)

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Awesome, thanks for sharing with all us planner pals. -Mark

[@CLSmith-fd1es]

Love the video. Shipping and prices from A&O don’t work for me and their simplified cover designs turns me off. I purchase my notebooks from a local Canadian publisher, Papreblanks, who does beautiful cover designs with nice paper, good prices, and faint lines (I bullet journal in lined notebooks). Wish the pages were numbered but I can live without that. I have to have a back cover pouch for stuff I never look at again and an elastic strap to keep it close when smashing around in my bag. Hate the book mark ribbons as I find them annoying and useless

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

I love that you found a local publisher to use. Thanks for sharing your wants and needs with it. -Mark

[@mariannes7777]

Woo hoo 🎉❤❤🎉

[@juliewasmus7067]

My must have for a planner is a weekly layout with a Sunday start. I think I’m the only person who wants it, so hard to find! Even “undated” planners have the day of the week or the initial of the day-just without the day number. 😢

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Always annoying when the *undated* layouts have some form of dates like that 😅

[@juliewasmus7067]

@@PlannerPalsPodcast Yep! Please don’t call it undated…

[@CorinneClassic]

For me it must have: 1) undated 2) an elastic closure and pen loop, if it doesn’t, I won’t buy it no matter how nice the cover. 3) 120 gsm white paper 4) beautiful cover and can’t be linen 5) must be productivity driven 6) must have a budget page in the back 7) brand

[@elenacala]

LMAO about the "toilet paper " paper comment!!!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Glad you liked that one 😂

[@AfroKona]

great vid! I bought an official bullet journal and it's definitely not 120 gsm though haha

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Was it an older version? I thought they all were now... maybe not. -Mark

[@AfroKona]

@@PlannerPalsPodcasthmm i may have just been wrong. i checked and the gen 2 are indeed 120 but I swear the (now thrown away) packaging said 90 gsm. nevermind!

[@ElizabethRBain]

"I don't want a ShamWow as a notebook." OMG, this is me! "Vegan leather" is plastic. Why can't we call it pleather like we did in the 90s? For my main planner, I have a Hobonichi Day-Free. I covered the front and back covers with a sticker collage (which is covered with clear contact paper so that it doesn't run when it gets wet) and then the extra space around the edges and spine is covered in a thick, shiny-texture (hard to explain--it's not tactile, but it's not just like a plain foil) washi tape. I like it so much I don't think I need to use my leather cover at all for 2025. I really like the paper and the number of pages I can get in a small package. (It does have a ghosting issue with some inks, but not with all of them.) In the past I've used a really nice Sparkly Soul headband as my elastic strap :)

[@mahroutabesh]

For me the most important thing for choosing a journaling notebook is definitely the 160 GSM and the quality of the paper. to be honest first when I started a journaling. I only used80 GSM papers because that was the only thing I had access to in my country and thicker paper was only available for sketching notebooks, which was not good for journaling. I’m a very, let’s say color affiliated person and soon I realize that working with different pens and lots of markers the biggest problem that I had was ghosting and feathering and stuff like this, which was really made my notebook very ugly, which made it even harder for me to stick to journaling as a newbe. as it goes further, and I watch more videos of definitely Jess and I learn more about the thickness and the quality of the papers and traveling to another country which gave me other options of quality. I started using 160 GSM, which made my life so much easier and I was able to use as many colors as I wanted in my journal which made it for me more joyful to use my journal. The second most important thing is definitely the covee design and I do not care about the material as much as you because I do not use them as a content creator kind of thing or keep them for a long period but design should be pretty colorful and of course,m a hard cover because I don’t like it that I put my journal in my bag and it comes out crushed or smooshed 😂

[@LegallyLlama]

14:09 Nooooo come to the dark side Jess and embrace the fountain pen!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Neveeee-maybe 😂

[@DailyBrewedPages]

Does Hemlock & Oak ship to NZ?

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Good question. We will need to ask Jess.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Not sure 🤔 I normally just go and add stuff to a cart and CAREFULLY go to the checkout and put in my address to see if they’ll let me complete an order 😂 - Jess

[@pyenygren2299]

35:49 High price is a problem. Give me a journal with a simple cover to keep the cost down, please.

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Yes - Mark

[@MommyWarden]

My 2025 is a Marked notebook 😊

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Amazing choice :-) -Mark

[@tirarosaurioreads]

Not sure I got the name right from the journaling content creator who created her own bullet journal? Did somebody get it, or know who they are?

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Leela Journals? We mentioned her in the video 😊

[@bushehrnoshishi]

For me: Softcover! If it is a hoardcover I don't like taking it with me. So, for a notebook to be fuctional to me it has to be softcover.

[@grannyajra]

Whoa - shopARL shade!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

hahahahah. I mean... we love some ARL. She is Queen. But we can all be honest amongst Planner Pals. :-) -Mark

[@Sammi92501]

Omg Mark you just won me OVER. Now I’m assuming you believe you got that from Chappell Roan but if you’re a real one you would know that Chappell got that saying from the QUEEN Sasha Colby. “I’m your favorite drag queens’ favorite drag queen”

[@jjensen8509]

“A persnickety biscuit ?!!””

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Dang straight 👏 a.k.a. a "picky b*tch" 😝 It's the nice PG version for KZbin, haha

[@pyenygren2299]

39:32 They are sold out. 😠 EDIT: they are _NOT_ sold out! 🥳

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

haha, live time action -Mark

[@xDianaMoonx]

An easy way to describe something without being binary, just don't use the binary terms. Don't add on the femme/masc term. Say you don't like bright florals, you prefer goth florals (as an example not sure if you do). You like more dark/grey utilitarian color schemes (or joke and say 'I'm like Lego Batman, all black and sometimes dark grey). You like geometrics, maybe forest colorways or such. If you don't want pinks or if you like pinks, reference brands like "I'm not a fan of the general barbie aesthetic, maybe monster high would appeal". It's a way to unbias your language (which is hard for *all* of us), but if you're intentional and practice, then it will happen and you'll get less 'mad comments'. Also it'll teach other viewers too how to better describe things.

[@jjensen8509]

*fewer. Excuse me; I couldn’t help myself !! I was trying to understand your content and then “less…comments” jumped out at me and I wanted to contribute, too! No offense, please! 😁

[@xDianaMoonx]

@@jjensen8509 Fair enough! I did write this comment before coffee, haha!

[@jjensen8509]

@@xDianaMoonx coffee makes ALL the difference and thank you so much for not taking offense !!

[@PlannerPalsPodcast]

Not me now wanting a Monsters High notebook 👀 Good points though! Definitely a way to adjust the language 👌 Thanks! - Jess

[@mariesalway91]

i am always cranky about the 'vegan' leather or faux, why not just describe it as what it is vinyl, environmentally unfriendly etc, ps not a personal blast, just ugh

[@HeidiBidels]

So many creators I follow have side-stepped to applying concepts of the Bullet Journal Method into a Hobonichi notebook and I nearly got sucked in but the paper! I HAVE to be able to use stamps, Tombow Dual Brush pens and whatever stickers I fancy without the horrific ghosting 😂 and it's so much easier to find archival inks in my area that work with 160gsm paper than it is to find any half decent ink, even online, that won't immediately bleed through anything 120gsm or less 🫣 So, A&O it is for me! Or Notebook Therapy, if they have a beautiful release that's well priced... Which I'll be honest hasn't happened for a few years 😅