The Cheap Notebook Rule
Okay. Before we get into it, how'd last lesson sit with you? If you haven't opened a notebook yet, that's fine. We're doing it now.
Let's talk about the notebook itself, because this trips people up more than it should.
Buy the cheap one
I mean it. Go to Macey's, walk past the produce, and grab a spiral notebook off the rack by the checkout. A dollar or two. Maybe three if you want the one with the nicer cover, which, fine, I understand the appeal.
Here's why I'm so firm on this.
Patrick got me a leather journal for Christmas a few years back. Real leather, nice paper, the kind of notebook that looks like it belongs to someone who has their life together. I could not write a single word in it for six weeks. Every time I opened it I thought, this page has to be good enough for this notebook. Which is a ridiculous thing to think about paper, but there I was.
I went back to a spiral one from the checkout aisle and the words came right back, easy as anything.
That's not a coincidence. A cheap notebook doesn't have an opinion about what you write in it. It doesn't ask you to be profound. You can spill coffee on it, rip a page out, draw an ugly little doodle in the margin, and it doesn't care. The nice notebook is judging you a little. I don't care if that sounds silly. I believe it.
The actual rule
If a notebook feels precious, it will sit on your shelf unused. If it feels disposable, you'll actually write in it.
So: cheap notebook, every time. That's one of maybe three opinions I hold onto pretty hard, so you're getting it early.
What to look for, practically
- Spiral or perfect-bound, whichever lays flat for you. I like spiral because I can fold it back on itself. Some people hate the wire poking their hand. Try both if you're not sure.
- Lined is easier to start with. Blank pages are lovely in theory and paralyzing in practice for most beginners. You can graduate to blank later if you want.
- Skip the fancy pen too, honestly. A regular ballpoint from the junk drawer is plenty. I write with whatever's closest, usually something that came free with an oil change.
- Don't buy a "system." No dated pages, no prompts printed at the top, no five-year gratitude journal with tiny boxes. You don't need someone else's structure telling you what today's entry is supposed to be about.
Where you write matters less than you think
People ask me if they need a special spot, good lighting, a certain time of day. I kept a journal by the coffee maker for a whole month once and most mornings I wrote exactly one line before my shift. That's it. One line, half asleep, on my way out the door. By the end I had a page that read like a weather report of my own moods — some days sunny, some days a storm rolling in. It ended up being some of the most honest writing I've done, and it happened standing up next to a coffee maker.
So don't wait for the right desk or the quiet house. Put the notebook somewhere you'll actually see it. Kitchen counter. Nightstand. Glove box if that's realistic for you.
Try it now
Grab whatever notebook you have on hand today, even if it's not the ideal cheap one yet. Write for five minutes. Don't reread it. Don't fix your handwriting. If you write "adn" instead of "and," leave it, nobody's grading this.
If you want to share a line or two when you're done, heck yes, I'd love to hear it. If not, that's fine too. Nobody's reading over your shoulder here.
One honest caution
If you're the type who'll spiral (pun not intended, okay maybe a little intended) about handwriting, spelling, or whether you're "doing it right" — notice that thought and set it down next to you on the table. It's not going to help you. It never helped me either, and I still catch myself doing it sometimes.
Before next time
Pick up your cheap notebook this week if you don't already have one. Doesn't have to be pretty. Doesn't have to match anything. Just something you won't be afraid to mess up 😊