How To Use Notebooks (Overcoming Notebook OCD) 

In middle school, my science teacher required us to skip the first page in our science notebooks that we regularly had to hand in. She said it keeps the notebooks looking neater, and some notebooks the first page is oddly stuck to the cover anyways. I kind of stuck to that habit and I think it’s helpful for moving past the ‘first blank page’ anxiety. Also have to constantly remind myself that notebooks aren’t meant to be so precious and pristine, that for me it adds more value when I can fill its pages. This mindset helps me to put pen to paper. Enjoying all your videos so far!

The 'first page' thing is real - it's just neater to leave the first page blank. And now, at the tender age of 63, I have come full-circle and recently re-discovered the joy of writing in pencil rather than pen.

Love hearing how you came up with the blank first page. I was wondering if that was the reason. Makes sense!

Ha. I've never heard anybody voice the 'first page' dilemma before. My hack is to write something particularly insightful on it....literally, something like "THE FIRST PAGE IS PARTICULARLY INSIGHTFUL" then moving froward.

Interesting. My life makes sense now hahaha! I've been leaving the first page blank since elementary(US) school exactly for all the reasons you mentioned. Thank you for validating my notebook obsession.

This was a fantastic watch! I love the idea of a neat, mind-cleansing first page. I'll often get distracted by whatever is written on the page I open to, so I've stopped worrying about "wasting" (using) paper and started writing ideas on their own page as well. This way, if I start a new topic or need to tear something out, I don't have to worry about anything else written on the page, front or back. I'm using a $1 thrifted notebook for reference, but looking to get my first Field Notes soon!

We have much in common: poor handwriting, a fetish for (unattainable) neatness, a fear of messing up or false-starting, and in my case, I lust after the visual artistry that some can add to their notebooks. I too generally leave the first 4 or 5 pages blank - just in case they are needed for some special purpose or theme that emerges in the future. 🙂 The exception is if the notebook has page numbers (or I decide to add them) in which case I fold the first pages in half lengthwise to create columns (4 per sheet) that I use to index entries or themes that emerge over time. This is something I saw done on RU-vid. Another interesting video - thanks again.

I thought I was the only one that liked leaving the first page blank! It either stays blank or will eventually hold a set of dates (use of the notebook), summary of the notebook, or some kind of index if needed. At least that's my theory.

Oh my goodness I can identify with this! Last year a bought a beautiful, expensive notebook. I couldn’t decided how to start it and eventually got so frustrated that I just scribbled on the first page. I hated it and then started tearing out pages. I ruined the whole thing and actually threw it away. I’m absolutely going to adopt this idea!!!

Besides leaving the first page blank, I walso write "permitted to make mistake" on the second page😊

Yes! The struggle is real! Really enjoying your down-to-earth storytelling, I'm subscribing :)

I somehow had the same rule of a notebook being for only one thing. Another rule I have is that if I buy a nice quality notebook whatever I wrote in it needs to be of a similar quality or else it feels like I've wasted or mistreated it.

"necessity is the mother of all invention". I like how you made your own notebook. I started making my own notebooks using thick second sheet paper that my work was getting rid of.

Also a nice hanle for the first page! My first page in my notebooks (I used A5 (so around 5.83x8.27") notebooks before, now I learned how to bind my own) is always my name, the date of the first entry and a bit of space in the lower right corner. The empty space is for the date of the last entry. I use a lettering stencil for my name, so it's always nice and neat.

Wow! ✨I could be hearing you tell my story, crazy, realization about this first page idea and will use that moving forward … I too feel/felt so much of this frustration with that opening page✨🤔I came across your videos a few days back and you’ve weirdly helped me have some serious self-actualization epiphanies… and (*super excited) begin my journey into the practice of chronological fieldnotes 🙌Cheers & thanks!

omg this video solved all of my life's problems, thank u so much, i thought i'm the only one who have 'notebook ocd'

I have been struggling with Notebook OCD for years. It's crippling at times. My condition has now morphed into notbook vs. tablet. I now have two tablets and have started using my Android tablet, moved to my Apple tablet, moved to paper notebook- only to never begin my studying. I want to begin my next certification so I can schedule my exam and my only consuming thought is paper notebook (one of my 20+ that I have), 12.9" Apple tablet because I can use the Apple pencil and I can use the infinate screen? Android tablet? because it is more compact. I am literally afaid to begin because I do not want to begin taking notes only to switch again. But I can not stop taking notes. Whenever I go to the store, i actually walk past the stationary isle. I cold only imagine if they still sold good, metal pens in stores- I would by them every time. I understand what you are going through.

I had exactly the same problem but since I’ve discovered discbound notebooks it’s been a game changer!

Love your hack! Mine is to put a sticky note there for a shopping list. Also I like to print out images I find on the Internet on sticker paper and put them on the outside cover to “theme” the book. Then inside at the top I write a title for the image and the dates covered in the book (my current book has a photo of aspen trees on the cover and is predictably titled “Aspens on the inside with my starting date.)

This is brilliant, I think you just changed my life with this idea!

That's interesting - having OCD is no joke. But, I'm glad you came up with a solution ! In the past, I've seen someone else skipping the first page. I thought it was to prevent the pen ink, or the pencil mark from smearing the inside cover page. And I've come across some old books that have a sheer, lightweight first page; which I think makes it so elegant and special 🤗

Thank you for the suggestion.

Great Videos, really hooked. Also, I thought I recognised your accent somewhere, and turns out I was correct.

lol I've always left the first page blank. I still struggle to start notebooks. I think seeing other peoples fantastic books has ruined me. I often end up just using copy paper to draw on, or other scraps of paper.

Genius. Thank you! You have gained a new fan. No pressure, lol!

Are you me!? Every single second, bad habit and terrible practice has been my life with notebooks for over 30 years.

I use to have that issue too and then I did the same, move a few pages inward and start. I didn’t have to commit or I could add something later that felt like it went with the theme of the book. I purchased a lined, slim notebook two days ago and to get past the first page, I watched a video of this particular person’s list of top starter fountains pens and made a list of them (most of them I have, which made me feel good because I had made good choices in writing instruments). I like your videos and ideas! I especially like the duck tap and going ‘nuclear’ to cover up the quote 😄

Notebook OCD, I finally have a word for it 😂 I've been struggling to make the page look nicer until I found out that it's actually all about composition. I'll draw some squares on the page, make sure that their positions look nice enough and I will write in those squares in double lines. My handwriting isn't amazing, but from a certain distance everything suddenly looks so much better.

Great tip - I learned the same, eventually! I would LOVE to see a video about your archival process! Using smaller notebooks is nice to have fresh notebooks, lighter to carry, etc. but how and when do you migrate what you need, and where to? Are most of your notes disposable? Do you like to journal like the traditional diary approach? Subscribing!

Interesting 🧐 trick. I may have to try it. I don't really have the issue or anxiety but I do find that if I write something on the first page I find myself tending to try and replicate the type of writing like if I copy something for work then that notebook I only want to use at work or if I copy a poem or quote then I can't use that notebook for anything else but that because when I first open the notebook there of course is the opening page like the first page of a book almost. Weird I guess 😂. Nice story thanks for sharing.

Wow, I had the same problem - I was writing so fast, that I couldn't read my own writing, so I had to transition to capital letters to slow down.

I write gibberish on the first page to break in a book. After pen hits paper you can't go back.

Have issue writing, drawing, anything on the first page, often the next 2 pages. Now I flip notebook over & start from the back. Never have problem with that. Humans are strange creatures

I always leave the first page blank, mainly because I like it to be perfect. So I end up not writing anything!

I gather up all my courage use and finish a notebook I get filled by joy and then somebody comes and touches the pages 😢 like... İtsnot something I can wipe its thrash now 😔

Hi and thank you for putting words onto something that I feel too! Could you elaborate on how you overcome the change in « vocation » of a notebook, once you’re done with its first specific purpose but want to continue using up the pages?Do you use any type of marking, leave a few more blank pages?

I keep a blank first page so I can put a table of contents later but it never happens so it stays blank 😂

I do this too!

4:45 I do the same thing! Skip the first page.

lol, I didn't know leaving the first page blank was a thing, i have been doing this for years xD

I've the same problem and the solution I invented is to open notebook from the end and its really works for me

Do you write on the back of the first page (on the left side when the notebook is open) or do you just start on the right side (second page)?

Actually, I do the same thing, leaving the first page, or making it perfect by practicing my ideas on a piece of paper that I would throu out later 😁

I figure ALL books have a blank first page, so why not my notebooks!

10:25 ❤❤❤

For using these notebooks for our collective randomness (like a commonplace book or zuihitsu) do you use pens or pencils!?

I just don't know what to write, and I really want to journal, but then idk and I just leave it there

hahah we are alike