THE CUSTOM JOURNAL SYSTEM I USE EVERY DAY
I've never really been a planner person. I've always admired people who carry beautiful agendas and fill them with perfectly organized schedules, color coded appointments, and neatly written to do lists. But every time I tried using one myself, it never quite stuck. As a creative, my thoughts rarely move in straight lines. Ideas appear randomly, notes end up scattered across scraps of paper, and sometimes a simple thought turns into three pages of brainstorming. At the same time, I'm also incredibly organized.
The problem wasn't that I didn't want structure. The problem was that traditional planners felt too rigid for the way my brain works. For me, appointments, meetings, deadlines, and anything tied to a specific date or time work best digitally. That's where I naturally keep track of the things I need to remember. What I wanted was something different: a physical space for thinking, collecting ideas, brainstorming, doodling, sketching, and keeping little things that inspire me.
About a year ago, I created my own journal system, and after using it consistently for the past year, I feel like I've finally found something that works for me. It's flexible enough to follow my thoughts, organized enough to keep everything in one place, and personal enough that I actually enjoy picking it up every day.
It's not just a journal. It's not just a planner. It's not just a scrapbook. It's a little bit of all three. And now that I've spent a full year using it, I can honestly say I absolutely adore it. So, I thought it was finally time to share it.
01. START WITH THE BINDER
The foundation of my entire system is a clear A5 PVC binder with a metal snap closure. [LINK: A5 PVC BINDER]
It's simple, compact, and transparent, which I love because it gives me the ability to personalize it without permanently committing to one look. But the biggest reason I love using a binder instead of a traditional notebook is the flexibility. With a bound notebook, you are essentially locked into the order of the pages. If you finish one page and realize you need three more pages to continue that thought, you either have to jump somewhere else in the notebook or squeeze everything into the space you've already given yourself. I didn't love that. I'm a perfectionist, and I like being able to change my mind.
With a binder, I can take a page out, move it to the front, move it to the back, put it next to another idea, or add a few blank pages in between. If something I'm working on suddenly becomes a bigger idea, I can give it more space without disrupting everything else.
There's something really freeing about knowing you're not locked into the page you're on. And I think that's one of the reasons I've actually stuck with this system for an entire year.
02. LET IT BE A LITTLE PERSONAL
One of my favorite things about this binder is that it doesn't have to look the same from one person to the next. That's really the whole point. You can make it as minimal or as full as you want. You can have one type of paper, several different sections, or even add calendar inserts if that's something you prefer to keep physically. For me, it's become a combination of a creative workspace and a little archive of things I want to keep.
I'm a sticker girl, and stickers genuinely make me so happy. [LINK: MY STICKER COLLECTION] Some I've picked up while traveling, some I've come across that I loved, and some I've collected simply because they felt like me in that particular moment. There are things I've collected on trips that never made it onto my suitcase. Instead, they've found a home in here.
It's a little nostalgic, too. There's something about decorating a clear binder that reminds me of being younger and covering school notebooks and binders with stickers and little things I loved. Except now, it's a collection of things I've discovered throughout my own life.
03. FIND THE PAPER THAT WORKS FOR YOU
The paper is where I really get to customize how I use the binder. I purchased a pack that comes with three different types of paper, lined, plain, and grid, and I keep all three in mine. [LINK: A5 LINED, BLANK & GRID PAPER PACK]
The lined paper is what I use most. It's where I write down ideas, notes, thoughts, reminders, and things I want to come back to. Sometimes it's something very practical, sometimes it's a business idea, and sometimes it's simply a thought that comes to me completely out of nowhere. I don't try to make these pages particularly beautiful or organized. I just write. I'll also highlight things once I've completed them or acted on an idea, which makes it really satisfying to flip back through older pages and see what actually came to life.
The plain paper is probably the most "me" of the three. If I'm on a phone call, concentrating, thinking through an idea, or trying to work something out, I'll naturally start drawing little swirls, writing my name, making shapes, or scribbling whatever comes to mind. For me, doodling actually helps me focus. Sometimes those pages are nothing more than random marks. Other times, I'll start with a doodle and end up sketching out an actual idea.
Then there's the grid paper, which is particularly useful for me as an interior designer. When I'm visiting a client's home, I might need to quickly sketch a wall, map out a furniture arrangement, jot down dimensions, or visualize something we're discussing. Having grid paper already inside my binder means I don't have to carry a separate notebook just for those moments. But you certainly don't have to be a designer to use it. Grid paper gives you a little more structure than blank paper without feeling as restrictive as a lined page.
The best part is that you don't have to use all three. You may find that you only need lined paper, or maybe you're someone who would use the blank and grid paper much more than I do. That's the beauty of building the binder around what actually works for you.
04. MAKE ROOM FOR THE LITTLE THINGS
This is where the binder really starts to feel less like a journal and more like a personal archive. Because A5 is such a standard size, there are so many different inserts available, and I found a pack that comes with a variety of clear storage options, from small envelopes and pockets to larger pouches. [LINK: A5 ASSORTED POCKET & ENVELOPE INSERT PACK] I love having different sizes because I can use each one for something completely different depending on what I've collected.
The smaller envelopes are perfect for the little things I don't necessarily want to throw away, but also don't have an obvious place to put. Little notes, postcards, small photographs, sequins for fun because why not!?, Pop Mart character cards, tiny travel keepsakes, stickers, and other little paper pieces I've collected. Then there's a larger envelope that I use more as a catch all for things like cards friends have given me, foreign currency, photo booth strips, photographs, and anything else I want to hold onto. It's not organized in a particularly precious way. It's just a place for things to live until I decide what I want to do with them, and sometimes they permanently live there. I especially love that I can tuck something away instead of having it disappear into a drawer somewhere.
The same pack also comes with a zippered pouch that I use at the front of my binder for my writing tools. I keep a mechanical pencil, the pen I like writing with, an eraser, and a few highlighters inside. It's such a small addition, but it makes the binder incredibly convenient because everything I need to write, draw, brainstorm, or organize is already together. I can throw the binder into my bag and take it with me without having to think about what I need.
I like that these little inserts allow the binder to become whatever I need it to be. I'm not limited to just writing on the pages. I can keep the things that inspire me, the things I collect, and the tools I use all in one place.
05. TURN YOUR DIVIDERS INTO STICKER PAGES
This might be my favorite little trick I've come up with. The divider inserts have small tabs on the side, but I didn't really need all of them that came in the pack for their intended purpose. So I cut the tabs off, smoothed the edges as if the tabs never existed, and started using the dividers as little sticker boards. [LINK: DIVIDER INSERTS]
I can put stickers directly onto the divider and then place that decorated page at the front, back, or any part of my binder. This gives me a decorated cover without actually sticking anything onto the binder itself.
And that distinction is important to me because we are constantly evolving. Maybe right now I'm loving one particular color palette or a certain collection of stickers. Six months from now, I might want something completely different. Instead of having to live with the version I created, I can simply move that divider to the back and bring a new one forward.
It's a tiny detail, but it's another way the whole system stays flexible. And for someone who loves stickers but also changes their mind constantly, it's kind of perfect.
SHOP MY JOURNAL
I've linked everything I use to create my journal below. You certainly don't need all of it to get started. Choose the pieces that make sense for you and let your own system evolve from there.
⟡ Lined, Blank & Grid Paper Pack
