I’ve always loved notebooks.

I still remember the joy of writing my first full sentences—huge, loopy cursive letters—for a school homework assignment when I was seven. Back then, we had ruled paperback notebooks with soft covers, bound by staples. One of mine had an airplane on the cover. I had one for each school subject, and I loved them.

When I was a teenager, I discovered hardcover binders with dividers. Instead of lugging around a bunch of half-empty notebooks, I could use colorful tabs to separate subjects—essential when you had eight or ten different classes. It was around this time that I started experimenting with different materials: colored pens and pencils to emphasize key words or concepts.

Then I began keeping journals. I started at thirteen, when we moved into a new apartment—a huge milestone in my young life. I collected scraps of wrapping paper, concert tickets, greeting cards, and tucked them into my entries.

From 1999 until around 2006, I kept a steady stream of small A5 spiral notebooks, my new preferred medium. At one point, I had about ten of them. It pains me to admit that I no longer have any—when I immigrated to Canada, I destroyed them all in a let’s-start-everything-anew mindset. I had no safe place to store them in Brazil, and I didn’t want to bring anything “extra” with me.

By 2006, life got busier. I was working as a trainee reporter, and between my university notes, rushed jottings from the street, and writing articles, I had little time for personal notebooks.

Things changed again when I switched careers and entered a more corporate environment—especially once I began working from home. I now had a desk all to myself and the means to acquire any stationery I wanted. When I got into data visualization, I discovered gridded notebooks for the first time. I bought large ones and filled them with chart sketches and information design ideas.

I loved them so much that A5 gridded spiral notebooks became my go-to medium. They were hard to find, but eventually I stumbled upon the perfect ones in an online shop and ordered three for work. At first, they were mostly daily to-do lists.

Then a routine formed: every morning before work, I’d sit down, write the date, and list the day’s tasks. That’s when I discovered Tombow pens—possibly my favorite writing tool of all time. I started with three, using them to highlight dates. Soon after, I found the bullet journal method, and everything clicked.

Over my last two work notebooks, I perfected my system: daily to-do lists, weekly priorities, monthly goals. I created my own set of symbols and a color scheme. It’s more than just note-taking—it’s how I stay grounded. When projects pile up, I sit down, make a list, and find comfort in ticking items off.

My notebook from October 2024 to June 2025 is especially meaningful: it holds my last months at my old job, my job search, and my first months in a new role.

Now my notebooks have a dedicated shelf in my home. I can’t promise I’ll write in them every day, but I’ve promised myself to keep them as a record. Even if I ever “start fresh” again, these pieces of my history will remain.