Make 2016 the year you get your shit together. Getting organized can improve productivity, efficiency, and your overall well-being—but it’s not easy. We’ve dabbled with apps and programs but, for us, nothing works better than good old pen and paper. Luckily, there are certain notebooks out there designed for organization. These clever notebooks eschew the traditional blank page for a system or layout crafted to clean up your life. Here are seven notebooks that will help you get organized in 2016.
Basics Notebook
The Basics Notebook solves so many standard notebook problems. Similar in style to the iconic Moleskine, the Basics notebook has recessed pages for easy pen storage, dual elastics to save your spot, and a lay-flat design so you can use it at your desk. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To help you get organized, the Basics Notebook includes a monthly calendar and a weekly calendar, a daily goals section, and even whiteboard paper for the times you need to do some temporary doodling. Link
Word. Notebooks
That whole thing about getting organized and taking cleaner notes? Yeah, that’s the reason we launched Word. in the first place. Every one of our Word. notebooks is filled with our unique organizational system printed on each page. The system, which we developed after a Cool Material meeting, helps you keep track of everything from your grocery shopping to the Monday morning grind. And since each slips easily into your back pocket, you’ll never be without your lists. Link
Rocketbook
While we prefer pen and paper over tapping away at a virtual keyboard, we do understand some of the benefits of going digital. For one, by storing your notes in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about losing your notebook and thus losing your notes. Rocketbook marries the two worlds, giving those who prefer writing by hand some cloud-based storage. Write your notes in the Rocketbook, use the app to send those notes to your Dropbox, Evernote, or other service, and then erase your notes when you feel like starting anew. Best part, the seven icons in Rocketbook allow your notes to be stored to specific folders. Link
Bullet Journal
Once you get the system down for using the Bullet Journal, you’ll wonder how you ever took notes any other way. Each 249-page notebook is designed for Rapid Logging, a system based on four components—Topics, Page Numbers, Short Sentences, and Bullets. By crafting an index and following the system, you’ll have a highly organized notebook that looks like it is written in code. This video will explain it to you. Link
Behance Action Book
The Action Method is based around the idea that everything is a project. Whether your project is something for work, something around the house, or something else entirely, the Action Book is designed to make it more manageable. Pages are broken down into sections for Preparation and Focus Items (plans before you get started), Action Steps (the specific tasks that will help you accomplish your goal), References (work you will refer back to), Backburner Items (things that aren’t actionable yet), and a large area for notations and sketches. All of a sudden, those big projects for 2016 don’t seem so daunting. Link
Spark Notebook
You’ll get in shape faster with a trainer, someone to answer to when you don’t stay on your healthy path. The same goes for your productivity when you have a Spark Notebook. The notebook is formatted with sections for monthly goals, 30-day challenges, and weekly planning pages so you can commit your desires to paper. Fall behind and your notebook will remind you of what you had planned on accomplishing. Link
Passion Planner
The Passion Planner is like The Action Book in that it helps you break down goals into actionable steps. Below each weekly scheduler is a section for a personal to-do list, a work to-do list, and an area for sketches and notes. On top of that, there’s sections for goal setting, monthly check-ins, and weekly challenges. This is the planner for the person who needs more than a line to write what they have at a given time. Link
