Hi all, following on from my diary thread (who uses one), anyone got any ideas of what I can use for one. I like to carry mine around and like hardbacked books but they are so heavy to have on me all the time. Smaller books don't cut it for me either.

Moleskine (http://www.moleskine.co.uk/) are the gods of journals. Not cheap though.

Mmm thanks, I have looked at these in John Lewis and my friend said it was far too extravagant paying £9.00 for a small notebook that you can pay £2.00 for in Smiths. However, they do look very nice, very light to carry and the small ones are ideal. Wonder how long they will last though in terms of using them up. Do you use these?

Have you thought of an electronic based diary instead of paper?

Mmm thanks, I have looked at these in John Lewis and my friend said it was far too extravagant paying £9.00 for a small notebook that you can pay £2.00 for in Smiths. However, they do look very nice, very light to carry and the small ones are ideal. Wonder how long they will last though in terms of using them up. Do you use these?
No, I don't use them, though I have been sorely tempted. Although they really are things of beauty, they're far too extravagant for me and my jottings.

WH Smiths do a lovely range of jornals, if you want something along the same lines, or something that's a step up from the basic notebook. There's also Paperchase. Oh, and I've ordered from Officedog (http://www.officedog.co.uk/3.category.html) before. They have a good range of journals too.

Thanks but I prefer to do my diary on paper, I find it more therapuetic and I like to carry it around.

Thanks, I have seen the journals in Smiths but all seem to bulky for my handbag. I have considered looseleaf paper but don't know if I fancy writing on loose sheets, even though I will put them in a binder at home.

Hecate, just looked at the Officedog site, thanks. Which type of journals have you got from there, do you find them easy to carry???

Hecate, just looked at the Officedog site, thanks. Which type of journals have you got from there, do you find them easy to carry???
The notebooks I generally use aren't journals as such. I buy the Europa range; the major and midi pads and the side-bound notemaker (A5 size). The major pads are the size of a standard shorthand pad, the midi ones a little smaller, while the notemakers are roughly the size of an exercise book.

I like the Europa pads especially because the covers are nice and stiff (less likely to get bent in your bag), and the elastic strap keeps all the pages together. They also come in a lovely range of colours.

Smiths do (or at least used to) a similar pad, though the covers and wire binding were more flexible, the pages thinner, and the elastic was a little looser and thinner. I found it worthwhile to spend a little more on the Europa ones, because the quality was better.

Thanks, I'll take another look at that. I have tried using the shorthand notepads from Smiths as they do fit in my bag but then have gone back to hardbacked books as I do like them but they are a faff to carry around. Have you ever considered loose leaf by any chance?

...Have you ever considered loose leaf by any chance?
You mean like a pad of A4 and a ringbinder? I do use A4 extensively at home, but more for notes etc. It's too much of a bother to carry about, unless I happen to be using a little rucksack or something.

I mean the A5 looseleaf pads you can get and binders to match but not carrying the whole pad and binder around, just the loose paper and put it into the binder at home?

Just seen the Europa pads on the site, look cool, are they very thick? How long does it take you to use one up? Don't want too bulky one in my bag.

I use my phone. Always have it with me and it reminds me of meetings and birthdays etc.

I haven't tried using A5 looseleaf paper; I'm not sure I've seen any actually, but then again, I haven't really looked for it.

The Europa major pads - the ones which I use most frequently - are about twice the thickness of a standard shorthand pad. I have a cheap, 150-sheet WH Smiths reporter's notebook in front of me at the minute; the major pad is about as thick as that. Have a look in WH Smiths for one of those before you order, so you can have a comparison. The cover of the Europa pads are a little thicker though.

I don't find them too bulky at all. They fit nicely in my bag and the elastic ensures that the pages don't get damaged.

Thanks, I've seen the pads in WH Smiths, they also have some in John Lewis that are quite bulky though but have elastic bands and lovely coloured covers but they are thicker than the Smiths ones. Do you carry yours around all the time? I don't want to have to get a bigger bag or anything, trying to do the 'less is more' approach. Also privacy can be an issue but no one should go in my bag :)

I do carry it around with me most of the time. It's not a problem because I don't find them particularly bulky, and I'm not a fan of really small bags. My current bag is a floppy sort of thing with a long strap, about the size of an A4 folder, but a bit more square. The pad fits in there nicely :) .

Thanks you're a star, I will deffo look into ordering one of these pads. The Smiths ones have got a bit dogeared in my bag when I've tried those. Do you wrap yours up in anything, like a plastic wallet? Do you have privacy issues also? That is my main worry with journals, which is why I thought loose paper might be able to be hidden better in my bag but then I just prefer pads and notebooks.

No, I don't wrap the pad in anything; I just chuck it in my bag :) . They seem to stand it well though, due probably to the nice thick cover and the aforementioned elastic.

I don't have any privacy issues, mainly because I don't tend to write anything sensitive in the pad I have on me, or at least anything that I wouldn't mind anyone having a nosey at (that's what password protected files on the computer are for ;) ). Also, any interested person would probably have trouble deciphering my scrawl. I've never known anyone to go in my bag (though that isn't to say thay haven't :suspect: ).

I once had some colleagues at work go in my bag when I was eighteen - awful experience but has never happened since.

I don't like doing a diary on the computer, even though you can password protect files as you say, I find it better writing stuff like that.