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National Notebook Day

Open up a notebook and get writing. Jot down your to-do list, journal your thoughts, make lists or even try some creative writing with good old pen and paper.

Hobbies & Activities Items & Things Reading & Writing Stationery55

Marketing angleinferred

Drive notebook and stationery sales by positioning journaling as a mindfulness and productivity tool for students, professionals, and creative hobbyists.

Relevance 55medium intent

Share journaling tips and mental health benefits to inspire notebook purchases
Showcase aesthetic notebook designs and stationery collections through influencer unboxings
Create 'before/after' productivity stories from customers who switched to analog note-taking
Host a creative writing or doodling challenge encouraging followers to share their notebook pages

History

The inauguration of Notebook Day came in 2016 when the event sought to speak to the world about the importance of journaling and what it can do to help us.

As we’ve mentioned, we know all the things we journaled about before, most of us kept one as a kid, and all the poetry we read in English class often filled us with inspiration to write our own.

As we encountered the challenges of youth, especially first love, the journal began being filled with angry thoughts, deep emotions, and the general process of trying to figure out who we were and what the world would make of us.

Time has come to reveal that journaling is a vitally important process that can have profound psychological effects on the one keeping it.

“The notebook and planner community is so vibrant and alive,” said Mica May, CEO of custom notebook company May Designs. “If anything, our customers have become even more dedicated to paper over the past few years.

There’s this amazing connection between writing something down that you can’t get typing it into your phone or laptop.”

The power of paper has yet to decline, and in certain circles, is being raised in unexpected ways. CEO’s in technology-driven Silicon Valley are jumping on the cellulose bandwagon, choosing paper notes over digital apps. There’s just something that comes into perspective when you see it down on paper.

The emerging popularity of bullet journaling has also led journals to make a fashionable comeback. Who hasn’t seen color-coded and highly organized journals popping up on Pinterest?

From daily to-do lists to yearly yearnings, the bullet journal is designed to compartmentalize your life into identifiable codes that can be matched and cross-referenced across the year to spot themes, trends, and things you didn’t know about your own life.

Insightful and imaginative, the bullet journal became the must-have, from the person who needs to remind themselves to eat their five a day and drink their eight glasses of water, to the super-business-executive with their mammoth to-do task list.

Scientific studies have also supported the benefits of journaling (especially into adulthood) on your mental health.

Taking your thoughts and splurging them onto a piece of paper can be extremely therapeutic and clear your head. You don’t have to create a wonderful weave of detailed thoughts like a bullet journal, simply sprawling your thoughts on a page can work wonders on your mindset.

Creative writing into adulthood can also help keep that imagination alive and helps generate feelings of positivity and happiness.

You might love that element of escapism, from reading that holiday book in darkest winter to creating your own characters and world that might be completely different from your own.

Notebooks can help us organize our thoughts, ignite our imaginations, and generally help us take a bit of time out of the whirlwind world around us.

How to celebrate

Write Down Some Thoughts

Grab yourself a notebook and bust it open, start writing down all the thoughts and worries of your day and see them put into a form that makes them manageable. Got an idea forming? Jot it in the corners or write it out in complete detail so that you never miss a beat. You might find it develops into a regular or even semi-regular diary, a new story, or simply helps you move past a difficult or even dull day.

Create Some Fiction

Find your thoughts are emerging into a creative writing piece? Why not take a day or a rainy afternoon to really develop your characters, create a world for them to live in, and then storyboard your plotline. What might start as a day of brainstorming can grow into hours and even years of story development you never even knew you had in you.

Make a Tech Transition

If you find you are more of a technophile, why not aim to take time away from your screen and jot down your to-do lists or thoughts onto a notepad? Even those five minutes looking at something other than a glassy screen can help you focus your mind and avoid that zoned out eye-glaze you might experience after hours at a computer. Even if you’re a regular blogger, if your laptop breaks or runs out of charge, you can always turn to a trusty notebook to jot down your thoughts.

Try Art in a Notebook

Idle and bored? Let your hands do the walking and doodle on the page. Psychologists reveal that a lot can be shown by what a person chooses to doodle. If you are an art-lover, why not look at developing that sketching hobby by sitting at the park and drawing the world as it goes by, or joining an art class? You can join a class or start a new hobby for any notebook related hobby. From creative writing to still life drawing, you can enjoy the hobby solo, with friends or in a class environment.

Start Journaling

You might not have time to embark on a new journey if you’re simply trying to understand your current one. Why not start a simple journal where you jot down your daily thoughts for five minutes. Just carry a notebook and pen or pencil around with you and see what the day’s ideas and opportunities bring. Whatever you do, National Notebook Day is the best day to open up those old journals, read our past thoughts and see how we changed, and open up a new page in our lives by starting a new one!

FAQ

How does writing in a notebook affect stress and mental health?

Research on “expressive writing” has found that spending a few minutes regularly writing about thoughts and feelings in a notebook can reduce stress, improve mood, and help people make sense of difficult experiences. Studies suggest it may support immune function and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression for some people, especially when the writing is honest, personal, and repeated over several sessions. It is not a replacement for professional care, but many therapists and clinicians use journaling as a practical tool alongside other treatments.

Is handwriting in a notebook better for memory than typing notes on a device?

Several education and neuroscience studies have found that handwriting often leads to better understanding and recall than typing. When people write by hand, they tend to process and summarize information instead of transcribing it verbatim, which supports deeper learning. The physical act of forming letters and organizing notes on a page also engages more sensory and motor systems in the brain, which can strengthen memory for many learners.

Why do some people feel more creative when using a paper notebook instead of a digital app?

Paper notebooks can minimize digital distractions and give users a more open, flexible space for ideas. The ability to sketch, draw arrows, combine text and doodles, and move freely around a page can encourage nonlinear thinking, which many people associate with creativity. Psychologists also note that the slower pace of handwriting can support reflection and incubation of ideas, which may help with creative problem solving and original thinking.

What is the difference between a diary, a journal, and a commonplace book?

A diary usually records daily events in chronological order, such as what happened and when. A journal tends to be more reflective and may include thoughts, goals, sketches, and plans, not just a timeline of the day. A commonplace book is a long‑standing tradition in which people copy quotes, ideas, recipes, and observations from reading or life into a single notebook, organizing outside information rather than focusing mainly on personal experience. In practice, many modern notebooks blend all three styles.

How have personal notebooks and diaries been used in history and different cultures?

Personal notebooks have served many roles across cultures, from private reflection to scientific observation. Early modern European scholars kept commonplace books for notes on philosophy, science, and literature. Japanese literature includes famous diary-like works such as “The Pillow Book” from the 10th century. Explorers, scientists, and artists have long relied on field notebooks to record data and sketches. In many societies, personal diaries have also become valuable historical sources that reveal everyday life and individual perspectives on major events.

Are pen-and-paper planners still useful when most scheduling can be done on phones?

Paper planners remain popular because they offer a tangible overview of time and tasks without notifications or app switching. Some time‑management researchers note that writing tasks by hand can increase a sense of commitment and help people prioritize more deliberately. Many users find that physically crossing out completed items is motivating, and that seeing a whole week or month laid out on paper helps with long‑term planning in a way that small screens sometimes struggle to match.

Can doodling in a notebook actually help with concentration?

Contrary to the idea that doodling means someone is not paying attention, some studies suggest that simple, unstructured doodling during a task like listening can help maintain alertness and prevent the mind from drifting. Light doodling may give the brain just enough extra stimulation to stay engaged, which can support recall of what was heard. The effect depends on the person and situation, but psychologists generally view low‑effort doodling as compatible with focus rather than a sign of disrespect or boredom.