Keeping A Journal On Loose Sheets Of Paper?

[kogarashi]

After giving it quite some thought, I've decided I want to start journalling again.

 

In the search of the perfect journal, I've set my mind on finding a journal with lots of 100% cotton paper.

But at the same time,I have a budget to adhere to and, well, usually "cheap/affordable" and "lots of pages of cotton paper" don't really..go well together (especially if you're looking at the larger sizes).

 

I don't care about pretty covers that much, so I was thinking, since packs of loose sheets of cotton paper (e.g. southworth and OCM) seem to be more affordable, I thought.... why not keep a diary on loose sheets?

 

But then the next problem arose:

 

How the heck do you keep all those sheets organized?!

 

I could just number the pages and then put them into labeled envelopes/a box...

 

Or would it possible to bind the loose sheets into a book (as in not folding the pages to make a signature )? If so, does anyone know of a tutorial or instruction book?

 

If I can avoid it, I don't really want to just punch some holes into them and stuff them in one of those plastic binders:/

 

So if anyone has any creative ideas....

 

(and, a little offtopic, I was also wondering, how white is Soutworth's white resume paper? Is it Clairefontaine bright white, or more off-white?)

[JimB]

Loose sheets seem an organizational challenge indeed. That's why I chose a bound journal or composition book. They can be inexpensive, as the Sustainable Earth books from Staples, sugarcane based, not cotton, but very FP friendly.

 

Sorry I have no suggestion on paper, but a loose-leaf binder would work, once you get the paper punch. There are probably many better options that will show up from fellow FPN members.

[KrazyIvan]

I don't journal with loose sheets but I do use them a lot for work (Rhodia #16 Dotpad). I need to keep most of the stuff I write for reference. I took to keeping everything together with binder clips. I am working on an index I can just clip to the front of each packet and that all goes into file folders seperated by month.

[someonesdad]

Use a three ring binder. Simple, easy to index, and easy to move things around when needed. I keep a punch at my desk, so it only takes a second to punch the holes. Or, punch your paper stock ahead of time.

[fiberdrunk]

You could take the loose sheets to Kinko's or CopyMax and have them bound together for around $5.

[JimB]

How about a Staples Arc notebook and paper punch? That would work! I may try it myself, now that it's on sale.

[wallylynn]

How about a Staples Arc notebook and paper punch? That would work! I may try it myself, now that it's on sale.

I'd do that, but the punch isn't part of the sale. I'm buying one of the books to try out though.

[radellaf]

KrazyIvan - what kind of binder clips?

 

I'm taking notes at work on a 5x8 pad and really would like a way to keep that stuff together. They make mini (?)-ring binders but I've never seen a punch.

 

Similarly, my favorite binding system that I would use if I journaled on loose sheets is the spiral plastic that Kinko's and others offer. There is no cheap way to do that at home I don't think. Only affordable system is a comb binder and I hate those.

 

Kinko's is useful though. I got a whole ream of HP cut into quarters for a few bucks, and for (too many) more had a few spiral bound blank journals put together. With my own printed dot pattern.

'course as so often happens I love the idea, but so far am still only writing in a couple of moleskines.

[htom]

Seven hole punch on your paper, then a post or tied binding.

[bogiesan]

Technically, you're not journaling. You're doing some stream of consciousness thing. Journaling, in the formal sense, implies some level of organization, even if it's random. You'll have a journal when you get your sheets gathered up in a shoebox, paperclipped, stapled or stuffed into envelops. But until you do that, you've just got a sheets of paper; some may have writing on them.

 

There are endless ways to have fun collecting and keeping your sheets. If you are deeply opposed to organizing for the same reason you seem to eschew a bound system or sewn book, maybe you could spend your energy finding interesting boxes. then an interesting shelving system.

[radellaf]

Well that's a bit harsh. The essence of journaling is in the Latin root meaning "daily", which for non-official uses just means on some reglular basis. More or less it's keeping a diary. About the only "requirement" (if there is one) is that the loose sheets have dates on them or otherwise can at least be put into chronological order.

My journal is no less so if you take my moleskine, cut out the pages, and shuffle them.

 

 

For work I'll have to look into a seven hole punch. Never seen one just the prepunched sheets. The real issue at work (and with larger journals at home) is that there s not enough desk space for both sides of the book to be open. So either one gets jammed up against me (writing on right page) or ends up being shoved over whatever else is on the desk like the keyboard (writing on left side). The mini legal lets me wrap pages over the top and under the pad. There may be journals that can be folded all the way 'round (some spirals allow it) but most do not, or raise the writing surface too high off the desk when used that way.

[dkirchge]

If you have a filing cabinet, you could set up a folder for each month, then insert your sheets as you fill them into the appropriate folder. At the end of the year, stack up the sheets and then have them bound up at Kinko's or something like that.

[gwilliams]

I had a similar problem, but my solution was to use southworth parchment paper to write on daily then store in a large enevolpe then after collecting some pages I put them in page protectors to keep in a 3 ring binder. wasn't to expensive to set up but got the job done.

[JeffB]

I've kept a journal for decades on half-sheets made by cutting 8.5x11 sheets in half to make 8.5x5.5 sheets. I've found the method to be portable, compact, inexpensive, flexible, and permanent. I carry a 3-ring 8.5x5.5 binder with a few sheets in it for the journal, then take pages out every so often and file them and put in new paper, so I don't have to carry the full journal everywhere (and risk losing it).

 

I found over the years the cotton content of the paper isn't as important as the acid-free element. Early journal pages I kept on cheap run-of-the-mill copier paper are showing signs of aging and ink fading after 20 or so years. I now get archival paper from one of the several archival products vendors who carry it, and it's not that expensive. Ink quality is important, too. Often, the prettiest colors don't age well. I prefer iron-gall inks, and am currently enthusiastic about R&K Salix. I've never had a problem with a modern iron-gall ink in my pens.

 

I have a simple 3-hole punch and prepare my own paper. At the end of the year I bind all the sheets together, and start the next year. The number of pages varies from year to year with how much you wrote: the year's journal can have as many or as few pages as you want. Another big advantage for me is the ability to insert things: maps, cutouts, photos, copied sheets, etc. All I need to do is punch holes in them.

[orpheus]

Of course, this is how Leonardo da Vinci assembled his notebooks.

[HildyZ]

I use one of these for a journal off and on

 

leather post-bound half sheet journal

 

Right now it's a date book. I fill it with punched half-sheets of my choosing. When I'm done, I take the sheets out, store them in a 3-ring binder, and refill. I've had it for a decade or better.

Edited January 28, 2012 by HildyZ