I generally like to think of myself as someone who is not overly into tools and gear. I have my specific tastes when it comes to this stuff and I like nice things, but the specifics of those tastes aside, that feels not all that different from most people.
After several months spent working my way through a stack of Rhodia compositions books, however, I am back to using Seven Seas notebook from Nanami Paper for my journal and I just can’t help but notice how vast an improvement it is.
The Rhodias were fine. I have no major complaints about them, although the bindings on them were not great—I broke several of the stitches just through normal daily use. Moreover, while they were not unreasonably priced, I am unconvinced that they were much better than the composition books I buy by the stack for a few bucks each at CVS. For the money, those might be my favorite notebooks, the unsung hero of the writing gear world.
These Seven Seas notebooks are pretty great. Tomoe River paper, basically indestructible bindings that still lay flat, they’ve got 480 pages so they last me a long time, and they even come with a sheet of blotting paper. They go out of stock pretty regularly, though, which is annoying.
For me, writing—especially a daily practice like journaling—is about reducing the barriers. Find pen and paper that work, and then just do it. Don’t get wound up trying to find just the right tools or process or prompts; like overly-fiddly todo systems, that stuff largely serves as a distraction from actually doing the thing.
Still, there is something to be said for having the right tools, or for having tools that at least don’t suck and which you enjoy using. I think the trick (as is so often the case) is finding the right balance.
And that balance is not easy to either find or to maintain. I think it is generally easier to spend a lot of time and energy thinking about, preparing for, and trying to optimize the process for doing a thing than it is to do the thing itself. And the temptation to focus on the process and the tools in pursuit of some mythical marginal gain is a strong one.
It doesn’t help that we are now surrounded by a whole galaxy of YouTubers and TikTokers whose bread and butter is gear and process optimization. I imagine a small number of these people started out with an honest interest in their niche (and an even smaller number have maybe managed to maintain it), but regardless, most of this stuff is just about content creation and engagement monetization. The YouTuber who is on about how they set up their bullet journal is not there to help you reflect on your day or do your thing; they’re they to keep you watching their videos. We would all be better off just never watching any of this stuff.