I’m a journal junkie. I will freely admit that.

I love a good journal. I find them and buy them, whether I actually need one right at the moment or not.

Not too long ago, I stumbled across Field Notes Brand journals. I’m not sure how I even found them. But I am glad I did!

I browsed their website and fell in love what what I saw. I purchased a few pocket-sized notebooks to get a feel for what they were like. But I knew… I was destined to connect with these little journals on a long-term basis.

Field Notes journals really only come in a couple of sizes: the 3.5×5.5, and the 6×9 Steno, which is spiral bound. The smaller ones caught my eye from the very beginning. I’ve always had a stash of Moleskines in this size around for notes and lists and such. So these were a natural selection for me.

When I received my initial order of six, I was astonished at the look and feel. My long-term love affair had begun.

I was immediately back onto the website, and subscribed to the Field Notes Colors package. This is a great package. Four times a year, you get Christmas in the mail! You receive six new journals, in the new season’s colors, and before they are offered to the general public. That kind of exclusivity sealed the deal for me. Getting new editions before everyone else? Yes, please!

So far, I’ve received two installments of the subscription. And I love it. This subscription will most definitely make it into my yearly budget, so that I can continue receiving these little jewels.

So I came up with a list of eleven things I absolutely love about Field Notes Brand memo books.

1. They are colorful! All my old Moleskine books are greyish-black. I know that they come in other colors, but the other colors never really excited me. Field Notes Brand come out in unique new colors all the time. My most recent arrivals are a nice blend of Indigo with Jefferson Nickel Silver lettering. They always receive compliments when I pull them out in public.
2. They are full of useless useful information. I know that I will never need to know that the corners are “precisely rounded to a 3/8” (9.5mm) radius by a CRC round corner machine.” But the fact that I do know it is simply awesome.
3. These memo books are extremely durable. I’ve been carrying one around in my hip pocket for over three months. It’s almost full, and it’s still recognizable.
4. They come in various styles. It doesn’t matter if you like your pages ruled, blank or graph paper. These books come in all three varieties. I surprised myself; I’ve discovered that I like the graph paper almost as much as I do the plain paper. Crazy, huh?
5. Field Notes Brand memo books are extremely versatile. My son asked me how to make a paper airplane. I pulled out the center page and showed him. It flew pretty good.
6. They are handy! Since these books measure 3.5×5.5 (with three staples), they fit in my back pocket, my shirt pocket, the drink carrier in my car, the pocket of my laptop bag, above the visor in my car, in my Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Half Tube Cube that I got for Father’s Day to pack my socks in when I travel, the console or glovebox of my car, or even scattered around my desk, bookshelves or nightstand. Pretty much anywhere.
7. They are conversation starters. As I mentioned above, the colors usually generate conversation, but so do the Dry Transfer edition, depending on what you place on them…
8. You get a lot of extra free stuff with them when you receive them. Things like cool, retro-looking ball point pens, great smelling cedar pencils, buttons, bands of rubber, calendars, carpenter’s pencils (with directions on how to sharpen them), and much more. It really is like Christmas four times a year!
9. You can subscribe to receive new books automatically every quarter. Why wouldn’t you want to receive new journals every few weeks? The Colors Subscription is one of the best things to happen to me this year!
10. Their website is a really fun place to hang out. I added it to my homepage tab set in IE, and to my bookmarks bar in Safari. The blog is simply fun to read. There are videos, links to reviews, a vintage memo book archive, and tons more. It’s worth browsing.
11. Their tag line pretty much says it all: “I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now.” I love that.

There are eleven things that I love about Field Notes Brand memo books. I could probably come up with ten more pretty easily.

Upon receipt of my next installment, I plan on posting a video of me opening the package and examining the contents. Stay tuned for that bit of excitement!

What type of journals do you prefer to use? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“