i used to think using multiple notebooks at once was ridic

anyway, here’s my brand new 8 journal ecosystem lol 🤓

like, i’ve really mostly always had 1 notebook that i throw everything at. but i do love me some notebooks. i did do a short stent of utilizing the Traveler’s Notebook system (featuring a notebook cover and elastics where you can slide in multiple notebooks) in a different time in my life. i’ve been craving a similar system where if i want to do a certain thing, i can grab a certain notebook and pick up where i left off as needed... a process that sounded much faster and aligned with my brain vs. flipping 20-40 pages back sometimes in my catch-call notebooks.

soooo… yeah i been testing it a few days now and i’m excited about what i came up with!

here’s my all new 8 notebook ecosystem lol 🤓

⋆。°✩ wallet pocket notebooks✩°。⋆

01 :: passport sized travelers notebook (wallet)

^{(2) moleksine pocket notebooks inside a passport sized traveler’s notebook cover}

in my wallet you can expect bird lists, curiosity lists… lists on lists. imma add a to do list pocket notebook to this wallet EDC set up soon, too (it’s definitely what is missing rn).

a. birding lists :: for birding locations, birds to learn, species lists, expedition ideas, checklists/reminders, and quick bird-related notes.

b. curiosity lists :: for tiny obsessions, things to look up, ideas to revisit, random fascinations, wishlists, and “don’t forget this” notes.

^{travelers notebook passport size in brown purchased in tokyo, japan on my honeymoon a few years back. pocket Moleskine notebooks purchased from Texas Art Supply.}

⋆。°✩ the bird book, lol✩°。⋆

02 :: birding field guide/sketchbook

^{A6-sized blackwing sketchbook}

for actual birding expeditions: field notes, bird sketches, species notes, habitat, weather and expedition observations. my pencil also attaches to the spine of the book via an elastic loop, my fav part besides the dot grid, very smooth pages.

^{blackwing sketchbook purchased from Barnes & Noble.}

⋆。°✩ the book for other peoples words✩°。⋆

03 :: commonplace journal

^{B5 Kyowa square grid notebook}

a notebook acting as my brain’s external hard drive for books, quotes, things i don’t want to forget. nothing in here is my words, but they’re quotes, passages, references, and collected ideas that mattered to me in some way.

^{purchased from a Daiso store}

⋆。°✩ ideas become projects✩°。⋆

04 :: writing journal

^{lined softcover Moleskine}

writing hub :: a writing room for polishing substack essays, shaping ideas ideas. think: essay outlines, column planning, annotations, 4am notes that might get fleshed out later. what doesn’t live here is: emotionally processing, private diary entries, and finished drawings.

^{purchased from Barnes & Noble}

⋆。°✩ creative recovery hub✩°。⋆

05 :: the artist way journal

^{dot grid hardcover Moleskine logbook}

a creative recovery workbook for chapter notes, chapter exercises, tasks, artist date reflections/idea bank, check-ins, blurts, affirmations, discoveries, and reflections while working through The Artist’s Way. this is where i actively work the program! this bad boi is damn near basically full, aaaaaahhhhh 🆘 i have 6 more weeks left of the journey lol.

^{purchased from Barnes & Noble}

⋆。°✩ doodle hub✩°。⋆

06 :: summer sketchbook

^{dot grid hardcover Artist Loft logbook}

a cheap notebook that exists for me to freely create bad art in and doodle, play, and experiment. yay! 🤓 it’s currently set up for my own projects for Florencia Ornelas Summer 2026 Creative Camp.

^{purchased from Michael’s art store}

⋆。°✩ planning hub✩°。⋆

07 :: project hub

^{dot grid hardcover Artist Loft logbook}

projects. systems. experiments. big picture planning. this is where smoll, formative ideas become big boi seeds for potential future projects and essays. what lives here is anything planning-related! such as 12 Week Year book notes, seasonal experiments, or project maps, etc.

^{purchased from Michael’s art store}

⋆。°✩ my diary✩°。⋆

08 :: my diary

^{2026-2027 daily diary Moleskine hardback (lined)}

strictly for my morning pages/private daily diary entries. this chonky journal has a single page for every day. i can’t wait to use it for my morning pages! the journal starts July 1st!!!! i can almost use it. i have been salivating. i’m excited to pull out my morning pages from my the artist way journal because it was taking up too many pages. now i have a 1 page restriction for my morning brain dumps, will get to starting my day sooner AND all my entries will be filed together vs scattered along with notes, reflections, and check ins in my other journal. this notebook houses my least curated self, lol. this is where i figure it out on the page. a private space for healthy externalization of emotional dumps so i can move on with my day.

^{purchased from Target.}

⋆。°✩ outro✩°。⋆

i love that everything has a place. i love that i can grab a notebook and feel peace in my brain to work on that 1 thing deeply and intentionally without being pulled on 2183347647 side quests because my ADHD brain read a astray note on an adjacent page in a catch-all notebook on accident. this has actually made my productivity/process pipeline a lot more cleaner and smoother and more efficient this week, especially with getting out my The Artist Way reflection essay. so that was cool to see the payoff in real time.