When it comes to my pen & paper tools, I came to appreciate a blank canvas over the years. My preference is for a nice grid paper that lets me sketch out a layout that works for me. I’ve shared a few of these over the years.
So when it comes time to get a new notebook, the Confidant from Baron Fig is usually my choice. I love the build quality and overall design of these notebooks. However, I have a slew of lesser quality notebooks, and I was determined at the start of the year to make use of them. I lasted one quarter.
I simply wasn’t using my notebook often, primarily due to the paper. If it doesn’t feel good to write on it, I tend not to use it. So when the team at Baron Fig announce the Do Journal, it caught my attention because I wasn’t enjoying what I was using.
Something different
Now, while I love the mainstay items from Baron Fig, they put out a lot of stuff that doesn’t interest. Quirky designs, notebooks with blank pages, fat tipped pens, dream journals — those don’t appeal to me. And while I have preferred blank notebooks, the design of the Do Journal looked so good I had to give it a try.
What stood out right away is the design. But that’s true for a lot of their options that don’t appear to me — all their themed notebooks look good. The typography is great, and the layout is aesthetically pleasing. But that would not be enough on its own.
What works for me — or at least I think it will — is the structure of this journal already matches what my notebook usage. I have annual high-level goals. I break those down into smaller chunks each quarter, then I pick and choose various pieces to focus on each given week.
Drawbacks
What’s not great about this notebook? For one, it only covers one quarter at a time. Each book has one quarterly page, 14 weekly pages, and 70 daily pages. There are some other items, including a section blank pages (just like their annual planner notebook), but the time-based pages are the crux of this design. 14 weeks covers a quarter, but 70 days does not.
The obvious answer is that the spread is focused on weekdays (14 x 5 = 70). But I would prefer to have one daily spread for Saturdays and Sundays.
Apart from that, it’s a great notebook. Not as heavy-handed as something like the Full Focus Planner, it gives you a light structure to follow. I’m going to give it a try for a quarter and see how it feels.
