Take the
guesswork out of
choosing a journal
or notebook

Technology has become a large part of the way we organise our schedules and collect information, but notebooks and journals are starting to see a resurgence among all age groups. Notebooks and journals provide a place to jot down notes, remember important events, collate your thoughts and self-reflect and there’s something about the act of writing in a notebook or journal that still entices people to use them.

Useful Information

Why is writing important?

Writing can be a therapeutic experience. The act of putting pen or pencil to paper can help improve focus and reduce mental clutter. It inspires a more detailed approach to notetaking, provides an added focus when compiling to-do lists or fleshing out your goals, and can help spark inspiration while drafting essays and assignments.

Study notes

Notebooks are great for students who utilise them to collate study notes from lectures and workshops and keeps them easily at hand to reference while preparing for exams and assignments.

Notebooks come pre-lined, dotted and plain so that you can write neatly and consistently. With these guides, the page becomes a place for you to take notes in your own style. You can space out paragraphs, add handwritten dot points, circle key words and colour code different sections. You can even do this in a bullet journaling format, helping you manage and cross off tasks. This way, when you go to reference the information later, it’s presented in a personalised and meaningful way, which helps with information retention.

Health journaling

Health journaling is ideal for keeping track of your wellness, whether it be physical or mental. Want to set fitness goals? Or socialise more? You can write down the steps and track the progress to these types of goals in a health journal. This way, you can go back and reference your development with a flick of a page.

One of the most enticing things about creating your health journal is that you can personalise it to fit your journey. Whether that includes writing in different colours, drawing illustrations or adding stickers, you can customise your journal so that it motivates you. Officeworks also range a variety of dream journals and goals and inspiration-themed journals which have pre-set templates.

Bullet journaling

Bullet journaling is a system to help you create to-do lists, write down goals and jot down your thoughts, breaking it down day by day or week by week. This format uses short bullet points and symbols to specify if something has been completed, scheduled or delayed. This stops clutter on the page and allows you to reference previous days or weeks with ease.

Bullet journaling simplifies the way you plan out your schedule, allowing you to plan your day with simple keywords and dot points. It’s also a streamlined way to organise your days and track your growing efficiency when it comes to work, home tasks or goals like saving money and planning a holiday. Write less to do more.

How to Bullet Journal

Want to learn how to start bullet journaling? Watch the video below for tips on starting a bullet journal.


Our Categories

Notebooks and Journals

Officeworks has a wide range of notebooks and journals to help you keep ideas, thoughts and important information in one place.

notebooks

Notebooks

Officeworks has a wide range of notebooks and journals to help you keep ideas, thoughts and important information in one place.

Notebooks are for a minimalist, standard approach to study, work, and personal use. They range in size from essay ready A4 sized books and pads to store in your bag, to compact versions that you can place right inside your pocket. Some of the features of a notebook may include:

  • A spiral binding for laying out your notebook flat when it’s open
  • Ruled pages for writing neatly, allowing you to organise notes and information.
  • A card cover that encases your pages for a layer of protection.
  • FSC certified paper, meaning that it comes from ethically sourced materials.
  • A name and subject label on the front of the cover so that you can label it accordingly.
Shop Now

Lecture Books

Lecture books are a type of notebook designed for the classroom. They're an ideal companion for your school, work, and university notetaking, ensuring that you have somewhere to reference for future assignments and tasks. Other things that make the lecture book an essential item include:

  • Hole punches on the side so you can present it in a binder or lever arch, making it easy to organise with other lecture notes.
  • Perforated pages for tearing.
  • Some have a polypropylene cover for an extra layer of protection.
Shop Now
lecture-books
subject-books

Subject Books

Subject Books are an enhanced notebook that allows you to streamline your school and university notetaking and assignments. They come with section dividers inside organising the pages into different sections, meaning you don’t need several notebooks for several subjects. Subject books often have:

  • A planning page so you organise your schoolwork and list any due dates for assignments.
  • A pen holder so you can keep your pen handy.
  • Internal pockets on the dividers so that you can store loose documents or assignment sheets.

Subject books come in 2 ,3, 4 or 5 subject formats, so you can choose the product that best suits the number of subjects they are studying.

Shop Now

Journals

Journals are for telling your own story. They can be used for recounting your day and writing out your thoughts. You can also use a journal to begin your health journey and to keep track of your wellbeing, or a bullet journal to organise your schedule and set goals. They usually come in compact sizes, making them easy to carry around. Other features include:

  • A page ribbon bookmark for keeping track of your page.
  • Pages that are either ruled to keep you writing neatly or dotted for bullet journaling and drawing things such as graphs.
  • Covers made of materials such as polyurethane for durability, with designs that range from a plain cover to stylish patterns and inspirational quotes.
Shop Now
journals
graph-grids-books

Graph Pads & Grid Books

Graph pads and grid books are for your math and science classes, where you need to layout equations and draw graphs. They come in a variety of sizes including A4 and pocket types for taking notes, as well as A3 pads for laying out sums to present to your class or colleagues. Graph pads and grid books include:

  • Grid ruling instead of the line ruling so that you can draw out your graphs and map out your equations.
  • Hole punches for presenting in a binder or lever arch with your other notebooks.
  • Side or spiral binding to keep the pages together.
Shop Now

Notepads

Notepads are like notebooks but designed for far quicker notetaking. Instead of opening it like a book, the card cover flips up, so you can begin taking notes quickly. They come in both large, medium and pocket sizes, making them great for creating notes around the house, studying and doing assignments. The features of a notepad include:

  • Micro-perforated pages so you can tear them out easily.
  • Grid and line ruled pages for doing graphs or writing neatly, as well as blank pages for sketching or laying things out your way.
  • Pages that are spiral bound or glue-bound and can be used with a clipboard for convenience.
Shop Now
lecture-books
graph-grids-books

Scribzee App Notebooks

The Scribzee App is designed for use with Oxford notebooks and lecture books. It allows you to scan and share written notes using your smartphone. You can collate, sort, share and email notes for organisational purposes, with it all being saved to an ultra-secure cloud. This means you can share lecture notes at school or university with classmates or share your bullet journaling process with friends.

Shop Now
Features and Benefits

What to consider when choosing a notebook or journal

Whether you need one to write down your dreams or notes for university, here’s what you need to consider when choosing a notebook or journal.

Paper Size

The size of your notebook or journal is one thing you need to consider before purchasing to make sure it suits your use.

  • A4 and B5 are both common sizes, as they’re big enough to fit your notes at work, school or university.
  • A5 and B6 are great for taking on the go, as you can slide them easily into a backpack or tote bag.
  • A3 is ideal for sketching or creating presentations for your class or colleagues.
  • A6 or A7 are also known as "pocket-size" and are compact enough to take brief notes and store away quickly.

Paper Weight (GSM)

Paper is measured by GSM (grams per square metre.) The higher the GSM, the less likely it becomes that your pen’s ink will flow through to the next page in your notebook or journal. With premium notebooks, you'll find the pages will often be 90-100 GSM, making it great for writing on both sides of the page and using your favourite fountain pen. But with your more standard notebooks and journals, you’ll be looking at a GSM of 50-80, best suited to writing on with your standard ballpoint pen.

Page Layout & Rulings

Page layouts are important to consider, as it contributes to the format of your notetaking and writing. The most common layouts include:

  • Line ruling: A line ruled notebook or journal is ideal for frequent handwriting, as it’s designed to keep you writing neatly. Lined ruling is usually between 6 and 8 mm.
  • Grid ruling: Notebooks with grid ruling are great for those who work or study in the fields of engineering, architecture, and mathematics. This format helps with drawing graphs and diagrams.
  • Dot grid: A dot grid page is ideal if you're going to begin bullet journaling because you’re guided by the rulings yet not restricted anywhere on the page. It’s also good for practising skills like cursive handwriting.
  • Some subject books and combination books may contain two or more formats in the one book for variety

Notebook Cover Type

The cover of your notebook or journal is important because it can determine how hard-wearing your notebook is as well as your personal style. It’s something you’ll be looking at and using every day, so you’ll want something that suits your aesthetic and meets your protection standards. Things to consider about a notebook or journal cover include:

  • Material: The material of your notebook is important for its style and durability. Premium notebooks usefully have a hard leather, leatherette or polyurethane build designed for protecting the pages from wear and tear, while your more common notebooks have a soft card, PU or polypropylene cover that still adds a protective layer, but in a lightweight manner.
  • Design: Once you buy your notebook or journal, you’re going to be looking at it regularly, so you need to enjoy the design. Covers come in a variety of styles including patterned, textured, plain and some even have graphics and inspirational quotes on the front.
  • Additional Features: Covers can be more than just an extra layer of protection for your pages and can increase the convenience and productivity of your use. When you’re looking at premium notebooks and journals, the covers often have features like internal sleeves for storing loose documents and accessories or a loop for your pen. Most journals contain a page ribbon bookmark for keeping up to date with progress. Other premium models even have some technological features like charging cases and app compatibility.
  • Some subject books and combination books may contain two or more formats in the one book for variety

Notebook Closure Type

Notebooks and journals have different closure types that keep your pages protected. The most common type is a simple open and close like a typical book, but there are more premium options available so you can find the right preference for your needs. These include:

  • Button: This is a common closure across premium notebooks and journals. The button allows you to snap your cover into place, ensuring that your pages are secure while you’re on the go. A simple pull will release the button so you can begin writing again.
  • Elastic Loop: The elastic loop wraps around your notebook to keep the pages closed while it’s in your bag on the go. To begin writing again, simply slide the elastic off.
  • Fold Flap: The fold flap closure simply finds you folding it tightly to keep the pages protected. Simple yet effective.

Special Features

Some notebooks and journals also come with special features that enhance your experience and allow you to pair technology with your physical writing.

  • Rechargeable Cover: The rechargeable cover allows you to charge a USB-A compatible device while you’re writing. This means when you’re doing things like taking notes or doing assignments, you can use your smartphone or tablet to look up information. A rechargeable cover notebook is great for travelling as you can charge your phone on the go.

Environmental Impact

Officeworks offers a wide range of notebooks and journals that have been designed and manufactured with its environmental impact in mind. When browsing the range, you’ll notice notebooks and journals that have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), meaning that the construction of the books has been sourced from an FSC certified supplier, supporting healthy forests and protecting wildlife.

You’ll also find notebooks and journals supported by the Officeworks Restoring Australia initiative, where Officeworks will plant 2 trees for every 1 used, based on the weight of paper-based products customers purchase. This way, you can write out your thoughts, goals and study notes with peace of mind.

 

Discover the full range of
notebooks, notepads, and journals at Officeworks Shop Now