The Problem With Forcing Everything Into One Journal
At some point, many writers realize a single journal isn’t enough—not because it’s the wrong size, but because it’s trying to do too many jobs at once.
Long-form thinking, daily planning, fleeting ideas, and on-the-go notes all compete for space. Over time, that friction often leads writers to adopt a simple but powerful shift: using more than one journal size, each with a clear role.
This isn’t about indecision or excess. It’s about designing a workflow that matches how your mind actually works.
Why Writers Naturally Separate Their Journals
When a single notebook is used for everything, pages become mentally noisy. Deep reflections sit beside grocery lists. Important ideas get buried under throwaway notes. Over time, the journal feels harder to return to.
The issue isn’t discipline—it’s context switching. Different types of thinking require different environments, and a single journal rarely provides enough separation to support them all.
Why Writers Assign Journals by Role, Not Category
Writers who use multiple journal sizes almost always do so intuitively. They assign each notebook a role rather than a topic:
- A primary journal for sustained thinking, writing sessions, or structured reflection
- A secondary journal for capture—ideas, phrases, reminders, observations
The sizes themselves become signals. Picking up one journal tells your brain how to think before you even write a word.
How A5 and A6 Naturally Complement Each Other
In practice, A5 and A6 journals tend to fall into these roles without much effort.
The larger journal stays anchored to intentional time. It lives on a desk, in a work bag, or in a consistent writing space. When you open it, you’re there to think, plan, or write at length.
The smaller journal is about immediacy. It goes where you go. It captures ideas before they disappear. There’s no pressure for neatness or completeness—only speed and availability.
Together, they create a simple loop: capture first, develop later.
This Is a Workflow Choice, Not a Size Debate
What matters here isn’t the measurement—it’s the separation of intent.
Trying to decide which size is “better” misses the point. Writers who thrive with multiple journals aren’t optimizing stationery; they’re protecting mental clarity.
One notebook holds raw material. The other turns that material into something meaningful.
Why This System Reduces Friction Instead of Adding It
At first glance, using two journals may seem like extra work. In reality, it removes decision fatigue.
You no longer ask:
- Does this belong here?
- Am I disrupting the flow of this notebook?
- Should I rewrite this later?
Each journal has permission to be exactly what it needs to be.
Many Writers Already Do This Without Calling It a System
Scratch pads, pocket notebooks, desk journals, planners—most writers already use multiple formats without realizing it.
The difference comes when those pieces are intentional and durable enough to stay in rotation long-term. That’s when a journal setup stops feeling temporary and starts supporting real work.
When Using Both Sizes Makes the Most Sense
A multi-journal setup is especially useful if you:
- Write in both structured sessions and spontaneous moments
- Lose ideas because you don’t always have your main journal nearby
- Feel resistance opening a journal that’s become cluttered
- Want clearer separation between thinking and capturing
In those cases, adding a second journal doesn’t complicate your practice—it clarifies it.
One Mind, Two Tools
Using both A5 and A6 journals isn’t about owning more—it’s about asking less of each notebook.
When every journal has a purpose, writing becomes lighter. You stop organizing and start thinking. And the system fades into the background, exactly where it belongs.