STATIONERY STREET

I prefer keeping to one ink colour for a whole journal. The pages feel easier to read as a set, and I don't have to decide which pen to use before I start writing.

I'm choosing a format for my next journal, and most of my entries are text with the occasional sticker or quick doodle. Lines seem useful for keeping writing tidy, but I don't want them to make the page feel cramped when I add something. If your journal is mostly writing, which page layout do you actually find easiest to use?

Counting fills from a bottle is a fairer comparison than months, though cleaning and ink left in the pen can skew it too.

That fine line is handy for a quick label, but over a longer stretch I notice I start pressing harder to keep it crisp. Great for a few words, less comfortable for a page of notes.

Pen clips eat into that side-by-side space too, and can catch on the lining when you pull a pen out.

A side-by-side check will tell you more than a swatch: write the same muted ink on a tinted sample and white paper, then compare them under your usual lighting once dry. A full page can look quite different from a little test.

I find it easier to start with what was taking up space in my head that day. Maybe something I was looking forward to or putting off; it gets me writing about the day without just copying my planner.

Most of my weekdays follow a familiar routine, and I don't want my journal to turn into a second record of what's already in my planner. I've been trying to write down one small detail I might otherwise forget, but some days that feels a bit forced. What helps you find a starting point when nothing much out of the ordinary happened?

I'd clip the spare to the pencil case or use a pen loop, so it's not loose in the bag.

For this month's stationery treat, I chose a sticker sheet I really liked rather than a small mixed bundle. The bundle offered more variety, but I didn't want to pay for designs I might not use. It felt more satisfying to bring home something I was already excited about.