Using a smaller notebook

Benefits of separaTing notebooks

Restructuring notebooks with links

I used to keep my work meetings and to-do lists all in one long running notebook. It worked… until it didn’t. That notebook ballooned to over 200 pages, and it became harder to flip between daily notes and the tasks I needed to act on.

I changed my approach. Now I separate each notebook by subject—one for meetings, one for tasks, and so on—and then link them together. This has made a noticeable difference in how I work.

Here are the benefits I’ve seen:

*Multiple meetings per day*

1.Less page turning to see the to dos

2.Ability to see to do items on one page

3.Smaller files-my past notebook had somewhere over 200 pages

4.Ability to group and reflect on a weekly basis of tasks than being overwhelmed daily

5.Limit only one page per week for work tasks. I know that I can not take on any more before completing the tasks on the page

Smaller Notebooks vs. Bigger Notebooks

Smaller Notebooks

Pros:

  • Faster navigation and load times.

  • Easier to group related content (e.g., separate notebooks by subject, project, or quarter).

  • Naturally prevents overwhelm by setting limits.

  • Makes linking between notebooks more intentional.

  • Reduces the “scroll fatigue” of flipping through hundreds of pages.

Cons:

  • More setup work to create and manage multiple notebooks.

  • Can feel fragmented if you forget where you put something.

  • Linking is almost essential—without it, context switching takes longer.

Bigger Notebooks

Pros:

  • Everything is in one place—no need to remember which notebook holds what.

  • Easy for chronological journaling or long-form capture.

  • Works well for “brain dump” styles of note-taking.

  • Less initial setup—just keep adding pages.

Cons:

  • Can become unwieldy with 200+ pages.

  • Slower navigation and heavier file size.

  • Tasks and notes can blur together, leading to overwhelm.

  • If the file becomes corrupt, you’re out of luck. This happened to me twice, and I told myself: never again.

For me, smaller notebooks separated by subject and connected with links have been the sweet spot. They keep things light, flexible, and structured enough that I can actually see progress week by week instead of drowning in an endless stream of notes.

How has the linking feature changed your notebook structure? Do you prefer smaller, subject-based notebooks, or one big running notebook?