My 'Adult Learning Notebooks' | A Summary of All 30 Volumes

Ever since I can remember, I have been the type of person who tends to make notebooks.

From the time I was in the upper grades of elementary school, I would write an 'original summary notebook' every day, condensing what I had learned that day in my own way, and submit it to my teacher.

In 2025, at the end of a year spent doing a lot of self-analysis, I suddenly wondered, 'What is something I have that I can say I won't lose to anyone else?'

I thought it might be my obsession with making notebooks.

So, when I counted the notebooks in my house,

the number of notebooks I am currently writing exceeded 30.

...When I told the people around me about this,

'30 notebooks is crazy,' 'Why don't you combine them into one?', 'How do you separate your notebooks?', 'How do the writing styles differ?', 'Why do you handwrite them in this day and age?'

I received various reactions like these, so I decided to take photos of the notebooks I make and summarize them.

That said, my history and thoughts as someone with over 30 years of notebook-making experience cannot be summarized in a single note. I plan to write about it in several parts.

First, in this note, I will explain the overall lineup of my notebooks, and then I will briefly explain them one by one.

I want to know just how unusual I am (lol), so I would be happy if you could share your thoughts.

Are you mentally prepared? Here we go!

There are 4 types of notebooks I make in total

Broadly speaking, the notebooks I write fall into four genres. If you take 'Input/Output' on the horizontal axis and 'External (things connected to society)/Internal (things completed within myself)' on the vertical axis, it looks like this.

The 30 volumes do not include notebooks that have already been finished, so the image is 30 volumes just of the notebooks I am currently writing.

Why do I make 30 notebooks?

I will write about this in detail in a separate note, but for now, to put it briefly,

the reason I write notebooks is because 'I want to understand the world in my own way.'

Instead of thinking, "It must be this way because someone else said so," I want to understand for myself, "Is this what it means?"

I have a strong desire to be able to describe the world in my own words. It's okay if I'm wrong; I just want to have my own opinions.

And the reason I have 30 notebooks is because there are over 30 themes. Themes are close to "things I want to understand." It means that right now, there are over 30 things I want to understand.

However, since my interests continue to grow every day, I think the number of notebooks will just keep increasing.

For now, I'd like you to take a look at the notebooks I'm making. I will introduce notebooks from four genres in the order of (1) → (2) → (3) → (4). What kind of notebooks are you interested in?

(1) Outside × Input = Collecting Learning

Notebooks that compile things I thought, "I want to know! I want to learn!"
Since I'm overflowing with things I want to learn every day, the notebooks in this zone tend to increase. I'll introduce them briefly.

AI Notebook

A Muji ring notebook. I summarize articles about AI from the Nikkei newspaper and write my own opinions and future predictions. My son is in charge of picking out the articles. There is so much AI-related news that it's hard to digest. But it's very interesting.

Flower Notebook

I paste photos of bouquets I've received into a LIFE blank notebook (brown) and take notes on things I've learned from flower arrangement experiences. The world of flowers seems very deep, so this notebook will surely never be finished.

Celestial Body Notebook

A Designphil MD notebook, Shinsho size. I just thought about making it. First, I'm relearning about the moon, and I'm borrowing and reading moon encyclopedias from the library. It looks like it will be a slow-paced relearning process, but I'm very excited.

Color Notebook

Designphil's MD Notebook, A5 blank size. I've only pasted in some reference materials related to color so far and haven't written much, but I plan to write in it little by little when I feel like it. I want to record my favorite color schemes and also research the history and meanings of colors. I'm also interested in dyeing.

Word Notebook

I'm compiling the differences between words in a Designphil Traveler's Notebook. I looked up and wrote down the difference between "ishi" (will) and "ishi" (intention). I haven't written much, but I think I'll write more when I find words that strike a chord while my mind is in "word mode."

Marketing Notebook

This is a binder type. I use binders for things where the order might need to be rearranged.
I compile learnings from books and seminars, as well as insights gained through work. While I organize technical terms in Notion for searchability, I prefer to handwrite my learnings.

Accounting Notebook

Binder type. I was doing back-office work for a startup early in my freelance career, and I created this when I was relearning management accounting to handle bookkeeping tasks. I found accounting interesting, too.

Reading Record Notebook

Designphil Traveler's Notebook. I compile parts from my reading that I feel I "want to jot down."
Handwriting takes time, so there was a period when I compiled things in Notion, but I've returned to notebooks because handwriting helps with memory retention and makes me feel excited when I look back at it.

Introspection Notebook

LIFE ruled notebook (light blue). I'm compiling learnings from coaching-related courses I've taken. Most recently, I've been jotting down learnings and insights from a compassion course I took between 2024 and 2025.

Household Budget Notebook

Mark's Storage.it. A notebook where I compile household management and asset investment information. I haven't added much recently since I did a big push a few years ago, but I think I'll add more when I read books again. I want to review my household finances in 2026.

Parenting Notebook

An Étranger di Costa Rica notebook. I started it while I was pregnant with my child.
It contains things I've learned from reading books on parenting methods and tips on how to talk to children, as well as insights from seminars I've attended. It's a notebook I'm very attached to, as it even includes a checklist record of baby food ingredients.

② Internal × Input = Fermenting within myself

Next are the notebooks where I keep information received from the outside.
I use them to ferment what I've learned and turn it into my own opinions, or to jot down things when I think, "That's lovely, but I don't know why," so I can take my time to put into words the reasons why I was drawn to them.

My Notebook (Scrapbooking)

A black grid notebook from Muji that I've been using for over 10 years. When I feel that a design in a magazine, catalog, or flyer is "lovely," "something I want to use as a reference for color coordination," or "an interesting interview," I cut it out, paste it in, and write down a brief comment.

AI Introspection Notebook

A spiral ring notebook from Designphil. When I talk to AI (ChatGPT or Claude) and discover something new about myself, I write it down so I don't forget. It's interesting to look back and rediscover these things.

Introspection Summary Notebook

A notebook called TONE by Shogado. I use it to write down conclusions I've reached after repeated introspection—thoughts that feel settled, like "I don't think I'll change anymore." I also paste in results from personality tests like StrengthsFinder.

Idea Notebook

I use a Maruman Croquis book when I want to think in a brainstorming style. I use it when I want to expand on ideas on spacious paper, such as by drawing mind maps or creating diagrams and charts.

Bucket List Notebook

One of a three-notebook set I bought at "Hokuoh Kurashi no Doguten." I write down things I want to do someday. Writing a brief reflection once I achieve them gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Picture Book Notebook

I use a limited-edition rose-patterned notebook I bought at the Zoorasia (zoo) gift shop to write down my thoughts on picture books that left an impression on me. I plan to keep adding to it over the next 10 or 20 years.

Florist Notebook

A pink notebook from Designphil. When there's a feature on florists in free papers or similar, I cut them out and paste them in. Cute bouquets are a feast for the eyes and a great reference for color combinations.

Growth Record Notebook

A Muji notebook. I started this to jot down my children's growth and personalities. I keep one for each child. I hope to pass them on to my children someday.

③ Internal × Output = Visualizing and Expressing

Notebooks for expressing received information in my own way or "visualizing" things that are cluttered. Some are a bit embarrassing and hard to show to others.

Vision Notebook

A Maruman sketchbook where I summarize my ideal way of working using illustrations and visuals. It's like a vision board.

Business Seed Notebook

BIBLIO notebook. It's 1cm thick and quite substantial. I'm using it to summarize the kind of work I want to do as a sole proprietor in the future.

Picture diary notebook

Designphil's Traveler's Notebook, monthly type. It's fun to do, but it's hard to find the time to keep drawing illustrations every day, so I'm considering what to do in the future. Maybe I'll mix in days where I use stickers to save time.

Sutra copying notebook

Sutra copying notebook. Something I write in when I want to enter a state of immersion. I use a Designphil MD notebook in A6 size and a Muji gray A6 size grid notebook.

Quote excerpt notebook

LIFE grid notebook. I collect words that are one step away from being quotes. I'm thinking of copying them into my quote notebook once they've had time to ferment.

Quote notebook

LIFE lined notebook. I created this to copy over the "quotes" I've collected in my excerpt notebook and personal notebook. I've decorated it with things like colored paper to make it cute, but I haven't been able to write much in it. Only the decorating is making progress. Haha.

Recipe notebook

Designphil MD Notebook, Shinsho size. I want to fill this with my "family staple recipes" along with hand-drawn illustrations. I hope to pass it on to my children someday.

Jewelry Notebook

Designphil MD Notebook, Shinsho size. I haven't started writing in it yet, but I want to make it a notebook where I record my favorite jewelry along with illustrations and the reasons why I chose them.

④ External × Output = Converting into work and content creation

Notebooks for taking organized thoughts and my own words out into the world through work and content creation. Includes work notes, content ideas, project ideas, etc.

Work Notebook

Kokuyo business notebook. It's great because the ink doesn't bleed through and it has a high page count. I take very detailed notes. I don't look back at them often, but I keep them all. It feels like geological strata.

Content Creation Notebook

MUJI slim gray notebook, grid type. I write about my learning and realizations regarding creating content through writing. I also use it as an idea book. I'm on my second one now.

Instagram Notebook

A Rollbahn collaboration notebook I bought at the Miffy exhibition the other day. I'm in the middle of developing concepts for my Instagram content.

That concludes the introduction to the notebooks I am creating. Thank you for reading this far.

I've laid out all the notebooks here to give you an overview, so what did you think?

Even though they are my own, I realized that I've been making so many notebooks that I have to wonder, "Am I okay?"

There is, of course, a reason why I separate my notes... but even so, I do think, "Nobody usually makes this many, right?" Haha.

I will be introducing the reasons why I create notebooks this way and going through them one by one in separate notes, so please follow the magazine and stay tuned if you'd like.

▼ I wrote a response to the question I get asked the most: "Why don't you just put them all in one notebook?"

▼ I also wrote about how I apply these notebooks to my work.

▼ Perhaps the defining feature of my learning notebooks is that I don't just write down what I've learned, but also jot down everything that "I don't really get, but am curious about."

▼ Since the number of notebooks has grown, I've summarized them here.

▼ "How to Create Adult Learning Notebooks" Magazine

▼ Click here for how I use stationery.

▼ Click here for my self-introduction.