These Are the Best Laptops
Having a favorite notebook is even more difficult than having a favorite pen . You write on a stack of paper. But the subtleties and peculiarities really affect your workflow. Moleskine hardcover adds class to your notes, but it’s a terrible choice if you like to rip out pages when you’re done with them. Here are Lifehacker employees’ favorite notebooks and why we love them.
Virginia K. Smith, Managing Editor:
I have a classic Moleskine red line that I really like. It’s fun and eye-catching and makes me use it a little more than when I had black notebooks. Sturdy, fits in your bag, gets the job done.
Michelle Wu, Parenting Editor:
The laptop should be: 1) small enough to fit in a belt bag so I can take it with me for walks, 2) flexible but not flimsy, 3) mesh, and 4) inexpensive. MUJI notebook A5 with 5mm mesh meets these criteria.
Nick Douglas, staff writer:
Perforation, perforation, perforation! Having digitized the page of the letter, I want to throw it away. Rhodia in a ruler with a top spiral about half a letter in size, large enough for extended writing, but small enough to carry around all day. I can flip the pages all the way back so that the notebook sits flat and takes up only one page.
Beth Skorecki, Health Editor:
Leuchtturm1917 makes the best hardcover notebooks. The pages are pre-numbered and there is a blank table of contents. They come with TWO tape tabs, an elastic band, a back pocket, and some sticky labels that you can stick on the spine and cover when archiving on the bookshelf. I use medium size (A5) with dotted paper if I think the mood of a bullet magazine might strike me, otherwise in a line or grid.
Choosing a color isn’t easy, but I recommend thinking about your personality, hopes and dreams as you shop for each one at the bookstore. You cannot ask for help; you must make this decision with your heart. Mine so far have been Berry, Azure, Ice Blue and Lemon.
Joel Kahn, Senior Video Producer:
I really don’t know what my notebook is called (since it was a memento that I took from a work event a few years ago), but here are the main features: The cover is made of very hard cardboard, which makes it almost like a clipboard. Easy to write anywhere! Basically a built-in table! Plus, the spiral is small compared to paper, so you can write on the back easily without wasting half a page to make room for your hand. This seems to be the closest approximation.
Megan Walbert, author of articles:
I use a standard magazine with markers and a set of pens, stickers, and ribbons to come up with. I use it as a weekly / monthly planner, as well as a place to keep to-do lists, long-term goal tracking, and reminders. With an orange lid, because the orange is cheerful.
David Murphy, Technical Editor:
Simple Moleskine with outlined lines so my letter doesn’t look like I’m trying to write a ransom letter or something.
Heather Huss, Creative Producer:
I will use anything to write words. Probably because I like to write (aesthetically), so most of my notes are a little … useless, but beautiful! I’m a bit picky about drawing: I prefer the Moleskine tooth to any sketchbook.
Melissa Kirsch, Editor-in-Chief:
You used to have to go to Europe for a good notebook, and by “good notebook” I meant one that was not a broad rule, blue lines on white paper, xxx. My peak notebook experience included a stitched-to-saddle number I bought in Rome, with a brown cardboard cover (pre- field notes ) and graph paper inside, the mesh of which was brown, and every page had this subtle brown gradient. Trust me, it was amazing.
Since then, I’ve searched all over the place for something equal to the pleasure of this weird Roman notebook, and the best I’ve found is the Grids & Guides notebook from Princeton Architectural Press . The cover is a durable fabric-covered cardboard with an embossed mesh pattern for a pleasant hand feel. Inside, each page has its own nice grid, dotted or patterned layout. Small charts and diagrams on random pages scattered all over the screen act like a sky cleaner: before you take another note, why not check out these cute little drawings of different kinds of nodes? Nice laptop!
Claire Lower, Cooking Editor:
I currently use four different notebooks, but my favorite is this clipboard situation from Paper Tigre . I do most of my recipe and design sketches on these sheets, which I can then copy and file (or discard) if necessary. Also, installing the clipboard in a humid place is less dangerous than installing a laptop in a humid place.