What to write in a refillable leather notebook? 33 useful and elegant ideas

You have a beautiful leather notebook, the pages crackle, the ink smells good… and yet nothing comes out. What to write, how to start, and above all how to stick with it without letting it end up forgotten in a drawer?

Why write in a leather notebook today

In the age of screens, a leather notebook has a simple virtue: bringing you back to the essentials. You write, you anchor, you remember. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that handwriting improves memory encoding compared to typing. A serious ally for your ideas and projects.

A handcrafted leather notebook is also a sensory experience. The grain, the feel, the patina. It doesn’t just hold your notes—it makes you want to write. And desire is half the journey. As they say: ideas fly fast; a notebook catches them.

La Compagnie du Kraft has been making handmade leather notebooks since 1930, designed to last and to be refillable. Your cover lives, marks, personalizes, and passes on. An object that stands the test of time naturally encourages consistency.

Want a look at our notebooks? Check out our best-sellers, the paper we use, our heritage, and available customization.

For more on methods, explore the Bullet Journal or the GTD method. And on cognition, the study on handwriting and memory is worth the read.

33 ideas to write depending on life’s moments

Clarity and goals

• 90-day goals: three major goals, reasons, indicators.
• Annual roadmap: big milestones, key stages, quarterly reviews.
• Daily Top 3: three essential actions before noon.
• One-page personal vision: direction, values, simple metrics.
• Strengths and weaknesses inventory: where to invest your energy.
• Gratitude journal: three lines a day to boost morale.

Work and projects

• Five-point meeting notes: context, decisions, responsibilities, deadlines, risks.
• Project backlog: ideas, next action, status, date.
• Weekly progress board: goals, results, obstacles, solutions.
• KPIs by hand: writing numbers helps you understand them.
• Quality checklists: pre-delivery, post-delivery.
• Learning notes: one page, one concept, one example.

Creativity and ideas

• Raw idea pages: no filter, one idea per line.
• Sketch notes: words + drawings to memorize quickly.
• Quotes and punchlines: those that enlighten and challenge.
• Minimalist mood boards: colors, materials, keywords.
• Reading journal: summary, quote, action to test.
• Mind map of a topic: center, branches, links.

Daily life and well-being

• Morning routine: 15-minute ritual, checkboxes.
• Habit tracker: monthly table, marks and reviews.
• 5-line daily log: what matters, every day.
• Workout or yoga plan: sessions, loads, feelings.
• Simple meal plan: two columns, shopping and menus.
• Monthly budget: items, limits, gaps, lesson learned.

Travel, field, memory

• Travel log: stages, kilometers, encounters.
• Addresses and landmarks: favorites, to revisit.
• Photo journal: one pasted photo, three lines.
• Hand-drawn itineraries: walk, bike, train, timings.
• Local glossary: 20 words to get by anywhere.
• Family memories: dates, anecdotes, little legends.

Useful lists (the backbone of productivity)

• “To say” list: messages to pass to your teams or clients.
• “To delegate” list: who, what, when, proof.
• “Ideas to pitch” list: ready-to-go hooks.
• “Stop” list: what you quit doing immediately.
• “To explore” list: topics to dig into, resources.

For die-hard list lovers, our Todolist notebook brings performance to the concrete: clean columns, wide checkboxes, calibrated paper, robust binding.

Simple methods and ready-to-use formats

Structure creates regularity. Here are pocket-sized templates for any refillable leather notebook.

• The 3–3–3 daily page: 3 priorities, 3 minutes of planning, 3 things learned. Short, effective.
• The two-minute rule: if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now. Only write what takes longer.
• Weekly review (20 minutes): what’s progressing, what’s blocked, what you cut. A set ritual, best with hot coffee.
• Index and pagination: number pages simply, note the index on the first page. No more digging.
• One page = one topic: reduces noise, makes rereading easier. Your future self will thank you.
• Visual markers: bullets for tasks, dashes for notes, stars for priorities. Borrowed from the Bullet Journal.

Need a tool built for list performance? The Todolist notebook is designed for immediate action: clear layout, solid paper, quick rotation. And like every notebook from the house, it fits into a durable system.

Writing is already acting. Note the next action, not a vague intention. “Call Martin to validate estimate” is better than “Project X.” Simple as hello, effective as a masterstroke.

Choosing the right tool: leather, refill, customization

A good tool makes you want to use it. A well-made leather notebook goes everywhere with you, takes the hits of travel, and handles ideas on the fly. Three key criteria:

• Refill: the core of a sustainable system. Change the paper, keep the patina. That’s the soul of a refillable notebook.
• Paper: pleasant, no smudges, accepts pen and pencil. Discover our paper: opacity, feel, durability.
• Customization: initials, embossing, sizes. A personalized leather notebook builds attachment and regularity. See our customization options.

As for styles, the iKraft is a leather notebook designed for daily life: robust, handmade, artisanal, and above all refillable. Slip in your lists, meeting notes, sketches. The leather gains patina, the inside evolves: the tool stays, the content lives.

A notebook is personal, almost secret; it doesn’t shout, it proves. Test it, adjust it, make it yours.

In conclusion: the first line is waiting for you

The blank page is not a wall. It’s a beginning. Choose 2 or 3 ideas from this list, adopt a simple template, then write down the next action. Your leather notebook will do the rest: it will hold your hand, hold the course, and hold true.