Journal For College Students - How Journals Transform College Student Life

https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-college-students

Feeling overwhelmed by college chaos? You're not alone. That constant low-level anxiety about forgetting something important plagues students everywhere, creating what we call "college brain chaos"—like having a dozen different apps open with none of them syncing properly.

Today we explore how the humble journal notebook, specifically designs like Lestallium's, can transform this overwhelming experience. Beyond just having somewhere to write, we unpack how specific design elements tackle real student challenges. The 120 GSM wood-free paper prevents frustrating bleed-through when using pens or highlighters. Numbered pages paired with a table of contents create an organized system where information can actually be found again (imagine that!). Even seemingly minor features like a back pocket for loose handouts and a portable 7.5-inch soft cover size address genuine pain points in student life.

We share compelling student stories that make these benefits tangible—from the history major who wasted hours frantically searching for crucial exam notes, to "Ben" who repeatedly missed assignments buried in digital notifications, to the transformative experience of a student who discovered that just 10 minutes of post-lecture handwritten summaries dramatically improved her comprehension and retention. The research backs this up: writing by hand engages different neural pathways than typing, boosting both understanding and memory of complex material.

The journal becomes more than a container for information; it's a command center that shifts students from reactive chaos to proactive organization. If you're constantly feeling like you're playing catch-up in your academic life, maybe it's time to consider adding some intentional, structured journaling to your routine. Could this analog tool be the secret weapon your digital arsenal is missing?

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LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.

For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
https://lestallion.com/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ever feel like your college brain is just juggling
way too much, like you've got adozen different apps open and
none are syncing up.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Oh, definitely that feeling of chaos.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Yeah.
So today we're diving deep intothat exact challenge how
students can actually stayorganized, you know, with all
the assignments, deadlinespopping up everywhere and just
mountains of information.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
It's that constant hum.
Isn't it that low level anxietyabout forgetting something
important?
Super common.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Totally and for this deep dive.
We're actually looking at afamiliar name when it comes to
student tools Lestallium andtheir journal notebooks.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Right.
A lot of students know them.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Exactly.
We know they're out there,people use them, but today we
want to focus specifically onwhy.
Their features, the way theirdesign seem to really tackle
this college chaos effectively.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, it's not just about, you know, having a
notebook.
It's how those specific designchoices can actually help a
student's workflow, theirlearning process.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Okay, so let's get into it.
What are those big hurdles, theorganizational nightmares that
really trip up college students?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, information overload is huge, Just the sheer
volume.
From lectures readingEverywhere yeah, it's a flood.
And then managing time,tracking deadlines across what?
Four, five, six differentcourses.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Right Remembering what's due when.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
That's a massive challenge.
It's not like high schoolanymore.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Not at all.
So how does something like ayou know, a physical journal
notebook actually step in andhelp with that?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, it gives you a central physical place, a
command center sort of, Insteadof notes scattered on your
laptop, random scraps of paper,mental reminders that just
vanish.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
It all comes together in one spot.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Exactly, and there's quite a bit of research
suggesting that writing thingsdown by hand actually boosts
retention.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Oh yeah, I've heard that, like it sticks better.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
It seems to it, engages a different part of the
brain than typing.
So that's a real academic plus,especially for complex stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Makes sense.
You're physically forming thewords.
It anchors it somehow.
So the journal becomes a system, taking scattered thoughts and
giving them structure.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Precisely Turning that chaos into a clear
framework and that can reallyhelp with focus, reduce that
feeling of being overwhelmed,cut down on the stress.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Okay, let's talk specifics then.
Lestallian journals they'reknown for certain features, like
the paper right.
They use 120 GSM wood-freeivory pages.
Why does that matter for astudent?

Speaker 2 (02:28):
The thickness that 120 GSM.
That's key means the paper'ssturdy, less chance of ink
bleeding through or ghosting.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Ghosting right, Seeing the shadow on the other
side.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Exactly If you're using pens highlighters, which
most students do.
Thicker paper keeps your notesclean on both sides.
You maximize the space.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Nothing worse than messy bleed-through.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Right, and the wood-free ivory probably means
it feels nicer to write on tooSmoother Might even encourage
you to use it more consistently.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Okay, so good paper.
What else?
They have numbered pages and abuilt-in table of contents.
Seems simple, but how's thatuseful for college?

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Oh, those are organizational game changers,
honestly, the numbered pages.
Let you create a structure,maybe dedicate sections to
different classes.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Like pages 1 to 50 for psych, 51 to 100 for bio.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Something like that.
Yeah, and then the table ofcontents at the front.
That's your index.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ah, okay.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
So imagine you're studying for finals.
You need your notes on, say,that specific lecture from week
three instead of flippingthrough everything frantically.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
You check the table of contents, find the lecture
title.
See the page number bam Exactly.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
It saves huge amounts of time and frustration.
It directly fights that feelingof drowning in notes.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Got it.
That makes a huge difference.
They also mention a soft coveroption, specifically a 7.5 inch
size for portability.
Why focus on that?

Speaker 2 (03:46):
well, students haul their stuff everywhere, right
dorm, library, class, coffeeshop true, backpacks get heavy
yeah, a soft cover is usuallylighter, more flexible than a
hardcover, easier to shove in afull bag without adding much
weight or taking up too muchspace, and 7.5 inches sounds
like a decent size big enough towrite comfortably, small enough

(04:06):
to carry easily.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Right that balance.
And one more little thing theback pocket.
What's the deal with that?

Speaker 2 (04:12):
It seems small, but it's surprisingly useful.
Think about handouts, indexcards, maybe a syllabus snippet
important receipts.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Loose bits you don't want to lose.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Exactly that pocket keeps those essential little
things with your main notes allin one place, less chance of
them getting lost in the shuffle.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Okay, so these features, they really do seem
designed around the actual lifeof a student.
It's practical stuff.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Very much so.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
Now, you know, features are one thing, but
stories make it real, as theysay.
Features tell, stories sell,and I definitely have memories
of college organization or lackthereof.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh, I bet Go on.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Okay, so picture this First year five big courses.
My notes were well everywhereSpiral notebooks, loose leaf
crammed in folders, some typednotes I could never find again.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Sounds familiar.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, so history final is coming up.
I knew the prof emphasized thisone specific point about the
French Revolution, knew it wascrucial.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
The pressure's on Totally.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
And I spent I'm not kidding hours digging through
this mess of notes, panic risingcouldn't find it anywhere.
It was awful.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Oh no, the worst feeling.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Right, and I just kept thinking.
If I'd had something like youknow, a journal with numbered
pages in that table of contentsyou mentioned, I could have
found it in minutes, Probablysave myself hours of stress and
gotten more sleep.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
That is such a classic student experience
knowing the info is there, butyou just can't retrieve it
efficiently.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
Exactly, and it wasn't just finding notes, it
was deadlines too.
I had this friend let's callhim Ben Nice guy, smart, but
always, always missing smallassignments.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
The little quizzes, the homework checks.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, he'd put due dates in his phone, but they'd
just get lost in all the othernotifications.
You know digital clutter.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
He actually missed a big online quiz once worth like
10% of his grade, just becausethe reminder got buried.
Oh, that hurts, yeah.
And you think if he just had aphysical journal written down
the assignments maybe brokendown, bigger projects, track
them visually.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Away from the digital noise.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Right, maybe seeing it written down, physically,
checking it off, would have madeit stick, made it feel more
real than just another phonealert.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
It's a different kind of engagement, isn't it?
Yeah, the digital stuff isgreat, but sometimes it works
against that kind of focustracking totally.

Speaker 1 (06:27):
And one more this is for my sister.
She's in college now.
She was saying how just typingnotes and lectures wasn't
working for her.
She wasn't really learning itjust transcribing, basically,
yeah so she started using ajournal and after each lecture
she'd spend like 10 minutessummarizing the main points in
her own words ah active recallSynthesizing.
Exactly and she said it made amassive difference.

(06:49):
She actually understood itbetter, remembered it better.
That act of processing it,writing it by hand in her
journal, that's what locked itin.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
That's a perfect example.
It's using the journal not justfor capture, but for actual
learning and understanding.
That's powerful.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
So these stories really highlight how the
practice of using a journalsupported by useful features
makes a difference.
What kind of practical tips dosources like Lestallion often
give students for using theirjournals effectively?

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Well, they often suggest structuring the journal
like maybe use differentsections for each class, have a
dedicated space for assignmentsand deadlines, maybe even a
section for brainstorming orpersonal thoughts.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Creating order within the notebook itself.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Right, and they really emphasize that
summarizing technique.
Your sister used writinglecture summaries in your own
words soon after.
Great for retention.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
What about task management?

Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, they often mention incorporating bullet
journaling methods.
What about task management?
Yeah, they often mentionincorporating bullet journaling
methods, Using symbols for tasks, events notes, creating
trackers for study habits orprogress on big projects,
setting weekly goals.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
So using it like a planner too, in a way.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Exactly and using visual cues highlighting key
points, maybe color coding bysubject, it makes reviewing
faster and easier.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
Basically using the journal actively, not just
passively dumping notes into itRight it's a tool to engage with
, not just fill up.
So, stepping back a bit, thejournal is clearly more than
just a place for notes.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Oh, absolutely.
It becomes, like we said, acentral hub.
It helps with retention becauseyou're processing actively.
It can spark creativity, aplace to jot down ideas.
It sharpens critical thinkingbecause you're summarizing,
questioning, reflecting.

Speaker 1 (08:28):
And that handwriting aspect forces you to be a bit
more selective.
Right, you can't write as fastas you type.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
Precisely.
You tend to synthesize more,pick out the key ideas, rather
than just trying to get everysingle word down verbatim and
again features like thosenumbered pages and the index
make it easy to go back, connectideas, build on previous
thoughts.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
So when you pull it all together a well-designed
journal, maybe like one fromLestallion, with that good paper
, the numbered pages, the tableof contents, the portability it
really does seem like a powerfulasset for a student.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
It really can be.
It helps shift you from justreacting to everything coming at
you to being more proactive,more organized in how you
approach your studies.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
It's about building a system, a reliable process.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yeah, and the right journal can be a fantastic
catalyst for building thatprocess and that organized
mindset.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
It really makes you think, doesn't it, how
consciously using a tool likethis integrating journaling into
your study habits couldgenuinely change your whole
college experience Not justgrades, but maybe feeling less
stressed, more in control.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
Definitely it's worth considering, especially if you
feel like you're constantlyplaying catch up.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
Maybe it's time for everyone listening to take a
look at their own system, orlack thereof, and think about
whether bringing someintentional, structured
journaling into the mix couldmake a difference.
Something to ponder, for sure.