https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-team-leaders
Paper beats pixel when it comes to leadership clarity. That's the surprising revelation we explore as we examine why team leaders are returning to quality journals despite our digital-first world.
Leadership today means constant firefighting – endless meetings, shifting priorities, and information overload that leaves many feeling perpetually behind. While digital tools promise organization, they often add more noise. Enter the humble journal notebook, but with a crucial twist: specific design features make certain journals particularly valuable for leadership.
We dive into why premium journal features like 120 GSM paper (preventing ink bleed-through during rapid note-taking), numbered pages with a table of contents (creating an "analog search function"), and thoughtfully sized line spacing genuinely enhance leadership effectiveness. The physical act of writing engages different cognitive pathways, improving retention and clarity where digital input falls short.
A marketing team leader shares how her "campaign Bible" journal transformed chaotic launch processes into systematic learning opportunities. A software development lead describes visualizing complex code architecture on paper, freeing mental bandwidth and improving team communication. These aren't just productivity hacks – they represent fundamental shifts in leadership clarity.
Beyond daily organization, consistent journaling creates what we call "self-mentoring" – a leadership growth record allowing you to track patterns, progress, and insights over time. Your journal becomes both practical tool and leadership companion.
Ready to reclaim your thinking space? Consider what small, consistent documentation habit might unlock your leadership potential. Whether it's five minutes of daily reflection or structured meeting notes, the right journal might be the leadership upgrade you didn't know you needed.
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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
Welcome to the Deep Dive.
Today we're tackling somethingwell a challenge many of you
leading teams probably know alltoo well.
How do you stay effective, stayorganized, without getting
completely bogged down in thedaily chaos?
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Right, it's constant.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Exactly, and you know , there are tons of digital
tools out there, all promisingto be the magic bullet.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh yeah, every week there's a new app.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
But today we're actually going to explore
something maybe a bit moretangible the journal notebook.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ah, interesting, Back to basics sort of.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Sort of yeah, but with a focus on why certain
features like the ones you findin, say, lestallion journals can
genuinely make a difference forteam leaders.
We're drawing on some insightsabout that today.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Okay, yeah, for team leaders.
We're drawing on some insightsabout that today.
Okay, yeah, lestallion, they domake some quality stuff.
We've seen how digital cansometimes just add noise right.
There's a unique kind ofclarity you get just from
writing things down, andLestallion seems to have keyed
into some essential features forleaders.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Like what specifically?
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Well, think about their 120 GSM paper.
It sounds technical, butbasically it's thick.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Okay, so it feels nice.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
It does.
But, more importantly, less inkbleed through, crucial if
you're scribbling fast notes ina meeting and need to read them
later.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Ah, good point yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
And then they've got the numbered pages plus a table
of contents built right in.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Right, I've seen those.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
That's not just fancy , it's about creating like an
analog search function.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Mm-hmm.
Quick, just fancy.
It's about creating like ananalog search function, quick
information retrieval.
It's that deliberate design,isn't it making it truly
functional?
You know, it reminds me of mycousin.
She leads a marketing team.
She told me about this time.
They were just launchingcampaign after campaign, total
chaos and the wrap-up meetingsjust a mess of notes everywhere,
emails, things got lost.
Oh, I can picture that it hadbeen there.
Yeah, action items vanished.
(01:48):
They weren't learning properly,so she started using a
Lestallion journal, specificallybecause of the numbered pages
and the contents page.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
She basically documented each campaign
brainstorming results.
Everything Called it hercampaign Bible.
Seriously, it let her quicklyfind old decisions, spot
patterns they just weren'tseeing before.
Right, Really streamlinedthings.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That's a perfect example of how those features
aren't just features, theydeliver real benefits.
Leadership needs, organization,strategic thinking, clear
communication, all the hardstuff Exactly.
And leaders juggle so muchtasks, meetings, goals.
A good journal, like theLestallion ones, gives you that
dedicated space Planning agendas, tracking progress, noting down
those little insights, thingsthat lead to better decisions,
(02:38):
the numbered pages, the TOC.
It makes it a real managementsystem, not just a notebook.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, a personal management system that makes
sense and thinking about thedaily grind for leaders, there
are those common challenges,right.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Always.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Like lack of clarity on what you're even trying to
achieve.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Or what was decided in that meeting last Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Or struggling to prioritize what actually matters
.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yes, and just feeling drowned in information Plus
keeping team morale up, that'shuge.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Absolutely, and if you don't manage those pressures
, it leads to stress,ineffective leadership yeah the
whole team feels it right, andit's interesting comparing
physical journals to digital.
Digital often adds to theoverload right?
Yeah, definitely thenotifications never stop but a
notebook.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
It's focused, tactile , no distractions, just you and
your thoughts.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
So let's dig into that.
How does putting pen to paper,especially in a notebook with
those useful listalian features,actually solve these problems?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Okay, well, first up, goal setting and prioritization
.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Right, getting it out of your head, exactly.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Writing down goals, making lists, outlining plans.
It forces clarity, it makes itreal.
And you mentioned the Listerianlines, the 7.5 millimeter wide
ones.
Yeah, seemed like a detail, butit provides just enough
structure for neat notes.
Without being like rigid, itencourages organized thinking.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Okay, that makes sense.
The physical act helps somehowhelp somehow.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, studies suggest it engages different parts of
the brain better retention,clear focus on what's important.
Then there's meeting notes andfollow-ups super critical.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Oh yeah, the who's doing what by when?
Problem.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
We've all been there.
Decisions get made, then poofgone.
Documenting discussions,feedback, updates in your
journal creates that reliablerecord, and that's where the
numbered pages are gold again.
Right For referencing back.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Precisely what do we decide in the Q3 planning
meeting?
Flip back cage 52,.
There it is.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Building your own personal searchable database.
Low tech, high impact.
And it's not just tasks, is it?
What about morale?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Good point.
The source material mentionstracking employee progress,
jotting down notes from reviews,even just little things like
recognize Sarah for that report.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So it's intentional.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Exactly Actively building that positive culture.
Little notes of appreciation,tracking, development
conversations it matters.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
It really does.
People want to be seen.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
And then brainstorming, Creativity.
Sometimes you just need to letideas flow right Without a
cursor blanking at you.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Yes, sketching things out, mind maps.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Using your journal for new strategies, project
ideas, reflections.
It sparks innovation and youknow, having a nice journal like
Listallion's premium ones witha soft cover, it feels like a
serious tool for serious thought.
It encourages order.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
It signals this is important thinking time.
I get that.
You know that reminds me offriend a software lead.
He was wrestling with thissuper complex project, got
himself a list allion.
He raved about the paper.
Actually said it was just niceto write on okay he started
mapping out code, modules,dependencies, potential problems
, literally drawing it outvisualizing it exactly he said.
(05:46):
Seeing it on paper, being ableto flip back easily using the
numbered pages, gave him waybetter clarity on the whole
structure.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
The aha moment.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Totally.
He realized how much mentalenergy he was burning just
trying to hold it all in hishead.
Communicated it better to theteam too.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
That's a perfect example.
It supports structured thinking, and this goes beyond just
daily tasks, right.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
The sources also talk about leadership development.
Yeah, that continuousimprovement aspect.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Because great leaders don't stand still.
They evolve, and a journalbecomes like a logbook of that
growth.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
A record of your journey.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So documenting key moments, challenges, wins, areas
needing work no-transcript.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And again features matter.
Durable paper like the 120 GSMmeans those reflections last.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Right, you want it to hold up over time.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And even the little back pocket in some listallion
journals, handy for tucking inrelated articles or notes.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
I can see how that thicker paper would encourage
you to write more detailed notes, whether it's feedback or just
working out your own leadershipphilosophy.
It's creating an archive.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Definitely.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
I know I found it useful looking back at old
notebooks just seeing how mythinking changed For a leader
that must be really powerful.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
It absolutely is.
It gives you that long view,helps you see progress identify
recurring themes.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
It's like self-mentoring, really Guided by
your own past self.
Okay, so let's pull thistogether.
What are the key takeaways?
For you know, elevating yourleadership.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Well, the core idea is that great leaders are
generally organized, insightful,proactive.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Qualities we all aspire to.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Right, and a good journal is a practical tool to
help cultivate those.
The benefits we're seeing arethings like boosting
productivity and time management, better planning, enhancing
leadership skills.
Through that reflection andgoal setting we talked about.
Strengthening team engagementby being more intentional about
tracking morale and growthImportant and honestly reducing
(08:05):
stress.
Getting thoughts out of yourhead and onto paper improves
clarity and, as we've discussed,the specific design choices in
journals like Lestallion'sreally support leaders in
staying focused and on track.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
So the message really is if you're looking to up your
leadership game, bring morecontrol, more clarity.
Maybe don't discount the powerof pen and paper, especially in
a well-designed journal.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I truly think so.
That structure, the thick paper, the numbered pages, the table
of contents you see inLestallion, it offers a real
advantage in the complex worldof leading a team.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Okay, so here's a final thought for you, the
listener, to mull over.
What's the untapped potentialin your leadership journey that
consistent journaling couldunlock?
Think about it.
What small, consistentdocumentation habit maybe notes
after meetings, maybe fiveminutes of reflection daily
could make the biggestdifference for you and your team
(08:58):
down the line.
Something worth exploring.
Thanks for taking this deepdive with us today.
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