What are Pocket Notebooks?
Pocket notebooks are small notebooks designed to fit conveniently in your pocket or your bag. I’ve been using them to pen down ideas and thoughts throughout my day, though others may also use them to make quick sketches or even to-do lists.
While smartphones have become the go-to alternative for pocket notebooks, I think the latter is starting to recapture hearts due to the lack of distraction it offers. I mean, how many times have you reached out for your phone to note something or add a task to your calendar, only to find yourself answering messages, clearing your notifications or even scrolling on social media?
If, like me, you’ve started using a Pocket Notebook and want to start making your own custom ones that suit your needs and maybe even express your personality, this guide is for you.
How to make your own Pocket Notebooks in 10 minutes
What you need:
- 10 pieces of white paper (A4 or letter sized, 70 – 80gsm)*
- 1 piece of colored paper (70 – 80gsm) or cardstock (100gsm)
- Penknife
- Ruler
- Stapler
- Clip to hold paper while you’re working
*p.s. This tutorial makes 4 pocket notebooks, you can adjust the number of paper for thicker notebooks.
Here’s a video tutorial!
1) Prepare the paper
For this project, we’ll use regular copy paper (70 – 80gsm) as the inner pages of the pocket notebook. Simply fold an A4 paper into 4, and cut them to size.
Repeat this with 5 pieces of A4 paper (or letter sized paper).
You should end up with 4 sheets per A4 paper.
If you’re in the US, you can also use Letter sized paper. Each final sheet should be around 5.5 in long and 4.25 in wide.
Repeat this with your colored paper or cardstock which will serve as the cover.
2) Put your pocket notebook together
Count and stack 10 white sheets, these will form the inner pages of your pocket notebook.
Place your cover over the inner pages.
Fold the stack into half to make a book.
3) Bind the pocket notebook
This method doesn’t request sewing, instead we’ll simply staple the inner pages at the spine of the notebook.
The good news is, you don’t need a huge stapler. Any regular stapler will work.
However, you may require a cutting mat or a soft surface as you will be puncturing the staples through the spine:
For a small sized Pocket Notebook, I’ve found that using two staples is sufficient. However, there’s no fixed rules, experiment and see what works best for you.
Once you’ve stapled the spine, you’ll need to detach the staple from the cutting mat and bend them inwards so that they are not jutting out in the middle of the notebook.
I used a scissors to do this, if you have a plier you may find it easier to bend the staples.
I’ve left the staples exposed. If you’re not comfortable with that, you can simply tape the area up with clear tape or washi tape.
4) Cut the side of the notebook to get a straight end
Since we had folded the sheets and cover to make the pocket notebook, you’ll notice that the edge of the notebook isn’t straight thanks to the various folding angles.
Simply cut off the edge using a ruler as a guide to get a straight edge.
If you find that the ends of your pocket notebook tend to frill or bend with extended use, you can tape the edges of your notebook too. Personally, I prefer using colored cloth tape to protect the edges of my pocket notebook’s cover.
(Optional) Glue the insides of the cover to the first / last page.
For these pocket notebooks, I used a paper of a similar thickness as my inner pages as the cover.
This step is highly recommended in such cases as it helps provide the cover with extra thickness – it feels better and less likely to crease up as quickly with frequent use.
Alternatively, you could use a thicker paper (~100gsm), cut it down to the same size as your inner pages.
Have fun customizing your cover design.
5) Leave the pocket notebook under a weight overnight
If you’ve glued your cover to the inner page, you’ll definitely want to do this. This ensures that the glue adheres in position.
I also find that this step allows my notebooks to become perfectly flat when closed, hence I usually leave my new notebooks under some weight overnight. A stack of thick books works well, so don’t fret about finding the right weights to use.
(Optional) Use Self-adhesive book wraps to protect covers
If you plan to carry these notebooks around in your pocket, consider wrapping the covers with a self-adhesive book wrapper (like these) that could help protect your notebooks against spills or stains.
Here’s a photo from my batch of monthly pocket notebooks for 2026:
Do You Use Pocket Notebooks Too?
And will you be making some of your own?
Let me know in the comments below, share a photo if you’re making your own notebooks this year!