"I Need Y'all to Really Stop" — Woman Frustrated by How Notebooks Are Often Labeled

Labels can be beneficial in some cases. For example, using labels in the kitchen can help you tell the difference between the flour and the sugar. It can help you distinguish which drawer is for silverware and which is the designated, free-for-all, junk drawer. Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin from Netflix's Get Organized With the Home Edit are big advocates of marking your containers up to know exactly what and where everything is.

But not everyone likes labels. Some folks already have a good grasp on what's what and don't need fancy stickers or official classifications to tell them. One woman doesn't even want to be bothered with having labels on her notebooks.

In a TikTok video, creator @5yearsofsummer is seen shopping for some type of notebook or journal to write stuff down in. And she has one special request: the book shouldn't have anything written on the cover.

“Dear Notebook makers, I need y’all to really stop doing this,” she says in her video, gesturing to the letters on the front of a notebook that read "Notes" in all capital letters.

"Or like this," she continues, now gesturing to a book that's labeled "Journal" on the front.

Going back to the "Notes" book, @5yearsofsummer speaks her truth.

“This notebook would literally be perfect, but it’s not. Do you know why? It says 'Notes.' I know what it is. That’s not what I need it for. I don’t need it to say 'Notes' on the thing. Stop putting 'Notes' on the thing," she exclaims.

In the comment section of her video, people had a lot to say about her notebook pet peeve.

In fact, it seemed most agreed with @5yearsofsummer's distaste for labels like "Notes" and "Journal" becoming the norm for notebook covers.

"So many cute designs get ruined by words," wrote one user.

Another said: "I never understood the need to label it, unless it's a yearly planner."

"Tbh it's actually none of their business what I'm gonna use it for. Maybe it's not a journal," said a third.

One user even likened the notebook shopping process to shopping at Forever 21. "[It's] like finding heat at Forever 21 only to discover it’s got a lame phrase or icon on the back," read their comment.

Meanwhile, other users brought up some other unnecessary phrases or words they've seen notebooks labeled with that have grinded their gears.

One person shared that there was a green notebook they saw at Michael's that read "Kale Yeah" on the cover. "It ruins it," the user claimed.

Another claimed that “Thoughts," "Wild and free,” or “She thought she could, so she did” also needed to be done away with.

And some folks wanted all useless labels to be removed for good. "I need the world to stop labeling everything. I get so mad when something is ruined because it says 'coffee' or 'dreamer' or 'good vibes only,'" she wrote.

So, will @5yearsofsummer's video change anything? It's hard to tell at this point. We just really hope the right person sees her video and takes note and not "Notes."