Smaller journals promote efficiency with words that just doesn't happen with larger ones. Ironically, I once bought a large journal that took years to fill, even without writing conservatively. This sounds like great value. But it wears out the journal. The spine will break and the cover gets a beating.
I recently heard about library binding and have to say it makes the most sense for a book that will stand the test of time and frequent use.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_binding