Click image for my supplies list
Why do I insist on keeping a notebook? To quote Dwight Schrute, “I keep secrets from my computer.”
Actually there’s just something about a blank page that inspires creativity and thought. For as digital as my life gets I still love paper and pen. This post has nothing to do with social media or the Internet except for the complete lack of either.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am very rarely without my notebook. I have had a planner of one kind or another since Junior High but they never seemed right. You have to fit all your thinking into their structure. Then a few years ago I started reading all these GTD hacks on blogs. So I started my own Moleskine system that I put together based on some of what I read. Here’s a list on Amazon of the supplies I use: GTD Moleskine Hack Supplies
It’s important to note that each of the notebooks you see above are different in their set up, they have evolved over time. While every notebook changes a little I have developed some pretty standard component.
Each month I start off with a page that I keep as a monthly table of contents. I fill this in as the month goes. This helps me find things quickly but it also helps me mentally organize my activities as I go.
I then keep a weekly page that I break into 4 parts: Work, Projects, Personal and Misc (these 4 things change the most). These are kind of my big to-do items.
Image by Tac Anderson via Flickr
The dated tabs you (can kind of) see below are the monthly tabs and the plain white ones are the weekly tabs.
This is where I really give the illusion of organization. I break out sections like work, blog ideas, meeting notes, big ideas, etc. The topics change from notebook to notebook, depending on what I need. The red tabs are pages that I have a tasks assigned to. The yellow tabs are pages that I need to reference later.
Bellow is an example of of some notes (they’re actually from my IgniteBoise01 presentation).
My current favorite notebooks are the soft cover Moleskine’s. A notebook lasts me about 3 months on average.
I don’t know if this is an analog leftover of my generation. (I actually took typing class on a real type writer). Moleskine’s have become very popular during this whole digital revolution. I know a lot of Gen Y that still use notebooks. Maybe there’s just a part of our brains that need analog.
For me the biggest benefit for having a notebook is the ability to get away for my computer and collect my thoughts.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=86bb4c04-c57c-45e8-baee-48cd8764ad59)
It's always intrigued me that a hi-tech guy like you likes to use Moleskines to write. I agree–when writing is tactile instead of virtual, I believe I have a more direct brain-to-hand-to-paper connection. It's like the difference between actually throwing a real ball vs. playing a virtual game and using the mouse to pretend you're “throwing” it.
And another plus of using a notebook instead of a PC is that there are no pop-up ads, notifications, or weird formatting problems.
But I'll admit, my favorite reason for using pen and paper is that it lets me justify having all these cool fountain pens to play with.
Posted by Peggy Jordan | 07. Jul, 2009, 4:52 pmThnx for the insight. Much appreciated.
Posted by Miro | 07. Jul, 2009, 7:10 pmGreat system! I'd like to suggest Piccadilly for notebooks; MUCH cheaper than Moleskine brand, but the same features. Not a shill for them, just like to buy cheaper stuff.
Posted by Jason D Barr | 07. Jul, 2009, 8:17 pmSome things cannot be replicated online.
I draw ER diagrams and laying them out on paper is faster and simpler than creating a online map.
I also used it to draw UI/wireframes etc.
I've always thought about a system for my Moleskines, but somehow I'm afraid I'll wind up skipping pages here and there.
My Moleskine is my creative outlet, I don't want to stymie it with structure. I get enough of that already with Excel and code
Posted by lmai | 07. Jul, 2009, 8:25 pmI'm a fan of paper to implement GTD (re-purposed filofax) even though I spent a considerable amount of time in front of a computer. Through your many iterations you have proved that if your system attracts, you will want to improve it and it is more likely to work.
Posted by Piaras MacDonnell | 08. Jul, 2009, 9:07 am“there’s just something about a blank page that inspires creativity and thought”
Absolutely true. Speaking for the generation that had computers in there elementary school. My handwritting is horrible, part of it I honestly think is due to the fact that I hardly write things out by hand. During a typical day the only actual writting I do is planning and notes in my moleskin, and notes scribbled in the margins of journal articles. Everything else is typed, probably why I can type at least 5X faster than I can write long hand.
Posted by T.J. Anderson | 23. Jul, 2009, 2:18 pmFor implementing GTD you can use this web-based application:
http://www.Gtdagenda.com
You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.
Posted by Dan | 05. Sep, 2009, 3:58 pmHave you ever tried Pentalic Traveler's Sketch books? They have a waterproof, flexible cover, elastic binding closure, nice cream colored paper, pocket in back, etc. I use them exclusively for my journaling. The primary reason I prefer them is because of their nice pocket size (I take them everywhere!), and their price. They are not bound by being over priced because of the ridiculously famous “moleskine” name, but work in much the same way for my own purposes.
Posted by Phil Steller | 19. Feb, 2010, 9:21 pm