Have you ever sat down to write in your notebook?  You’re excited, but then you have trouble getting it started?  We’ve all spent time staring at a blank page.  A blank page of a notebook is a tyrant, demanding a task you don’t know how to accomplish.

Your best defense against this feeling is a Content List.  A Content List is a list of 5-10 topics written on the last page of your notebook.  Before you even start writing in your notebook, it’s helpful to take some time and write a list of topics you’re going to write about in your notebook.  Make that list on the last page of your notebook so that it’s always there for you when you need it.

The Content List is the heart of Notebooking.  Without it, you are at the mercy of the tyrannical blank page.  These topics are there to give you guidance and inspiration as to what to write.  Your Content List acts as a muse and serves as a shield against that judgy blank paper.

“Sounds good?”

“No, rhetorical question guy, sounds great!  Gimme that Content List!”

“Nope!”

You make your own.  Making your Content List is simple but not always easy.

Guidelines

First, let’s set down some guidelines.  Items on your Content List should:

1. Be something you can write about.  Obviously.  Writing your notebook entirely in French might be cool but not if you can’t speak it.
2. Be interesting.  This should go without saying but, just because you can write about something doesn’t mean it will be interesting enough to do so.  I could write about all the technical specifications involved in ball-bearing ratings but absolutely no one wants that!
3. Be very specific.  Writing “funny stuff” on your Content List helps no one.
4. Avoid being too private.  Don’t live in fear that the wrong person will open your notebook.  To paraphrase everyone’s grandma, “If you can’t write something nice, don’t write anything at all.”
5. No whining!  We joke about whining a lot but the fact is that nothing puts you into a bad place faster than whining.  Additionally, nothing is worse to read than whining.  If you avoid whining now there will be so much less cringing when it comes time to assess your Notebooking.

The Big 4

Most anything that ends up on your Content List can be put into 4 categories.

Interests

Whether hobbies, scholarly pursuits or any combination thereof, putting an interest of yours on your Content List means it’s something you enjoy thinking about and will, therefore, enjoy writing about.  Moreover, there should be some capacity for growth and reflection.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  As an example, consider cooking.  Cooking is an interest of mine.  Putting “Cooking” on my Content List is ok.  Putting “recipes”, “new foods I want to try” and “what I learned watching cooking shows” is fantastic.

Humor

Everything from funny observations to silly lists to (God help us) “Dad Jokes.”  Humor is important in keeping things light and keeping your notebook from feeling intimidating.  Everyone loves to laugh and that includes you, plus it’s entertaining.  There’s nothing wrong with sharpening your funny bone¹.

Page Eaters

A page eater is any topic you can easily wax on and on about.  The goal here is to get through pages.  Moving through pages creates momentum and adds a sense of accomplishment.  Page Eaters are often an interest or something humorous but it can also give you tacit permission for other uses for the pages.  Mapping out thoughts, writing down observations, recording entertaining quotes, or nearly any inefficient use of paper are all fair game.  Try to be specific with your Page Eaters as they could easily become the “bread and butter” of your fun and dynamic notebook.

A Challenge

This is the tough one but it is probably the most rewarding.  While not technically necessary, chronicling a path of hard-won wisdom and growth is incredible.  The good news is that it can be pretty open-ended.  Whether it’s keeping track of your exercise plan or figuring out how to be a better conversationalist, trust me when I say that the familiar cruelty of the blank page will keep you accountable.  If you do this, looking back through your notebook will become a motivating journey towards success.

As with all things Notebooking, your Content List will change and evolve over time.  The key is that the more diverse and specific your Content List is, the more it will help when the words aren’t flowing.  You don’t have to write only what’s on your Content List, but when that blank-page tyrant is staring you in the face, you’ll have an ally waiting for you on the last page who can prompt you to always write well.

1. Don’t ACTUALLY try to sharpen any bones nor the nerve ganglion near your elbow.  That’s crazy!