Category Archives: Tips & Tricks

Questions to ask yourself while Notebooking

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks, Writing Prompts

We’ve already talked about how Notebooking can help you to ask better questions, in fact, Notebooking is one of the fastest ways to develop your question asking skills.

Want to make it happen faster?  Want to jump start the question asking genius inside your head?  Read on.

We, as Notebookers, often write about our experiences.  Whether recent experiences or distant memories, our lives tend to be the starting point from which we put pen to page.  This is fine.  This is normal.  This can be boring.

What follows is a list of questions that can help your writing and jump start your question asking skills.

When Notebooking an experience try asking yourself some of these questions:

  • What 3 emotions did this experience evoke in you and why?  When we write about an experience it’s easy to fall into the trap of writing only one emotion or tone.  Call it a natural tendency for narrative consistency or tone.  However, emotions rarely travel alone.  They tend to bring their friends.  The truth is that people are complicated so naturally emotions can be complicated too.  If you experience excitement it’s probable you felt anticipation too.  You might have even felt some anxiety.  We’re even capable of feeling conflicting emotions at the same time!  If you experienced the feeling of contented calm maybe you also felt a little melancholy, it happens.  If you’re writing about an experience and you leave out the depth of emotion you felt, you are leaving out some depth of writing.
  • What did you learn?  It’s often said that there are only 2 ways humans learn:  experience and Sesame Street.  If you didn’t learn from an experience you had it might as well have not happened.  Don’t worry though, you can just as easily ask yourself, What can I learn from this experience?
  • What do you wish you had learned from this experience?  Sometimes it’s only through the lens of time that we can fully understand something.  We can get more out of our experiences if we continue to learn from them.
  • Why does this experience stand out in your memory?  You chose this memory to write about, you must have done so for a reason.  Take some time to discover what this experience is trying to tell you.
  • How would you like to remember this experience?  This is where you take control.  We are all haunted by bad or awkward memories yet, through Notebooking and re-framing, we can change how we feel about them.
  • Finally, Summarize this memory in a way that puts it to rest.  This can crystallize a memory in a sort of time capsule.  The power and control we have over our experiences is astonishing.  Use it!

If you ask yourself these questions when you write, not only will your writing improve but you will begin to think in terms of good questions.  Good questions lead to great writing and even greater conversations!

  • Bonus question!  How would you tell a story of this experience that is either funny or self-deprecating?  You know those people who always seem to tell funny and engaging stories?  This is how you become one of those people.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

In my youth I stayed up late and I slept in like it was my job!  I used to brag about how late I routinely stayed up late.  Sleeping in was a way of life for me.

Then I got a job where I had to wake up early and a funny thing happened, “sleeping in” had a new definition.  All of a sudden getting out of bed at 7am was late and sleeping until noon became simply impossible, where just a few months earlier it was normal.

I used to joke, “I didn’t even know they made a 5 in the morning!” and now it is my favorite time to Notebook!

This all began because I’m not a monster.

Let me explain…

There are certain activities that are not appropriate at certain times.  At 5 in the morning loud things should be avoided unless you’re a monster.  Everyone knows that mowing your lawn or snow blowing your driveway at 5 am (or earlier) should be a federal offense!  While I could go on and on listing things to avoid (tuba practice comes to mind), I won’t.  Happily, Notebooking is one of those things that won’t wake anyone up.

So with Notebook in hand and an inability to sleep past 5 am I, unknowingly, began to irreversibly improve my days and my Notebooking.

Like all good things, this started with a nice beverage.  Coffee to be specific.  Kenya AA I had roasted to City+ 2 days earlier to be exact.  To say that beginning my day with coffee and quiet contemplation improves my life would be an understatement.

It turned out that the simple act of changing my routine had a profound effect on my writing.  Without the crushing weight of a stressful day in the rear-view mirror, I no longer had to try to avoid whining.  In fact my Notebooking entries took on a feeling of optimism and excitement without me noticing.

The frustration I felt at times when my words wouldn’t flow was replaced by a feeling of calm whimsy.  “It’s still the start of the day, there’s always more time to write later”, I would tell myself.  Well, actually that’s not quite true.  I didn’t tell myself that.  I simply felt it.

Interestingly, it became very rare for me to not have anything to write.  Perhaps it was because my mind was a blank slate, or maybe it was because it was quiet so there weren’t any distractions. I think it was because I had both no agenda of what I “had” to write and I had a hard time limit.  I had about an hour and a half before other people started waking up.  In fact, more often than not I would end up doing most of my writing in the last 10-20 minutes.

The best part about early morning writing, for me, was the way my day went better.  On mornings that I was able to write I felt more positive.  I was happier and more cheerful.  It took a lot more to get me down than on days I hadn’t Notebooked.  This is the true magic of early morning writing.

So… how do we do it?

  • Plan Ahead  For as much as you might want the benefits of early morning Notebooking, it won’t happen if you sleep through it.  This means getting up early.  Unfortunately, this might mean getting to bed early.  Trust me, it’s worth it.
  • Try for Natural Light and Fresh Air  Sometimes this makes all the difference, so if the weather is willing and the sun is already awake, seize the morning.
  • Go Somewhere Different  I’m not saying you need to cross state lines.  Start by sitting somewhere different.  A change of scenery can lead to a change of mind.  You might be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.
  • Don’t Rush  Take the time to take it in.  The last thing you want to do is rush through a great experience.

So, is early morning the magic time in which only good stuff happens?  Probably not, but it might be.

A Guide to People Watching

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

Many of you Notebookers I hear from tell me how much they love Notebooking in public places.  Not because of the unwanted attention it garners but because of the steady stream of stimuli.  Inevitably, when discussing the stream of stimuli, we turn to people watching.

People Watching

A touchy subject to be sure.  Is it the purview of creeps and “manic pixie dream girls?”  Is there a place for watching other people?

Maybe.  But first let me paint you a picture.

Notebooker #1.  There’s a person at a park.  Sitting at a bench writing in a notebook.  Occasionally, this person looks up.  There are children playing nearby.  Sometimes they squeal, sometimes our Notebooker looks up at the noise.  Our Notebooker continues writing.  At times, joggers jog by.  Notebooker #1 looks up at the impending footfalls, maybe even smiles if eye contact occurs.

Notebooker #2.  He’s sitting in the cafe area of a big bookstore chain.  He, too, is writing in a notebook.  He is mostly staring though.  The circle of empty space around him is slowly getting larger while he continues to stare.  Occasionally, while staring, he will slowly smile and write something.

DON’T BE LIKE NOTEBOOKER #2!

Now here’s the scary part.  It’s entirely possible that Notebooker #1 and Notebooker #2 are the same person.  On the same day.  From their perspective they are simply “people watching” so what’s the difference?  Maybe nothing.  Maybe social awareness.

What follows is a few rules and a few tips that will help us cultivate some social awareness, even when in the throws of Notebooking ecstasy.  And hopefully help us to avoid being like Notebooker #2.

 

 Rule #1  Be Polite

The world would be a vastly better place if we all simply behaved like a house guest when in public.  If you want to be creepy and gross, do it at home.  When you leave your home, you are a guest of the public.  Act accordingly.

 

Rule #2 Be Kind

If you’re people watching it is important to remember that the people you’re watching are people first and muses a distant second.  Being a kind Notebooker goes beyond helping someone up if they fall (although obviously do that).  Being a kind Notebooker also means writing nice things about people.  People are complex creatures that have both good and bad in their make up.  By focusing on the good your writing will be more positive, you will be in a better mood, and you will avoid complaining.  Remember that complaining is just a short step away from the toxic whining.  NO WHINING!

 

Rule #3 Don’t Judge

Everyone has had a bad day.  All of us have been in bad moods.

As a corollary to Rule #2, when you see someone having a bad day or in a bad mood, get down from your high horse and remember that it could be you having a rough go of it.

 

And now for some  tips…

  1. Don’t Stare  It’s rude and creepy.  This point might not need reiterating but it’s always worth reminding.  If any of your Notebooking goes something like, “Everyone here seems uncomfortable and standoff-ish.”  LEAVE!  You are staring.
  2. Try a Prop  Writing in a Notebook while staring people is bad.  Writing in a Notebook while another book is laid out in front of you is unremarkable.  It’s basically note taking.  A glass of wine or whiskey might make it look like you’re one of those pretentious people who take notes on what they drink.  I am one of those pretentious people who take notes on my coffee and my whiskey.  I can confirm that when I do this most seem to disregard me.  Bonus:  you get to enjoy a tasty beverage!  There are other props that might work aside from those but they tend to go downhill fast.  Props that don’t work include:  balloon animals, a series of vials filled with bubbling liquids, blueprints to someone’s house.
  3. Listen to Something  Don’t be a jerk, use earbuds or headphones.  If you’re listening to music, an audio book or a podcast, then writing notes in a Notebook is fine.
  4. Don’t JUST People watch  A Notebooker no doubt has their Content List ready to help them write.  You probably have a handful of Writing Prompts at the ready.  If you’re somewhere that people watching is possible then you’re somewhere that, inevitably, has more out there to write about too.  Don’t miss out on the world because you were writing about a jogger’s shoes!
  5. Look for Insight  Ask yourself why you’re people watching.  Is it because it makes you feel above the “little people?”  Is it to “watch the puppets dance?”  Is it to appreciate the depth and variety of people on this planet in an effort to broaden your capacity for empathy?  If you know why you’re people watching you should know if  it’s a good idea.

If all this seems like a lot to do just to people watch, you’re right.  Personally, I never found the writing I yield from people watching to be worth the effort.  So the next time you go forth and write about strangers, do yourself a favor and honestly assess what you wrote.  You can probably write much better than that.

My advice is:  don’t bother.  But if you must, then do it right.

 

Perfectly Imperfect – How Notebooking taught me the joys of “Good ’nuff”

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

When I first got a notebook, thanks to the made up “histories” on the packaging, I believed everything I wrote should be perfect.  Nay, would be perfect.

While this attitude is obviously stupid, I didn’t even realize I was doing it.  None the less, I was holding myself to a standard of perfection.  It was paralyzing!  And when I went back to look at what I did write when I finally mustered the courage to put pen to page?  Crushing.

My Notebook was left undisturbed for quite a while after that.

Then one day, as if I was being original, the idea struck… a rough draft!

This, coupled with the nature of my job at the time caused the Spartan to be born.
At this point I would write things in a Spartan then copy them into my Notebook later.  Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to realize there was a problem.  Sadly, it took me way too long to figure out what the problem was.

Things were different.  My funny stories were less funny.  My impassioned diatribes were reduced to pessimistic rants, written robotically.  My writing was flat.  Any charm that had been there was replaced by big words.  Any emotion or enthusiasm was replaced by rigid sentence structure.

Looking back now it seems obvious that I was doing a bad job of copying!  I was keeping too little and throwing out personality.

I’m not going to say that after realizing this my writing became perfect or even good.  I will say this, my enjoyment grew.  I liked writing and now I enjoyed it too!  And when I looked back at what I had wrote, I enjoyed that too.  Was it good writing?  Probably not, but I enjoyed it.  Since I enjoyed it, I did it more often.  Writing more often afforded me the practice it takes to get better.

Obviously, I do believe in Assessment.  I believe that, when done properly, it is the fastest method for getting your writing and therefore your Notebooking to where you want it to be.  I, also, believe in rough writing.  This is precisely why we recommend only assessing every few weeks.

Do yourself and your writing a favor, embrace the imperfect.  That’s where your wit and your charm live!

5 Ways to beat a Notebooking stall

Adventures in Notebooking, Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

It happens to us all.  You sit down, ready to continue Notebooking and nothing happens.  All those ideas are gone.  Maybe, you’re writing what is essentially the same stuff every day.  Either way, your Notebooking has gotten stale.  As always, intrepid reader, we’re here to help.

Here are 5 ways to shake up your Notebooking routine:

  1. Change up the location or time of your Notebooking.  Sometimes one change in routine can lead to other changes.  If you normally Notebook when you can, try setting aside some time to do it.  If you normally Notebook in the morning, maybe the evening after a long day will give you the inspiration to write.
  2. Add a new Page Eater to your Content List.  Thinking about something you never think about can be a great way to break out of your rut.  Having trouble thinking of something you never think about?  Not to worry, we have lists of writing prompts and Page Eaters.  Have a look! link to
  3. Write about a persistent childhood memory.  We all have many memories from our childhood.  Whether a weird childhood game you used to play or a field trip you took in elementary school, I’m sure it won’t take long to come up with one.  Write it!  A childhood memory of yours from the perspective of your adult self has the potential to be very interesting.
  4. Do something.  Anything.  Go somewhere you don’t often go.  Even if it’s just the “other” grocery store.  Read a short story.  It’ll be sure to give you something to write about.  Sometimes having the option to write about anything is too broad of a task.  There’s nothing wrong with paring it down through the lens of experience.
  5. Take a day off.  Be kind to yourself.  Take some time away from your notebook.  If you’re at the point of a writing stall then your desire to Notebook will certainly still be there when you come back.

How to Notebook a holiday

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

Holidays are at times wonderful experiences and at other times challenging ordeals.  Thankfully, both of these are ripe for Notebooking.  Holidays are nearly always filled with memorable things. Thus, the better you Notebook, the happier you’ll be when you look back at your writing.  Let’s talk about the best ways to write about a holiday.

Food Glorious Food  Many holidays have special food associated with them.  Often, these are comfort foods which tend to bring about strong emotions.  At other times, like when visiting in-laws or friends, the food is strange and sometimes horrifying1.  Either way, this is great Notebooking fodder whether sentimental or acerbic.  Most of us know that the majority of taste is aroma but did you know that most of tasteful food writing is describing aromas well?

So Much To See  When you go somewhere for a holiday there is usually a host.  Hosts, for the most part, want you to have a good time.  Hosts tend to work very hard before and during a holiday2.  The least we can do is appreciate the work that a host puts into your enjoyment.  This usually means appearance.  In addition to setting the scene with descriptions, think of other things that help to paint a verbal picture; other guests, decorations, etc.  Just remember that the host worked very hard.  Be kind to your host in your notebook, it costs you nothing to do so.

Do you hear what I hear?  The sounds of a holiday are as varied as the people attending them.  Everything from music, to the sound of children playing to the absurd laugh of your Uncle Ron.  Whether the constant crinkle of candy wrappers at a Halloween party, or the crackle of a fire at Christmas or the institutional buzz of fluorescent lights looming over an office party, sounds can add depth to your writing and flavor to an otherwise drab affair.

People, People Everywhere  Most importantly, the people.  Recording who was there and what they did is a great place to start.  Writing lovingly about loved ones is better.  Complaining about them is still whining!

Notebooking a holiday can immortalize a moment.  Just remember, don’t assume you will remember the details and for God’s sake write the date down!

 

Let’s talk about the Dinosaur in the room

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

Scratch pads.  An ancient and forgotten technology.  Once the steadfast partner of the wall-mounted kitchen land-line.  Scratch pads, I’m afraid, have all but disappeared.

For those of you who don’t remember them allow me to explain.  Back in the days when phones stayed put you could often find a small, seemingly decorative pad of paper next to them.  This was where you would write a grocery list.  If someone called you and you wanted to call them back, you would need to write their phone number down.  Here was where you did it.  Caller ID hadn’t “happened” yet.

So, why are we talking about the extinct scratch pad?  Because the scratch pad’s absence from our lives creates a landscape of thin ice on which a Notebooker must tread.

There are times when we, as Notebookers, need to write things down so we don’t forget them.  As we’ve talked about before, we advocate writing these things anywhere EXCEPT your Notebook.  The reason being that no grocery list or doctor’s appointment is well written enough to keep for posterity.  This is the perfect use for a Spartan, as a sort of filter or shield for your Notebook. But, what if you don’t have your Spartan on you? (shame on you) What if all you have is your Notebook?

Then, my friend, it is time to break some rules!

Don’t despair.  So long as we’re here, let’s go over a couple of reasons why this isn’t the end of the world (and one reason why it might be).

First and foremost writing things in your Notebook that are best left to a scratch pad tends to lower your Notebook a peg or two on the “supercilious” scale.  You might not need this, but you might.  It is an unfortunate tendency that all people have to elevate their writing to a revered level.  A lot of bad things happen when we do this but the main thing is that we start to take ourselves too seriously (seemingly an epidemic these days).  This is not only inexcusable but it also leads to bad writing.  Personally, I prefer to use goofy humor to keep things light in my Notebooks but a chili recipe followed by an urgent reminder to buy toilet paper does that job really well.

A funny thing can happen when you use your Notebook as a scratch pad.  Very occasionally you will find it has become a Written Souvenir.  A Written Souvenir is an incredible yet simple thing that will happen if you try and occasionally when you don’t try.  Let me explain, some time ago I spent an evening with some friends.  The evening was seemingly normal.  We were all at Dave and Katrina’s house.  Dave seemed out of sorts and there was a nervous energy in the air.  As the evening wore on we got hungry.  Dave announced that we should order Chinese food from Katrina’s favorite place.  Since there were no scratch pads (damn you progress!) we all wrote our orders in my Notebook.  After we ate Dave got down on one knee into the “half-begging position” and got engaged to Katrina.  Dave later explained that in lieu of fancy restaurants and tall buildings, all Katrina wanted was her close friends present and a full happy belly.  I immediately wrote in my Notebook, “The night Dave and Katrina got engaged they first dined at home with friends (I listed all of us) on China Hut Mongolian Feast II.

I knew then that this Chinese food order had become a Written Souvenir.  I even toyed with tearing the page out and including it in my wedding card to them (If you’re wondering, I got them a 4 foot tall pepper mill because I am either the best or worst gift giver of all time!).

The danger with allowing yourself to use your Notebook as a scratch pad is that it is a slippery slope that can end with carrying around a scratch pad that looks like a notebook.  The best policy here is to try to avoid it, realize that some scratch pad utility is inevitable, and be open to the possibility of its benefits.

 

A very awkward name for a very intuitive thing

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

I used to think Notebook organization was antithetical to good writing.  I would tell myself, “Creativity can’t be constrained by rules from weak minded theory crafters!” or “When a creative muse whispers in your ear, shuffling though checklists and charts will scare it away!”  This is obviously nonsense.  The more I was “creative” the more I learned that “creative” is just an adjective.  The more you put the work in to anything the more you get out of it.  A simple equation that doesn’t need a mythical use or throws of delirium.

Thus, organization isn’t the enemy.  In fact, “organization will set you free”1.  It IS true, however, that too much organization could leave little space in your Notebook for being creative.

So I set about finding small techniques that would help me without being so much work or formatting as to stifle me.  I wanted, also, something that would break the “put in, get out” equation in my favor.  This is where the Tips and Tricks section of NotebookingNerds was born.

One such tip is the “Page Set Aside.”

A page set aside is simply setting aside a page for the things that either come up often or things that you want all together but doesn’t come up often.  Examples might include pithy phrases or phone numbers.  After some experimentation I found a few things that kept getting a “page set aside” in my Notebooks.  I also found that they could, in general, be divided into categories.

The first category could be described as the “Just for Fun” pages:

  • Pithy Phrases  Any time you hear something or think of something that distills the essence of a thought or concept, write it down!  You never know when it will come in handy.  For instance, I was recently in what could only be described as “The most unwanted conversation ever” with a person who gloated, “I only roast my cauliflower because I’m a purist.”  At that eye glazing moment I realized that saying “I’m a purist” is synonymous with saying “I’m boring.”  At my first chance I wrote that down in my Pith Page.  I also stopped calling myself a purist about coffee and I lightened my stance on what people should be allowed to put into their coffee.
  • Quotes  Obviously quotes are fun to write down.  A good quote can inspire us to write incredible entries or laugh uncontrollably or strive to be a better person.  It’s really nice to have them in the same place.  Additionally, having quotes strewn around your Notebook can lead to occasionally being next to a completely unrelated entry.  A quote about capitalism followed by an entry about snow can be a bit jarring.
  • Recommendations  This used to happen to me all the time.  Someone would recommend a book to me and I would think, “Next time I’m in a used bookstore I’ll look for it.” (I love used bookstores)  I would write down the title and author.  Then I would lose it.  That doesn’t happen anymore because I have a “Used bookstore recommendation page” set aside2.  I, now, have a few “Reco” pages:  Books to check out, Diners (I like diners), Music etc.  I even have one that I use to write down things I have no intention of following up on but I want to make the person I’m talking to feel heard.  “Yes I like to read.  Your favorite book is called, ‘Baby Mama Drama’?  I’ll have to give that a read.” (This happened.)

The next category, let’s call it “Not for Fun,” is for utility:

  • Phone numbers  On the rare occasion that you need to write down one of these down, it’s best to confine them to a “page set aside” so they are easy to find (and put in your phone) later.
  • Scratch Pad  Grocery lists, math, to do lists, etc. are like weeds.  One or two and it’s no big deal but if you’re not careful they will take over and ruin your lawn (or Notebook).  Speaking as someone who once had their lawn taken over by chives (try mowing THAT without goggles!), I now keep a scratch pad page in my Notebooks to protect the rest of my Notebook.
  • Sticky Notes  Related to the scratch pad page, I like to keep a page tiled with sticky notes.  This page acts as my scratch pad page.  What I love about this is that they are removable and replaceable.  I keep lists, appointments and other reminders on it.  Since sticky notes come in several colors, you could even color code your tiled page!  That’s a bit much for me but, you do you.

Finally we come to the last category of “pages set aside”.  Notebooking pages:

  • Writing prompts  When we post writing prompts, we hope you find a few that you find interesting enough to write.  We also hope that you are writing them down in your Notebook for later instead of writing immediately, by the light of your computer’s monitor like a maniac.  Keeping these prompts on one page will be handy.
  • Jot Points  As mentioned in our Jot Points article, you CAN put these in your Notebook.  Personally, I use a Spartan.  The key being that you write Jot Points down and expand on them later.  Having a “page set aside” for this will ensure you can find it quickly.  As with writing prompts or phone numbers, keeping them in an easy to find place is helpful.

Pages set aside also allow you to “break in” a Notebook very quickly and easily.  Simply put your “pages set aside” in the beginning of your notebook.  Between your Table of Contents and Pages set aside, you’ll be 10 pages in to your Notebook before you know it!

I hope you find a “Page set aside” as helpful and effective as I have.  Enjoy!

How to Re-frame a bad experience into good Notebooking

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

One of the greatest powers that Notebooking puts in your hands is re-framing.  Re-framing sounds like one of those “self help” jargon-y terms whose definition is so nebulous as to be, essentially, meaningless.

Not to worry dear reader, it isn’t.  In fact it’s way easier to explain than to do.  And with Notebooking, doing it is pretty easy too!

So, what is it?

Re-framing is, very simply, looking at something a different way.  The term “re-framing” derives from the effect that a painting can look completely different depending on what the frame looks like.

Considering that titles are most emblematic of a literary frame, let’s try some examples.  A Notebooking entry about going to a crowded grocery store could be titled as follows:

The agony of egg acquisition

This definitely sets a tone of a bad experience.  The word “agony” usually has that effect.

-or-

Today I discovered a new kind of crazy

This title sounds fun and it might be a less serious or more humorous take on the same experience.

Here we are talking about the same experience but in two vastly different ways.  The latter title sounds like reading the entry will be a fun romp through people’s absurd behavior in public.  It says, “Let’s all laugh together at the absurd goofiness of all of us.”

The former title says, “Buckle in, I want to complain and whine while displaying a complete inability to cope with everyday tasks.”

Which would you rather read?  Which would you rather write!?

So, how do we re-frame?  Simple.

Here are a few ways in which re-framing while Notebooking becomes easy.

  1. The title method.  I don’t normally entitle Notebook entries but there’s no reason not to.  In fact, I find that when I do use a title, re-framing happens easily and almost automatically.  Also, it can be fun.
  2. Ask a question.  Most Notebooking entries can be summed up as the answer to a question.  Whether that question is specifically asked or simply implied, the question frames the entry.  If you write a whiny entry the implied question is probably something like, “What made you mad?” or “What went wrong?”  Where as, in the case of a good entry the implied question might be, “What was funny?” or “What makes it interesting?”  You can take control of your framing by simply asking yourself a good question before you start writing.
  3. Build a tone.  This one is the hardest to start but the easiest to continue.  The tone of your writing and your notebook has the potential to be a carefully curated master class in re-framing.  Or it could be whiny drivel.  That’s a choice you make every time you put pen to page.  In the beginning you will have to be mindful of the tone you create.  Eventually it will flow very naturally.  Vigilance is key in the beginning.

See?  Pretty easy for the most part.  Also, totally worth it.  When you take control of your framing you get to decide whether or not something is a good experience or a bad one.  You can be in charge of how you think and how you feel about nearly anything!  Gone will be the days when someone else can determine what kind of day you have.

This is the power or re-framing and Notebooking makes it easy!

A Fistful of Sticky Notes

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

If you have read our Spartan article or our Pocket article  you’re no doubt aware that we recommend putting a note card with sticky notes on it in your Notebook.  There’s a good reason for this:  They’re super useful!

Now, before we begin to wax quixotically through our list of our most common uses for sticky notes just remember; you will end up finding uses for these things simply by having them on you much like we did.  Just do yourself a favor by not googling “uses for sticky notes.”  It will only lead you to sadness at the stupid ideas out there.  I looked it up in preparation for this post and I’m sad now.  Flip book!?  Really!?  Don’t be sad like me.

So without further ado, here’s a few uses that we have found fun, useful or both:

  • Leave a note  This one is obvious and arguably the original purpose of the sticky note.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  In fact, if it ain’t broke…
  • Notes in a book  Have you ever wanted to write something in the margins of a book but you’re not a monster?  Look no further than that note card in the pocket of your Notebook!
  • Bookmark  I can’t use bookmarks because the god of Murphy’s law makes me drop any book I throw a bookmark into.  Well, problem solved.  Plus, I can write notes on them (I’m not a monster).
  • Reminders  Another common use that’s too useful to ignore.  Pro tip:  Put your reminders on door knobs, that way you can’t leave without seeing it.
  • Lists  Shopping list, to-do list, etc.  Plaster them on a page in your Notebook then get rid of them when you’re done.  Unless you want your cool, dynamic Notebook to be filled with reminders to buy toothpaste.

2 fun bonus uses!

  • Foreign language labels  I like to put these in other peoples homes when they aren’t looking.  Imagine finding a sticky note on your dog that says “Perro.”
  • Who/What am I?  This is a sticky note based game similar to “20 questions”.  Here’s what you do:  Write the name of a person, place or thing on a sticky note.  Also, have someone else do the same (you can have as many players as you have sticky notes, really).  Then stick the sticky notes on each other’s foreheads.  This way everyone except you can read what is on your note.  Then take turns asking Yes or No questions until someone wins by guessing what is on their note.  This is actually more fun than you might think and especially entertaining for kids.  I realize that a sticky note is technically optional but it is definitely easier to clean up than scrubbing marker of your forehead…Trust me.

We hope those are enough uses to convince you to try keeping some on hand.  Already carry them?  We’d love to hear how you use them! Let us know!

Post Scriptum:  I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention that brand name Post-Its are the best and worth the extra 35 cents.  The knock-offs tend to either not stick, leave sticky residue, or somehow both.

Ode to the small yet kind

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

I have a personal philosophy to do something “small yet kind” for someone everyday.  A small gesture here, a kind word there.  While most people like it when you’re nice to them, this isn’t entirely altruistic.  I do it because I like it.  It puts me in a better mood.  It turns out it’s hard to be grouchy when you’re being nice to someone.

Occasionally I’ll even do something “small yet kind” for myself.  Especially when I’m Notebooking.

The phrase, “small yet kind” is a term I tend to use when talking of the simple luxuries we can afford ourselves when Notebooking.  I believe they can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your Notebooking experience.

There are many reasons to have a few “small yet kind” luxuries in your Notebooking pursuits but most of those reasons can be boiled down to 2 values:

  1. Notebooking is enjoyable so go ahead and enjoy it.
  2. It could help your Notebooking.

Let’s get into some specifics:

  • A Good Writing Implement  While you could spend A LOT of cash getting expensive pens or pencils, you certainly don’t have to.  And to reap the benefit we’re talking about here you could spend almost nothing if you want.  Let’s start with the example of a nice pen.  Many would argue that you really can’t get a really good pen for less than 100$.  These people are insane.  It’s true that if you want a pen with more weight or girth than your standard cheap ballpoint you will likely have to spend more than you would on a Bic Cristal.  Many people love the weight and feel of a fat and heavy writing implement and if that sounds appealing to you then you could get a Pilot Dr. Grip for less than 10$.  Another way to go is to try for a light weight writing implement that seems as if to disappear in your hand as you write.  I prefer this most of the time, in fact, right now I’m writing with a surprisingly smooth pencil that cost less than 7 cents.  Whether you want your writing implement to be comfortingly weighty or disappear leaving only your mind and the page, there are options for you.  And you don’t have to go to your piggy bank when you want them.
  • A Quality Notebook  This one is obvious and probably doesn’t require any explanation.  Don’t worry, I won’t let that stop me!  Being in the “preferring lightweight writing implements” camp has another advantage.  Since I prefer wood-case pencils and ballpoint pens, I can get away with using some very cheap paper.  I don’t do that though.  Why?  Because, even when using something as universally successful as a Bic Cristal, better paper feel…well, better.  Considering I can get a good notebook for less than a Moleskine disaster, there’s no reason I would use bad paper.  Excepting, of course, when some well-intentioned loved one decides to “gift” me one thinking they are good since they are sold at book stores.  Luckily, a buttery smooth Mars Lumograph HB or F works well on those disasters (at least until the binding breaks so… page 10?).
  • A Comforting Aroma  Another tiny luxury I appreciate is having a pleasant, contemplative smell in the air when I write.  You might think of this as an endorsement for scented candles or incense.  Well it is, but there’s more to it than that.  My favorite aroma to Notebook to is coffee.  I suppose I could find a candle that creates a passable facsimile of freshly brewed coffee.  Instead, I simply brew some coffee.  Paying attention to the olfactory extravaganza around you can be something of a double edged sword, however.  So, make sure you get rid of those pizza boxes or clean the litter box or whatever you need to do.  As a side note, if you decide to do something more proactive than making a cup of Joe, I recommend Japanese incense.  I find it to be the least reminiscent of that guy at the bookstore cafe who doesn’t “believe” in showering and wears sandals all year round.  If you’ve never tried Japanese incense I recommend Nippon Kodo’s Mainichi-Koh or anything in Shoyeido’s Daily line.  Both are great values for the money and readily available online.  Avoid Nippon Kodo’s Morning Star line as it is of very low quality.  You might as well get your incense from Wal-mart!
  • Music  You knew this was coming.  Most people put on music when Notebooking, right?  Of course they do.  I’m sure most people have preferred Notebooking music and so do I.  Lately it’s been Yo-yo Ma but, like most people, my tastes go in phases.  Then only real advice I would offer is to try something instrumental if you haven’t already.  Vocals tend to demand attention, that’s why they’re there.
  • A Tasty Beverage  Aside from the obvious, “because you might get thirsty,” having a nice beverage waiting beside you while you Notebook can be a very kind luxury indeed.  Depending on the beverage you choose it can have a powerful effect on your Notebooking.  No, I’m not talking about an “adult beverage” but so long as you’re not driving afterwards, go ahead.  What I’m talking about, instead, is the powerful effect having a “set aside” experience can create.  For instance, having a certain tea “set aside” for Notebooking can help put you into a Notebooking state of mind when you drink it.  Making that tea something you only drink when you Notebook can increase this psychological effect.  Another really fun use of beverages in Notebooking is to “cash in” on sense memories.  As an example, if I want to write about my childhood summers I would maybe make some sugar-free Kool-aid because that was what my parents allowed me to have when I was a child.  It might bring back some memories or sharpen existing memories.  Being intentional in what your “tasty beverage” of choice is might be something to think about.
  • Comfy Writing Area  Obviously taking the time and the modicum of effort required to get comfortable is worth it, right?  Personally, I almost never do this.  I’m usually too busy searching for a fun and unique place to Notebook to find something comfy.  Much like flossing, I should do this more.  I am surprised, every time, when after a couple pages my back doesn’t hurt or my hand isn’t getting tired or some other thing.  I know I should try to find a comfortable writing area more.  Each time I do I am more productive.  The way a Notebook and pen seem to disappear and my thoughts just flow into existence on the page when I’m comfortable is pretty incredible and should be more than just a rare treat.
  • Good Lighting  There is a difference between good lighting and bright lighting.  What defines “good lighting” for you will be different from someone else.  Maybe it’s natural light, maybe candlelight.  Maybe you’re the coolest person on the planet and you prefer to write by oil lamp!  Personally, I like bright light.  The point is, find what you like and do it.

And I suppose that’s the point of all of this.  Find what you like and enjoy it.  Don’t be afraid to explore the “small yet kind” luxuries in an effort to enjoy your Notebooking a bit more.  After all, that’s why we Notebook in the first place, to enjoy it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go find a well-lit, comfy spot with a coffee and my favorite pencil and notebook  to start Notebooking!

Not every night can be “Dark and Stormy”

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

Popularized by beloved Peanuts character Snoopy, “It was a dark and stormy night…1” has been the opening of so many bad stories over the years that is has become a laughable cliché.  To be fair, there was a time when setting such a dark and broody tone so early in a story was considered a bold move on the author’s part2.

There’s a lesson to be learned here but, I’m afraid, the clichéd masses have learned the wrong one.  The wrong lesson is that “a dark and stormy night” is the best/only way to begin a scary story.

The right lesson is that, properly described, mundane details can weave a descriptive tapestry that communicate so much with so little.  In this example, the mundane details are that it was raining (fairly common) and that it is dark at night (duh).  A writer could say, “It was raining, as was common in spring, and this happened at night.  That’s when the sun goes home and its dark outside.  Humans have a naturally occurring fear of the dark.”  For as much I would love to read literally ANYTHING by an author who writes like this, this sets a very different tone!

Whether writing or talking, whether a story or a joke, mundane details can set an extremely specific tone.  Setting a specific tone in such an efficient manner is a fun and creative way to get where you want to go, narratively speaking.

Consider some examples:

  • The embarrassingly 90’s carpet
  • Faded red polo shirt and a matching faded enthusiasm
  • The smell of hot copiers and dusty metal shelves

With these examples it shouldn’t surprise you that I went to Staples today, you probably even guessed it.  Let’s unpack these examples a tiny bit, shall we?

Embarrassingly 90’s carpet reminds us that, in the 90’s, before e-commerce took over, Staples ruled the office supply world. This also shows that Staples, sadly, still remembers too.

Faded red polo shirt and a matching faded enthusiasm is a visual detail that communicates how demoralizing working in retail can be.  It can also serve as a useful reminder that people working in retail are still people and should be treated as people.

The smell of hot copiers and dusty shelves. Like many good descriptions, there’s more than one thing to unpack here.  First and most obvious, describing a smell that is identifiable by the reader (and everyone knows these smells) can serve to put the reader right there in the Staples.  Second, this detail hints at the history of the once giant office supply juggernaut now scraping by through imitating Kinko’s.  Last and while not a huge thing but worth mentioning, hot copiers and dusty metal both have a smell.  If we were to write, “The smell of defeat,” that would be stupid.  There is no smell of defeat.  Neither is there a smell of “childhood,” “comfort” nor “contemplation.”  There is, however, a smell of “crayons,” “hot cocoa” and “libraries.”  The lesson here being that you shouldn’t be so eager to get to the tone you want to set that you tumble into “purple prose.”

So, how do you do it?  Easy!…well, kinda.

Practice!

Simply choose a detail and describe it.  (go ahead I’ll wait)

Now, read your description and see how it makes you feel.

Then describe another detail.

How does that one make you feel?  Getting better, right?

Keep doing it.

You see how this goes.  The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to home in on the exact detail that is most emblematic of the tone you’re going for.

Like any hard-won wisdom, the ability to use a mundane detail to say a LOT is worth the work.  Especially since it isn’t a lot of work.

Ideas, not rules, about Notebooking in public

Adventures in Notebooking, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

Notebooking in public is a bit of an issue for me.  I love all the varying stimuli and I adore the hunt for a great spot to Notebook.  The problem, for me, is two-fold.

I don’t want to seem like a crazy person who is having a quiet yet feverish “episode.”  I, also, don’t want to be the guy who brings out a notebook only to have people begin whispering, “Where’s his man-bun and ill attempted beard?” “Where’s his chunky bracelet and thumb ring?”

Maybe I’m being self-conscious.  Maybe everyone is awash with the light of their smart devices and doesn’t even know I’m there.  Unfortunately, I have evidence to the contrary.  Allow me to explain:

Thinking that there were 2 pitfalls to avoid, let’s call them “Quiet psychotic episode” and “Man-bun poet,” I decided to attempt to strike a new image of the Notebooker.  The Notebooker is not scary like “Quiet psychotic episode” nor cringe-y and off-putting like “Man-bun poet.”

With these 2 stereotypes to avoid, I, as if using a checklist, attempted 2 things: 1.)  Since Notebooking is fun and writing humor is VERY fun, I would laugh more while writing.  2.)  In an attempt to subvert my perceived expectation that feverishly writing in a notebook is scary, I decided to actively open up my posture.  Spread out my body and belongings thus making me less scary and more approachable.

In what should have been obvious to me before my ill fated attempt, I was now a new stereotype.  I was the crazy person cackling to himself while taking up a rude amount of space!

So I did what I always do when faced with a social dilemma.  I talked to friends and I observed people.  After a time, I found what seems to work.

I stand before you, dear reader, with a contrite heart and a half-empty notebook to offer a few ideas.  Not rules!  I think I gave up that right when I invented a whole new way to be obnoxious in public.  What follows are just some ideas.  Ideas that have worked for me since that embarrassing day:

  • Don’t laugh at what you wrote  Seriously, I cannot state this enough.  Cackling at what you wrote will clear the room!
  • Keep your body language open  Try to keep your posture more “affable/approachable” and less “crazy person scribbling”  This is easier than you might think.  Warning:  This tends to cause people to approach you, more on that later.
  • Look up often  If you’re waiting at the DMV or something similar, look up often.  You don’t want to miss your turn1.
  • Find a good spot  Try to find a spot where someone won’t be looking over your shoulder.  It may happen anyway.  It does to me.  When I have a notebook out people tend to find reasons to sit next to me.  Not only is this distracting but, trust me when I tell you, the person who looks over your shoulder while you write isn’t one you want to be around.  A little bit of looking around really helps.
  • Don’t take up a rude amount of space  It’s easy to forget you’re in public when in the throws of creativity.  Don’t be that person.  I was that person and I’m still cringing.
  • When someone talks to you  If/when someone talks to you (particularly about your writing) be friendly and polite yet brief.
  • Be aware of your surroundings  And finally, pay attention to what’s going on around you and keep an open mind and page.  You never know when the next interesting to write about will happen.

Over 200 Writing prompts!?

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks, Writing Prompts

I play table top RPGs 1.  I know they’re just about one of the most painfully nerdy things someone can do but I don’t apologize for it, they’re a ridiculous amount of fun and almost always lead to deepening friendships around the table.  That said, this post will likely contain some terms you might not be familiar with.  Don’t worry, it won’t matter.

Years ago I played a game with some friends that was “Setting Neutral”2, that means the game can be set at any time whether historical or sci-fi or any combination thereof.  Because of this, my gaming group had some difficulty deciding what setting to set our RPG in.  We eventually landed on a novel idea.  We each wrote down 6 setting concepts each on 3 different note cards.  Then we rolled 3 six-sided dice (3d6) and played the setting that came up.  We did this twice, the first time we ended up playing a game that was Post-apocalyptic, Super powered, zombie wasteland.  The second game we played was a wild west, noir, monster hunter game3.

I mention this not because I want to tell the world how nerdy I am4 but because I was recently talking with a longtime friend I met during this game.  We were reminiscing about this wacky game and it got me thinking…Why not Writing Prompts?

What follows is a method for coming up with your own writing prompts and having a little fun along the way.

First, you will need 3 6-sided dice (those are the ones that come in every game and are shaped like cubes).  Or one of the hundreds of dice rolling Apps for your mobile device.

Second, you will need something to write on.  I, obviously, recommend you use your Notebook.

Next, you roll those 3 dice and match up their result to the corresponding charts to see what your writing prompt/storytelling prompt will be.

Style of writing

  1. True story
  2. Fictitious account
  3. Hyperbolic ranting/raving
  4. Humorously understated
  5. Gleefully detailed
  6. Blurring the lines between wit and snark

Superlative

  1. Best
  2. Worst
  3. Weirdest
  4. Most comforting
  5. Most boring
  6. Craziest or Most exciting

What to discuss

  1. Meal or Meal time or Social meeting
  2. Travel or Means of travel
  3. Day
  4. Dreaded event
  5. Anticipated event
  6. Conversation

Let’s give it a try.  I’ll roll 3d65.  (6-5-5)  The writing prompt for that would be, “Blurring the lines between wit and snark, write about the most boring anticipated event.”  This immediately makes me think of the time I attended a “tree trimming” party where, due to hilarious incompetence, there was no tree but lot’s of waiting for a tree.  Which never came.  I could write about that night for days!

That was fun!  Let’s do another:  I’ll roll again (4-2-1).  “Write a humorously understated account about the worst meal or meal time or social meeting.”  This sounds fun but it could easily turn into whining.  In an effort to avoid whining I would write about the first time I tried authentic Indian food.  At the time, I couldn’t handle anything spicy but, of course,  I tried to play it cool because I was with a girl I had a crush on.  That was also the night I learned that capsaicin6 sticks to fingers even after washing.  I learned this by taking out my contact lenses at night and found out, in a very visceral way, why they use the stuff in self defense spray!  Turns out water doesn’t help much.  Writing about that night could be VERY fun.

Feel free to copy this into your Notebook to use or you could come up with your own.  If you’re a true gamer you probably have other dice and could come up with more prompts.  Using 3 6-sided dice you get a little over 200 combinations.  Using 3 20- sided dice you can get 8000 different combinations!  Each one a writing prompt and each one has the potential to be a great Notebooking entry!

So, do yourself a favor.  Next time you sit down to write and nothing is flowing and your Content List feels stale, look at these lists.  You don’t even have to roll any dice if you don’t want to (although you should because rolling dice is fun!).  You could just pick some that feel right.  Or you could pick some that feel downright weird.  Doesn’t matter.  Whatever you pick, once you put them together, they are bound to bring up a thought or experience you can write about.

Enjoy!

Do you smell what I smell?

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

When I Notebook, I often describe smells.  Not because I’m particularly aroma obsessed but because I’m lazy.  I’m lazy and describing a smell in the right way is an incredibly efficient way to set a mood or to paint a word picture or even to subvert expectations.

The reason this works as well as it does is because a sense of smell is, for the most part, a universal experience.  This causes most of us to have our entire lifetimes to accrue experience smelling things.  When someone reads about an aroma they can often place it in their consciousness.  For example, petrichor (the smell after it rains).  When we think of the smell after it rains we can immediately recall that smell in our memories but that’s not all.  More than that, we have memories attached to it.  Remember, for a moment, being a child waiting for the rain to end to play tag and the sense of anticipation petrichor can evoke.  Perhaps we, as Notebookers, could associate the smell of rain with spring and that could evoke a sense of renewal and optimism or of chilly days filled with warming lunches of hearty soup.  We could even use petrichor to subvert expectations, while people often associate rain with sadness I have had many a day off where I should have mowed the lawn but rain made it impossible so I went to the movies!  A very happy rain indeed!

Now you might be thinking, “Well, people have been writing about the smell of petrichor forever, of course there’s a lot to say about it!  Sure, you’re right; but not because lots of people have written about it but because lots of people have smelled it!

Luckily, the list of things that a lot of people have smelled is limited to basically everything!  Every aroma you can write about has been sniffed before by countless others.  Fragrances have a power because of their universality.  Whether you’re writing about the smell of whiskey, Play-doh, or pine trees; writing about the smell of anything can take your writing where ever you want to go.

That’s not to say that there aren’t pitfalls along the way.  It’s remarkably easy to go too far into purple prose or worse.

Here’s a few guidelines to bear in mind when writing about aromas:

  1. Don’t be too esoteric  While both are very evocative, the smell of bacon cooking and the smell of your grandmother’s coat tree have VERY different numbers of people who can identify with it.
  2. Two simple paths  There’s 2 basic ways to describe a fragrance.  First being adjectives and a noun.  For instance, “A hot and dusty used bookstore.”  Now, that’s pretty good.  It’s pretty universal.  Not too esoteric.  It gets the job done.  The other way is to use a descriptive sentence such as, “Smells the way sunlight bakes a dusty room.”  That works well too.  This second method is especially useful when you teeter towards esoteric so bear rule #1 in mind.  As an example, “The stale aroma of microwave popcorn made a week ago.”  Here we’ve gone quite specific but since microwave popcorn is a pretty common thing I think we’re safe.
  3. Be Authentic  Writers fail this simple thing so often it’s hard to pick an example.  Fear, desperation, defeat, etc. don’t have smells.  Only write about real smells.  To do otherwise is bad writing.  Consider:  “She smelled of morning” vs. “She smelled of dew on grass and blueberry muffins.”  If you find yourself describing smells that don’t exist just know, you can easily do better.
  4. Weird can be fun  Now, just for fun, let’s turn the last rule around.  Just because you can’t describe a smell that doesn’t exist doesn’t mean you can’t describe something other than aroma with a smell.  Sound confusing?  Here’s an example, “His thoughts were like the acrid smell of an electrical fire.”  Now, this is VERY evocative but it is also quite meaningless.  That said, while meaningless, it depicts a very specific sort of jarring panicked emotion.  If that’s what you’re after then have at it.  Otherwise, this is best avoided because it is basically purple prose.
  5. Don’t overdo it  One of the worst things you can do is describe how everything smells!  Much like salt when you cook, too much or too little are problems.  When in doubt, try to limit yourself to 1-2 per Notebooking entry.

Even if you’re not as lazy a Notebooker as me, we hope you found this helpful..  It’s not only efficient to write about aromas, it’s fun!

What to do with that pocket at the end of your notebook

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks

Most notebooks worth using have a little pocket at the back.  That pocket is part of the mystique of a notebook.  A place to put mementos and other ephemera.  I am always saddened to see the pocket go unused or worse filled with ticket stubs and receipts.  We’re better than that.  Here’s a few ideas of useful things that aren’t sad reminders of way back when you thought The Hobbit was going to be good.

Money

It’s obvious but true that sometimes you need cash.  In this increasingly digital era it’s rare that you can’t use a card or even your smart phone/watch.  However, when it happens you’ll be glad of that extra fiver for those farm stand strawberries.

Post it notes

Bear with me here, a long time ago I put some post it notes on an index card and slipped it into the pocket of my notebook.  I had no idea how often a post it note is useful until I had them on me.  And, when in doubt, they’re great for jokes.  One of my favorites is to write, “DON’T MOVE THINGS!!” in angry scrawl and hide them behind things at other peoples homes.  It may take someone a while to find them but when they do…

Stamps

Here’s another one that comes in handy rarely but when it does, you’ll be glad.  In fact if your notebook is A5 or larger, you can also slip some postcards in there and bring back postcards as a thing.  Let’s bring back postcards!!!

Blank check

Picture this:  You’re out to dinner with a friend.  You decide to split the bill.  He says, “I’ll just put it on my card and you can give me cash.”  Is he serious?  Cash!?  Even if you have cash, is he using you as an ATM?  Teach him a lesson.  Write him a check.  So now, while he was planning on selfishly saving a trip to the ATM now he has to go to the bank to deposit your check!  (Also, if you lose your wallet you could use the check to buy groceries.  Which is good but less fun)

Reference sheet

Perhaps a cheat sheet of Strunk and White’s rules or a list of books to look for next time you happen upon a used bookstore.  Shopping lists of any kind tend to change often and writing them in your notebook is a waste of pages and a really boring use of such a nice notebook.

Index cards

If your notebook doesn’t have those tear-away pages at the end and you want to write something down and give it to someone you have 2 options.  You could tear a page out of your notebook like an animal or you could use an index card you insightfully placed in that pocket.

Bookmark

While a bookmark is a great and useful device, you could just use an index card, post-it note, or even a dollar bill.  So, why a separate bookmark?  Basically, this is just a chance for me to mention my favorite bookmark of all time, the Book Dart.  These things are awesome.  They’re small, they stay put, and they can even point to a specific line if you want.  I just love’em!  I suppose you could also use a paper clip which is possibly more useful but less fun1.

Wallet stuff

Nowadays, its pretty common to see people’s smartphones with cases that can hold cards, ID and maybe even a little cash.  The idea being that you’re less likely to leave your smartphone at home than your wallet.  While this might seem sad it is definitely true.  Turning that logic on its ear, if you put that stuff into your notebook you’re more likely to bring your notebook with you.  Which is good.

Bonus item: Box cutter blade?

Wait, wait!  Don’t leave yet!  Hear me out, this one is REALLY specific.  If you do a lot of sketching there’s a good chance you sharpen your pencils by blade.  Doing this allows you to control how much graphite is exposed and to shave it in whatever fashion is most useful for the job at hand.  If you learned to do it with a box cutter blade, as is taught in many sketching classes, having a spare isn’t such a bad idea.

 

How to test a new Writing Implement

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

Ah, the Notebooker’s conundrum.  You get a new pen (or pencil) and can’t wait to get to scribbling!  Then the old creeping, fearful questions appear: “Will this work in my notebook?”  “Should I try this on other/ cheaper paper first?”  “How do I know if this is good in the first place?”  “Why can’t I remember what I had for breakfast?”

Well, we can’t help with that last one, but we might be able to offer some insight on the others.

When I get a new writing implement the first place I write is in my current notebook.  There’s a few reasons for this but the main reason is that I want to see how it does in my notebook!  It, obviously, doesn’t help me to start on a legal pad which, usually, has terrible paper.  Since I want to know how it will do on good paper, I try it on good paper.

So, what to write?  I used to write that old familiar sentence about an acrobatic fox and a sedentary dog1.  While that sentence is great at its intended purpose (testing typewriters) it doesn’t really help me with a pen (or pencil).  Additionally, if I’ve got a lot of new things to test my Notebook begins to resemble a crazy fox obsessed person’s activity log!

The first and most important thing to write is the make and model of your writing implement.  That’s important data.  If you want to remember what you were writing with, write down what you were writing with.  After that, write whatever you want.  If you want to see how it responds to your handwriting, write words.  If you want to focus on feel, squiggles and loops free up your concentration for paying attention to the feel.  The key here is to write enough.  Write until you have enough to know the new pen (or pencil).  It usually takes me at least a page to really get to know the implement in question but if it takes longer that’s fine too.

That’s about it, honestly.  If, however, you’re not quite sure what you are looking for or what to pay attention to, here’s a few things we tend to focus on when testing.

Pens ballpoint:

  • Whether or not the pen skips  This is when, as you’re writing, the pen stops writing mid letter and then begins writing leaving a small portion of the letter blank.  This is super annoying.  We’ve found that this happens on pens or cartridges that are either low quality or simply old.
  • Color and tonal quality  There are a lot of colors of ink out there and making sure it performs the way you want on the paper you choose is important.  There’s even a huge amount of variance between different blues or blacks.
  • Feel  Gone are the days when a ballpoint pen worked really but felt sticky.  Even the Bic Cristal feels pretty great but there are some really bad feeling ballpoints out there
  • Ink Blob  One of the nicest things about ballpoint pens, for a lefty like me, is that the ink dries immediately so there’s no chance of smudging.  Unfortunately, some bad ballpoint systems leave a blob of ink when you start writing with them.  This blob seems to never dry and it’s the worst.

Gel pens or other roller ball:

  • Ink drying time  While they’ve gotten really great, some gel pens might as well be fountain pens!  If you’re right handed and only write one line a day this is fine.  Otherwise, it’s a good idea to pay attention.
  • Bleed through  If you’re using a particularly thin paper or a bold pen you might find that you can see an image of what you wrote on the other side of the page.  Depending on how pronounced this effect is, it could render the page useless.
  • Color and tonal quality Same here as above only more so.  The number of different colors available with gel pens is staggering.
  • Feel  Gel pens are often smooth as glass and some people really like that while other’s find that level of smoothness detrimental to good handwriting.  It’s your preference.

Fountain Pen:

  • I have no idea.  I’m not a fountain pen person.  The good news is that if you find a fountain pen person they will happily talk to you for several hours on this very subject…whether you want them to or not.

Pencil:

  • Point retention  Sometimes called Point Durability, this is basically how long the point stays sharp for.  This can depend on a lot of factors such as the hardness of the graphite core, the tooth of your chosen paper, your writing style, and the type of point your pencil is sharpened to.  The main thing to pay attention to is how often you sharpen your pencil and whether or not you consider it to be too much.  Personally, I love sharpening pencils (it’s satisfying!) and if I didn’t I’d probably use a Kuru Toga Advance mechanical pencil and be done with it.
  • Smudging  Also a result of paper, core and writing style.  Some pencils/paper combinations seem so smudge resistant that it’s like you’re writing in pen while others feel like your hand could erase them entirely.
  • Tonal quality  Since there are many grades of pencil and there is no industry standard for those grades, there is a huge difference in tonal quality among pencils.
  • Ghosting/ Talk back This is where the writing on one page will transfer to the opposite page once your notebook is closed.  If your pencil/notebook combination is good and smudge resistant it won’t be a problem.

We hope this will give you the tools you need to find your favorite writing implement.

Is there something we missed?  Are there other factors you consider?  Let us know in the comments!

The completionist in me is like, “Yeeaaahhh!”*

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

My wife is a video gamer.  She can spend countless hours playing the same game over and over again.  There’s a common feature in video games where they tell you what percentage of the game you’ve completed.  Like many video gamers, my wife is a completionist.  She works very hard to reach 100%.  Hell, in some games a player can even reach 105% or 110%!  If anyone can reach that, she will.

I, on the other hand, used to be a bit of a completionist but in other ways.  I used to have to finish any book I started reading, even if it was terrible1.  Luckily, I’m kinder to myself now.  If I don’t like a book after a reasonable number of pages, I’ll stop.  No hard feelings.  I, also, used to fill up every last bit of every page in every notebook before I considered it “done.”

Since I “practice what I preach”, I still assess my Notebooking even after more than a decade doing it2.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that being a completionist, when it comes to filling pages, sacrifices clarity.  No notebook is so expensive that I will fill each square inch with writing if it ruins the flow or clarity of my content.  That would be a disservice to all those who work so hard on designing and manufacturing those wonderful notebooks that we love so much.

So, I implore you, let a page go half filled if it means a better notebook.

  • If you finish one topic and want to move on to another, turn the page.
  • If you got a new pen and want to try it out, give it it’s own page.  It usually takes at least a page for me to get to know a pen or pencil anyway.
  • Want to write down a funny or poignant quote?  Have at it!  But unless the next thing you write is about that quote the transition will be jarring to say the least.  Let the quote have it’s own page by writing it VERY LARGE or better yet make that page a “quote” page.

Even if no one else ever reads your notebook keeping the format clean is a gift to the future you.  And if at some point you have someone else read your notebook just remember…A clean notebook is a happy notebook.  And a happy notebook makes for a happy reader.

So for all you completionists out there, I am officially giving you permission to leave some blank space in your notebooks for the sake of clarity.  Enjoy!

 

*The title of this article is a quote from one of my wife’s favorite games, Borderlands 2.

That time Looney Tunes lied to me

Adventures in Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

We all have the image of the reporter on the go writing in their reporter style1 notebook.  These images come to us from the age of shorthand or, in my case, from cartoons made during the age of shorthand.  I loved the idea of writing on the go.  An intrepid writer, ready for anything and ready to write anywhere.  Then I bought a reporter style notebook and I hated it.  There’s a good reason for this.  Reporter notebooks are terrible to write in.  Well, at least they’re terrible in your hand.  In fact, all writing in the hand is bad.  It takes someone exactly once to realize that handwriting suffers incredibly and the physical act of writing itself isn’t nearly as enjoyable.  In fact, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that once recording devices became halfway portable the reporter style notebooks went away (for reporters at least).

What does that mean to us?  Do we need to learn shorthand?  Sounds cool but, no.  Does that mean that we should never write in our notebooks while holding them?  Of course not.  That said, we should probably stick to Jot Points.  Jot Points are perfect for this type of Notebooking.  Jot Points are a gift to the future you when you finally sit down to relax and Notebook.  Once we do, we would do well to try to find a nice surface to write on.  When you have a nice, stable surface to write on your writing is smoother and your handwriting is better 2.  In fact, if you use a hardcover notebook many more surfaces open up to you as a viable writing surface.  Such as the arm of a comfy chair or your lap3  Taking the time to find a surface to write on is always worth it and occasionally affords you an interesting experience in and of itself.  As an example, a few months back I was staying in a hiker’s lodge and found myself with some time on my idle hands.  I wandered around the lodge looking for a good place to Notebook in since my bunk room was far from ideal.  I ended up finding a small, empty lounge with a roaring fire and free coffee!  Who knows what I’ll find next time!

 

If it’s better, I WANT IT!

Adventures in Notebooking, Notebooks, Reviews, Tips & Tricks

A common sentiment among people, Notebookers included.  I think it’s natural but I’m not so sure it’s always helpful or even sane.

I often fall into this exact sentiment when looking at notebooks.  When I look at a notebook like the Sigel Conceptum I get so excited about all the features1 that I just about break my wrist reaching for my wallet so fast.

But should I?  Should you?  What follows is a list of features that are common to notebooks that you might want to ignore:

  • Elastic closing strap For as much as I wish they weren’t, Harry Potter books are fiction.  Never have I had a book that, when left to its own devices, pops open and begins wreaking havoc all over the place.  When you throw a notebook into a bag or pocket it won’t usually open of it’s own accord.  I suppose if you throw it into a very loose bag some other things in the bag may make their way into the pages but most of the time, I find, the elastic closure is simply decorative.  A nice decoration no doubt, but a decoration none the less.
  • Ribbon bookmark  Some notebooks even come with 2!  Pretty cool, huh?  Honestly, I often forget to put them in the page before I close my notebooks.  Then, of course, when I see the ribbon dangling like a tassel I decide to open back up the notebook and replace it.  I never have had a hard time finding my place.  Don’t get me wrong, I do like the bookmarks.  Especially when they add a bit of color to an otherwise monochromatic landscape.  I must admit this though, more than once I have filled or nearly filled a notebook before noticing it was ribbon-less.
  • The pocket  Whoa there cowboy!  The pocket is as much a part of the identity of the notebook as the paper, you say.  Well, sure.  And I like a nice pocket in my notebook.  I even use mine.  That said, you can’t put too much in there without straining the binding and making your tome hard to close (at least your elastic closure will be useful until the spine cracks).  But not everyone uses these pockets.  Do you?  According to a recent survey I found, most people don’t use the pocket.  Some don’t even know it’s there.  If you don’t use it then there’s no reason to obsess over how it’s constructed or even whether it’s there.
  • Paper  OK.  Obviously a notebook has to have paper.  Even I know that!  But… A lot of fuss is made over paper quality.  Of course, if you use a fussy pen like a roller ball or its fussier older sibling, the fountain pen, then paper quality can definitely matter.  To be sure, I LOVE the small but kind luxury writing on good paper affords even when using a pencil (my weapon of choice).  Make no mistake, however, I don’t use fussy pens so I don’t HAVE to be fussy about paper quality.  I still am sometimes.
  • Lay flat construction  Now here is one feature that is VERY important to me.  I hope, for your sake, it doesn’t matter to you.  There are so many notebooks I get then immediately hate because they won’t lay flat.  If this happens to you and it doesn’t ruin your day then I’m very jealous of you.
  • Pen/Pencil loop  More and more notebooks are coming with little elastic loops to hold your pen or pencil2.  This is, presumably, because pens and pencils are historically so huge and heavy that they’re hard to carry around on their own!  I don’t mind a place for a pen or pencil but a lack of a loop is far from a deal breaker for me.

I’m not saying these features aren’t important or worth seeking out.  When push comes to shove, it’s your notebook and it should have the features and aesthetic you want.  But don’t be trapped by an assumption about what you “need.”  Don’t let yourself forget that your writing is what makes a notebook special and not some goofy feature that you don’t use.

Are there any features you love but never use?  Let us know in the comments!

Don’t Force It!

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Nerd Misadventures, Tips & Tricks

The act of writing in a notebook is enjoyable.  Embracing the analog, eschewing the digital.  I find the very act of putting pencil (or pen) to page calming and it brightens my day and disposition.  In fact, studies have shown the act of writing on a page to dump dopamine all over your grey noodle.  But what about those days when your words simply won’t flow?

I’m glad you asked!  While I hesitate to call is something so dramatic as “writer’s block” every Notebooker knows the frustration of not being able to think of anything to write.  Maybe no Content List item nor writing prompt is capturing your imagination.  What if nothing is coming out right?  Perhaps there’s some stress or anxiety in your mood that is preventing you from writing, thus preventing you from reaping the calming benefits of some graphite therapy (or ink therapy)!

I have been known to find myself in this exact situation while attempting to write for this humble blog!  Here’s a few things that have been known to work for me:

  1. Look back at what you’ve already written  Often, I find that looking back on previous entries will get my writing going.  Sometimes looking back will create new thoughts or insights on an earlier topic.  Other times looking back will create a new idea to write about seemingly out of nowhere.
  2. Pen/pencil testing  Trying out a new writing implement (or an old one), seeing how it does on different papers or even just enjoying the act of writing can help loosen my mind up a bit.
  3. Handwriting practice  Whether you are learning Spencerian script, Copperplate or simply slowing down and paying attention to how you write, handwriting practice can offer much of the quiet pleasure of writing while taking the pressure of “what to write” off of you.
  4. Take a break.  Give up for the time being.  Whether an hour or a day or a week, stepping away for a bit can help you to come back later with renewed fervor.  That said, it’s the hardest for me to do.  I’d like to say it’s because it seems unfair that the thing that relaxes me is causing me stress.  I’d like to say it’s because taking a break isn’t effective.  It is, though.  Unfortunately, the reason taking a break is so hard for me to do is that I am needlessly stubborn at times.
  5. Write a letter  This one’s weird but, boy howdy, it works!  I like to keep vintage post cards in the pocket of my notebooks (A5 at least, obviously).  Even if you don’t have stationary on hand just write a letter to someone, then copy it to some stationary later.  Unfortunately, I don’t have many pen-pals I correspond with.  Fortunately, I am exactly the type of person who will send unsolicited post cards to nearly anyone who’s address I have.  This is really fun and I highly recommend it1!

When you find yourself in the unenviable position of not writing when you want to write, I hope these help.  If they don’t, go have a snack!

What I learned about Notebooking at the Joe Dodge Lodge

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

My wife is a hiker.  In the White Mountains of New Hampshire there are 48 mountains over 4000 feet and she decided to hike all of them.  No easy feat to be sure.  Recently she hiked her final “4000 footer” as they’re called and she wanted me there.  Graciously, she decided that the last mountain would be Wildcat D which has a ski lift gondola that I could ride to the top as there’s no way I could hike up there under my own locomotion.

While there we stayed at the Joe Dodge Lodge, which is a very cool place with lots of fireside lounges and scenic outdoor sitting spots.  Pretty great for Notebooking. Here are a few things I learned (or re-learned) while there.

  • Finding a nice surface to write on is easy but very important, especially with small passport style notebooks.
  • Notebooking in situations where being social is expected can be a burden.
  • Recording the day’s events for posterity at the end of the day can be difficult.  Writing Jot Points in a Spartan or Passport Style notebook throughout the day helps immeasurably.
  • Things to notebook happen while times to notebook must, at times, be created.
  • Finding a Notebooking area, whether scenic or cozy, is always worth the effort.  Especially in the White Mountains since it’s pretty easy.
  • I love the combined sounds of a roaring fire and pencil scratching.  Not profound but a simple pleasure none the less.
  • Good writing prompts can also make excellent conversation starters.

How to Notebook a Recipe

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Templates, Tips & Tricks

Writing down a recipe is really very simple and if you’ve ever used a recipe you probably know all there is about how to do it.  However, Notebooking exists to make everything better.  Here’s a few ways to make your recipes or even cooking better through Notebooking.

Even with the standard model of recipe (ingredients in list form first then method) there are a few ways Notebooking could improve the form.  I suppose it depends on whether you’re copying the recipe from a book or magazine to use later or not.  If you are, then just copy it.  Simple enough.  If, however, you’re writing a recipe from watching someone cook then draw a line 1across the center of the page and begin by writing the method under the line.  Adding the ingredients at the top in list form as they come up.

Another way Notebooking can help your recipes is with the oldest of writing tricks: stealing.  Let’s say you went to a burger joint that had a burger with only caramelized onions and peanut butter on it.  It was fantastic, wasn’t it?  Write it down!  No need for long-form recipes here.  Just write it down and try making it later.

Notebooking a cooking method is probably best shown in an example, so here’s one from a notebook of mine a few years ago (and, yes, I do tend to Notebook with parenthetical notation):

Making a post steak pan sauce.

  1. After cooking, set steak aside and add some liquid to the pan to deglaze.  (Nearly any water-based liquid will work but heavy cream is fastest2.)
  2. Scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond.
  3. Flavor with whatever you want (dried herbs should be added early)
  4. Reduce until texture is where you want it. (usually by half)
  5. Season (salt AND acidity) and serve poured over or on the side in a ramekin.

When Notebooking a cooking method, the specific ingredients and amounts often matter less than the method.

Finally, there is the “Speculative Recipe.”  I came up with this system a few years ago when I realized that the majority of recipes I come up with follow a certain pattern.  Notebooking, specifically “Now & Later Notebooking” really shines here.  Here goes:

  1. Hero ingredient This is the most important flavor or ingredient of the recipe.  This can alter the finished food considerably.  For instance, when making a Grilled Cheese sandwich the hero could be the cheese e.g. using a melty cheese or a nice blend of cheeses.  In this example, the butter could be the Hero by using a milder cheese but browning the butter.  Then end result would be 2 VERY different sandwiches.
  2. Accentuating flavor notes  Ingredients that balance saltiness, sweetness, acidity, bitterness, and umami3 To go back to the Grilled Cheese example, maybe caramelized onions4.
  3. Wild card  This is the contrasting flavor or texture that helps the “Hero” be a hero.  To go back to the Grilled Cheese example, something like thin slices of Granny Smith apples.

There you have it.  Speculative recipe Notebooking.  I could probably say more about it but I’m going to go make a Grilled Sandwich with brown butter, caramelized onions and Granny Smith apples!

 

Using a Table of Contents, the Lazy Way

Filling Your Notebook, The System, Tips & Tricks

Someone recently approached me and asked about something she had read in an article here.  I think it was in one of our notebook reviews.  In it I mentioned that I like when a notebook has a Table of Contents in the front.  She asked me, “How do you use a Table of Contents?” and that’s a great question!

If you’ve been Notebooking for any amount of time you, no doubt, have a few topics that you write about often.  Maybe it’s a hobby or a project your working on.  Maybe it’s a topic you’ve been thinking about for a while.

Whatever the reason, your notebook may end up with lots of pages about a topic that are separated by pages of unrelated content.  Unfortunately, you can’t just tear pages out and stick them back in where you want them (that’s no way to live!).

If you google ways to organize your notebook, you will find all sorts of colorful and somewhat complicated systems.  Any of those might work fine for you but I’m lazy.  In fact, I would rather have an unorganized notebook than have to keep highlighters and sticky notes on hand or learn some code.  What I do is much simpler albeit possibly less efficient.

The first thing I do is number the pages in my notebooks if it isn’t already done1.  As I already said I’m lazy, so if you think I number every page then you don’t know lazy!  At most I number every other page.  Honestly, every 5th page will get me where I need to go just fine.  I should mention that if a notebook doesn’t have a table of contents I’ll just write “Table of Contents” on the first page or three.

Then I write.  No need to fill out the table of contents yet.  Just write.

Eventually, there will be a topic I want to write more about.  So I do just that, write more about it.  Notice that I haven’t done anything with the table of contents yet nor looked at earlier writing.  There’s a reason for that, I don’t want the thing I’m writing now to be affected by the thing I wrote earlier.  There’s always time for that later.

Once I’ve written about a subject twice or so, it’s time to put it in the table of contents.  Here is when I go back and find the earlier writings.  Once I find it, I write the topic and the page numbers in the table of contents.  Finally, after looking at both the current and previous entries, I find that sometimes the comparing of the two can lead to new insights.  Obviously, I write those down as well.

Now that the topic is in the table of contents, any time I write about it, I add the page number to the growing list in the table of contents.  Then, if I feel like it, I’ll go back and look over the previous entries because that could yield some interesting insight.

Let’s recap for clarity’s sake:

  1. Number pages (maybe leave some empties for a Table of Contents)
  2. Write
  3. After returning to a topic, add it to your Table of Contents
  4. Write
  5. Add the page number to your Table of Contents
  6. Occasionally look back at previous entries on a topic for new insights

That’s it!  Simple? Yes!  Easy?  You bet!  The best thing ever?  Maybe not, but it’s good enough to work and do so with the least possible effort.

Have you got another way you like to organize your notebooks?  We’d love to hear it!

You need to know this before you buy a notebook

Adventures in Notebooking, Notebooks, Reviews, Tips & Tricks

Notebooks come in many shapes and sizes making finding the one that is perfect for you just a few google searches away.  One option that’s often overlooked is ruling.  Here’s a brief overview of the most common options.

Ruled

Ruled is simply lines going across the page allowing you to write words without the sloping up or down as you go along the page.  Pretty standard but if all you’re doing is writing it really works best.

Blank

Are you an artist? Do you write with HUGE letters?  Are you a rogue cop who can’t play by the rules?  Blank may be just the thing for you.

Grid

Often called graph as it resembles graphing paper.  This one is useful for drawing diagrams, cartography, or your oyster knife prototype.  That said, I personally like grid as it allows me to turn the notebook sideways and also have a line I can write on without my sentences taking that plunge towards the end of the line.  Also, I’m getting really close to perfecting my oyster knife design.

Dot Grid

This is the polarizing one.  Dot grid is a pattern of dots where the lines of a grid would intersect.  This ruling is kinda like Bob Dylan, either you love it or you hate it.  Very few people are indifferent although many people just ignore the dots.  I thought I would love dot grid but I kinda hate it.  So, I guess the only way to know is to try it.

 

Those are pretty much it.  That said, the spacing and darkness of rulings can make all the difference.  Try to find one that fits closely to your preferred handwriting size.  Or don’t, I’m not your boss.

Spartan Notebook Review

Adventures in Notebooking, Notebooks, Reviews, Tips & Tricks

This review is problematic.  I’m not really sure how to begin.  Ya’ see, the Spartan is one of my favorite notebooks (using that term loosely) that I’ve ever used.  Unfortunately, you can’t buy it.  Neither can I, but I made mine for free and so can you. I guess, I’ll start at the beginning.

The Spartan is eminently modular.  Pages can be added and removed at any time.  This means it can be whatever you want it to be, whenever you need it to be it.  Try that with your Moleskine!  Would you like something for your Jot Points since your chosen notebook is A5 or larger1?  A Spartan has you covered.  Making a shopping list and don’t want to fill your notebook with such banality?  The Spartan will happily serve as a sort of notebook junk filter.  Maybe you’re beginning some projects and want to be able to file your notes later.  This is where the Spartan shines.  The Spartan notebook is so effective because it is so versatile.  It will do anything you want it to.  It can be a scratch pad, a Jot Points referee, a planner or even your main notebook!  The Spartan has you covered.

 

Here it is!  As you can see, the Spartan is just note cards held together by a binder clip. This may look simple, it is.  This may look stupid, it might be.  Luckily, the Spartan is possibly the most useful “notebook” I’ve ever come across.  I personally prefer a small binder clip and 3×5 inch note cards as I keep my Spartan in my back pocket.  I prefer lined cards as they help me keep my writing legible yet compact2.  The clip I’m using is silver in color.  I bought a multi-color pack over 10 years ago and the first one I grabbed was this one.  It still works fine.

 

On the back I have a lined card turned over.  I use this for shopping lists in portrait orientation, hence using the non-lined side.  I’m not a madman3!

 

Here I’ve taken the guts of my Spartan and spread them out for you to see. (Oh the humanity!)  I like to use different color cards labeled with marker to make “folders.”  Sometimes I’ll use just 2 “folders” like “work” and “home.”  Other times I’ll use topic specific cards like “NotebookingNerds.”  Alternatively you could use colored cards to indicate different topics or projects.  Just don’t go changing them too often or it’ll get crazy.

 

I also like to keep a card with some Post-its on them.  You’d be surprised how often they come in handy when you have them on you.

Here are a few ways I use my Spartan:

I, also, have a note-card holder that I use as a miniature filing cabinet so to speak.

What I don’t do is try to use a Spartan as a more permanent notebook.  A Spartan is ephemeral, temporary and a fantastic companion to your notebook.  In fact, when used in tandem with a notebook, a Spartan can help you get the most out of your notebook.

As long as you understand a Spartan’s limitations and strengths it won’t let you down.  Give it a try.

 

Jot Points

Adventures in Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, Tips & Tricks, Writing Prompts

Jot Points are quite simply jotting down a point or thought on something that helps to remind you when notebooking later.  It sounds simple and, really, it is.  That doesn’t mean that we can’t make it better.

Chances are you’ve already done this.  Especially if your chosen notebook isn’t of a size that allows easy pocket carry.  There’s also a good chance you’ve done this poorly (I know I have).

Let’s say you’re at a grocery store and see a sign that makes you think of something funny to notebook later.  A bad Jot Point would be “Funny sign.”  Maybe that’s enough to go on later on but maybe it isn’t.  I’ve done this and later, when I have my notebook in hand, I’ve got nothing.  What sign was it?  Why was it funny?  Oh well.  A better Jot Point could be, “Is gluten free toilet paper a thing?”  That really gives you enough to remember.

Another way to improve your Jot Points is to include a specific phrase if you’ve got one you want to use.  Let’s say you’ve decided to eat healthier, as you’re leaving the grocery store you could Jot down:

Got healthy food

Or

Plastic sacks of aspiration.

 

And when you’ve finally given up your new healthy regime:

Ate Twinkies

Or

The depths of my depravity

 

Jot Points are notes for the future you.  Be kind to future you.

Lastly, we come to the question of what to write your Jot Points on.  Given that we’re a notebooking blog you might think we have a clever, innovative solution.  We do.  But that’s not what Jot Points are about.  Jot Points are about slapdash notebooking reminders.  In that spirit here are some ideas for places to put your Jot Points:

  • Back of receipt
  • Palm of non-dominant hand
  • Envelope
  • Notebook (why not?)
  • Top of your non-dominant foot
  • Birth certificate
  • Cancelled postage stamp
  • Side walk (chalk required)
  • Stranger’s forehead (consent required)
  • Spare bit of paper

Why you should keep contact info in your notebook

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, Tips & Tricks

Isn’t it easier to put someone’s number/email/whatever into your mobile device?  Yes.  Obviously.  In fact, I find that when I make a call it’s usually from my phone (imagine that!).  Since that’s where the number is going to get used it should go there.

But Contact Info?  No, that’s different and possibly more important.

Thing’s to write down after meeting someone

  • Name This one is surprisingly easy to forget.
  • Appearance Be kind.  Also, try not focus on clothes as people tend to change their clothes.  This is mostly to help you recognize this person in the future.
  • Job/hobbies Basically, this is why you know them or where you know them from
  • Personal details  Do they have kids?  How many?  Are they all human?  Spouse?  Human too?
  • What are they into Or more specifically, what are they excited to talk about?  It shouldn’t take you very long to find this out.  People usually talk about things they are excited to talk about.  That’s why they’re talking about them.
  • Something you like about them As you’ll see later, this has many benefits.
  • Finally, a few things you talked with this person about  This, too, will help in a few ways.

After your initial meeting with someone, you’ll want to write this stuff in your notebook.  Then, when you see them again, you will have all this minor but important information to draw on for conversation.

As an example, I recently met Doug.

  • Name Doug
  • Appearance Horn-rimmed glasses, greying buzz cut and ready with a friendly smile
  • Job/hobbies Works with computers in some way.  Into gaming, both video and tabletop.  His wife, Peg, isn’t.  Likes hiking.
  • Personal details  No kids.  One wife (Peg)
  • What are they into  Hiking.  Star Wars RPG.  Just bought a smoker.
  • Something you like about them Big booming laugh when he gets excited
  • Finally, a few things you talked with this person about  Hiking, his knee surgery & subsequent recovery, and he bought a smoker but it hasn’t arrived yet.

The next time I see Doug I will have looked over these notes and already have several questions to ask him:

  • Got in any good hikes lately?
  • How’s Peg?
  • What have you been playing? When Peg let’s you! (insert knowing chuckle here)
  • Have you used your smoker yet?  How did it turn out?

That’s potentially a half hour of conversation without mentioning the weather once!

When you talk with people in this manner they will gravitate towards you.  Everyone loves to feel heard and remembering details about them makes them feel valued.  This also takes the pressure off.  We often worry about what to say during an awkward conversation.  Here’s the secret:  Don’t say anything.  Just ask a few good questions and listen.  Then go and update your notes.  Be specific and as detailed as you can.  If someone tells you about their ailing grandmother and after a month you approach them with, “Don’t you got a dead guy on the way?”  you need better notes.  (And possibly a soul)

Who do you record then?

You will never go wrong writing notes on everyone you meet.  If you never see them again then you’ve wasted a few lines of your notebook and a few minutes.  If, however, you do see them again… You will be the most likable person they’ve met in a long time.

It isn’t a bad idea to use this with people you’ve known for a while, either.  Honestly, I should use this when I talk to my wife half the time!

 

The Science of Habit-Building

Adventures in Notebooking, The System, Tips & Tricks

New Year’s Resolutions are the worst idea ever imagined. We set up grandiose goals and arbitrarily start working on them. Whether it’s getting more exercise in the dead of winter, or fixing our finances after spending a ton on presents, January 1st is not just a bad date to turn over a new leaf – it’s one of the worst dates to start new habits. But the reason that most resolutions fail isn’t a matter of timing. It’s because most of us don’t know how to start a new habit.

The science is still out on how long it takes to build a habit. Some people say 21 days, others say 66 days, other say 6 months. Really, there’s no consistent number that’s shown up in the testing. But there are some helpful tips that have come out of the research. If you want to make Notebooking into a habit, here’s the top 7 takeaways from all that study.

#1 Habits are more successful if you know WHY you’re making a change.

Somewhere in the recesses of our minds, we have an inkling of why we want to make a change. But not all reasons are equal. If you want to start Notebooking because you want to be a better writer, a better storyteller, a better conversationalist, or just remember the important memories in your life, knowing the why will help you.1 But unless you know which of these reasons is motivating you, when you hit a wall, the wall will probably win. First step, determine what it is that’s driving you, and OWN that reason (or reasons). It will help you to keep going when the going gets tough.

#2 Tie your new habit to an old habit

It’s easier to add something to your morning (or evening) routine than it is to create a routine from scratch. The good news is that all of us already have routines. We wake up, eat, and groom ourselves. And we do it with remarkable consistency. So pick part of your daily routine that will include your new Notebooking time. It doesn’t matter if you Notebook while you’re having your morning coffee, riding on the train to work, or chilling out after dinner. As long as it’s a regular occurrence, it’ll be easier to be consistent in doing it.2

#3 Start Small

I know…we recommend Notebooking for 20 minutes a day. And that might seem like an impossible task. (It isn’t, but it might be on Day 1). It’s okay to start with only 5 minutes. Think about it. If you view 10 minutes of writing as failure, you’ll grow discouraged and quit. But if you view 10 minutes of writing as success, you’ll be excited to keep having success. The truth is, it’s less about how much time you spend, and more about spending some time at all. You can always increase your writing time once the habit has become…well…habitual.

#4 Make it Comfortable and Convenient

We tend to engage in activities we enjoy and avoid activities we don’t. Use this to your advantage! Light some incense (or a candle), curl up in a comfy chair, and use your favorite pen (or pencil). You’ll look forward to your Notebooking time because everything that goes with it is a joy. On the other hand, if Notebooking requires you to hide away in the bathroom while your children are pounding on the door begging for your attention – it’s just not going to last. As much as possible, make your environment something that enhances your writing, rather than detracting from it.

#5 Simplify Your Task!

Studies show that the more complicated a new habit is, the less likely you are to stick to it. Think about it – if you want to start eating healthier, the first step is buying healthier food. If you had to go out and buy healthy food every day (while junk food fills your cupboards), you’d never stick to it. In the same way, if you have find a place to Notebook, find a pen to Notebook with, and figure out what you’re going to write about every day, it’s going to be that much harder to keep it up. Keeping a pen handy in your Notebooking location is the easy part, but that’s why we suggest a Content List. It simplifies the task of Notebooking daily.

#6 Overcome the Resistance

Resistance is a term coined by Steven Pressfield to talk about the things that get in your way. Whether it’s lack of focus, lack of time, life emergencies, minor crises, or simply procrastination, there will always be something to stop your new habit in its tracks.3 Studies show that we really haven’t developed a habit until we’ve overcome the resistance on 5 different occasions. (The good news is that the first time is the hardest. It gets easier every time!) So push your way through the resistance. Don’t let it beat you.

And finally, #7 – Cut yourself some slack

We’re trained to think that once we’ve failed, we’re done, and all our momentum is lost. That’s not actually the case. Missing a day here or there will not derail a habit – if we don’t let it. Say you’ve chosen to Notebook during your morning coffee, and then one day you oversleep. It doesn’t matter. As long as you get back into the routine the next day, your habit won’t be undone. It’s only when we let a habit drift for several days in a row that we start to lose it4. Remember, it’s not how many times we fall off the horse that matters. What counts is whether we climb back on the horse!

You can do it!

Building a new habit isn’t always easy, but if you incorporate these strategies into your life, it does get a lot easier. Whether it’s eating better, spending less, or Notebooking as a regular part of your life, being intentional about your habits will make your life more fulfilling. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? Good luck!

 

Welcome to NotebookingNerds!

Filling Your Notebook, The System, Tips & Tricks

At its essence, notebooking is putting thoughts on a page. These can be your thoughts about your life, other people’s thoughts that you want to record, or some combination of the both. But by putting them in your notebook, you mark these thoughts as ideas you want to hold on to, revisit, or explore.

Here at Notebooking Nerds, we believe in the power of notebooking. The simple act of writing down thoughts on a page will help you think more clearly and write more expressively. The problem is, most of us don’t know what to do with a notebook after we’ve bought it. What should you write? Does this make the cut? These questions can kill whatever spurt of creativity we started with.

Of course, there are added benefits to keeping your thoughts in a notebook, such as…

  • You become a creator of content, rather than a consumer.
  • A notebook can be a customizable souvenir of your life.
  • Becoming consciously aware of your thoughts will make you a better conversationalist.
  • You will become more aware of the details that make stories great.
  • Notebooking builds the habit of creativity.
  • Writing with pen and paper links you to every other literate person in history
  • It is a non-corporate, ad-free, no user-agreement or “signing your life away without knowing it” way to entertain and improve yourself daily.

Sounds good? Read on…

 

Beginning to notebook is easier and more enjoyable than you think.  In fact, before discovering this method, I would liken keeping a “journal” to pulling teeth.  Notebooking is more like dental hygiene – not a lot of work but a little bit of work regularly.

Step 1: Get a Passport style notebook pack

You’ve seen these.  They’re getting to be everywhere thanks largely to the marketing tenacity of Field Notes.  However, there are other, possibly more appropriate brands.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Field Notes.  That said there are other brands and some of them might be better for your purposes.  For now, however, get just about anything.  The key is that they are usually cheap, come in 3 packs and are short enough that filling one is pretty easy.

Step 2: Get a writing implement

I could go on and on about pens and pencils (in fact, I have).  The most important thing here is that you have something to write with that is comfortable and works with your Passport style notebook.  For example, if you’re going to use a fountain pen then you probably should avoid Rite in the Rain.  1

You don’t need to spend a lot (though you could).  Ideally, however, whatever you choose should get you excited to use it.

Step 3: Build your content list

This is where we diverge from the obvious.  Go to the last page and write “Content List” at the top.  Then it’s time to think.  Come up with a list of 5-10 types of things you would like in your notebook.  They can be nearly anything:  Things you find funny, a meaningful moment, something that would entertain you to write about, etc.  Now is the time to ask yourself questions like: What do I want this notebook to feel like?  Are there any skills I’m looking to develop? If I’m stuck at the DMV, what could I write about that would entertain me enough to pass the time?  There’s really only 2 rules.

  1. It’s okay to choose things that you think would make your notebook more cool.  It’s your notebook.
  2. Nothing that involves whining about something.  NO WHINING EVER!  Whining is writing poison.  No one (including yourself) ever wants to read someone whining.  If you feel the need to whine and ruin a perfectly good notebook in the process, get a diary and some crayons.

Step 4: Spend 20 minutes…Daily

Now it’s time to get writing!  For 20 minutes a day look over your content list and think.  If something occurs to you that you want to write in your notebook, do so.  If not, no big deal.  The point of this exercise is twofold.

  1. To get you writing.
  2. To build the habit of thinking about what to write.

The combination of both of these thought processes will make you better at writing and better at deciding what to write.  No matter what, don’t look back at what you’ve written.  Just write.

Finally, try not to go more than 20 minutes.  I’m sure that some days you’ll be able to write for an hour straight but take my word for it, “It’s frighteningly easy to burn out this early in the game.”

Step 5: 21 Days Later…Assess!

It is said that it takes 21 days to make something daily a habit.  I have no idea if that’s true but it seems to work for most people.  Maybe you can form a habit in 2 days but I can’t.  Once you’ve done your 21 days of writing, chances are, you’ve filled at least one of the 3-pack.  Now is the time to go back and read it.  What did you like?  What made you cringe?  Don’t worry, we write crap from time to time.  The only time to worry is if you think all of it is gold.  The chances of that happening your first time out is basically 0%.  If you think it’s all genius then I implore you to be a bit more critical.  The point of notebooking isn’t just to make you feel cool but to create cool stuff and improve yourself by getting those creative juices flowing.

Step 6: Find “Your Notebook”

There are hundreds if not thousands of options when it comes to “Your Notebook”.  The point of this section isn’t to list them all and review them all.  That would take longer than you or I have.  There are several very good websites that review notebooks and a few google searches can net you all you want to know and more.  Instead, I want to ask you a few questions:

  • How big do you want your notebook to be?
  • Will you be carrying it in a pocket or purse or backpack?
  • Will you be carrying it at all?
  • What type of writing implement will you use?
  • Should your notebook have a pen loop or do you have that covered?
  • Do you want blank, ruled, graph or dotted pages?

In the future, we will try to have articles regarding all these questions as well as something akin to reviews that will help you make a decision.

Just remember, no matter what you choose, there is no perfect notebook.  And once there is it will get discontinued one month before you find it.

Now – Dive in!

You now have your notebook, your pen (or pencil), your revised content list, and the habit and practice to write good content.  Now all you need is a vehement opinion on the Oxford comma.  (kidding)  You have all you need.  Get writing!

A final word of advice:  You don’t ever have to stop using the content list.  Hell, if you don’t want it in the book put it on an index card in the pouch that’s usually at the end of the notebook.  In fact, most notebooks have perforated pages at the end so you could tear it out when you’re done with it.  And remember, the more you reflect and honestly assess your writing the better you get.  It is never a easy or comfortable process but it’s always worth it.  Always.

 

Please drop us a line to let us know how it went!  We love hearing from fellow Notebooking Nerds!