Category Archives: The System

Getting the most out of your Content List

Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook, The SystemKevin

A good Content List can be your best friend along the path to great Notebooking or it could be a wasted page at the end of your Notebook. For as much as I use my Content List, I often hear of people making it and then ignoring it. Not only is this a waste of a perfectly innocent page but it is a waste of so much creative potential. Here are a few tips I’ve found over the years for getting the most out of your Content List.

Make One This is super obvious but many Notebookers think about what they want in their Notebooks then they begin writing. Writing is great but do yourself a favor and write down on the last page of your Notebook those things you like to write about. Having the list there gives you an advantage when the words don’t swim from your pen like fish.
Set the Tone A good Content List can set the tone of your Notebook in an intentional way. Very often when I sit down to write, I end up with a Notebooking entry that finishes very different from how it began. That’s all well and good for vomitive, adolescent drivel but we’re better than that. Aren’t we? When you create your Content List you create a tone for your Notebook. Maintaining the tone you want is the first step to writing content you can be proud of.
A Checklist of Sorts Your Content List can act as a checklist, keeping your writing varied and dynamic. It’s all too easy to write with a one track mind, only to realize in horror later that you only write about one thing! Using your Content List like a checklist can go a long way to keeping your writing diverse.
Challenge Yourself Try putting something on your Content List that isn’t in your “wheelhouse”. Every time you use your Content List you will move it closer to being IN your “wheelhouse”. Want to get better at writing knock-knock jokes? (I mean, who doesn’t?) Putting knock-knock jokes on your Content List insures that you will write them more often. Thus your Notebook will become a record of your progress as you become the greatest knock-knock joke writer ever!
Update Regularly If you aren’t updating your Content List you’re missing out. While we’ve written an entire article about updating your Content List, the heart of it is asking yourself, “Am I happy with this?” and “Is this working for me?” Honestly asking yourself these 2 simple questions will make all the superfluous Content List items fall by the wayside. This leads to a better Content List and that leads to better content.
Use your Content List at the Right Time Maybe this isn’t a problem for you, but it happens to me so often that I have to mention it. I will sit down to Notebook with an idea or 3 to write about. Then, before I begin, I’ll look at my Content List. At that point I forget what I wanted to write about originally! Only to remember later while driving or skydiving or something! Don’t do this! Don’t be like me! Look at your Content List only after you’ve written what is on your mind.

With these ideas in mind go forth and write your best stuff ever! (with a little help from that humble page at the back of your book.)

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Benefits of Notebooking, Filling Your Notebook, The SystemKevin

These are a few of Julie Andrews’ favorite things. And now that I’ve got that song stuck in my head, let’s talk about a few of MY favorite things…to write about. Or your favorite things to write about. Well, really, we’re taking about the Content List.

Ultimately, that’s what a content list is, a list of favorite things to write about. An evergreen well of inspiration you can return to time and time again. Kind of like one of our writing prompts, right?

NO.

Writing prompts and a Content List are like opposite sides of the same coin.

If writing from your inexhaustible well of a Content List is like coming home then writing from our writing prompts is like going on a trip. A trip directly away from your comfort zone and away from any plans or preconceived notions you may have.

Your Content List is custom built by you to create a feel and identity for your Notebooking content. You can use it as inspiration to challenge yourself or chronicle your growth. You can use your Content List as a checklist to help ensure the dynamic diversity of content you envision. Ultimately, your content list should serve as a guide to creating the kind of content you want in your notebook.

If your Content List is like a guide then a good writing prompt is like a muse, inspiring you to strike out into the creative unknown.

Hard to believe though it may be, we work very hard and discuss at length what writing prompts we put out. There’s a good reason for that.

A quick google search will yield some of the worst writing prompts you can imagine. Prompts like:

“Write about your summer vacation.”

“Write about something that frustrates you.”

REALLY?!

Our goal with writing prompts is a little more productive and, dare I say, much more useful. I’m sure that you could, with very little forethought, write about your frustrating coworkers but what does that get you? Frustrated.

In the Notebooking Nerds method, a writing prompt is designed to nudge you out of your comfort zone and down the road to growth and creativity. Of course a good writing prompt is only half of the equation. How you use it is the other half. Actually, come to think of it, how you use it is more than half. Way more. Here’s why:

The best way to use a good writing prompt is to follow it out of your comfort zone. This means it’s something you haven’t thought about very much before and certainly something you haven’t written about, at length, before. Ideally, the first time you see it is the first time you’ve thought about it. It may not be the best thing you’ve ever written but going along for the ride with a good writing prompt is the best way to train your creativity to flow quickly and on command.

Does that mean that you can only use a writing prompt once? Not exactly. When I use a writing prompt I try to not use it again until some time has passed. That way, when I go back to it, it seems fresh. You don’t have to though, you could try it on for size again and again. Of course, after a while, it isn’t nudging you out of your usual writing because it has become your usual writing. At that point simply add it to your Content List and enjoy it!

As you can see, there is a big difference between writing prompts and your Content List. Both are helpful in creating dynamic content and fostering well-rounded growth as a writer and a thinker. Just remember, the quality of the writing prompt you use is just as important as the quality of your Content List.

How Notebooking teaches you to ask good questions

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, The SystemKevin

We’ve all heard hundreds of times that good questions are open ended and insightful while bad questions are yes or no questions, Blah! Blah! Blah!

You know what no one ever does? Teach how to ask better questions. Want to know why? Because it’s really hard if not impossible to teach. Luckily, it is possible to learn. Luckier still, a Notebooker does this automatically! Here’s how…

Every time you write a notebook entry about an experience, you are answering an unspoken question. If your entry was insightful, you’re asking an insightful question of yourself. Then answering it.

Every single time you write about a bad experience and re-frame¹ it into a good or, at least, interesting experience, you are asking yourself some re-framing questions.

These questions you ask yourself are nearly always unspoken but make no mistake, they’re there! This happens automatically and naturally. In fact, the better you get at writing insightful, entertaining and dynamic entries the better you become at asking insightful, entertaining and dynamic questions!

This is a very good skill to have because better questions allow you to effortlessly become a gifted conversationalist. People love the sound of their own voice and people love talking about themselves. Ask someone a good open-ended question and they will talk and talk. You won’t have to say much if anything at all! Then later, when they think back to that conversation they enjoyed so much, they will remember how much they enjoyed talking to you. Not that you only asked a few good questions and let them talk.

Ask someone an insightful question that goes to the heart of a story and they will think they had some grand epiphany!

If someone is having a bad day or telling you a whiny story (ugh), ask them a re-framing question and watch, with confidence, as their story transforms from a complain-y mess to a smile inducing anecdote!

And that’s just the beginning of it. With an arsenal of great questions you crafted through Notebooking you can have great conversations that go as long or as short² as you like.

Are you ready for the best part? Even though this happens naturally through good Notebooking, it is really and intuitive to speed up the process.

How?

This is my favorite part, probably due to its shocking simplicity:

You ask yourself a good question! Just one, “What questions am I answering?” This may seem simple because it is. You might be skeptical because it’s too simple. Allow me to assure you with a few examples:

Let’s say you take a trip to a store and have a bad time. Let’s say you then Notebooked about it and tried to re-frame the experience into a funny story. Whatever you come up with when you answer, “What questions am I asking myself?” will be re-framing questions.

Maybe you write an entry about an experience you had and at the end of the entry you found an insightful realization. “What questions do I answer?” Your answer is going to be some very good and insightful questions.

Faster than you think, this will turn into the habit and talent of asking good questions. Enjoy!

Using a Table of Contents, the Lazy Way

Filling Your Notebook, The System, Tips & TricksKevin

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:

Number pages (maybe leave some empties for a Table of Contents)
Write
After returning to a topic, add it to your Table of Contents
Write
Add the page number to your Table of Contents
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!

The Now & Later Notebooking method

Filling Your Notebook, Templates, The SystemKevin

I make soap. The process of making soap is simple but chemically complex. One of the stages in soap making is something called curing. This is where, after making the soap, you let it sit and occasionally turn the soap bars for even drying. All of the soaps that I make need time to cure in order to harden and become milder. (Bear with me here, this is going somewhere) The time it takes to cure is anywhere from a month to a year. As I make different soaps I sometimes experiment with different “Oil Bills”, that is the ratios of oils in the soap. Between the time I make the soap with the new, experimental oil bill and the time I get to test the soap I used to forget which oils went into an individual soap. This was an unbelievably stupid oversight on my part.

“Wow! What a great soap! I wish I knew what was in it.”

“Just awful. I wonder what I put in this one.”

Enter Now & Later Notebooking.

Now & Later Notebooking is quite simply drawing a line half way down the page. Writing on only one half thus allowing you to return to it at a later time. While this works very well for soap making, it’s uses aren’t limited to hobbies inspired by Fight Club.

In fact, Now & Later Notebooking is useful for any time you want to come back to a particular topic. Everything from a creative project to an enhanced planner can benefit. The thing that makes Now & Later Notebooking so useful is it’s versatility and simplicity. No complicated or too specific templates. Just an easy line and the knowledge that you can come back to it if you want.

Still not convinced? Here’s a few examples of where Now & Later Notebooking can help:

Recipes
Writing about events before and after they occur such as with a planner
Discussion notes for any kind of book club (which, I guess, includes church)
Contact information
Writing projects
Gardening
Restaurant review
Ongoing projects or contemplative musings

While it may seem exceedingly simple, you might find Now & Later Notebooking very useful. What have you used it for?

What NOT to put in your notebook

Filling Your Notebook, The SystemKevin

We spend a lot of time trying to give you ideas about what to write in your notebooks. We don’t, however, spend any time discussing what NOT to write (other than whining). That’s for a very good reason. We don’t want to stifle you nor your writing.

I guess it’s time to stifle you.

Don’t put grocery lists. Don’t put to do lists. Ordering Chinese food for a group? Want to have everyone write down what they want to make ordering bearable? Don’t use your notebook.

As a general rule, if you aren’t going to need it in a day, month, etc. find something else to write on. A Spartan, for instance.

And now we break that rule

Some years ago I was an usher at a friend’s wedding. One of my usher-ly duties was to introduce the wedding party as they entered the reception. Just so I wouldn’t muck it up, I wrote their names phonetically and the order in which they were entering. Having no other paper I reluctantly used a page in my current notebook. Years later it serves as a unique souvenir.

Circumstances that are out of the ordinary can be a good reason to bend some rules a bit. You might be glad you did.

The secret to easy flowing content

Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook, The SystemKevin

Page eaters

What is a page eater? While it may sound like a Harry Potter creature that didn’t make the cut, a page eater is a method for getting through lots of pages in your notebook.

Obviously, there’s more to it than that. A page eater is, basically, anything you can write about at length and easily. This could be anything from heady thoughts on a scholarly topic to a funny list of fictitious band names. It might sound like cheating but, as you’ll see, page eaters have many benefits and have the potential to create great content.

First and foremost, page eaters destroy the tyranny of the blank page. They can give you a sense of accomplishment and momentum. Writing a lot, through the use of a page eater, is a great morale booster. Always reminding you that you are a content creator with a lot to say. Helping you to avoid whining (NO WHINING!!). A few good page eaters in your content list and your notebook will flow out of you, through your hand, into a compelling, dynamic and multifaceted notebook.

Some examples include: Funny lists, observations about your surroundings or people, personal recollections viewed in a new light, notes or reflections on a skill you’re trying to learn, brainstorming or flow charts. Basically, anything that’s compelling or entertaining enough to get you writing.

This begs the question, “Shouldn’t all items on my content list be page eaters?” Hardly. I suppose you could do that and you would burn through notebooks easily and you might even be proud of your notebook, at first. Eventually, without challenging yourself, your notebook will be repetitive and boring. It might be fun, even easy, but make sure you try to stretch your abilities every now and then. Being able to see your growth over the course of a notebook is some of the greatest content of all.

Notebooking vs. Journaling

Adventures in Notebooking, Benefits of Notebooking, The SystemJason

For years, I kept a journal. It’s a great way to express yourself and think through what’s going on in your life. I even consider Ira Progoff to be one of the people who was fundamental to my ‘adulting’ process. But when I’m Notebooking in public and someone comes up to chat and says, “Oh, you keep a journal too?”, it takes all the willpower I can muster not to give a lengthy speech of clarification.

Notebooking is different from journaling. Why? A few reasons…

Both involve “expression”, but they don’t express the same thing

A quick perusal of journaling ‘how-to’s will lead you down the path of self-expression. The goal of journaling is to take all the thoughts and emotions that are clogging up your brain, and getting them out on paper so that you can engage in reflection and self-care. It’s very therapeutic. Notebooking isn’t about therapy. It’s about creativity. The goal is still expressing yourself, but you’re expressing yourself by recording hobbies, humor, creative writing, profound thoughts and personal projects. Which leads us to the next difference between the two:

Notebooks are multi-faceted. Journals have a singular focus.

One of the core ideas of Notebooking is that you want to start with a Content List. While it’s not against the rules to Notebook on a single subject¹, our system works best with having multiple subjects going at any one time. It’s perfectly appropriate to have a recipe on one page, followed by the first draft of a wedding toast, followed by a conversation you overheard at Starbucks that morning. Variety is the spice of life, and we like our Notebooks spicy! But journals are geared to pick a topic and stay on topic. Whether it’s working through your anxiety, recording your dreams each night, or recalling conversations and writing down what you wish you had said, journaling is designed to keep these topics separate, each in their own book.

Journaling is meant to be private. Not so with Notebooking!

Most journaling websites will encourage you to keep your journal to yourself. While you’re allowed to share it with someone you love and trust, the idea is that journals are for your eyes only! Here at NotebookingNerds, we encourage you to make your notebooks “Stranger Safe”. You’re not necessarily writing to show off, but you shouldn’t be embarrassed if someone picks up your notebook unexpectedly. Personally, I’m happy to share my notebook with anyone who asks. This wouldn’t be the case if it was filled with my deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts.

But while journaling is inwardly focused, Notebooking is outwardly focused.

This is perhaps the most crucial difference between the two. Journaling touches on the outside world, but only enough to focus on one’s own opinions, emotions, reflections, and reactions. Notebooking touches on ourselves, but the center of the action is engagement with the world. Whether it’s describing a scene, recording an event, recalling humorous interactions, or pursuing goals, the focus of Notebooking is outside of ourselves. Journaling centers the action inside your own head.

Ultimately, this makes all the difference when it comes to the tone of your writing…

The number 1 rule of Notebooking is “No Whining!”. When you’re engaged with the outside world, and the action is centered beyond yourself, this is easy. All it takes is a bit of grace and a modicum of tact. However, journaling lends itself to whining. Because the goal of journaling is to honestly express your every thought about the world, the only way to avoid whining is to be so overwhelmingly pollyannish that nothing ever disturbs you or gets you down. That’s an unrealistic and impossible standard for anyone.

All of this isn’t to say that journaling can never be useful. If you have issues you want to work through, or find that writing your thoughts down on paper helps you to make sense of your life, then go ahead and keep a journal. But if you want to be more creative, more engaging, more social, and more interesting, then Notebooking is the avenue you should pursue.

How to find YOUR notebook

The SystemKevin

Now you’ve done it. You went and listened to us. You filled some Passport-style notebooks, assessed your writing and you’ve got your content list pretty close to perfect. Now what?

The next step in our method is to “Find your notebook” but there are so many options ¹ out there. What’s a Notebooker to do?

Relax. We’re here to help. Here are a few guidelines to assist you in navigating the notebook store ²

Size Since the common style of notebooks are of European descent they tend to follow the European size system. It’s really simple, at least as it pertains to notebooks. A4, A5, and A6 are the most common sizes. A4 being roughly letter sized, A5 being half that, and A6 being half of A5. Imagine taking a letter sized piece of paper (actually slightly larger) and that’s A4. Then fold it in half and you’ve got A5. Fold it again and BOOM! A6. Since numbers are easy to mix up we’ve come up with a esoteric taxonomy that might help but is mostly for fun. A4 we’ll call “Letter size.” Let’s refer to A5 as “Steno size.” That’s fun. Lastly, if we call A6 the “Pocket size” we’ll at least which one will fit in a pocket. Steno sized (A5) is far and away the most popular which means the most options. Unfortunately, Steno sized is also kinda tough to fit into a pocket. Carrying a bag? Great!
Paper Let’s talk paper. These days pretty much every notebook uses “acid-free, archival” paper ³ so don’t worry about that. There are, however, 2 things to consider. 1) Paper quality. There’s a TON to say about this but for the purposes of this article let’s just say that good notebooks have good paper and unless you have a penchant for fountains then you’ll be fine.⁴ 2) Printing. Basically, you have to ask yourself whether you prefer blank, ruled or grid printing on your pages. Most notebooks are available in many different configurations so it should be easy to find what you want.
Features Most notebooks have the 3 standard features. Those being: Ribbon bookmark, Elastic band closure, and Pocket in back. These features are so ubiquitous that it’s hard to find a decent notebook without them. Personally, I’ve come to rely on them but if you don’t care then more power to you. Here are a few other features that are becoming more popular: Table of Contents on the first few pages, Numbered pages, and perforated pages in the back for easy removal. If you want these you might have to look around a bit but you’ll find what you’re looking for no problem.
Lay flat design This is a feature important enough to warrant it’s own bullet point. A notebook that lays flat, quite simply, makes it easier to write in. This feature is my personal obsession and I suffer under it. Can you use a notebook that doesn’t open flat? Absolutely! When using a notebook, there are only ever 2 sides. The side you’re writing on and the side you’re not. A notebook that lays flat keeps the pages flat while writing. A notebook that doesn’t requires you to either write on a curved surface, not write as deep toward the spine or allow the opposite side to raise up, mummy like, while you write. If these don’t bother then congratulations! There’s a lot more notebooks that you can use that I can’t.

Now that we’ve covered that, here’s one piece of advice I’ve noticed over the years: The flashier the notebook’s exterior the worse the interior tends to be. That beautiful leather covered notebook with the Celtic knot work stamped into the front you saw at Barnes and Noble for 30$ probably has cheap binding that will only lay flat if you break it and bad paper.

Welcome to the world of Notebooking

The System, UncategorizedJason

Notebooking. A noun turned into a verb. Not a particularly unique thing to do. But Notebooking, as a creative endeavor, is unique.

Notebooking started as a personal project. We had repeatedly bought notebooks at the bookstore, buying into the premise that having a notebook would make us more creative. Boy, were we wrong!

Owning a notebook doesn’t make you more creative. Carrying a notebook around doesn’t make you more intelligent. Writing whiny journal entries into your notebook doesn’t make you more interesting. And so after a while, most people give up. Their hopes are left unfulfilled as they declare themselves uncreative or lacking willpower. The truth is, most people fail not because they are uncreative, but because they don’t have a system for success. At least that’s why we failed to fill our first notebooks.

And our second. And third.

But eventually, we developed a system for success. Using Content Lists, Jot Points, Page Eaters (and more), we discovered that filling a notebook with individualized, creative content is an attainable goal.

We liked our system so much that we wanted to share it with others. If you want to finally fill up those pages with entries you’ll be happy to hold onto for years to come, feel free to look around.

If you want to just dive in and learn as you go, check out our introductory article: How to Begin Notebooking

6 Reasons you should start with a Passport-Style notebook

Notebooks, Reviews, The SystemKevin

If you have read our “Getting Started” page you’ll know that we recommend getting started with a 3 pack of Passport-Style notebooks such as Field Notes, Word., Fabriano, etc. There’s a good reason for that. Actually, there’s a few good reasons¹:

Take out the guesswork It’s all too common when starting any project to become paralyzed by options². This “analysis paralysis” could easily become a problem with Notebooking since there are so many notebook and writing implement options out there. This way you start with an easy-to-find option.
There’s 3 of them Passport-Style notebooks usually come in 3 packs³. This gives you 3 chances to get started and go through the write/assess cycle without having to buy anything else. By the time you’ve gotten through all 3 you’re sure to be a Notebooking expert!
They’re short Being usually anywhere from 24 – 64 pages allows you fill a notebook with relative ease. Both lending you a sense of accomplishment and more frequent chances to assess your writing.
They are small They tend to be 3″ x 5″ or very close to it. This means that you can easily slip it into your purse or back pocket. This allows you to carry your notebook with you. This not only helps you build the habit of Notebooking and thinking about Notebooking but it also may help to inform your future notebook decisions like whether to carry it with you or not.
They’re cheap! Most 3-packs of Passport-Style notebooks clock in at around 10$. If we recommended a 50$ notebook to start that would place a bit too much pressure on you. Skip Starbucks twice and you’ve got enough to get a 3-pack. No one should have to skip Starbucks more than twice, I’m not a monster⁴!
Good Paper Most, if not all, Passport-Style notebooks I’ve used have had pretty decent paper. As you probably know, I prefer pencils and ball-point pens. I don’t, however, believe everyone should use them⁵. Luckily, the paper quality on most of these is such that you could even use a fountain pen if you insist. ⁶

You may find that you like the form factor of a Passport-Style notebook so much that it becomes “Your” notebook. Great! Though, do yourself a favor and try a different style of notebook at some point. You might be glad you did.

Assessing Your Notebook

The SystemJason

Congratulations! You’ve made it 21 days! Now is the time to assess your Notebooking.

Assessment is a vital part of growth. You don’t want to keep churning out the same old crap for years on end, do you? Of course not! Assessment is what helps us to emphasize our strengths and modify our weaknesses.

Here is a template to help you assess. It’s broken down into 4 categories: gear, habits, content, and writing style. You can, of course, make assessments of more than these, but these are a good start.

Notebooking Assessment Form

The Science of Habit-Building

Adventures in Notebooking, The System, Tips & TricksJason

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!

How to build your Content List

Content List Ideas, Filling Your Notebook, The SystemKevin

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

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

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

“Sounds good?”

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

“Nope!”

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

Guidelines

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

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

The Big 4

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

Interests

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

Humor

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

Page Eaters

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

A Challenge

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

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

Welcome to NotebookingNerds!

Filling Your Notebook, The System, Tips & TricksKevin

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.

It’s okay to choose things that you think would make your notebook more cool. It’s your notebook.
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.

To get you writing.
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!