Notebook ergonomics

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Nothing useful here

[vdiantonio]

I usually compensate for the thickness of the notebook when I write by positioning my phone next to the notebook. I generally use notebooks about half an inch thick which is about as high as my phone and this works well for me.

[An old bloke]

Noticed it? Yes, but then I'm left-handed. It is something I've had to deal with since my earliest school days.

I, if I can, remove pages from notebooks if they are attached along the long edge. Otherwise, I prefer A4 tabletsthat are attached at the top.

[Chip]

My wife has touchy joints and suffered discomfort while reading, writing notes, etc. as a law prof. So I made her two things.

A simple, slanted board (clear plastic) for desktop use. To change the angle, i insert different dowels.



A lap board with a soft leather cushion, filled with wheat, that stays put at the desired angle.





They can be used with a clipboard, or a clip might be added quite easily.

[Jon Szanto]

For virtually any extended writing, I have a wooden clipboard, that I rotate about 45 degrees and then tilt up at the front by placing on a foam block of about 1.5" height. This is to accommodate being left-handed and make for a comfortable angle.

To your point, though, the level of the paper in a bound object also bothers me, but the solution I've found is fairly simple: assuming the part of the book that is open to the left has fewer pages and is laying lower, I just put a small book/journal/something unterneath it to make a flat surface. If I am getting close to the bottom of the journal I'll sometimes place something there, as well. I've found I don't need it to be exact, just to minimize the difference in height between where my hand rests and where I'm writing.k

The other issue I have is any kind of bound object that is 'lumpy' on the left, a good example being spiral bound items on the left. That *always* falls under my hand and is mostly a deal-breaker. I purchase either flat-bound objects or if spiral bound, at the top, like an old school steno pad.

[Jon Szanto]

Yeah, there are a lot of ways around these issues. And then, at the end of the day, there is simply getting used to it or accepting it! I don't write all that much in journals/books, maybe this is part of it, but when I do there is usually some way to make it... comfortable enough, I suppose. Good luck!

[An old bloke]

There is that Joe. and then why 'suck it up and make do' when one can simply switch to something that is more user-friendly. After all, the vast majority of us aren't having to use school/teacher mandated copybooks or suffer the consequences.

[Sandy]

I put a thin notebook by the book, so my hand is level so I can write comfortably.

Other options include using thinner notebooks - such as the Moleskine cahier range, or the Atoma range where pages can be removed and added with ease. Atoma comes with two types of paper - the cheaper set is rubbish for fountain pens.

Another option is to dispense with the notebook altogether. If you are deak hopping a poly wallet can store a large no of sheets of A5 or A4 paper which you can use at will. You can slip a board or something in there to lean on as you go. ic arry two - one for paper, and one for completed sheets.

[pajaro]

I use left handed notebooks. Spiral wire on the right so the spiral wire isn't under my hand. I use one side only of the paper.

[Chip]

I use left handed notebooks. Spiral wire on the right so the spiral wire isn't under my hand. I use one side only of the paper.

Could you give a link to a source?

[An old bloke]

I use left handed notebooks. Spiral wire on the right so the spiral wire isn't under my hand. I use one side only of the paper.

Could you give a link to a source?

https://www.leftyslefthanded.com/Col...ties_s/152.htm

https://www.leftyslefthanded.com/Lef...books_s/22.htm

[Jon Szanto]

I use left handed notebooks.

It's only mono-handed if you don't use both pages / both sides of the page. I think that iw why I opt for top-binding journals. That said, there are a few bound books journals that I love (Musubi, Curnow) that are so nibe to put words into that it is worth looking for these other tactics to make the process comfortable.

[Chip]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

[Jon Szanto]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

Yes... if you only want to write on one side of the page. If you wanted to write on the facing page, re-orienting the book 180 degrees would put the writing upside down, alternately, on facing pages.

[An old bloke]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

Yes... if you only want to write on one side of the page. If you wanted to write on the facing page, re-orienting the book 180 degrees would put the writing upside down, alternately, on facing pages.

The other problem with simply flipping note book over is that it then becomes a nuisance for anybody else who needs to read what has been written, and finds everything 'back to front'.

[Sandy]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

Yes... if you only want to write on one side of the page. If you wanted to write on the facing page, re-orienting the book 180 degrees would put the writing upside down, alternately, on facing pages.

The other problem with simply flipping note book over is that it then becomes a nuisance for anybody else who needs to read what has been written, and finds everything 'back to front'.

Another option is to flip the notebook 90 degrees, so you write from the side edge, instead of the top edge down.

For lefties it is a pretty good solution when using FP ink, as your hand is always below the bit you've written on. You are not stretching across and rubbing the left page hand as you fil in the right side.

I use this with A6 and Field Note size notebooks. That way you are writing across the longer edge of the page, which means sentences have more room to flourish.

The alternative is to write across both pages and move down.

[An old bloke]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

Yes... if you only want to write on one side of the page. If you wanted to write on the facing page, re-orienting the book 180 degrees would put the writing upside down, alternately, on facing pages.

The other problem with simply flipping note book over is that it then becomes a nuisance for anybody else who needs to read what has been written, and finds everything 'back to front'.

Another option is to flip the notebook 90 degrees, so you write from the side edge, instead of the top edge down.

For lefties it is a pretty good solution when using FP ink, as your hand is always below the bit you've written on. You are not stretching across and rubbing the left page hand as you fil in the right side.

I use this with A6 and Field Note size notebooks. That way you are writing across the longer edge of the page, which means sentences have more room to flourish.

The alternative is to write across both pages and move down.

Being a believer in the saying, 'Work smart; not hard', I'll keep doing what I've been doing -- using A4, A5, etc. tablets that are connected at the top, short edge and notebooks have that removeable and re-insertable pages.




(Bl**dy Typos!)

[Chip]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

Yes... if you only want to write on one side of the page. If you wanted to write on the facing page, re-orienting the book 180 degrees would put the writing upside down, alternately, on facing pages.

When I write in a spiral bound notebook, I have to work across the spine to write on the back of a page, and have filled thousands of pages thus, without a problem.

[Jon Szanto]

For most page layouts (lined, graph, blank) wouldn't it work to just flip the notebook so the spine is on the right?

Yes... if you only want to write on one side of the page. If you wanted to write on the facing page, re-orienting the book 180 degrees would put the writing upside down, alternately, on facing pages.

When I write in a spiral bound notebook, I have to work across the spine to write on the back of a page, and have filled thousands of pages thus, without a problem.

Not in my comfort zone, especially - as a left-hander - writing on the right-hand page from the left. I’ve found other solutions, thankfully.

[Robalone]

Greetings 🙋🏻*♂️ I spent quite while sussing the best and most ergo method of writing comfortably, and came up with this puppy.
Notice I use a Rhodia 'top spiral bound' pad , this way there's no left or right impediment to get in the way.
The two manky old cushioned pads ( out of an el cheapo pen display case ) at the bottom are to rest my wrist on so that I'm not on the 'spiral' when writing to the bottom of the page.
The board itself is just a shelf out of a small cabinet !

IMG_5129.JPGIMG_5128.JPG

Ps. I've since worked out how to post pics ...lol