Notebook Strategies

[pencils+pens]

I have a bunch of journals/notebooks and they are all composition books with one exception. Most of the books are college ruled but I will buy regular ruling if the price is right (0.50). Most of the books are Brazilian manufacture. Some are from other places, these were bought to test out the various places of manufacture.

The uses:

Random Thoughts - this is my general journal. If I want to write something down and it has nowhere else to go, it goes here.

Tales From the Office - this is used to record client and co-worker foibles, which may turn into a book or short stories some day. Since there are strict client confidentiality rules in my profession, I have to make up interesting names for my clients when I record their stories in the journal.

My Grammar Book - in preparation for writing, I decided to re-study grammar. This is the notebook for that.

My Book About Writing - this is where I record notes about writing itself. Most of this is notes from books about writing I have read. There isn't always a clear line between what goes in here and what goes in the grammar book.

Commonplace Book - for quotes. I don't use it as much as I thought I would.

Guitar Book - I recently started to learn to play the guitar. This records that journey.

Harmonica Book - along with learning to play guitar, I decided to dust off some harmonicas I had and learn them also. Although the journey's are similar, they are also different enough that I record my progress for each instrument in a different book. This and the Guitar Book are the only ones written with a mechanical pencil (usually 0.7 or 0.9mm). The others are all written in with a fountain pen.

Piano Book - this one is started yet. My guitar teacher suggested we learn a bit about scales and such on the piano. My wife is teaching me simple scales on our baby grand piano. In January I will sign up for an adult ed class in piano keyboarding and so another musical journey and journal will need to be started.

Ink Journal Composition Book - for testing pen/ink combinations in my standard notebook.

Ink Journal Rhodia - Lined, 80g/m2, 21.2 lb. This is my only "decent" paper. I use it to test pen/ink combinations. If I ever need to write a letter, which I haven't done in over 30 years, I would use this pad.

Index cards - I am a prolific note taker on index cards and business cards. Since most of these are not fountain pen friendly I writer my notes in either the dreaded and Infamous Ball Point Pen or mechanical pencil. If the notes are needed long term, they get transcribed into one of the bigger notebooks.

I have various and sundry small shirt pocket notebooks I use for writing notes on the run, especially if the index cards or business cards are not handy. I didn't buy any of these, they just seem to materialize out of nowhere. Maybe one day I will have to buy some.

[KrazyIvan]

I keep several notebooks too.

I have to keep my work notes separate from everything else as I would not want to have to turn in my notebook with personal information in it. I keep a notebook for my church studies. A separate studies notebook for school. I have a personal journal. I also keep a notebook for handwritten forum posts. There is my review notes notebook and finally my notebook for the actual reviews that get published on my blog. More of a pad really. Rhodia Dotpad to be exact.

[caribbean_skye]

Somehow after reading this post I don't think I own enough journals.

I use a BanditApple Carnet Handy Notebook (Graph Paper) for my Bullet Journal where most things are notated.

Then I have 2 Clairefontaine 1951 notebooks (5.875 x 8.25) both of which are lined. The first is for anything pen or ink related. I test out new pens/nibs/inks here. I took this with me to the pen show in Dallas and so there is a section that shows all of the writing samples with the F-C tester pens, along with any pens I tested at the show (I usually write about the pen and the ink with the pen for later memory recall) along with the writing samples with inks I've bought or inks mixes I'm testing out.

The second notebook is reserved for when I'm traveling for making notes about the book I'm currently reading. Sadly I need to use this more even when I'm home.

I'm considering starting a fourth notebook to keep track of all of the books I've read thus far. I have computer lists dating back as far as 2005 and a general list that encompasses anything prior to that that I've read.

[heath]

I try to stay simple, but....

One notebook for the novel I'm working on. Since this takes several notebooks, it will end up as a stack.

One idea notebook. I'm focused on the novel, but things drift into my brain for future novels and must be written before they're lost.

A notebook for brainstorming the next novel: if I need a break from the current novel, it's fun to think about the next one.

A notebook for what I'm learning. I'm currently learning Chinese. Without a notebook...yipe!

I have a binder that is forming the "bible" of my science fiction universe for my novels. It contains characters, planets, companies, maps, technologies, and the like.

I'm not picky about brand or type, except I prefer glue and stitching over spiral bound or rings. Also, it should work with my pens. Here is the novel I'm currently editing in its many different notebooks:

What is that folded out page in your Campus slide binder? Where did you get it?

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I try to stay simple, but....

What is that folded out page in your Campus slide binder? Where did you get it?

It is Maruman Smooth to Write paper. I bought it at Jetpens.com, and it was really handy for making the outline of my novel. I needed 3 columns: one for each viewpoint character. Laid out like this I could match up events so that the 3 stories would interact and feed off each other.

Here is the link:

http://www.jetpens.com/Maruman-Smoot...e-of-5/pd/6749

[DrChumley]

My initial response was, oh, I only use two notebooks. But then I started doing a little mental inventory. WRONG!

* A Rhodia Webnotebook for my daily personal journal. I've used Leuchttrum1917 for this, but I couldn't write on both sides of the paper, so I switched back to Rhodia.
* An Apica Premium notebook for writing song lyrics. (I keep this one on my piano.)
* A clairefontaine basic black spiral bound notebook for my work journal. (Kept at the office.)
* Another Clairefontaine basic black spiral bound notebook for my writing exercises.
* I have some scattered Apica CD15s, floating around that I used to use for my work journals, but I switched to Clairefontaine when I found a local retailer that carried them.
* A large Clairefontaine cloth-bound notebook for the book I'm working on.
* A Picadilly notebook for my gardening journal. Although, Picadilly notebooks are not good for fountain pens, so I will probably switch to a Leuchttrum next spring when i start gardening again.

[heath]

My initial response was, oh, I only use two notebooks. But then I started doing a little mental inventory. WRONG!

* A Rhodia Webnotebook for my daily personal journal. I've used Leuchttrum1917 for this, but I couldn't write on both sides of the paper, so I switched back to Rhodia.
* An Apica Premium notebook for writing song lyrics. (I keep this one on my piano.)
* A clairefontaine basic black spiral bound notebook for my work journal. (Kept at the office.)
* Another Clairefontaine basic black spiral bound notebook for my writing exercises.
* I have some scattered Apica CD15s, floating around that I used to use for my work journals, but I switched to Clairefontaine when I found a local retailer that carried them.
* A large Clairefontaine cloth-bound notebook for the book I'm working on.
* A Picadilly notebook for my gardening journal. Although, Picadilly notebooks are not good for fountain pens, so I will probably switch to a Leuchttrum next spring when i start gardening again.

I'd love to see how you keep your garden journal. Mine always has a lot of info in the beginning but I don't really know what to add throughout the season.

[elderberry]

At first I wanted to say I'm not keeping a lot of notebooks, then I noticed that's probably not perfectly true. Here you go:

- a traditional journal for thoughts and experiences, written in daily to weekly.
- a 5 year diary which I bought last spring. One page for each day, separated into 5 sections for 5 different years, so not a lot of room for each day (and it's a rather small book too, about A6 size). Forces me to decide what's essential about the past day.
- a handmade A5 leather notebook with 3 inserts for my novel, stories and notes related to those.
- a handmade A5 leather notebook with 3 inserts for work stuff and random notes.
- a notebook with red spine and Florentine paper cover for incoming and outgoing correspondence: date, person, topics.

I also started an ink journal but then I decided index cards would be much more convenient as it's easier to compare or rearrange them as I go along.

[PowerWriter]

I have never succeeded keeping more than one or two journals at once. I am out and about a lot, and when I found I needed a journal or two that were at home, I simply used one on hand and labelled the entry. Eventually labelling entries has overtaken separate journals.

I like Staples' sustainable earth paper, but I hate spiral binding. I would love to make my own journals with binding on the top.

My preferred paper is Domtar 30lb printer paper which I print lines on.

[heath]

I have never succeeded keeping more than one or two journals at once. I am out and about a lot, and when I found I needed a journal or two that were at home, I simply used one on hand and labelled the entry. Eventually labelling entries has overtaken separate journals.

I like Staples' sustainable earth paper, but I hate spiral binding. I would love to make my own journals with binding on the top.

My preferred paper is Domtar 30lb printer paper which I print lines on.

Where do you buy Domtar?

[Senecabud]

I've started a bullet journal today.

So how's the bullet journal going so far? I just started one yesterday for everything but my ink log as the only notebooks of mine which can handle heavy ink are too big to fit in my back pocket, and for the bullet journal to work for me, the notebook must be with me every waking moment. My pocket sized notebooks handle normal writing with fountain pen ink but not the intense swabbing or cross-hatching I use to log a new ink.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'd like to understand the bullet journal concept, but all the explanations seem so complicated.

[79spitfire]

http://www.bulletjournal.com/

The concept makes sense, I'm going to try it, but it does seem that it can (like any journal) become cumbersome...

[Mags]

The bullet journal requires some page flipping if like me you plan 60-90 days out and do some daily journal entries.

That said I am a new convert and will likely always bullet journal if not using a page per day calendar.

[heath]

For me the Bullet Journal replaces daily to do list, planning pads, etc. but it is not a calendar system. If you need to schedule events three months out it can wreck the whole system. I use it as a running to do, week or month out pre-planner and large project workbook. It holds a lot of what I am thinking about so I don't forget it but it can't do everything.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I really like the idea of the bullet journal, but one of the things I like to do is plan (as much as possible) months in advance. Currently, I'm using a Rhodia academic planner. I have one week's worth of dates on one side and a blank page on the other side. I've been bullet-journaling the blank page.

What I may try next year is a Midori with a small pocket calendar for planning a year off. I'm thinking this will allow me to consolidate several of the tools I use into one object.

[Senecabud]

For me the Bullet Journal replaces daily to do list, planning pads, etc. but it is not a calendar system. If you need to schedule events three months out it can wreck the whole system. I use it as a running to do, week or month out pre-planner and large project workbook. It holds a lot of what I am thinking about so I don't forget it but it can't do everything.

Your use sounds like a winning strategy, all the positive features without the negative. For repeated events and distant events or tasks I rely on the calendar in my phone.

[da vinci]

Interesting thread

I have a Rhodia a5 ruled notebook that i write in with each new pen I buy to test the nib etc.

I have 2 Asda (owned by Walmart based in uk) executive a5 grided notebooks, one for personal one for business general jottings.

I have an a5 and an a4 staples arc, both fitted with extension discs and filled with various templates that i print on 100gsm paper also from Staples. I just cannot make up my mind if the convenience of the a4 size outweighs the inconvenience of lugging it around in my briefcase!

I own other notebooks, particularly a Midouri TN, which looks lovely, but I don't know what to use it for!

As a p.s. if anyone knows of a long thin ( I am thinking something like 4 inches by 2.5 inches) spiral bound notebook (spiral on the short edge) of high quality please do let me know! Thanks.

Since my post I have added a banditapple carnet for additional pen testing and a Hobonichi planner

[Dad Of Sapling]

I keep several notebooks as well.
On the personal side I have a journal that my wife got me this Christmas. It is very nice; leather bound, good paper, but is a full 1 1/2" thick and the pages don't lay flat so writing can be a challenge. Never the less I try and write in it every day. I also have a no-name hard cover notebook I picked up at a convention that I use as my ink journal. The paper is surprisingly good. Finally, my EDC is the medori traveler notebook in the passport size. I use that for odd notes, musings, or other ideas.

On the work side my main notebook is the ARC system from Staples. The paper is very good and I like the flexibility of it. It is used for my desk notes and misc meeting notes and to do lists. I have a new very large project starting and just ordered the Rhodia wire bound meeting book. I've been wanting to try Rhodia paper, and this is the perfect excuse.

So, I guess that's not too bad 5 notebooks to keep track of.

[Annie]

I received a beautiful leather bound journal for Christmas and have recently got into bullet journal so I'm using just this one book.