5 ms·

Interesting. Do you organise it in some way? Or just write everything at the next empty line?

by KKPMW 7y ago

camhenlin 7y ago
I start a new page each new day if I was in the middle of the previous page, and I write the date at the top of each new page. Other than that it’s essentially stream of conscious and that tends to work well for me
- stevesimmons 7y ago
  I do the same. Plus: * use a spiral-bound notebook and keep my pen tucked in the spiral binding so it never gets lost (I actually use a Pentel 0.9mm clutch pencil, and think I've lost two pencils in 25 years) * buy my own notebook, different from the standard one everyone else has, so I can find it easily (I've never lost one) * draw boxes to highlight To Do items or deliverables from others * every meeting starts with its name and the people present (initials for colleagues, full names for those more distant) * every few pages, bring forward old To Dos in a list in the top right margin * start work notes from the front, personal notes made while at work from the back
  - KKPMW 7y ago
    Honest question: How long have you been maintaining this kind of thing? I tried something this detailed a few times in the past and at most was able to carry this on for about two months. Painfully.
    - stevesimmons 7y ago
      I should also have mentioned the notebook format is A5, not A4/letter. It is small enough to carry everywhere. If I have a few A4 printouts, I normally fold them in half and tuck them inside the front cover. Inside the back cover I always have a few sheets of blank paper, for sketching ideas on with colleagues. This is the specific notebook I use: https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/office-depot-wirebound-notebook-navy-blue-ruled-micro-perforated-a5-p-2355730 https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/office-depot-wirebound-no.... I tried Moleskin etc but they aren't as convenient for carrying my pen, aren't as expandable for carrying extra papers, and are 3 times more expensive. I've been doing this since my first full-time job, so around 26 years. If you carry it with you everywhere at work, and open it at the start of every meeting, it quickly becomes automatic. The key I think is only having one place where you write stuff down. That makes it automatically an append-only log :) The rest is optional. I have occasionally tried keeping notes electronically, but was never able to maintain it consistently for more than a few days, and found myself wanting to write different types of notes in different places.
dredmorbius 7y ago
The bullet journal model of organisation -- essentially an updated table of contents at the start of the journal -- helps tremendously.

Interesting. Do you organise it in some way? Or just write everything at the next empty line?

by KKPMW 7y ago

Interesting. Do you organise it in some way? Or just write everything at the next empty line?

I start a new page each new day if I was in the middle of the previous page, and I write the date at the top of each new page. Other than that it’s essentially stream of conscious and that tends to work well for me

stevesimmons 7y ago
I do the same. Plus: * use a spiral-bound notebook and keep my pen tucked in the spiral binding so it never gets lost (I actually use a Pentel 0.9mm clutch pencil, and think I've lost two pencils in 25 years) * buy my own notebook, different from the standard one everyone else has, so I can find it easily (I've never lost one) * draw boxes to highlight To Do items or deliverables from others * every meeting starts with its name and the people present (initials for colleagues, full names for those more distant) * every few pages, bring forward old To Dos in a list in the top right margin * start work notes from the front, personal notes made while at work from the back
- KKPMW 7y ago
  Honest question: How long have you been maintaining this kind of thing? I tried something this detailed a few times in the past and at most was able to carry this on for about two months. Painfully.
  - stevesimmons 7y ago
    I should also have mentioned the notebook format is A5, not A4/letter. It is small enough to carry everywhere. If I have a few A4 printouts, I normally fold them in half and tuck them inside the front cover. Inside the back cover I always have a few sheets of blank paper, for sketching ideas on with colleagues. This is the specific notebook I use: https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/office-depot-wirebound-notebook-navy-blue-ruled-micro-perforated-a5-p-2355730 https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/office-depot-wirebound-no.... I tried Moleskin etc but they aren't as convenient for carrying my pen, aren't as expandable for carrying extra papers, and are 3 times more expensive. I've been doing this since my first full-time job, so around 26 years. If you carry it with you everywhere at work, and open it at the start of every meeting, it quickly becomes automatic. The key I think is only having one place where you write stuff down. That makes it automatically an append-only log :) The rest is optional. I have occasionally tried keeping notes electronically, but was never able to maintain it consistently for more than a few days, and found myself wanting to write different types of notes in different places.

dredmorbius 7y ago

The bullet journal model of organisation -- essentially an updated table of contents at the start of the journal -- helps tremendously.