6 ms·

I always keep paper around me to jot down ideas, sketches of interfaces, uml, whatever. The problem for me is retaining the content of the paper for later use,

I always keep paper around me to jot down ideas, sketches of interfaces, uml, whatever. The problem for me is retaining the content of the paper for later use, and being able to find it. I tried a OneNote on a tablet PC for a while but having to wake/boot a sketchpad before capturing your thought just doesn't flow. I also tried OneNote (great program) on my main machine but the mouse and keyboard just isn't conducive to sketching. What do you guys do?

michael_dorfman 17y ago
I use OneNote. I use a scanner to capture the bits of paper, and add them into OneNote. I agree, it's a great program.
swombat 17y ago
Get an actual notebook with binding, so the pieces of paper don't get lost. The notebook itself is usually quite hard to lose too, just carry it wherever you carry your laptop.
edw519 17y ago
Get a spiral bound (so it opens 359 degrees) 8.5 x 11 sketchpad with detachable pages for about 4 bucks at CVS or Walgreens. When it fills up, file it away. Remove any pages that apply to a certain project and put them in that file. I attach 4 different color markers to mine and carry it everywhere.
- callmeed 17y ago
  Lefties like me can't use spiral notebooks as they hurt the wrist.
  - sparky 17y ago
    What about one with the binding up top?
    - thismat 17y ago
      Yeah, being a leftie as well, spiral notebooks are incredibly uncomfortable, unless the spiral is on the top. Even reversing them can feel awkward.
  - bigiain 17y ago
    Try using them upside down, spirals on the right.
GeneralMaximus 17y ago
I have a standard, cheapo exercise notebook (27.2cm X 16.7cm, it says on the back). I just jot stuff down in it, keep what I need and throw away the notebook.
apu 17y ago
I tried keeping a notebook for a while (as many of the other replies have said), but I found that it was awkward because either the book would be too big to keep easily in my pocket, or it was so small that writing in it would go through 10s of pages easily, which was then a huge pain to read later. So what I do now is keep 5-10 pieces of normal 8.5" X 11" paper with me, folded into quarters. I put the date and time on the top-right corner of a page when I start writing on it. This makes it easy to figure out the order of pages later, as well as separate out into different projects.
phreanix 17y ago
your basic highschool composition notebook. Small enough to carry around, and easy to stack on the bookshelf to archive.
burke 17y ago
If you're feeling hipster-ish, the paperback-sized Moleskine notebooks are great to take with you, but I have pretty sizeable stack of these : http://www.mead.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10051_10006_141513_-1_false_10051 http://www.mead.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10051... by my desk. The pages are perforated, so you can refile things later without jaggedy edges if you're so inclined (and they're cheap -- buy them from Wal-mart, etc.).

michael_dorfman 17y ago

I use OneNote. I use a scanner to capture the bits of paper, and add them into OneNote. I agree, it's a great program.

swombat 17y ago

Get an actual notebook with binding, so the pieces of paper don't get lost. The notebook itself is usually quite hard to lose too, just carry it wherever you carry your laptop.

edw519 17y ago

Get a spiral bound (so it opens 359 degrees) 8.5 x 11 sketchpad with detachable pages for about 4 bucks at CVS or Walgreens. When it fills up, file it away. Remove any pages that apply to a certain project and put them in that file. I attach 4 different color markers to mine and carry it everywhere.

callmeed 17y ago
Lefties like me can't use spiral notebooks as they hurt the wrist.
- sparky 17y ago
  What about one with the binding up top?
  - thismat 17y ago
    Yeah, being a leftie as well, spiral notebooks are incredibly uncomfortable, unless the spiral is on the top. Even reversing them can feel awkward.
- bigiain 17y ago
  Try using them upside down, spirals on the right.

GeneralMaximus 17y ago

I have a standard, cheapo exercise notebook (27.2cm X 16.7cm, it says on the back). I just jot stuff down in it, keep what I need and throw away the notebook.

apu 17y ago

I tried keeping a notebook for a while (as many of the other replies have said), but I found that it was awkward because either the book would be too big to keep easily in my pocket, or it was so small that writing in it would go through 10s of pages easily, which was then a huge pain to read later. So what I do now is keep 5-10 pieces of normal 8.5" X 11" paper with me, folded into quarters. I put the date and time on the top-right corner of a page when I start writing on it. This makes it easy to figure out the order of pages later, as well as separate out into different projects.

phreanix 17y ago

your basic highschool composition notebook. Small enough to carry around, and easy to stack on the bookshelf to archive.

burke 17y ago

If you're feeling hipster-ish, the paperback-sized Moleskine notebooks are great to take with you, but I have pretty sizeable stack of these : http://www.mead.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10051_10006_141513_-1_false_10051 http://www.mead.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10051... by my desk. The pages are perforated, so you can refile things later without jaggedy edges if you're so inclined (and they're cheap -- buy them from Wal-mart, etc.).