Carry a Small Notebook for Better Idea Capturing
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 by Luke Turcotte 
Photo by flickr user Constance Wiebrands and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0After purchasing my first fountain pen (Orange Lamy Safari), I needed an excuse to carry it around. So naturally, I began carrying a small Moleskine notepad in my back pocket. All very pretentious, I know. What began as an excuse to write turned into a fantastic organizational tool. Although my iPhone and Omnifocus handle the bulk of my data acquisition tasks on the go, the always accessible notepad allowed me to capture more complete ideas. Some examples include rough sketches, impromptu work such as blog posts and that perfect thesis for a philosophy essay. I also pull out my notebook for quick notes when a cell phone may not be appropriate. Although the barriers are eroding, I still find it rude to take notes on your cell phone when you are speaking with a professor or colleague. Cal Newport suggests carrying a piece of paper for daily planning and for marking down any information that may need your attention at a later time. At the end of the day, the way you choose to capture information is up to you. I do suggest giving the small notebook a trial for a week or two, you'll be amazed by the convenience and the interesting scenarios when your cell phone simply won't do. As technology advances, we sometimes take for granted the analog methods we used to rely on. Newer isn't always better.
Reader Comments (6)
My small notebook served as a pseudo personal planner + everything else notebook in college. It was great! I would write to-do lists, reminders to send my mom a birthday card, or a good line for a poem I was writing.... it's amazing how many things slip your mind without one!
I carry a Moleskine with me in my purse at all times as well. My friend, Courtney, suggested that I do so because it helped her out so much. Like you said, sometimes you need to write something down. I keep grocery lists, my to-do lists, and small notes. I also agree that it is much more polite for me to use my notebook than my phone. I also go through phones very fast, where my notes get erased. My phone isn't exact that high tech where making notes and lists becomes quite inconvenient. I'm somewhat picky about notebooks when it comes to paper quality and such and I believe Moleskine's are extremely good quality. I agree with your post 120% and I'm actually really glad you mentioned it.
I always have to write things down with pen & paper to really make things stick.....I'm amazed at how so many of us have become sooo dependent on our technology.
I used to carry a pocket moleskine but recently I've switched to the pocket cashier's for taking small notes and making lists, I use it all the time especially for making observational notes on funny things I see throughout the day, keeping track of my spending, and jotting down information like addresses and phone numbers. Honestly my iphone is nice but I never leave home without my moleskine tucked into my back pocket. There really is something to be said for paper media.
i note down every idea that i get on my phone. i just type it out as a message and save it in drafts. that's more convenient.
hi