“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.”
~ Jack London
Dad always carried a small notebook and pen in his shirt pocket and when something came up that he wanted to remember he’d pull out his notepad and jot it down. What I’d give to have one of those that little treasures and be able to glimpse into what he considered important enough to make note of.
I’ve had a notebook of some manner for a good part of my adult life. Since I retired I started relying on my online calendar for appointments and used my notebook for lists, prayer requests, journal entries, brain dumping, writing ideas, and a multitude of other things. I’ve also used Evernote, Pages, Word, sticky notes, and have ended up with a hodgepodge mess with no organization.
This year I set up a personalized version of a bullet journal (http://bulletjournal.com) using a blank notebook I had on hand (I have a stack of them that I bought before we moved back to Canada fearing I’d not find the same ones here). I’m going to use it to keep track of dates and lists, random thoughts and projects, but also as a tool to help me stay on track with the focus areas I set for the year.
Intentional focus. Plus I get to use office supplies. Seems like a win-win to me.
I have done the same this year Linda. So many great notebooks and journals out there. I have decided to keep a personal one separate from my work notebook. I’m not the most organized person and don’t trust myself with “the note system” when I have such big plans to make this year count.
I look forward to seeing your plans come to fruition, Celine.
I’ve kept a journal since my oldest went to kindergarten….so many special memories I probably would have forgotten…..I like your idea of a personalized bullet/journal…..Whatever will help us stay organized throughout the year I am for big time….
How fortunate you are to have kept a journal for all these years, Nanci! What a treasure trove of memories they must contain.
I too just started a bullet journal and love it!!
Isn’t it a wonderful tool, Joan. I somehow stumbled upon the concept just as I was doing my end of year planning. It was serendipitous!
I started a diet and exercise journal earlier this year (in a large notebook) and it’s turned into diet, exercise, life events, and etc. I might be interesting to read once I’m done losing weight!
Always fun (Well, maybe not always. Some of my old journals are pretty dark places.) to revisit the past through our notebooks!
Here’s another who is determined to keep a notebook this year. I had various notebooks last year for different things, but this year, I think I might just bung it all into one. Your delicate photo is so restful …
Thank you, Alexa. Best of luck with your notebook consolidation and simplification this year. ?