One of the most popular posts for Live It With less in 2009  was “Moleskines back to basics” , this was my own method of using the moleskine notebooks  as a simple tool for work and at home.

Well, It’s the end of the  year now and time to start all over again, as my Moleskines are full and have served their purpose. So this time around I liked to show you in a bit more detail of how I set up and use my “Two Moleskine Notebook Method”.

First up, a bit of history for those not familiar with these classic notebooks. The Moleskine notebook  has been used for the past two centuries and by many great artists and thinkers, including Vincent Van Gough,Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. You can just imagine how many of these notebooks have held sketches, thoughts, notes, stories and ideas before they have been developed into famous images or books. I have used these notebooks for a while now and I found that after experimenting with a host electronic gadgets, I found these simple notebook  a far superior way taking notes, jotting  down my thoughts, feelings and ideas.

The type of notebooks I use are,

• 1 x Large Moleskine  large 192 page ruled softcover notebook (19 x 25cm) specifically used for any work related tasks and notes, however, this year I am incorporating blog ideas and sketches as I was finding the personal smaller notebook limited in space.
• 1 x Smaller Moleskine pocket sized  192 page ruled soft cover notebook (9 x 14cm)  used for personal tasks and goal tracking.

Here is how I customize,

• With the larger notebook the custom hack on this is very simple, I rule a large thick black line on the top of each  page and on the left hand page only,  I write  the month of the year at the top that the notebook that the notes  below correspond to. When I enter the notes below I will always have the date next to it, then the end of that particular day, a line is ruled underneath the last entry to separate it from a new day. I have  192 pages to work with for the whole year which I find is more than enough for  myself , however, you can always just keep moving onto a new notebook as you fill it. Remember,  I have said this before,”Don’t put junk in as you will only get junk out of it” so be thoughtful of what goes into your notebook, because you will be searching back on these ideas and notes later on in the year.

• With the smaller pocket sized notebook, this custom hack requires some initial effort and patience to set up as a two page week moleskine notebook. As in the above image, each left hand page needs to have three sections ruled up  ( 7 lines each per section ) with the same 3 sections ruled up on the right hand side page, but  the  last section requiring a  vertical line cutting this section in half. This then gives you three sections on the left for Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday and on the opposite page four sections for Thursday Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You now have a two page week to enter your most important person tasks for the day as well as specific goal tracking events or important dates. I find by placing a small circle next to the tasks to tick when accomplished really satisfying.  A two page week set up like this will leave you with 90 pages spare to do whatever with. I find it great for jotting ideas and important personal notes that are not work  related, and the  size is perfect for portability.

So, that’s how I attack each year, a bit extravagant  using a moleskine, but I am a firm believer in the right tools for the job, but you can use any type of notebook that suits your budget or desire. I use this method as it is what I have evolved into after using many types of electronic devices and  different types of diaries over the years and this method now works best for me.

So if you want to  kick start you new year with effective note taking and goal tracking that can will help  simplify your life, give this a try and get back to the basics.

Enjoy.

‘My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.’  – Ernest Hemingway

Last week I spoke about the importance of having the right tools for the job, and in that particular post I was refering  to simple DIY jobs around the house. This rule can  also applies to your place of work, obviously  if your line of work involves working in a trade, however the same theory can apply to pen pushers like me.

At my place of work I  often get the comment “Hey, that’s a nice looking notebook” and although this may sound weird, I actually get exited. What happens next is that  I  then proceed to inform my colleague the benefit of owning such a historical object of note taking. “ Turn your  back on technology and get back to the basics”, I inform them, but sadly, I don’t have much of a success rate and the usual response is,

” but my iPhone does all this”   err, yeh technically it does, but do you use it?

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not anti technology, but the satisfaction of writing your thoughts down, your creative ides, notes and ticking off your to do list  is so exiting! ( uh oh, I think its getting weird again?)

I  speak from experience,  and you name it I have had/tried it, from those old Sharp electronic organisers,  to the ultimate in PDA, the Palm hand held.  Backing up, syncing, charging, etc,  it all got to much!  Realising, that I needed to get back to the basics, I came across Moleskine notebooks and straight away the  Palm was Ebay.

Heres how my notebooks work for me

• Both my large and small notebooks are plain ruled but “hacked” to my liking. The larger work notebook has a simple line drawn on the top of each page with the month in the left corner, everytime I need to write something down it goes under a suitable heading and date. Later in the year, if need to cross reference or check back on anything, its all there. It has also  saved my arse a couple of times! 
• The smaller Moleskine has been hacked to show a two page week, which also leaves me with about 90 pages to write/draw anything I want. I am a bit of a to do list addict,  and each day I usually write down something simple I want to achieve that day. With the empty note pages that are left, I set it out like the larger moleskine, but as a rule, it won’t contain anything work related, just my own creative thoughts and ideas.

Now, these notebooks are a bit pricier than your average notepad, but what you will find it that your note taking will now count for more. Dont put junk in as you will only get junk out. These are fine notebooks so treat em fine with quality information and they should last you out for a whole year. I am very picky as to what is worthy enough to go in my Moleskine. 

So if you feel a bit overwhelmed by your collection of gadgets, how about you try and leave the phone for making calls, and get back to the basics.

Its very satisfying.

Enjoy

The laundry room in our house is rather small. The size of the area is only just big enough to hold the washing machine, electric dryer, washing basket and a sink. To make it feel less cluttered we decided to attach a metal bracket to the wall to hang the electric dryer above the washing machine.

 A simple task for any “DIYer”, well sort of? You see, I am one of those dads who are physically and mentally challenged in the areas fixing stuff! Usually it is far easier just to get someone in to do it, but this is normally at a cost

 In my quest for “Less” I am all for changing these costly habits and giving anything a go! But wait, why would you take tips from me? A self confessed failure at the manly art of DIY, I here you ask? Well, you can look at this way, the tips are what you should do, and my personal experience examples are what you shouldn’t do!

 1. Preparation - This was my first fail, you need to have a good think about the job before you start. When is the best time to start? What will I need? Do I need help, and how does this fit in with others involved? I decided with no thought, Sunday evening would be best, after all it was “just a bracket!” how hard could it be?  WRONG! This is how a 30 minute job turned into a 90 minute nightmare and mydecision to start it in the evening the night before the start of the week, was a poor one.

 2. Right tools for job – It was the quality  of my tools that really let me down, especially my fancy looking 42 piece drill accessory pack, made by some no name company, which from memory, was bought for the same price of a standard 7 piece high quality pack made by a well know tool company.  “What a bargain” I thought, but when it came down to quality and performance, it sucked! These poorly made drill bits caused me so much grief as they wouldn’t grip, burred easily, and in the end, I had to force the screws into the wall. I recommend you buy the right tools for the job and also make sure that you buy only what you will use.

3.  Need a hand? – Is this going to be a one or two person job? Does the job require heavy lifting or guidance? Also, do certain parts of the job require technical assistance from those in the know? Don’t be afraid to call a mate or neighbour for a hand. My helper was my wife, (my pregnant wife, that is) So when it came to lifting and attaching a rather large  and heavy dryer to the bracket on the wall, I realised I had a problem. (doh! as Homer would say) I then, stupidly tried to lift the dryer myself, and after only one wobbly attempt and a large scratch on the wall, the final stage of attachment to the wall was aborted until we found another helper the next day.

4. Assessment – After the job is done, take a moment to reflect on the whole experience (a cold beer helps with this tip). How did it go? Was there need for improvement, also what could I have done differently next time around? 

The important thing is to be proud that you did it yourself, even if it was a bit of disaster like my experience, be happy that you gave it a go, and that next time you will be able to do it in “Less” time and with “Less” complexity.