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.
{ 4 comments }
This is interesting, Greg, thanks for posting it. I’ve been using Moleskines for the last decade since I happened across them in an eclectic little gift shop in Rochester, NY. I bought a box of ten of them at that point and I still have one left.
I was just working on a chapter for a book I am writing on Minimalism about how I Mod my Moleskines. Perhaps I’ll put it up as a post, but in short, I basically use one, hardcover, lined, 5 in’ by 8in (I think. I don’t have a ruler on me to measure them).
The first thing I do is number all the pages and put a Table of Contents in back. The TOC is more or less a way of documenting the truly good stuff I might want to reference in the future. So, not everything gets logged in the TOC. If I’m whining again in a journal entry about why I’m not independently wealthy, that typically won’t make it into the TOC.
I also add a couple of Big Goals pages, before the TOC, to keep track of some of the things I want to accomplish that year. I can reference that every day.
I have another two pages in the back devoted to any book I might want to read, music I want to listen to, or movie I want to watch. I keep track of them there because I might not want to buy those things. The movies I can get from Netflix when they are released, the books from the library, and the music I would at least like to preview somewhere before I buy.
A few more things that I put in the back of the book…I have a wishlist of stuff in case anyone asks me what I want for birthday or Christmas.
I keep my 100 Item list as a reminder, that if I am at a store and want to buy something, I have to keep in mind that it would have to replace something on my list. 99.9% of the time, it prevents me from buying the item.
Finally, for 2010, I will be keeping my Education syllabus in the back, so that I am reminded of what books and courses I plan to study, and when during 2010.
So, there are a good 20 pages in the back that are reserved for these things. The rest of the book I leave free form because I don’t want to restrict the space I have to write about a particular topic. I truly use that part as a journal. I work out ideas for blogs, book ideas, thoughts on stuff I’m reading or listening to, a collosal amount of bitching about stuff that bothers me.
The Moleskine is the greatest tool that I own.
Happy holidays and thanks for sharing,
-Charley
Thanks for sharing Charley,
I am always intrigued to how others use their moleskine notebooks. The ears prick up whenever I hear someone talk about them, or I even approach a stranger to comment on their fine choice of notebook, which goes against my normal introvert ways.
Its like our own secret club, you know the slight nod when some enters the meeting with a moleskine. ha now its getting weird!
Seriously, the real beauty of having a simple notebook is what you make of it. It is such a great tool.
” 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.”
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been a tech-head all my life and have tried so many digital tools over the years I can’t even count. Last year I tried a simple notebook and LOVE it. Although the digital tools allow you to index and search your notes faster, they are sometimes cumbersome and almost always fail to capture the emotion behind the idea, which I think it extremely important. When I read my digital notes, I’m just reminded of the idea or thought. But when I read my written notes, I can see so much more. I can see my excitement and enthusiasm for the idea in my handwriting. Was I in a hurry to get the idea down? Did I write it large? Did I circle it? Did I sketch next to it? All of these things mean something (to me personally). Those are important things that my digital notes have never been able to capture.
Needless to say….I’m a big fan of notebooks. They are so much more personal than the digital.
Hey Andre,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a great comment on why you enjoy the simple notebook, I agree with capturing the emotion, especially when I look back on some of my notes and it can really show how excited or moody I was at the time of writing.
Greg
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