Indexing My Journals – Roz Wound Up

I index my journals for a host of reasons. I’m compulsive, perhaps even obsessive; I like organization; but most of all I like to be able to find things again, even if I never have to find them again. I put this tendency down to a childhood spent traveling; a childhood filled with daily reminders of the importance of laying your hand on something quickly.

Worth a read. This is a bit detailed but still an interesting symbiosis between the analog and the digital. It’s not my thing as I actually enjoy “forgetting” what’s in an old journal and the serendipity of discovering it again with new eyes. But hey, different strokes…

13 Things to Do With All Those Blank Notebooks | The Well-Appointed Desk

Here’s a list I compiled from various sources and my own crazy ideas for things to do with that pile of empty notebooks you might have laying around

Some good ideas. I know I’m quickly reaching “peak notebook” so I need these.

Hobonichi Techo – The Newsprint

Simply the best review of my personal fave, the Hobonichi Techo planner, you will likely ever see. Quoting a single sentence or photo would be insufficient.

Breadman by J. Robert Lennon in The New Yorker

If you have yet to read J. Robert Lennon’s excellent short story, Breadman, in The New Yorker. Above, is the original manuscript for it. J. Robert explains:

This story came out much cleaner in the first draft than most of my stuff—I did some work to the beginning and end, and tweaked small things throughout. Then I went through a bunch of drafts with two editors and a copyeditor at the New Yorker. I think the first few pages were written on a laptop, then I switched to the notebook for the rest.

Please do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes with it right now.

The Core Curriculum — Shawn Blanc

Why not put together a small notebook that contains highlights and summaries from the books, speeches, articles, sermons, teachings, and other things which have most shaped us? Our own Core Curriculum.

Brilliant idea. Perfect excuse to start a new notebook and fill it with things that truly matter.

Episode 22: I Got One Note in My Pocket | The Erasable Podcast

Tonight Andy, Johnny and Tim venture into Paper Territory. We are proud to present our first Paper Episode, in which we discuss the seemingly ubiquitous softcover pocket notebook.

More podcast goodness for your weekend.

To Serve Man (The Journal) | ThinkGeek

Ok, so the To Serve Man Journal isn’t a cookbook for humans. But it looks like a scaled down version of the one in the episode. What it really is is a blank, lined journal ready to record your thoughts, feelings, recipes, and twisted story ideas.

Well played, Think Geek.

A Year of Daily Logging – Rohdesign – Designer Mike Rohde

The shift away from a "dear diary" to fill at the end of the day, to a book where items are logged as the day unfolds is a key difference. My logbook is a living document. I fill it as the day progresses, rather than working to create a narrative of the day from memory.

This matches my experience as well.

Three Questions With Harry Marks — The Pen Addict

I view analog tools as life preservers on a digital current. There are new social networks and services popping up every day and whenever one starts to gain traction, I think, Is this necessary? Is it useful to me? More and more, I find myself immediately answering, “No.” My notebook will never be bought by Google. My pen doesn’t need VC funding to keep running. My typewriter doesn’t have to worry about being “the Uber of words.” I’m simplifying my life with analog tools. Simple is good.

I really enjoy The Pen Addict’s Three Questions series but I especially love this quote from Co-Chief of the site, Harry Marks. What we believe in.