Hacking a Midori Traveler’s Notebook | The Well-Appointed Desk

Like Field Notes, Hobonichi Techno and Filofax, there’s a rabid and growing following for the Midori Traveler’s Notebook. At its essence, the Midori Traveler’s Notebook (MTN) is a simple leather cover with elastics to hold small bound notebooks and accessories into it. As more people use them, the more they’ve added to them — from simple DIY inserts for all sorts of tasks, list, planning and goals to posh handcrafted leather accessories. Here are a few of my favorites ways to customize and hack a Midori Traveler’s Notebook to best suit your needs and preferences.

If you have never looked into the Midori, this might be a good chance to see if it might be the right solution for you.

J G Ballard working on the opening page of his manuscript of “Crash”.

via Bruce Sterling

How to Jumpstart Your Journaling | A 31-Day Journaling Prompt Calendar | The Art of Manliness

It’s been said that constraint actually gives way to greater creativity. When we have clear boundaries, or direction, we no longer have to think about the act itself. We don’t have to think about what to journal, we simply have to journal based on a prompt.

This is great. Thirty-one no-nonsense daily prompts to get you started on a journalling routine. If one of the things that has stopped you in the past is that you don’t know what to write, here you go.

On paper notebooks in a digital world — 512 Pixels

In a digital world, there’s still a place for things like paper notebooks. They can’t cause distractions in meetings and don’t require Wi-Fi.

Truth.

Reading back through 30 years of daily journaling

Sometimes I randomly grab a journal and read a few pages. I often have no recollection of the events I wrote about. I just pulled out 1995 and was surprised to see that a neighbor brought three studs and a mare over on Dec. 18. I noted it was a big struggle to geld those horses as they had never been touched. I kept two of them here and started breaking them to ride on Dec. 20. I must have been hard up for money as there are no indoor arenas on this place and it is seldom fun to break colts wearing overshoes.

This is a fun post to read. Especially if you have an interest in farming. But, more importantly, it is a reminder that journalling is for more than just writing. It is nice to go back and read and remember too. I often do this — randomly pick up an old journal and open up a page. I always find something surprising that I did not remember. Something that seemed important enough at the time to capture often finds new meaning when read again months or years later. In a way, a journal is a message left for our future selves.

This Life of Leisure – Uses for Notebooks

I love notebooks, but I often have to justify getting so many while filling up so few. So, I’m keeping this ever-updating list of uses for notebooks to return to whenever I feel the need to put these works of office art to good use.

C.J. has started a good list. He is looking for help adding to it. If you see an idea not represented there, help him out.

How to read more

I read 70+ books this year, a new personal record. If you’re interested in reading more, here’s what I recommend.

Some good tips here.

How To Write With A Fountain Pen – JetPens.com

In this article, we’ll show you the optimal way to hold and write with a fountain pen, but ultimately it comes down to what works for you. If you’re comfortable holding the pen in a grip that’s slightly different from what’s recommended, and the pen is still writing smoothly, don’t worry about it too much. However, if you’re having difficulty writing smoothly or comfortably, try making some of the adjustments suggested below.

A good guide for those who have yet to take the plunge.

National Journal Writing Month | Tips • Journal Prompts • Projects

NaJoWriMo is based on the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge. NaJoWriMo is useful for new and veteran journal writers. This month-long challenge is great for those who want to get started with journal writing, but have been putting it off for various reasons. It’s also useful for frequent and veteran journal writers looking to use NaJoWriMo for improving their journal writing or focusing on a particular journal writing project.

Hot on the heals of Journal Day. What a great idea to start the new year.