Best Results Organizing

NOTEBOOK WRAPUP

Over the last eight installments of Noteworthy Notebooks (did I really preview this back in May as a short series?) we’ve looked at landscape notebooks, erasable notebooks, modular notebooks (disc-bound, magnetic, and via other ingenious methods), digitized and digitizable smart notebooks, durable notebooks made of stone paper, and waterproof notebooks. 

But this is an organizing blog, not a notebook appreciate blog, and so today is our final installment. I’d like to leave you with some final thoughts to bear in mind as you choose a notebook to gather and organize your creative thoughts and inbound information.

Commitment is key. Just as with choosing a planner for keeping your tasks and appointments, a notebook is only as good as your commitment to using it. If you try to keep a half-dozen notebooks simultaneously, all around your home or office (without designating separate purposes for each), you’ll never know where your notes on the important meeting is, you’ll never find the right shopping list, and by the time you figure out which notebook had the perfect draft of the letter you wanted to write, the need will have passed.

There are two main reasons we’ve discussed for failure to stay committed to a notebook system. Either the notebook itself doesn’t work for you, or you are hesitant for reasons having to do more with yourself than the notebook.

Identify and solve your problems

In the first circumstance, something is wrong, and the notebooks you’ve tried so far just don’t fit your needs. Sometimes, the problem is obvious. But often, we tolerate a problem so long, we don’t even consider whether there’s a solution. (See: Organize Away Frustration: The Only Good Kind of “Intolerance.”) So, start by recognizing that there is a problem, and then look for a solution.

I wanna take my scorebook to the @smokiesbaseball game tonight, but there’s a 50% chance of rain. Probably not worth the risk.

— Bullycon (@Bullycon) July 17, 2021

(That tweet just went up on Saturday, so I haven’t yet found a waterproof baseball scorekeeping book for my friend @bullycon. But I’ll keep looking, and in the meantime, I recommended he try one of the Rainwriter waterproof clipboards I mentioned last week. If I don’t find something just right, I might propose to Rite In the Rain that they develop a series of waterproof sports scorekeeping notebooks. Feel free to share this post and tag @riteintherain.)

Back to looking for a solution. For example, if you feel squished and lack space between your body and your keyboard, or you spend a lot of time writing on airplane tray tables, a standard portrait-orientation notebook won’t work, but a landscape-orientation notebook might be just the ticket.

If you’re left handed, writing across the ridge of a spiral-, wire-, or disc-bound book may be uncomfortable and frustrating, but a notebook bound at the top (whether or not it’s landscape in orientation) can eliminate that annoyance. (The same goes for righties who are tired of that ridge on their wrists from writing on left-side pages of notebooks that don’t have a lay-flat design.)

Maybe your frustration isn’t due to the writing experience, but the need to re-organize your notes. While a ring binder lets you change the order of your pages, a traditional notebook is bound such that your page order is set. With the variety of options we’ve covered, from discs to magnets to hooks, there are ways that you can organize, and re-organize, the order of the pages and sections in your notebooks so that you can focus on what’s important.

If you love the experience of a paper notebook, but hate what it does to the environment, this series presented a wide variety of popular (and dark-horse) erasable notebooks that let you capture your thoughts, send them to the cloud (sometimes even turning your handwriting into typewriting!) and then erase what you’ve written so that you can use the pages over again. There are even digital notebooks that “feel” like writing on paper, but digitize your content so that the trees in the forest are safe.

And speaking of trees, whether you’d like to be out among the trees and traipsing around in the rain and other elements, or just want to preserve the rainforests, there are waterproof, super-strong notebooks made of stone and other materials that can protect your writing and the world in which you’re doing it.

Address Perfectionist Procrastination…One Way or the Other

Over the course of this series, we discussed perfectionist procrastination at length. For the same reason people save the “good” china for an important event…and then find excuses never to use it, people don’t feel that their thoughts and scribbles are up to the task of being written in a “fancy” (read: beautiful or expensive) notebook. Piffle!

OK, except it’s not piffle. If you truly feel anxious about writing your thoughts in a notebook that’s too fancy, too sumptuously gorgeous, or too expensive, as if you need to earn the write to set your thoughts down on paper, then a stranger on the internet may not be able to persuade you that YOU AND YOUR IDEAS HAVE WORTH.

As Paper Doll, I grant you my permission to fill the fanciest notebooks you can find with sparkly vampire fanfiction, drafts of angry letters to a long-ago ex-boyfriend at whom you’re still angry (or, angry anew), and even tic-tac-toe boards. There’s no such thing as plates that are “too good” for serving a meal, and there are no notebooks that are too fancy for you to use.

However, if you keep buying fancy notebooks and are still not using them, please stop… You’re teaching yourself to continue feeling unworthy. Until you can really use your pretty notebooks, stick with whatever format notebook will keep you organized, even if they’re just composition notebooks or legal pads; just stay away from writing on random loose papers. (Remember, I’ve been telling you as far back as 2007: no floozies!)

I hope, though, that you’ll develop confidence in the value of your thoughts and your right to write in any notebook you want, no matter how pretty, how fancy, or how pricey. And maybe, when you’re ready, one of those erasable notebooks from Rocketbook or Wipebook, or maybe the lesser-known options, will help you bridge the gap.

Consider Letting Others Delight in Alternative Notebooks

Over and over during this series, I was struck by two things in the comments after each post. First, people were self-identifying: either they loved a notebook style and were eager to explore and shop, or they couldn’t see themselves needing or trying something so different. But second, as the series went on, more and more commenters mentioned that a particular notebook would make an ideal gift: for a spouse, a child, a colleague, or a team member.

So, if you thought a notebook in this series was spiffy, but you’re not ready to change systems, consider buying it as a gift for someone whom you know is a better fit. You’ll be a hero for finding something so neat, and you’ll have a front-row seat for evaluating how much you actually do (or don’t) like it.

UPDATES AND STUFF THAT DIDN’T FIT ELSEWHERE

Before we leave the topic of notebooks entirely, I have a few final options to share.

What if your desires are complex? What if you want a notebook that is both landscape orientation and disc-bound so that you can customize it?

Levenger Circa Landscape Sliver Notebook

The Circa Landscape Sliver Notebook has a faux-leather cover, available in black or blue, and comes in two sizes: Junior (7″ wide x 8 5/8″ high) and Letter (9 3/4″ wide x 11 3/8″ high).

The 3/4″ black discs that hold the notebook together at the top mean the notebook can accommodate 120 sheets of paper. Because it uses discs (as we discussed in Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 4): Modular, Customizable, Disc-Based Notebooks), the notebook has a lay-flat style, and the cover flips to the back, out of the way, while you’re writing, taking up less desk/surface space.

The Landscape Sliver comes with 60 sheets of horizontally-aligned, 100-gsm annotation-style ruled paper. (As a reminder, “annotation” is another name for Cornell Notetaking-system, with a section at the left for highlighting key essentials in your notes.)

In addition to getting Landscape Annotation Refill pages (available in 100- and 300-sheet packs), Levenger makes landscape-orientation refills in five other styles: 

Grid Refill – 100 sheets, Letter-size only; these sheets use a 1/4″ grid format, useful for graphing, calculating, and drawing, as well as for writing and list-making.

Annotation Grid Refill – 100 sheets, Letter-size only; like the standard grid refill, these sheets use a 1/4″ grid format, but also have a left-size section for annotations. 

Storyboard Refill – 100 sheets, Letter-size only; like the storyboard pages for portrait-layout, these have three boxes for diagrams, drawings, and key points, with an additional 15 lines below for notes or dialogue.

Week’s End Planner Refill – 100 sheets, in both Junior and Letter; these planner refills are only for Saturday and Sunday. (As far as I could find, there are no Circa weekday planning pages in landscape format.) The pages are undated, with four appointment slots (6 a.m., Noon, 9 p.m., and a blank slot) for each weekend day. There are designated sections for activities and events, notes, and shopping, and a to-do list.

Landscape Color Gradient Annotation Ruled Refill – 100 sheets, in both Junior and Letter; these ruled rainbow sheets with an annotation section seem a little at odds with the formal stylings of Levenger’s Circa, but hey, it’s all about what sparks you to commit!

The Circa Landscape Sliver Notebook comes gift-boxed; at $49 for the Junior and $59 for the Letter version, it’s definitely a gift for yourself.

Unlike most of the Levenger items I reviewed back in Part 4, which all had portrait orientation, there are no Arc or Eleven Disc landscape versions available that are alternatives or compatible at lower prices. Be assured, however, that Paper Doll is always on the lookout, and if I find other landscape, disc-based notebooks, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Dot Grid Notebooks —  Welcome to Dark Mode

Several of the posts in this series focused on customizing a notebook to meet your specifications, while others accented finding a format or characteristic (like landscape orientations, stone paper, and waterproof notebooks). This line of options is more like the latter.

Most notebooks have white or light paper onto which you write or draw with darker-than-the-paper ink, pencil, or marker. UK-based Dot Grid makes a variety of notebooks, journals, pads, and papers. While some have white or ivory pages, that’s not what I want to show you. Just as our phone, tablets, and computers have added dark mode to view our apps, making reading and writing easier on our eyes at night, Dot Grid has done this with notebooks with an entire line of notebooks that use black paper! There are too many products to discuss all of them, but some of the intriguing highlights include:

Dot Grid A5 Hard Cover – Measuring 5-7/8″ wide x 8-1/4″ high, this black hardcover notebook uses a left-side, double Wire-O binding, so when open, the notebook can lay flat, and the cover can be flipped to the back. The A5 has 130 pages of premium 120-gsm black paper.

The dot-grid is set at 4.25mm with silver ink. Use white, silver, or color gel ink pens to make your writing come alive. (I suspect neon ink would particularly stand out.)

These black notebooks aren’t just for goths (though I imagine goths would find them appealing). They have an intriguing visual style and are suitable for bullet journaling, planning and goal-setting, graphing, and computer/web user-interface design. It costs £25 (British pounds).

In addition to the hardcover version, Dot Grid makes a series of 350-gsm water-resistant covers in  multiple sizes. In honor of Bruce Wayne, they’ve nicknamed this the Batmo-book. (Shhh, don’t tell anyone who hasn’t made the connection between the millionaire and the caped super-hero.)

Dot Grid A3 Notebook – Perfect for designers looking to sketch or wireframe a website, this A3 (11.69″ x 16.93″) ultra-large notebook has 80 pages of premium-quality 120-gsm black paper, with the 4.25mm dot matrix in silver ink. Bound at the top with Wire-O binding, this notebook has a lay-flat style, but instead of the hard cover of the A5 above, it has 350-gsm water-resistant cover. It’s £30.

Dot Grid A4 Notebook – Measuring 8.27″ wide x 11.69″ high, the A4 has 160 pages and is bound on the left side, but otherwise has the same features as the A3. It’s £25.

Dot Grid A5 Notebook – Measuring 6.5″ wide x 8.27″ high, this version is otherwise identical to the A4. It sells for £20.

Dot Grid A6 Notebook – A tinier version of the A3, this Wire-O, top-bound notebook measures 3.13″ wide x 6.02″ high and has 80 pages. Perfect for notes-on-the-go, it’s £10.

Dot Grid also makes wire-stitched, 40-page blank notepads with black, silk artboard covers in A4, A5, and A6 sizing (priced at £12, £9, and £6, respectively) for those who want to free-write or draw on black pages and prefer a lighter-weight option.

Dot Grid makes no landscape notebooks, but does have an A3 landscape, dot-grid deskpad with 50 pages of tear-off sheets, ideal for designers. The back is made of sturdy, recyclable greyboard, almost identical to chipboard. It’s £28.

A similar A4, landscape Mobile Device Wireframing Pad might be the perfect gift for your friends who create mobile apps. (£13)

And finally, there’s an A4, undated weekly planner page, with 52 tear-off sheets. The dayparts are outlined in silver ink. It sells for £13. 

So, if you (or someone you know) would like to write or draw in Batman mode and you’re willing to shell out for shipping from the UK, Dot Grid has some great options.

Waterproof Sketchpads: The Search Continues | Thrunotes

Last week, in Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 8): Waterproof Notebooks, I told you that other than a children’s size version, I’d been unable to find any waterproof sketchbooks. The search continues, but I was able to find ThruNotes, a UK-based series of colorful, weather-proof, tear-proof, recyclable notebooks for the rough-and-tumble, outdoorsy set, particularly hikers, all for £7.99/each.

Thrunotes Waterproof Sketchpad for the artistically-inclined hiker (ironically, the only one without a cheery, colorful cover), has all of the same features of the other three dotted and lined versions (Thru, Explore, and Blaze). The spine is triple-stitched to enhance strength, and the corners are rounded to improve the notebook’s durability when you’re out in the elements. And for those who care about such things, the notebooks use compostable vegan inks.

As with the other Thrunotes products, the layout is pre-marked with spaces for page numbers, dates, mile-markers, distance, and highlights, and there are metric and imperial rulers integrated into the back cover. 

The only issue? Thrunotes describes this notebook as “Small enough to fit in your shirt pocket;
Large enough to draw all you need.” Well, Thru is right about the first part! There are only 32 interior pages – understandable when you need something lightweight on the trail, and that makes it only 0.8 ounces.

But it’s only 3.54″ wide x 7.48″ high; even when you consider that you can sketch across the surface of two (facing) pages, it appears to be no larger than the child-sized Huckleberry waterproof sketchbook we looked at last time! Still, it is a waterproof sketching option. Maybe focus on sketching insects and birds instead of panoramic vistas?

See the video below for more details on how to use the various notebooks from Thrunotes.

To all of the readers who have stuck with this unexpectedly giant-sized Noteworthy Notebook series, thank you! If you missed a post, or are ready to pick your favorite (for yourself or for gift-giving), you can catch up at the links below. Now that you’ve seen them all, please tell me in the comments, which notebook meets your needs? Or, if these still some magical feature you’re seeking, please share, and you might find you problem solved in a future Paper Doll post!

Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 1): Re-Surveying the Landscape
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 2): The Big Names in Erasable Notebooks
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 3): More Erasable & Reusable Notebooks
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 4): Modular, Customizable, Disc-Based Notebooks
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 5): Customize with Magnets, Hooks, and Apps
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 6): Get Smart (Notebooks)
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 7): Stone Cold and Super-Strong
Noteworthy Notebooks (Part 8): Waterproof Notebooks