This past April, I hit a bit of a snag with my journaling. I had this idea in my head that I’d be one of those people with a notebook always at hand, filled with insightful notes and daily reflections. Ready to write the best blog posts you’ve ever read — but the truth is, it wasn’t working out like that. I went on holiday this summer and didn’t miss scribbling in my notebook, which made me stop and think.
After months of carrying around my notebook constantly. Through thick and thin, whatever the occasion. Do you know what killed it? Summer. My field notes and everyday inspiration cover doesn’t really fit with my baggy summer shorts, and that kind of sucks.
Months on end, this thing stuck with me. Containing all my notes, thoughts, blog post ideas and most importantly all the things I have to do. Now it’s just on my desk at work and comes out every now and again if I have a meeting.
For quite a while, I’ve had this feeling that my system of writing notes in my notebook was needless. That I was writing too many things down, and generally speaking, I didn’t refer to them. Which meant that my practice was a waste of time and energy. That was until I experienced someone else looking for something they had written down only a few weeks ago, and I instantly felt better about my system.
In my tendency to over simplify things, I wrote a post about how to maximise your productivity. There are no apps involved, just a notebook and something to write with. No fanciness, no expensive things, just a tried and tested method of keeping everything with you – the problem is: How on earth do you put it to use?
There’s a practice that is rife in productivity, it keeps people busy and keeps whole companies in business, it’s called the collectors' fallacy.
I am hyper aware that I have been mentioning this constantly for quite a while but bare with me. Since watching a few videos on YouTube about Notion, their algorithm thinks I am some kind of productivity hustle porn obsessive. It constantly forces videos about apps, morning routines and hacks to make my life my productive – when in fact my outlook is the opposite. There will always be more work to do, so it’s time to do less, but better.
I’m still really early in my notebook use, but I’ve filled a couple of them now. When I chose to use a notebook, I was already thinking about ways to make my notes findable. The action of writing them out manually increases my retention drastically, but I still want to be able to refer to them if needed. The most logical way to do this might be to copy the important ones into a digital service, but then comes the decision on what is important or not, so I decided to tag and index my notes.
I have now read three different translations of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Each one begins with some background information, details about the way it was written, and quite a bit of musing on what he was actually writing for. It wasn’t written as a book, nor for public consumption, but more as a personal journal or notebook. This got me thinking about my notebook and how it would be viewed if anyone stumbled across it after I’m gone.
One of the most common questions I get asked is whether or not the notebooks are A6 paper size. After doing some research and comparing the dimensions, I can confidently say that Field Notes are not A6 size.
A6 paper size measures 105mm x 148mm or 4.13 inches x 5.83 inches. However, Field Notes dimensions are 89mm x 140mm or 3.5 inches x 5.5 inches. Although they may seem similar in size, they are not the same.
As a Field Notes user, you know that your notebook is an essential tool for capturing ideas, observations, and inspirations. But sometimes, it can be challenging to figure out what to write in your notebook. In this blog post, we’ll explore some ideas for what to write in your Field Notes notebook.
Field Notes Are Versatile One of the great things about Field Notes notebooks is that they are incredibly versatile.
Are you looking for a way to document your thoughts, ideas, and experiences in a compact and portable way? Then look no further than a Field Notes notebook! These notebooks are the perfect size for on-the-go journaling and can fit easily into your pocket or bag.
Why Journaling is Important Journaling has been shown to have a range of benefits, from reducing stress and anxiety to improving overall mental health. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you process and make sense of them, and can provide a sense of clarity and perspective.
I have a running joke with JFM about him having about 3 thousand different blogs. It is very much tongue in cheek because it works for him, but the thought of worrying about where a post goes is not something I want to deal with. I’ve written about the freeing feeling of having one blog before, but this path of the least resistance seems to be a universal law to help with almost everything.
My life is busy. Between work things, hospital appointments for my daughter and all the other things that life brings, myself and my family live out of our shared calendar. Don’t get me wrong, I get a lot of stuff done, yet I’ve never really nailed down a process that ensures I stay productive — well now is the time.
Inspiration for this kick in the ass comes from Matt D’Avella and his fascinating video on Bullet Journaling.
There can’t be many iOS or Mac app for note taking that I still haven’t tried. As soon as I’ve reviewed an app, gone through all the setting up process and made a choice to switch, I start looking around for other apps. I have a major fear of missing out on something that could be a better fit. Truth be told it costs me a fortune, subscription services or expensive one off payments seem to be normal now – but not with Zoho Notebook.