I love writing in my notebook.

Mind on paper

You press the pencil to the paper, hear the little scritch noise, and let the brain barf flow. Lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum

My notebook is my mind, splatted over many pages. Journal entries, charts, sketches, lists, schedules, goals, programming, math, itineraries, …

It's about getting your thoughts out in the purest way possible. Nothing is freer than writing and drawing on paper. It organizes your thoughts and actions. You'll form new ideas. Reinforce the important ones. Release the messy ones.

What's that? You prefer pens? And you need a little more structure? Congrats! You already know what you like, so go ahead and...

doodle of a person sitting and leaning forward

Do whatever works

Honestly, as long as you're writing on something besides a screen, I think you're part of the club. There's so much variety:

some people make their own notebooks ^{[0], [1]}
some people divide their notebook into daily, weekly, and monthly sections [2]
some people carry index cards in their pocket all day. This is merely a “distributed notebook” [3]
Isaac Newton used a hefty leather notebook when creating math [4]
Leonardo Da Vinci invented things in his notebook (with backwards, left-handed writing to boot)
Thomas Jefferson recorded weather patterns on erasable ivory plates (prehistoric notebook?)
one person logged every day of his life into notebooks for five years [5]

Anything goes. What about bullet journaling? Cornell notes? Zettelkasten? Doesn't matter. Just write! If you keep using your notebook, you'll naturally form your own organization strategies.

But since you're here, and since I really love my notebook, I can't resist sharing the few habits that work for me:

start and end dates on each notebook, to remember when stuff happened
big titles on important pages, to find important stuff at a glance
Moleskine kraft notebooks and Ticonderoga pencils, since they're comfy yet consumable

doodle of a stick figure swinging over a horizontal pole

Thingamjigs and whatnots

Here are some things that go in my notebook. Scheduling, for example, when I'm juggling a lot of variables:

Coding, especially when there's interesting math or logic:

Wireframes and mockups:

Journaling, to clear my head:

Boggle: (I'm always ready!)

Tear off the last page of your notebook, and you have a shareable note to-go! Or origami paper. This is easy with notebooks that have perforated sheets.

Occasional stickers and water spills:

And, of course, doodles. Doodles everywhere.

Calling all notebooks

Do you love your notebook just as much as I love mine? Are you inspired to start your own? Send me a picture of your notebook: the messiest page you have, ideally. I'll put it here!