The Notebook

Recently I wrote an article in which I referred to ‘my notebook’.  Since then I have had several requests for some more information about ‘my notebook’.  At first I thought this to be slightly strange….I mean really what more explanation does the phrase ‘my notebook’ need?

However upon reflection I did remind myself that I have not always carried ‘my notebook’ with me and at different times in my life I have been slave to a diary, my calendars – digital and otherwise and scraps of paper for keeping notes and records of things I needed to do in a day.

It was actually whilst doing a creative writing subject a University that I was first introduced to the concept of carrying a notebook with me.  In this case it was to record thoughts, feelings, experiences and observations to be used in my writing.  I do still keep this type of notebook, although it is a much smaller version now…so that I am not weighed down as I run around being all the things I am in my life.  This notebook is part journal, part research.  The one I referred to in my recent article is very much a tool for me to use to keep me on track in my day.

I began to use this type of notebook when I realised that I was not a naturally organised person.  There are those who thrive on being organised but that is not me.  I am a bit of a hippy at heart and if I had the money to be a rich hippy I would do away with lists and diaries and just go with the flow.  However that is not possible and it would embarrass my kids if I ‘came out’ anyway!

Earlier today I read a quote about some people feeling better after a wardrobe organising session than they do after sex.  Okay, that is definitely not me, but I also understand that my life does not work if I don’t have some level of control over it.  I work in a field that demands it and for all my, ‘I am a hippy talk’, the truth is I like it too.  I can be much more relaxed when I am organised.  To deal with my lack of organising instinct, I have incorporated strategies into my life, like ‘my notebook’, which help me to be organised.  It did take some time to adjust to, but now using ‘my notebook’ is just a routine I follow, like brushing my teeth.

I guess the first thing to say about ‘my notebook’ is that it is not a ‘diary’.  I have tried to use diaries over the years but they just become a jumble of far too much information as I try to keep records of my, ‘to do lists’, other important information and my appointments in them.  These days I use my IPhone calendar and Outlook program to keep track of appointments and this works very well for me.  I am logged into both everyday and they send me reminders to let me know when I should be somewhere, which is very nice of them – my gorgeous leather bound diary never did that!

My notebook changes face every few years.  Originally it was a simple exercise book which I would cover in a collage of images that inspired me.  In recent years I have become less concerned with its look, although lately I feel drawn back to spending some time to complete this activity.  The main purpose of ‘my notebook’ however is definitely its functionality so I always ensure that it is not too large.   You want to be able to throw it in your handbag and take it with you – religiously (maybe not on a night out but everywhere else, ok!).

So, what is ‘my notebook?”

I use ‘my notebook’ firstly as a list of things I need to do in a day.  So the first thing it is, is a ‘to do list’.  Secondly I use it to record notes on conversations I have, emails I receive and respond to and just general thoughts I may have during the day.  It really is for every note I take down.  I have tried keeping personal and business things at separate ends (front and back) of the notebook, but this does not work for me.  Everything goes in there now.

To make ‘my notebook’ work there are several rules I observe without fail:

1. Each day starts on a new page, which is dated;  this is always done on the left-hand side page.
2. I often use spare pages as described above, to paste in articles of interest to me or pictures that might inspire something I am working on.
3. Perhaps I will have made a note on a conversation and that item now needs to become an item for my ‘to do list’.  If this is the case it is highlighted and I then know that I need to action it.
4. Similarly if I have made notes about something and that item is now finalised, I cross it off.
5. Instead of trawling through your handbag for a scrap of paper, when you use a notebook, you know that the information is in the one place.