On a recent episode of the Take Note podcast, Adam and Ted talked about using pocket notebooks for super specific purposes. Some of the ideas they discussed piqued my interest, like:
- A food journal
- A dream journal (as someone who has full-color, cinematic dreams, this one’s a no-brainer)
- A journal that you only write in when it’s raining
- A journal of ideas about writing
- A weather journal
- A shared journal — each person writes one page then passes it along for the second person to do the same — a compilation of notes/letters into a single notebook (kind of love this)
Since I have what could be called a “healthy supply” of pocket notebooks and only so much time to use them (a sobering, but also motivating, thought), I found myself brainstorming my own ideas for filling up, and using up, my hoard. Off the top of my head, I quickly came up with a very Mary list:
- A walking journal — where, when, weather, distance, mood, observations, thoughts
- A Spyder riding journal (once the weather improves) — same parameters as for my walks
- A book journal — I’m a slow reader so this one would take awhile to fill.
- A letter writing journal — notes from letters received as well as thought/ideas/events to write about in the return letter
- A worry journal — what’s bugging me right now, then, eventually, how the worry resolved with or without my intervention
- A Sunday afternoon ride journal — My mom and I take a long car ride every Sunday afternoon, and we we’ve done so for a couple of years. I think we’ve been on almost every road in a 60-mile radius. Why haven’t I been documenting these rides — our route, her chattering, wildlife seen, funny signs (like —”DANGER! Dumb geese, ducks, and deer!” recently seen by the side of a country road), weather, ice cream details?! Time to start.
- A pen and ink journal — No matter how sure I am that I’ll remember what ink is in which pen, I too often don’t. Here’s an obvious solution to that problem.
- A photography journal — Print photos with my Sprocket printer and stick them into a pocket journal with some notes about the photo. Analog Instagram!
- A bird journal — Who’s visiting our feeders and the woods behind our house; who’s singing on my early morning walks.
- A wonder journal —capturing those tiny moments that light me up before they poof away
- A grocery list/menu journal — I’ve been using index cards for this, but it might be cool to fill up an entire notebook with weekly menus, recipe notes, and grocery lists —a reference for when the “What’s for dinner?” well runs dry.
I also aspire to simply jot down funny moments, overheard conversations, and life’s absurdities, much like Adam and Ted do. Like my pen and ink pairings, this material needs to be captured in the moment or it’s gone. Carry a notebook. Or ten. Take notes. Make notes.
Use that hoard, Mary. Time’s a-wastin’.
UPDATE: Menu/groceries notebook now in play. One down, many to go.
From the Pen Cup 