I really appreciated your video. As a society we have become out of touch with something as basic as slowing down or physically writing. Countless research has shown that our brains processes and remembers things better when we go analogue. On top of that socialization is negatively affected by our constant phone scrolling. It has truly become an addiction.
Fingerspitzengefühl in Germany means to be very very careful and sensitive... like a light summer wind. Only touching something very gently. We use the word in different context., like talking to someone who ist sad, to choose your words when you are in a hard conversation with someone or in the context of doing something important and tricky with your hands. But i love your planner context to use it. Great video. Greetings from Germany.
When you first began the video, I was thinking it was exactly like a Commonplace book. Which I have, and love to jot down all kinds of things in. But I never thought about moving the notes into a more structured notebook for easier reference! This is a game changer.
I switched to digital for awhile, but I found that I actually remember my written notes better. There is no search function, but I remember where I wrote it. With digital, I have to know what I'm looking for. I don't even remember where I wrote things. There's no serendipity.
This is gold. I'm looking ideas for my first commonplace book because I need to tansfer all my knowledge, ideas, and concepts to an analog format so this video was the most useful Ive found. I really like the idea of having 1 notebook for all my organized content in my desk and other one to keep on me. Also the phone/notebook pocket switch strategy was mindblowing to me and really clever. Thanks a lot for this. I'm gonna use this format for my commonplace books.
Glad this was helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to leave the note. Good luck getting the info transferred and reducing the phone distractions!!!
Agreed! I keep a blank (lineless) A6 (Zequenz) in my pocket. It's used for ToDos, ideas, and quick diagrams/sketches. Everything goes into it. It's very convenient to carry even in the back pocket of my jeans. I've thought about using an A5 but it's not EDC convenient and I don't always like carrying a bag with me. Sometimes I'll move a quote or idea from the A6 to my A5 commonplace book or A5 woodworking book but mostly it's a throw away journal at the end of 6 months or so. In addition I keep a page-a-day journal that never leaves my desk. I have another A5 meeting notebook (120 gsm) for sketchnoting. This I scan into an Apple notes folder. So yeah, mostly tactile analog notebooks are my choice for many of the same reasons you mention here!
Loved your video. You really explained the digital vs written really well. I fall down the rabbit holes all the time and I forget all the time what I was even looking for. I've written stuff down since I was a little girl and now that I'm 70, I find writing things down helps me not to forget and keep a little bit organized. I love your concept of your "Factory Notebook". I might try that and then I can throw away my random little notebooks here and there and everywhere. Another reason I love writing things down, it doesn't POOF...and it's gone. I can't tell you how many things I've written in my computer or on my phone and POOF it's gone. I don't know where or why....but it's lost. Writing them down is so much better!!
I forgot to point out an insight you shared, Darin, that made perfect sense to me. I am paraphrasing here... The distractions that occur by keeping notes on a phone are so annoying!!! A notification pops up and I'm gone for a few minutes or longer, then I've lost my train of thought. I think, "Let me check what going on in Facebook land," and I'm gone for hours. Oh, and having a plan was useful advice, too. Again, because i have a tendency to be easily distracted, I need to know what I'm doing. So I look forward to going back to analog, for sure!!!
I have a working station where I minimized the distraction. I use Zettelkasten method for note taking/knowledge management and use Emacs on a Linux system where there isn't installed too much. Heck, even the web browser is minimalist and I use privacy front-ends for most social media sites. Thus, they are very inconvenient to use. When I'm not in front of my working laptop, then, I use a pocket notebook and later on, the content is copied into Emacs. (This is called fleeting notes in Zettelkasten.) I think if you prone to distraction and want to profit from the digital world, it is important to have a setup where it is hard to do anything than being productive. With my setup, I covered the problems 1-3. (If anybody is interested I can elaborate why/how.) About the problem #4: Lack of tactile: I use mechanical keyboard, which is closer to a mechanical typewriter, which gives a very good tactile feeling.
Analog is Pen and Gear 4 x 6 spiral notebook with my Dr. Grip ball point pen. Digital Google Keep - this can be accessed phone, tablet, desktop computer and it syncs. Also allows you to add emojis. Allows you to have multiple tabs too to organize thoughts. One for writing, one for general notes, one for daily journaling.
I think your vid here is going to save my mind also for the same reasons. I came across a series of shockingly detailed notebook journals I wrote 25 years ago. Since 2010 I have journaled almost ZERO entries. Thank you for putting this out there! PS: I deactivated my Facebook account 8 weeks ago, so I think I'm on my way. I have liked and subscribed :)
That sounds great. I deleted the social media apps from my phone and that was so good! Indent miss them at all. Probably I will delete my accounts too.
For me it is also true that physical noting down helps with better clarity in my head. I also carry a small notebook with me in my purse. As I am a bit perfectionist, I take the simplest one that I don’t regret throwing away afterwards. I mostly use physical writing down to sort the ideas, self-reflect and calm down my anxious mind, and plan. While planning is easier digitally (easier to change something if the plans changed), for bigger projects I find it easier to still physically write them down and schedule on a paper.
I use both digital and paper. Some of my journalling is just writing out my memories of childhood, and if I do it digitally I can add wider content. For example - at age 5 I was in school with a boy who couldn't settle and was very disruptive. He kept running around and singing a certain pop song, so when I wrote about it I added a link to that song on TH-cam. It's easy to add personal photos and videos to my entries, and even hyperlinks. However, I love paper journalling, and I have notebooks going back to 1988. It's more pleasurable to write on paper, partly because of the feel, but also because my spelling is great and my typing is rubbish, so that digital journalling is interrupted by contant correcting and editing, whereas paper journalling means I get it all right first time.
I converted a wallet that I bought in Spain 39 years ago. I rediscovered it about 3 years ago while going through my memory box. It was perfect for Spanish money back then but way too big for American money. I added some elastic cord and it functions like a Travelers notebook. I make my own inserts to go inside. It is between a personal size and A6. I have one insert that i use for a personal planner and a second that I use for notes. If anything needs transferring, it goes into an A5 size binder. I love the binder as i can switch things around and keep things in groups. I'm thinking i need to start carrying that wallet again and put my cards and ID back in it. I had searched decades for a system and I found it in the most unlikely of places, but I absolutely love it! I'm definitely an analog person. I tried digital, but it gets ignored. The only thing I still have on my phone are our shared shopping lists.
What a great video! I never planned digitally. People often laughed at me for preferring pen and paper. My mind works better that way. At the moment I have a bullet journal for my planning, daily tasks, detailed notes when I take courses and so on. I have a common place book for inspirational and noteworthy quotes I find in videos, books, sermons and alike. I have a Bible study notebook which has an alphabetical index at the end. It’s so helpful if I would like to look up Bible quotes regarding certain topics. I simply have a look into my index and look up words like trust, fear or other topics and find all entries there. And I have a pocket notebook which I always have in my purse. That’s for everything when I am on the go: ideas, tasks, quotes, appointments and more. I do the same you do. Instead of scrolling my phone I pick up my notebook and flip through it. Great way to learn the quotes by heart I wrote down for example.
I really feel like the Holy Spirit Put your video in front of my face this evening. I was coming to the end of a day during which I had spent way too much time scrolling TH-cam on my TV… Another addiction I have besides my phone. And just before I was about to turn the TV off and go to bed, feeling guilty for just having binge watched hours of court TV, your video thumbnail showed up on the suggestion list. So I decided to watch “just one more video” before I went to bed, and one of the first things that really jumped out at me was when you talked about “the old you “, referring to this guy that you were 10 years ago in your journals. Oh my goodness! Did that strike home with this girl! Especially because just recently I have been purging my house trying to get ready to put it on the market and came across a bunch of old journals from roughly the same number of years ago as what you were referring to. At the risk of making this post way too long… Which is one of my bad habits… I wanted to also mention that I had what some might call a “road to Damascus conversion on February 21, 2015 at the age of 49. It would be way too much to get into here but, suffice to say, it was a radical awakening from atheism to on fire Christianity that happened almost in the blink of an eye . It changed me from top to bottom and inside out and revolutionized my life. I was like a child again. it was almost like how, as a child, you believe in all of the magic and wonder of Santa Claus, and then you find out he doesn’t exist, and then, after decades of living in this jaded, Broken world, and realizing that all the things you thought were going to bring you “success” and “fulfillment” didn’t, and don’t… Santa Claus himself, reveals himself to you in a way that is undeniable! And suddenly you believe again! And then you realize that this Being who has contacted you is infinitely greater and more magnificent than Santa Claus ever was, and Suddenly, there is hope again, and joy and purpose, and meaning again!! I really ended up getting into this far more than I intended to when I started this post lol I hope you can forgive me. The reason I took the time to explain all that is, after such an incredible experience, I found myself devouring everything I could read on the subject of God, including, of course, the Bible, as well as taking tons and tons of notes. I also used journals as a way to talk to God, and even to jot down what I felt he was saying back to me. And, as I started flipping through them and I saw not only tons of writing, but also little sketches and doodles, prayers and truly wonderful journaling, full of insights and ideas written by a woman who was on fire for Christ and on fire for life, after decades of feeling dead, I realized, just like you, That I didn’t know What happened to that woman who wrote all this, and who truly believed that, with God, literally anything and everything is possible!!!“ And then I realized, as I continued to listen to your video, how many hundreds of times a day I reach for my phone when I really don’t need it and how, these days, when I get home from work, I immediately reach for the TV remote and immediately start watching TH-cam videos. Don’t get me wrong, almost without fail, I start my day every day, watching, or listening to a favorite pastor and listening to praise music and more recently I have started incorporating reading the Bible into my morning routine again, but I almost never journal anymore, and I almost never just sit quietly with the Lord so that I can hear him intuitively. And over the past few years I have been feeling like my faith has been dulled somehow. I don’t feel as close to God, and as trusting and hopeful, as I did, a few years back, and as crazy as it sounds, the addiction to my phone and the TV really never struck me as being the culprit. Or perhaps I’ve been in denial about it but in either case, there was just something about your video and what you shared that just struck me and I really felt like the Holy Spirit was behind it. In a good way. He is never condemning or judgmental just always gently nudging us back on track. Thank you for this video “nudge“ this evening. I really needed it. God bless you. 💜😇
I absolutely loved reading this!!! Thank you. One of things I do first thing in the morning is read which ever proverbs the day is. Example, today I read proverbs 17. I have been thinking also about starting to SOAP journal to bring more intention to my Bible reading.
I use a pocket journal to brain dump snips of thoughts, ideas or things I need to recall. In conjunction I use a plain journal with fill in my own dates for my daily lists. Highlighters of daily colours are used on things I have completed. This way it stays neat and I can see when things were accomplished. Quotes are outlined with that day’s highlighter colour. I can find things much faster this way.
I can remember so many details about old jobs or projects when looking at a note page compared to the digital. Most the digital gets deleted over time. The paper stays forever. Tactile learning is so much more powerful than dumping it onto a screen
I keep rewatching this video. It's so zen. I've started using notebooks (though not pocket notebooks), and it has calmed down my mind. I'm intrigued by this and your video sorta explains why!
Great video! Really like the fact you show the "messiness" of the capture notebooks. That's one of the things I love about using the pocket notebooks...it's really tough to be neat so it's naturally counters perfectionism. I've arrived at a similar setup. Field Notes (3.5 x 5.5") for Capture, Bullet Journal for some Organization and Distilling ideas further, and then I go Digital using Obisidan for anything I want to keep long term for reference or for research where I want to connect ideas together. Field Notes are for Capture only, but I can capture in Bullet Journal or Obsidian (using Daily Notes)...idea is to not fret about which tool, use the tool at hand at any given moment and then have a simple process of refinement and archiving information for long term search and reference. Really liking your videos, looking forward to more!
Agreed. Dont fret about capture. And messiness is part of create, connect side. It’s waaaay easier for me and my mind to connect things when they are in analog. 🤷🏻♂️
Thank you for the video. I definitely love being analog, Not that digital isn't good, but more that I am a visual, textile learner, I need to see and feel before I learn and remember. I had a teacher in highschool that used to fill 6 chalkboards full of notes for us to copy into our notebooks in every class, and at the time I absolutely hated his class. But as I went through his class and I started getting A's that I realized, this is how I learn. I never needed to study for long periods in his class for tests, because my brain had processed the information as I wrote it down, when I read back though it, that was enough for me to just know it for the test. when I type something on my computer, or I write a note in my phone, it just sits there, and most of the time I don't remember, not only what it was that I needed or wanted to remember, but also that I even recorded it in my phone in the first place! I go through my notes app, and just share my head when I read something and think what was I thinking when I wrote this down...lol...in my common place book, its there, its visually appealing to look at and I refer back to it way more often then my notes on my phone, and I retain it better as well!
good video. I love it... I am using filofax pocket and Raymay refill 111. Do the same like you, but I write everything into several empty papers. After writing, I am usually review it and categorise it it into different tabs. Put some color tbas to differentiate. Then I get my reference book with different subjects.
This video is so on point. I’m literally watching this while scrolling my phone 😢. I’m definitely getting back to my pocket journal. Thx for sharing. FYI: be careful when using Chat GPT for reading your notes, since it’s open source (I believe), and your data could possibly be shared.
Enjoyed your video! My go-to notebook as my catch-all is the mini composition notebook from Pen & Gear (has to be sewn). I also love using the standard composition notebook. I like your system of transferring important info. As a journaler / planner gal, I enjoy keeping all of my notebooks. They will one day go to my children and grandchildren. They can see my most unimportant thought to my most creative one. TFS! 🤗
I enjoy using a bullet journal but I never carry it around since I like to keep it neat and use a lot of stationery but I do feel the need to write in paper during the day. I tried using apps but I never check my notes again so for me, it's a waste of time. Maybe it's time to buy a pocket notebook and try something new! Loved the video.
I really like your process. I have been trying different things to get organized with my note pad and note book. Your method seems to really make sense to me. Thank you for thr video!
This was excellent, well explained and useful. I did go back to analog but I’ve slipped back into doom scrolling! This has made me want to get going on a notebook again. Thank you!
I use a traveler's passport notebook currently as my wallet and pocketbook. I have am still experimenting with a daily/weekly/monthly view with one notebook in it and the other I am starting to add notes on different things I am trying over the year. I also have half a mind to make a notebook spread that can printed out on letter size paper to make my own refills.
My weekly planning, which also has my daily, and my monthly planning are on sheets of paper I print off. I didn't like make new outlines all the time. And nothing I do in my task or appointments is important enough to keep. If it is, I'll document later. I think you're on the right track with making you're own spreads. Go for it.
I buy pen + gear spiral notebooks, the mini ones with the black cover, from Walmart. I’ve gone through dozens of them and at only a dollar and change they work amazingly. I use one for work as my ‘second brain’ to jot down quick notes or to dos. I keep one with my a6 Hobonichi at all times for lists, brain dumps, quick notes I want to remember for later. It has changed my life, not to sound dramatic 😂.
What a great idea. . . To incorporate it into your wallet! My problem was i could never find my book when i had an idea, so i had many places i wrote things down. I'm going try it.
Thanks. Interesting video. I have been journalling for about 4 years now. I find it to be very therapeutic. May I suggest that you use a fountain pen? It makes the practice of writing even more interesting.
Such a inspiring video. Now I want to use my pocket notebook again and give it a second chance. Where? How do you daily journal? Pocket notebook goes full so soon, when I am journaling there.
This is very practical ideas for tracking and organizing info. Admittedly, I really struggle with both digital and analog. I like both but I don’t see myself keeping my total list in one form OR the other so I need to find a way to blend in both worlds. As far as digital, I like the ability to edit, to sort, and to search easily. This is valuable to me. As far as analog, I love the ability to jot my ideas on paper immediately, to draw, make notes, whatever but I know I cannot get the function of digital as I previously mentioned. Thank you.
I use both paper and digital, mostly cause I'm good at typing and I get hand fatigue real easy, I get fatigue in general, which is ironic cause most of my pockets aren't big enough to carry a notebook sadly and I hate carrying a purse or even backpack but I do as I use the bus, which uses up mlre energy 😂! I like the fact that paper is more private as well, since I live in low income housing next to a highway, so there just no privacy in my life, plus I'm online a lot haha! So, I use a mix of paper, I have two small notebooks, both have a mix of line and dotted and blank pages, I think but one is a lot thinnner so has less options of course, but it is easier to write and take with me if I want, one is like 150 pages thick, while the other is about 5 times that much, so its actually harder to write in. I use the thicker one for ideas and later when I bought the smaller one, I used it more for journaling and use the thicker one for ideas. I also keep color coded tabs in the bigger one for different subjects as my adhd self is slightly disorganized hence the long post right after I just woke up and had coffee haha!
Love the idea of putting the notebook and wallet together, so that your notebook is always with you. In my perfect world I always have a notebook with me, but in reality I left it behind.... Since I can't find Nomad Notebooks anymore, I use Field Notes.
The problem with most pocket notebooks is they do not fit comfortably in your pocket with a cover and pen. That’s why a lot of my friends are just hand-carrying a 5 X 8 notebook. I have many models of the pocket notebook and I like most of them.
I enjoyed the video and use a similar concept but I have to date every page/thought so I can reference when it happened, etc. So many times I decided not date the page and regretted it later.
I hear ya. Our brains all operate differently- another reason analog is better than digital. You can personalize. I think more in ideas vs time… so unless there is a reason to date I don’t date. Thanks for the comment.
It's kind of funny, but I have been feeling the same way lately. I am an IT guy, but digital is not the solution to everything. I have been using 3.5 X 5.5 inch notebooks from Elan Publishing on Amazon. I prefer the dot grip paper. You should give it a try. The paper is fountain pen friendly, which adds a whole nother level to the experience. I made my own leather notebook holder and am enjoying the process.
I like the AISBUGUR Pocket Notebook Small Notebook 2-Pack, 3.5" x 5.5" Pocket Notebooks Hardcover with Thick Lined Paper, Inner Pockets, Cover Letter Embossing Design Mini Journal Notepad You get1Black and1Brown Leather notebook for about $10.00 ($5.00 each).
Excellent video. I use a combination of both. I have to use Microsoft outlook for work, but use my notebook to manage both my work and personal life. I’m using the bullet journaling system to organize my notebook.
If I write a journal digitally, I will probably never reread any of it because I dislike reading large amounts of text on a screen. However, I do enjoy taking a previous journal and settling down with a cup of coffee and some Pandora to read parts of it. It's a much more real experience. I feel transported back to the day I wrote the entry. On screen, I just feel annoyed.
The interesting thing is that for millenials backward the studies of analog vs digital on memory retention are valid. But, for Gen Z onward it may be the reverse. We were born before computers were everywhere let alone our pocket. These kids are getting screens as young as two years old now. It'll be interesting/terrifying to see what this does to their brains.
I get what you’re trying to say, but you can search on a phone using keywords. There is no need to scroll endlessly just looking for a specific keyword on your notes.
I really appreciated your video. As a society we have become out of touch with something as basic as slowing down or physically writing. Countless research has shown that our brains processes and remembers things better when we go analogue. On top of that socialization is negatively affected by our constant phone scrolling. It has truly become an addiction.
Fingerspitzengefühl in Germany means to be very very careful and sensitive... like a light summer wind. Only touching something very gently. We use the word in different context., like talking to someone who ist sad, to choose your words when you are in a hard conversation with someone or in the context of doing something important and tricky with your hands. But i love your planner context to use it. Great video. Greetings from Germany.
Thank you for the correct interpretation and I appreciate your kindness on my high jacking of it.
That's amazing! I'm studying German in my spare time and that is a new word for me! Danke!
I have NEVER used my iPhone for note taking 😊good old fashioned notebooks are the best for taking notes 📝
Better for your memory too I'm told
When you first began the video, I was thinking it was exactly like a Commonplace book. Which I have, and love to jot down all kinds of things in. But I never thought about moving the notes into a more structured notebook for easier reference! This is a game changer.
I switched to digital for awhile, but I found that I actually remember my written notes better. There is no search function, but I remember where I wrote it. With digital, I have to know what I'm looking for. I don't even remember where I wrote things. There's no serendipity.
Yes
I agree. I also find analog journals to have less friction than the digital ones, which in turn, encourage me to do more journaling-very liberating.
This is gold. I'm looking ideas for my first commonplace book because I need to tansfer all my knowledge, ideas, and concepts to an analog format so this video was the most useful Ive found. I really like the idea of having 1 notebook for all my organized content in my desk and other one to keep on me. Also the phone/notebook pocket switch strategy was mindblowing to me and really clever. Thanks a lot for this. I'm gonna use this format for my commonplace books.
Glad this was helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to leave the note. Good luck getting the info transferred and reducing the phone distractions!!!
This is GOLD!🥇💰
Agreed! I keep a blank (lineless) A6 (Zequenz) in my pocket. It's used for ToDos, ideas, and quick diagrams/sketches. Everything goes into it. It's very convenient to carry even in the back pocket of my jeans. I've thought about using an A5 but it's not EDC convenient and I don't always like carrying a bag with me. Sometimes I'll move a quote or idea from the A6 to my A5 commonplace book or A5 woodworking book but mostly it's a throw away journal at the end of 6 months or so. In addition I keep a page-a-day journal that never leaves my desk. I have another A5 meeting notebook (120 gsm) for sketchnoting. This I scan into an Apple notes folder. So yeah, mostly tactile analog notebooks are my choice for many of the same reasons you mention here!
Love to hear that. When you scan into the Apple notes does it digitize it or is it image?
@@persingerproductivity It remains an image but the text is searchable.
@@illustratedjournal Didn't know that. cool. Did you see in my video the part about ChaptGPT vision that turns it into text?
@@persingerproductivityyeah that’s awesome!
me too bit i use cheap chinese japanese style blank pocket notebooks. i doodle a lot and write everything that i want to keep in memory. life changing
Loved your video. You really explained the digital vs written really well. I fall down the rabbit holes all the time and I forget all the time what I was even looking for. I've written stuff down since I was a little girl and now that I'm 70, I find writing things down helps me not to forget and keep a little bit organized. I love your concept of your "Factory Notebook". I might try that and then I can throw away my random little notebooks here and there and everywhere. Another reason I love writing things down, it doesn't POOF...and it's gone. I can't tell you how many things I've written in my computer or on my phone and POOF it's gone. I don't know where or why....but it's lost. Writing them down is so much better!!
I forgot to point out an insight you shared, Darin, that made perfect sense to me. I am paraphrasing here... The distractions that occur by keeping notes on a phone are so annoying!!! A notification pops up and I'm gone for a few minutes or longer, then I've lost my train of thought. I think, "Let me check what going on in Facebook land," and I'm gone for hours.
Oh, and having a plan was useful advice, too. Again, because i have a tendency to be easily distracted, I need to know what I'm doing.
So I look forward to going back to analog, for sure!!!
That is a very real issue.
The scroll switch is really great. Scroll your notebook instead of phone. Niceee.
Thank you.
I have a working station where I minimized the distraction. I use Zettelkasten method for note taking/knowledge management and use Emacs on a Linux system where there isn't installed too much. Heck, even the web browser is minimalist and I use privacy front-ends for most social media sites. Thus, they are very inconvenient to use. When I'm not in front of my working laptop, then, I use a pocket notebook and later on, the content is copied into Emacs. (This is called fleeting notes in Zettelkasten.)
I think if you prone to distraction and want to profit from the digital world, it is important to have a setup where it is hard to do anything than being productive.
With my setup, I covered the problems 1-3. (If anybody is interested I can elaborate why/how.) About the problem #4: Lack of tactile: I use mechanical keyboard, which is closer to a mechanical typewriter, which gives a very good tactile feeling.
This sounds serious and amazing. Do you have a video walkthrough of your setup?
Analog is Pen and Gear 4 x 6 spiral notebook with my Dr. Grip ball point pen.
Digital Google Keep - this can be accessed phone, tablet, desktop computer and it syncs. Also allows you to add emojis. Allows you to have multiple tabs too to organize thoughts. One for writing, one for general notes, one for daily journaling.
I think your vid here is going to save my mind also for the same reasons. I came across a series of shockingly detailed notebook journals I wrote 25 years ago. Since 2010 I have journaled almost ZERO entries. Thank you for putting this out there! PS: I deactivated my Facebook account 8 weeks ago, so I think I'm on my way. I have liked and subscribed :)
That sounds great. I deleted the social media apps from my phone and that was so good! Indent miss them at all. Probably I will delete my accounts too.
Thanks for real applications of 2 notebooks. I had also adopted getting my phone to a left pocket using the right placket for my mini-pocket notebook.
That’s cool to hear. Thanks.
For me it is also true that physical noting down helps with better clarity in my head. I also carry a small notebook with me in my purse. As I am a bit perfectionist, I take the simplest one that I don’t regret throwing away afterwards.
I mostly use physical writing down to sort the ideas, self-reflect and calm down my anxious mind, and plan. While planning is easier digitally (easier to change something if the plans changed), for bigger projects I find it easier to still physically write them down and schedule on a paper.
I use both digital and paper. Some of my journalling is just writing out my memories of childhood, and if I do it digitally I can add wider content. For example - at age 5 I was in school with a boy who couldn't settle and was very disruptive. He kept running around and singing a certain pop song, so when I wrote about it I added a link to that song on TH-cam. It's easy to add personal photos and videos to my entries, and even hyperlinks. However, I love paper journalling, and I have notebooks going back to 1988. It's more pleasurable to write on paper, partly because of the feel, but also because my spelling is great and my typing is rubbish, so that digital journalling is interrupted by contant correcting and editing, whereas paper journalling means I get it all right first time.
I converted a wallet that I bought in Spain 39 years ago. I rediscovered it about 3 years ago while going through my memory box. It was perfect for Spanish money back then but way too big for American money. I added some elastic cord and it functions like a Travelers notebook. I make my own inserts to go inside. It is between a personal size and A6. I have one insert that i use for a personal planner and a second that I use for notes. If anything needs transferring, it goes into an A5 size binder. I love the binder as i can switch things around and keep things in groups. I'm thinking i need to start carrying that wallet again and put my cards and ID back in it. I had searched decades for a system and I found it in the most unlikely of places, but I absolutely love it!
I'm definitely an analog person. I tried digital, but it gets ignored. The only thing I still have on my phone are our shared shopping lists.
Seems like a common theme… digital gets ignored
What a great video! I never planned digitally. People often laughed at me for preferring pen and paper. My mind works better that way.
At the moment I have a bullet journal for my planning, daily tasks, detailed notes when I take courses and so on.
I have a common place book for inspirational and noteworthy quotes I find in videos, books, sermons and alike.
I have a Bible study notebook which has an alphabetical index at the end. It’s so helpful if I would like to look up Bible quotes regarding certain topics. I simply have a look into my index and look up words like trust, fear or other topics and find all entries there.
And I have a pocket notebook which I always have in my purse. That’s for everything when I am on the go: ideas, tasks, quotes, appointments and more.
I do the same you do. Instead of scrolling my phone I pick up my notebook and flip through it. Great way to learn the quotes by heart I wrote down for example.
Agreed, I'm addicted to my phone, &!I need to move away from the phone to a journal, everything you mentioned, I Agree
You can do it!!!
I really feel like the Holy Spirit Put your video in front of my face this evening. I was coming to the end of a day during which I had spent way too much time scrolling TH-cam on my TV… Another addiction I have besides my phone. And just before I was about to turn the TV off and go to bed, feeling guilty for just having binge watched hours of court TV, your video thumbnail showed up on the suggestion list.
So I decided to watch “just one more video” before I went to bed, and one of the first things that really jumped out at me was when you talked about “the old you “, referring to this guy that you were 10 years ago in your journals. Oh my goodness! Did that strike home with this girl! Especially because just recently I have been purging my house trying to get ready to put it on the market and came across a bunch of old journals from roughly the same number of years ago as what you were referring to.
At the risk of making this post way too long… Which is one of my bad habits… I wanted to also mention that I had what some might call a “road to Damascus conversion on February 21, 2015 at the age of 49. It would be way too much to get into here but, suffice to say, it was a radical awakening from atheism to on fire Christianity that happened almost in the blink of an eye . It changed me from top to bottom and inside out and revolutionized my life. I was like a child again. it was almost like how, as a child, you believe in all of the magic and wonder of Santa Claus, and then you find out he doesn’t exist, and then, after decades of living in this jaded, Broken world, and realizing that all the things you thought were going to bring you “success” and “fulfillment” didn’t, and don’t… Santa Claus himself, reveals himself to you in a way that is undeniable! And suddenly you believe again! And then you realize that this Being who has contacted you is infinitely greater and more magnificent than Santa Claus ever was, and Suddenly, there is hope again, and joy and purpose, and meaning again!!
I really ended up getting into this far more than I intended to when I started this post lol I hope you can forgive me. The reason I took the time to explain all that is, after such an incredible experience, I found myself devouring everything I could read on the subject of God, including, of course, the Bible, as well as taking tons and tons of notes. I also used journals as a way to talk to God, and even to jot down what I felt he was saying back to me.
And, as I started flipping through them and I saw not only tons of writing, but also little sketches and doodles, prayers and truly wonderful journaling, full of insights and ideas written by a woman who was on fire for Christ and on fire for life, after decades of feeling dead, I realized, just like you, That I didn’t know What happened to that woman who wrote all this, and who truly believed that, with God, literally anything and everything is possible!!!“
And then I realized, as I continued to listen to your video, how many hundreds of times a day I reach for my phone when I really don’t need it and how, these days, when I get home from work, I immediately reach for the TV remote and immediately start watching TH-cam videos. Don’t get me wrong, almost without fail, I start my day every day, watching, or listening to a favorite pastor and listening to praise music and more recently I have started incorporating reading the Bible into my morning routine again, but I almost never journal anymore, and I almost never just sit quietly with the Lord so that I can hear him intuitively. And over the past few years I have been feeling like my faith has been dulled somehow. I don’t feel as close to God, and as trusting and hopeful, as I did, a few years back, and as crazy as it sounds, the addiction to my phone and the TV really never struck me as being the culprit. Or perhaps I’ve been in denial about it but in either case, there was just something about your video and what you shared that just struck me and I really felt like the Holy Spirit was behind it. In a good way. He is never condemning or judgmental just always gently nudging us back on track.
Thank you for this video “nudge“ this evening. I really needed it. God bless you. 💜😇
I absolutely loved reading this!!! Thank you. One of things I do first thing in the morning is read which ever proverbs the day is. Example, today I read proverbs 17. I have been thinking also about starting to SOAP journal to bring more intention to my Bible reading.
Very interesting. Thank you.
Glad you found it interesting. 😊
I use a pocket journal to brain dump snips of thoughts, ideas or things I need to recall. In conjunction I use a plain journal with fill in my own dates for my daily lists. Highlighters of daily colours are used on things I have completed. This way it stays neat and I can see when things were accomplished. Quotes are outlined with that day’s highlighter colour. I can find things much faster this way.
This was really helpful. I agree with keeping a notebook on person at all times as it helps with mental clarity. Thanks for putting this out
You are welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
I can remember so many details about old jobs or projects when looking at a note page compared to the digital. Most the digital gets deleted over time. The paper stays forever. Tactile learning is so much more powerful than dumping it onto a screen
Agreed. I wish there was more research on why this. Not everything has to be digital. We don't need an app for everything.
I keep rewatching this video. It's so zen. I've started using notebooks (though not pocket notebooks), and it has calmed down my mind. I'm intrigued by this and your video sorta explains why!
Well thanks for all the watches!!!
Great video! Really like the fact you show the "messiness" of the capture notebooks. That's one of the things I love about using the pocket notebooks...it's really tough to be neat so it's naturally counters perfectionism. I've arrived at a similar setup. Field Notes (3.5 x 5.5") for Capture, Bullet Journal for some Organization and Distilling ideas further, and then I go Digital using Obisidan for anything I want to keep long term for reference or for research where I want to connect ideas together. Field Notes are for Capture only, but I can capture in Bullet Journal or Obsidian (using Daily Notes)...idea is to not fret about which tool, use the tool at hand at any given moment and then have a simple process of refinement and archiving information for long term search and reference. Really liking your videos, looking forward to more!
Agreed. Dont fret about capture. And messiness is part of create, connect side. It’s waaaay easier for me and my mind to connect things when they are in analog. 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve always carried a small notebook with me. It helps me stay organized.
Having the notebook in your wallet is absolutely genius. Thank you for sharing!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the video. I definitely love being analog, Not that digital isn't good, but more that I am a visual, textile learner, I need to see and feel before I learn and remember. I had a teacher in highschool that used to fill 6 chalkboards full of notes for us to copy into our notebooks in every class, and at the time I absolutely hated his class. But as I went through his class and I started getting A's that I realized, this is how I learn. I never needed to study for long periods in his class for tests, because my brain had processed the information as I wrote it down, when I read back though it, that was enough for me to just know it for the test. when I type something on my computer, or I write a note in my phone, it just sits there, and most of the time I don't remember, not only what it was that I needed or wanted to remember, but also that I even recorded it in my phone in the first place! I go through my notes app, and just share my head when I read something and think what was I thinking when I wrote this down...lol...in my common place book, its there, its visually appealing to look at and I refer back to it way more often then my notes on my phone, and I retain it better as well!
good video. I love it... I am using filofax pocket and Raymay refill 111. Do the same like you, but I write everything into several empty papers. After writing, I am usually review it and categorise it it into different tabs. Put some color tbas to differentiate. Then I get my reference book with different subjects.
This really resonated with me. I see things more clearly on paper than n a screen for some reason. I enjoyed your take on it!
Awesome, thank you!
I've been watching a lot of videos about coming back to analogue, but this one was the best. Thanks!
Wow, thanks!
This video is so on point. I’m literally watching this while scrolling my phone 😢. I’m definitely getting back to my pocket journal. Thx for sharing.
FYI: be careful when using Chat GPT for reading your notes, since it’s open source (I believe), and your data could possibly be shared.
Enjoyed your video! My go-to notebook as my catch-all is the mini composition notebook from Pen & Gear (has to be sewn). I also love using the standard composition notebook. I like your system of transferring important info. As a journaler / planner gal, I enjoy keeping all of my notebooks. They will one day go to my children and grandchildren. They can see my most unimportant thought to my most creative one. TFS! 🤗
What’s the cover on the Pen and Gear? I’m guessing that’s a good value… never thought about that… just the mini comp notebooks. Thanks for the idea.
I enjoy using a bullet journal but I never carry it around since I like to keep it neat and use a lot of stationery but I do feel the need to write in paper during the day. I tried using apps but I never check my notes again so for me, it's a waste of time.
Maybe it's time to buy a pocket notebook and try something new!
Loved the video.
Glad to see this video getting the attention it deserves. Keep it up bruddah 🎉
Appreciate it
I really like your process. I have been trying different things to get organized with my note pad and note book. Your method seems to really make sense to me. Thank you for thr video!
Awesome. Hope it brings you great results.
Great ideas!
I want to combine this with my Bujo method (bullet journal) and I could be an unstoppable machine.
I’d love to see what that looks like
This was excellent, well explained and useful. I did go back to analog but I’ve slipped back into doom scrolling! This has made me want to get going on a notebook again. Thank you!
Good video. Thanks for sharing. Bring off the grid in analogue mode definitely helps my brain and enhances my mental faculties
💯
I use a traveler's passport notebook currently as my wallet and pocketbook. I have am still experimenting with a daily/weekly/monthly view with one notebook in it and the other I am starting to add notes on different things I am trying over the year. I also have half a mind to make a notebook spread that can printed out on letter size paper to make my own refills.
My weekly planning, which also has my daily, and my monthly planning are on sheets of paper I print off. I didn't like make new outlines all the time. And nothing I do in my task or appointments is important enough to keep. If it is, I'll document later. I think you're on the right track with making you're own spreads. Go for it.
I buy pen + gear spiral notebooks, the mini ones with the black cover, from Walmart. I’ve gone through dozens of them and at only a dollar and change they work amazingly. I use one for work as my ‘second brain’ to jot down quick notes or to dos. I keep one with my a6 Hobonichi at all times for lists, brain dumps, quick notes I want to remember for later. It has changed my life, not to sound dramatic 😂.
💯. What do you like about Hobonichi?
Great video. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
What a great idea. . . To incorporate it into your wallet! My problem was i could never find my book when i had an idea, so i had many places i wrote things down. I'm going try it.
Hope you started using a wallet with your notebook and it's working for you.
Thanks.
Interesting video.
I have been journalling for about 4 years now. I find it to be very therapeutic.
May I suggest that you use a fountain pen?
It makes the practice of writing even more interesting.
Great points. Well done sir.
Such a inspiring video. Now I want to use my pocket notebook again and give it a second chance. Where? How do you daily journal? Pocket notebook goes full so soon, when I am journaling there.
This is very practical ideas for tracking and organizing info. Admittedly, I really struggle with both digital and analog. I like both but I don’t see myself keeping my total list in one form OR the other so I need to find a way to blend in both worlds.
As far as digital, I like the ability to edit, to sort, and to search easily. This is valuable to me.
As far as analog, I love the ability to jot my ideas on paper immediately, to draw, make notes, whatever but I know I cannot get the function of digital as I previously mentioned.
Thank you.
Check out that ChatGPT Vision thing I mention here th-cam.com/video/QVm4BPcQfp8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pzAgy5OuuaIdeV6w&t=876
I use both paper and digital, mostly cause I'm good at typing and I get hand fatigue real easy, I get fatigue in general, which is ironic cause most of my pockets aren't big enough to carry a notebook sadly and I hate carrying a purse or even backpack but I do as I use the bus, which uses up mlre energy 😂! I like the fact that paper is more private as well, since I live in low income housing next to a highway, so there just no privacy in my life, plus I'm online a lot haha!
So, I use a mix of paper, I have two small notebooks, both have a mix of line and dotted and blank pages, I think but one is a lot thinnner so has less options of course, but it is easier to write and take with me if I want, one is like 150 pages thick, while the other is about 5 times that much, so its actually harder to write in. I use the thicker one for ideas and later when I bought the smaller one, I used it more for journaling and use the thicker one for ideas. I also keep color coded tabs in the bigger one for different subjects as my adhd self is slightly disorganized hence the long post right after I just woke up and had coffee haha!
Notebooks !! n Thank you !
Love the idea of putting the notebook and wallet together, so that your notebook is always with you.
In my perfect world I always have a notebook with me, but in reality I left it behind....
Since I can't find Nomad Notebooks anymore, I use Field Notes.
I don’t need more thing to carry, that’s for sure. But once I found the wallet it was a game changer for me.
The problem with most pocket notebooks is they do not fit comfortably in your pocket with a cover and pen. That’s why a lot of my friends are just hand-carrying a 5 X 8 notebook. I have many models of the pocket notebook and I like most of them.
You really think they do not fit comfortably in your pocket? Most phones are the pocket notebook size, if not bigger.
I enjoyed the video and use a similar concept but I have to date every page/thought so I can reference when it happened, etc. So many times I decided not date the page and regretted it later.
I hear ya. Our brains all operate differently- another reason analog is better than digital. You can personalize. I think more in ideas vs time… so unless there is a reason to date I don’t date. Thanks for the comment.
It's kind of funny, but I have been feeling the same way lately. I am an IT guy, but digital is not the solution to everything. I have been using 3.5 X 5.5 inch notebooks from Elan Publishing on Amazon. I prefer the dot grip paper. You should give it a try. The paper is fountain pen friendly, which adds a whole nother level to the experience. I made my own leather notebook holder and am enjoying the process.
All the "Cool Kids" use fountain pens :)
I hear ya… maybe one day I’ll get there. I don’t think it’s anytime soon.
Well then, I'm definitely one of those! 😂
Field notes all the way my guy. Great points. All notebooks are great but when you buy field notes its serious. Just my opinion.
Will take under consideration.
What’s pen do you have in this video? Also, what’s your fav pen when on the go? I really like your video and very helpful, thanks!
I think it was an Amazon basics gel pen.
I like the AISBUGUR Pocket Notebook Small Notebook 2-Pack, 3.5" x 5.5" Pocket Notebooks Hardcover with Thick Lined Paper, Inner Pockets, Cover Letter Embossing Design Mini Journal Notepad You get1Black and1Brown Leather notebook for about $10.00 ($5.00 each).
Analog or digital? What’s your favorite?
Excellent video. I use a combination of both. I have to use Microsoft outlook for work, but use my notebook to manage both my work and personal life. I’m using the bullet journaling system to organize my notebook.
Analog
Analog. I love my notebooks. I love making art on and with paper. The feel of using my hands makes me feel so productive!
If I write a journal digitally, I will probably never reread any of it because I dislike reading large amounts of text on a screen. However, I do enjoy taking a previous journal and settling down with a cup of coffee and some Pandora to read parts of it. It's a much more real experience. I feel transported back to the day I wrote the entry. On screen, I just feel annoyed.
It's wild how that works, huh?
Let’s go!!!
Did you Strike The LIKE button? Thank you!
I did 👍
What is your take on digital with a writing device? Like, iPad with Apple Pencil?
The idea of consuming more can be misleading. At one point excess consumption becomes non beneficial.
Agreed
What kind of notebook did you have your talking points in?
I'm using a Rettacy lined journal in this video. Now prefer the dotted, amzn.to/3C8U2c1
The interesting thing is that for millenials backward the studies of analog vs digital on memory retention are valid. But, for Gen Z onward it may be the reverse. We were born before computers were everywhere let alone our pocket. These kids are getting screens as young as two years old now. It'll be interesting/terrifying to see what this does to their brains.
I think we are already seeing some of what it’s doing. 😳
Why is the sound on this video so quiet, especially at the start?
I get what you’re trying to say, but you can search on a phone using keywords. There is no need to scroll endlessly just looking for a specific keyword on your notes.
If you have the discipline to do that and only that… good for you!!! I’m a mere mortal and easily distracted.
Next baby? He means a grandkid I assume.
Fellow Idahoan represent
Great video. Thank you