The pocket notebook post

I am not sure exactly when it happened. I’m also not sure why it happened. I think I remember. But I’m not 100% on it. What am I talking about? The pocket notebook and carrying it around every day.

I remember watching a video by Peter McKinnon that talked about how he started using a pocket notebook to capture tasks. Around the same time I was going through this phase in my life where I was bored with task management. I had tried every app imaginable. From Apple reminders, Tick Tick, Todoist, Things 3, Omnifocus, Google Tasks, Todo, and the list goes on and on and on.

At this point in time, I had been writing tasks on a piece of paper and using that. So when I watched this video, something kind of resonated with me. I had some blank notebooks at home so I decided to try this. It was a struggle too. I would forget the notebook. Or, if I remembered the notebook, I wouldn’t have a pen with me. If, on the rare instance I did remember both, I would forget to write things down in it.

I tried tricks to make me remember. I tried using it like a mini bullet journal. I tried using it as an actual journal. I couldn’t get it to stick, though. It didn’t matter what I tried or how I did it. Part of the problem was this: I hate for notebooks to be bent and folded or the edges to get damaged. I hate to have things spill on them. 

I wanted desperately to make this notebook habit stick. I wanted to use it. I wanted it to be my place for notes, tasks, journaling, etc. I wanted to enjoy using this thing. The funny part about that is I did enjoy using it. I enjoyed using it when I remembered to use it. It was a great replacement for doomsday scrolling. Instead of pulling out my phone, I wanted to be able to pull out the notebook. I saw more and more videos on YouTube about this topic. But it was not replacing my phone. It wasn’t the first place I went to for notes or tasks or to jot down ideas. My phone was still holding that place.

Then something happened. In 2024 I decided to take a break from social media. All of it. I quit visiting. I quit posting. I got away from it all. I still wanted to fill that time, though. So I found myself grabbing a notebook more often. Sometimes it was the pocket notebook. Sometimes it was a journal. I found myself writing more. Engaging with pen and paper more often. I started to enjoy the process more and more. I started to make the pocket notebook more personal, but I was still trying to make it conform to other people’s ideas of what the notebook should be. Trying to format it a certain way. Making sure I use an index. Making sure I use one page per day. These were all things that I saw on videos or had people tell me that’s how they use their notebooks.

Here’s what I had to figure out, and when I did figure this out things changed for me. I had to make the notebook mine. I had to personalize it for me. Life can be messy. And it’s ok if our tools are messy too. My notebook doesn’t have to be perfect. I’m going to mess things up in there. I’m going to rip out a page. I’m going to cross out things or put a big X over something I don’t like. That’s ok. There’s nothing that says you have to use a notebook one certain way over another. That’s the beauty of these things. You can use them however you want. When I started personalizing the notebook is when I started using it more and more consistently. Right now it’s taking me about a month to go through a typical Field Notesbook. This month, I’m using a Log & Jotter book.

As you can see, I am not worried about the bending and folding of the notebooks any more. I’ve added stickers to the back of the notebook. The notebook itself is nice but its how we use them that makes them great.
This is what I use mine for:

• Tasks
• Grocery Lists
• Meeting Notes
• Sermon Notes
• Ideas
• Quotes
• Brainstorming (Mind Maps)

The list goes on and on. I no longer use a todo app. At the beginning of the notebook I will use a page called “Tasks”. That’s for any tasks that need to get done but don’t have a specific date assigned to them yet. I also have a page where I keep up with what day of the month each bill is due on. Everything else is free reign. Sometimes I add calendar stuff. Sometimes I don’t. The thing isn’t about structure for me. Its about function. This gives me a place to be creative without doom scrolling. Without relying on technology for everything. I still use a digital calendar but that’s because of work. 
I’d love to hear from you on if you’re using a pocket notebook and what you’re using it for.