[karolkozub]

Throughout my adult life I've always kept a notebook to write down everything that came to my mind. Random ideas for projects and articles, problems and solutions, schemas and drawings, lists and tasks. Whenever I get stuck with a project I will open my notebook and start writing everything down, breaking down the complexities of the task into smaller less terrifying chunks, pinpointing the most problematic parts. In most cases putting it all on paper gives me the clarity needed to jump the hurdle and move forward with the project. I think it often comes down to a problem being too complex to fully fit in my mind. By writing it down I make the notebook an extension of my limited short-term memory. It's a bit like swap memory when you run out of RAM – it's significantly slower, but can save you when the memory requirements of the task exceed what's immediately available.

[qrbLPHiKpiux]

Same, and I really enjoy using a wood-cased pencil.

[gww]

Out of curiosity what kind of notebook do you use?

[Jtsummers]

Not GP, but I stumbled across these [0] at a Barnes & Noble and have been quite happy. Take ink well (including from fountain pens), take abuse well (I regularly fold it nearly in half to have just a page on top). And it's very inexpensive compared to a lot of popular brands.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Miquelrius-Leather-Cover-Graph-Notebo...

[karolkozub]

I use very cheap notebooks with a plain paper cover. I tried more expensive Moleskine notebooks a while ago and found a surprising problem with them. They were too beautiful to use. I couldn't bring myself to blemish them with my unfiltered flow-of-mind notes which would often turn out chaotic and stupid. I would only write things down selectively when I felt they were worthy and sufficiently structured. This would in turn inhibit most of my writing and significantly reduce the value of this habit. With a cheaper notebook the effect disappears. The less holy it is, the more useful it becomes.

On the other hand I highly recommend finding a really good pen to write with.

[pricees]

Care to recommend your favorite pen?

[karolkozub]

First of all let me make clear that by "really good" I don't necessarily mean expensive. Instead, the goodness of the pen will be reflected in how pleasant it is to write with it. A good pen feels right in your hand and on paper. Its line thickness matches your writing, and its color matches your taste. Different people will have different preferences and it might take some time to find the right one.

Personally I use "Pilot Super Grip G F" [0] – a 0.7mm black retractable ballpoint pen and I always keep one in my notebook.

[0] https://www.pilotpen.eu/en/super-grip-g-retractable-fine-tip...