[kstrauser]

Whenever I get a new notebook, I immediately scribble on the front page before I have a chance to stop myself. There. It's tainted and imperfect. And then I've given myself permission to make messy notes, and jot down just whatever, rather than treating it like some museum-grade archive.

[dyauspitr]

I’ve always had an aversion to people that make neat notes. Anecdotally my experience in high school was that people that made clean notes and spent a lot of time on them always sucked at actual academics- like doing well on tests and intuitive understanding.

[kstrauser]

My college notes were OCD-grade tidy and organized, and I did alright. I get what you mean, though. I've seen plenty of examples of people who obsess over making pretty notes that don't convey much information.

[2b3a51]

I think that the two examples of messy notebooks that the OA links to are remarkably restrained.

My practice is to capture the raw stuff on the right hand page and then keep the left hand page for later clarification or distillation. Thus a quick flick through a notebook shows which pages got developed further than the daily flux.

[gofreddygo]

my good notes have their origins in thoughts I had while in the shower or while driving or watching a movie or a conversation with someone close to me. Ideas evade me when I'm at my desk in front of my notebook with my awesome pen. This was a huge problem I never noticed that my notebook is never there for me when i need it the most.

the second problem, because its my original thought, I'm naturally attached and biased to my precious thought in that moment. The same thought could feel dumb or obvious or wrong next week. But right then it feels like I've stumbled upon something so insightful. So I need to write it down to revisit.

I've now distributed manila folders with 5-10 blank college ruled sheets of paper across different rooms in my home. I'm never too far from a blank piece of paper.

in the moment, I write it down on a sheet. Fold it and put it in my pocket. Its with me the entire day to review, add on or scratch off. It ends either in the bin or the binder at my desk. As the binder gets thick, i trash or consolidate to keep it thin. The really insightful ideas as far too few for a $2 binder.

Works way better than any other form of capturing insights. As i look through, my binder has so many backs of mailer's i've received and scribbled on. cant figure why.

[derstander]

> As i look through, my binder has so many backs of mailer's i've received and scribbled on. cant figure why.

Is your mailbox a short walk from where you normally work? Walks have been credited for the assist in idea generation from Aristotle to Nietzsche (and beyond).

I personally just keep a little pocket notebook and a couple pens on my person at all times. That replaces the need for the distributed folders of your system. Every week I go through and add them to either my paper notebook or my digital notes.

I don’t really trash the “bad” ideas either since my notebook is bound. I try to be neither precious with the good ideas nor embarrassed of the bad. I treat them all as just a record of thoughts.

[kaashif]

I always have my phone with me so I can take a note in that. But when I'm meeting with someone I prefer taking notes in a little notebook I carry, I don't want the other person to feel like I'm...on my phone while speaking to them.

[kaybe]

For what it’s worth, I don’t mind as long as you take me with you - tell me what you’re doing and let me see your screen. The problem is not the phone, the problem is people essentially going away mid-conversation.

[gofreddygo]

screens distract everyone. I avoid them. in meetings, I use a piece of paper or a whiteboard. Everyone can see what is being written on it.

on that note, the small whiteboard right next to my desk (at home) was a great idea too

[deadbabe]

And then when it’s done you just rip out that first page?

[kstrauser]

Nah. It’s there for posterity: my name, the date when I opened it, and a crummy drawing of a dog holding a picket sign or something.