Matthew Lang avatar

Matthew Lang

Family guy and web developer

Why Notebooks Work For Me

This week I've highlighted the three notebooks I am using to replace my task manager app.

The reason that I find that notebooks work so well is because while notebooks are more versatile, they also need input and I don't mean of the mouse and keyboard kind.

Digital task managers have a number of features that allow you to take shortcuts. I took these shortcuts as a way of avoiding planning and reviewing my next block of work. I simply let my task manager do it for me using features like lists and tags.

I can't take shortcuts with a notebook. I can't quickly filter out a subset of tasks. I can't move a group of tasks in a few seconds. Given time I could do these but just not quickly. And that's the reason I find that notebooks work so well.

Managing your tasks using notebooks means that you need to spend more time planning, reviewing and making decisions about what's important.

They need that little bit of extra work. Work that I think is worth putting in.

So far, everything is going well. The only significant change was the introduction of the bullet journal, but I've already have plenty of use through my other notebooks to make the switch to the bullet journal easy.

To find out more follow Patrick Rhone and Belle Beth Cooper who are real notebook aficionados. Both update their blogs on a regular basis and feature posts around notebooks and how to use them. Patrick also has a website called The Cramped that you might revolves around analog writing.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous post but in case I didn't here's an update.

I will be starting a monthly newsletter in January. The idea is to publish a long form essay on a single topic each month.

I'm fully aware that there are already hundreds of newsletters out there. It's for this reason I'll be limiting it to just one a month. Your time is probably already scarce and I don't want to take up too much of it.

More details and a sign up form to come in December.

When it comes to getting things done the focus is always on what needs done and when you can do it. Without these two you would end up with the wrong task getting done at the wrong time. You'll eventually find yourself just getting nowhere fast.

These two task variables are important but just as important is the time you spend looking at the progress you have made. In order to do that you need look past more than just the tasks you done.

I look to the tasks that fall into two categories:

  1. The difficult tasks that presented problems but were eventually done.
  2. The tasks that I enjoyed doing and that made a significant impact.

It's these groups of tasks that make up the bulk of my final notebook in the process, the logging notebook. When it comes to looking back what you've done, you need to filter out the important tasks so that you know you are making progress. This is what I use the logging notebook for.

I'm using a Hobonichi Techo planner as my logging notebook. Persuaded by Patrick Rhone and Mike Rohde I bought one at the end of last year.

The notebook itself is fairly small and the paper although thin, is of superb quality. This makes it ideal for a broad range of writing instruments. I mostly use a Lamy Safari for this notebook, although I have done a few sketches with other pens.

Rather than using it as a planner, I record the big wins for the day and the tasks that I finished that made a real difference. Those "Yay me!" moments when it's more than just another task done, it's a significant amount of progress made.

The year is drawing to a close and I'm glad to say that the Hobonichi Techno planner has been a great investment as I use it daily. Next year's is already sitting on my desk waiting to log the next set of wins .

You can use any notebook as your logging book. The most important thing is to log the wins. It adds a much clearer view of the progress you've made and also has the benefit of providing a much needed boost when you feel you have been slacking.

Intrusive snooping by the government or a necessary action?

The legislation in question is called the Investigatory Powers Bill. It’s been cleared by politicians and awaits only the formality of royal assent before it becomes law. The bill will legalize the UK’s global surveillance program, which scoops up communications data from around the world, but it will also introduce new domestic powers, including a government database that stores the web history of every citizen in the country. UK spies will be empowered to hack individuals, internet infrastructure, and even whole towns — if the government deems it necessary.

— The UK Is About To Wield Unprecedented Surveillance Powers - Here's What It Means by The Verge