Getting Ready for 2010: My Moleskine Setup
I’m a few days late, but with the new year upon us, I’ve decided to inaugurate a new Moleskine. The old one is… well, it’s not good. The binding is broken, pages are out, and it’s just about full anyway. Plus, I’ve got a saucy new Moleskine in fire engine red that’s eager to get in the game.
Since I make a big deal about using a Moleskine (or similar notebook) as an always-with-you productivity tool, I thought I’d share exactly how I set mine up. It’s not super-complicated, but it might give an idea of how a simple pad of paper can hold together all the strains of an insanely complex life.
My strategy is simple: Make it as easy as possible to pull the thing out, use it, and put it away. No messing around to find the right section, no page numbers, nothing fancy. A few tabs, judicious use of the bookmark and elastic strap, and a good fine-tipped pen. And that’s it.
Making Sections
One of the greatest inventions of the 20th century was – ok, I overstate myself. Still, Post-It Index Tabs go with Moleskine notebooks like biscotti goes with coffee. Usually sold in assortments of three colors, these little plastic tabs are a little under an inch long and are coated on one end with Post-It sticky stuff so you can easily add tabs to any piece of paper or card stock.
I use two per Moleskine. The first one goes a little past halfway into the book, the second about a dozen or so pages back from the end. That makes three sections:
1. Next Actions/Notes
The first section starts on page 1, so doesn’t need an identifying tab. This is an ever-growing list of next actions. I’ve tried using contexts in my paper to-do list, but it just gets in the way – I never know what to do with the next task after a page marked “@phone” or “@computer” is full. It certainly defeats the point to have to flip back and forth to find the right context to add a new task to.
I used to have a separate section for notes, but I don’t anymore. What I do instead is this: tasks go on the right-hand page, notes on the left-hand page. And I do a lot of notes – I brainstorm post ideas, outline posts I intend to work on soon, jot addresses and phone numbers, draw maps and write directions, and on and on.
There is one right-hand page that’s not for notes, usually the first one. This I designate for “Someday/Maybe”. I just don’t run into the same problem that contexts give me – running out of room on the page – because I guess I don’t use Someday/maybe all that much. In any case, I’ve never filled the page before needing a new Moleskine.
2. Projects/Goals
The first tab (which means the second section) is for projects. On the first page of the section, the one with the tab on it, I keep a running list of all the projects I’m working on. The next couple of pages are blank, so I can continue the list when the first page gets full. A few pages in, I start pages for each project, usually just lists of tasks and random ideas I want to remember.
On the back of the first page, I write short-term goals. I have a simple formula: “By [DATE] I will have [GOAL]”. I typically set goals for 1 month, 3 months, and (maybe) 6 months in the future, so in this notebook, I’ll have something like “By February 15th, I will have…”, “By April 15th, I will have…” and (maybe) “By July 15th, I will have…” Then I revisit this page every so often to gauge my progress and set new goals.
3. Reference
The last section is for pieces of information I might need on the go: logins for my utilities, my Google Voice number (I can never remember it!), and other random but occasionally-useful stuff.
My Moleskine in use
My Moleskine lives in my back pocket. As I said, the goal is that when I need to us it, whether to check something, write down a task, or cross something off, it can happen instantly. Both the bookmark and the elastic strap are drafted into service of this primary goal.
Usually, the sewn-in bookmark marks the first page under “Next actions” that I can write in, and the elastic strap is wrapped around the first blank page under “Projects”. If – and this happens very rarely – if the notes and tasks in the “Next actions” section get too far out-of-whack, whether because I’ve taken a bunch of notes recently and gotten several pages ahead of the last page of tasks, or vice versa, I’ll use the bookmark and strap to mark the last pages of tasks and notes separately.
Although the Pilot G-2 is the time-honored companion to the Moleskine, my current favorite pen for my Moleskine is the Sharpie Retractable Fine-Point pen, a fat click-pen with a fiber-tip that lets me write super-small (thus maximizing the usefulness of a pocket-sized notebook).
And that’s the whole system. Like I said, simple, but it works. And because it works with minimal effort, I actually use it. Every. Single. Day.
Do you have any special tricks that help you get the most out of a pocket notebook? How do you set yours up? Let’s hear it!
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Dustin Wax
Dustin M. Wax is a freelance writer and project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He can be reached though his freelancing site at DustinWax.comDon't Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.
Follow him on Twitter: @dwax.
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Comments
DK says on January 5th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Big thing for me is keeping the pen with my moleskine – there’s a load of hacks out there which I tried but none as good as my Mams hack (instructions of which are free to download here) :
http://gnatgnat.com/2009/01/molekine-pen-holder/
Memo says on January 5th, 2010 at 11:46 am
I have my own moleskine system that I’ve been using for the last 3 years. I would like to share and I have a google docs file that explains it. if you’re interested, please contact me.
Noah says on January 5th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I’m a visual person. A couple of pictures of what you mean with the different sections would be cool.
Laura says on January 5th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I’ve used a moleskine for years as a running journal of all my thoughts and projects. In order to organize the chaos, I put headers at the top of the page and page numbers at the bottom.
Headers
- category (outside edge)
- topic (middle)
- date code (inside edge)
I have intended to create an index for each moleskine, but have never done one, so I am eliminating it in the current format. I still like the idea, but need one that is dynamic–tough to do on paper–so I may ponder something for the Treo.
Index suggestions welcome.
I also use the pocket sized moleskine weekly datebook for projects. I’m a PhD student, among other things, so I need a project tracker. Weekly projects are listed (with due dates) on the right hand notes page and then scheduled on the left hand dates page. This is working well so far.
Niall Daly says on January 5th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Memo – I’d be interested in seeing your set-up – I use a large grid moleskine as a day book and a large weekly planner with the notes pages as a diary but I havent really ‘organised’ the notebook
Patrick Ng says on January 5th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Dustin, agree with Noah, a few more pictures would be nice to see your system in action.
My system is a notepad, GTD index cards and a diary (recently customized: http://moleskine.vox.com/libra.....well.html)
Dustin Wax says on January 5th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
I considered taking some photos, but I basically had two options, and neither was that good. I could take pics of my old one, but that has a lot of private/personal information on every page. Or I could take pics of the new one, which means you’d see pics of blank pages with a sticky tab stuck to the upper-right — not very telling. I don’t even label my tabs, since I know what they are. I tried to describe things well enough that a picture wouldn’t be necessary, but for people who have a hard time imagining, there’s really nothing I can do. (I suppose if I had had more time and a steadier hand, I could have done line drawings…)
Akeem Zimbadjo says on January 5th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
You will love this lifehackers:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.co.....notebooks/
Dave Pedrick says on January 5th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Thank you so much, I am always eager to read about the systems people use and the tools that assist them. I would like to recommend the Uni-ball Signo DX .38. This pen is just as good or better the the G-2. I naturally write super small and this pen provides a super consistent line all the time. Great article and looking forward to more like it.
Gypsy says on January 5th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
I just frustrate myself with tabs and organization, but I DO need some organization. I use a set of symbols that indicate if the particular item is an idea for further rumination, a piece of information I might need later, an action I need to take, or just a really cool piece of data. Very simple.
robert says on January 5th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Hi Memo, I would be interested in seeing your system.
Colleen says on January 6th, 2010 at 3:17 am
For her high school graduation, I thought of buyinghny godchild a Franklin-Covey planner system but wisely opted for the simple, free, “create your own system” Moleskine. She made a point of telling me how much she loved her (red, actually) journal because it’s lightweight and holds a lot of content.
I bought myself a Moleskine for the new year. My system is similar to yours, Dustin, except that I use the Post-It tabs to mark pages I’ll need to refer to frequently, such as notes from critical meetings for particular projects. I am a book editor and typically manage three projects at a clip, so I use the various colors of the tabs to correspond to each project.
I am a freelancer, so I use the back third or slightly less of the journal to track leads, expenses, dates contracts and invoices are sent and received. I use the strap to separate this section from the main section of the journal.
I use the bookmark the same way you do — to mark the next free page in the large, first section of the journal, although sometimes I forget to re-mark my page (drat!).
I also transfer a fair amount of the content to be stored digitally.
Maria says on January 6th, 2010 at 4:57 am
I also use Moleskine for ideas and references. Tried Franklin Covey and other agenda and daily planners, but to me Outlook works best.
The best system I had was with a really thick cardboard ringed notebook (from Semikolon, similar to Moleskine, A5), 3 sections:
1. lined paper – for to do lists, notes and work related stuff
2. math paper – for memos, meeting outputs and project plans
3. plain paper – for ideas, mind maps, designs and creative stuff.
I think the musts for such a tool are:
1. Sections – each with his/her own. If the notebook doesn’t have them, make them (with post-its, like your example above!)
2. An elastic wrap like the Moleskine, to keep it neat and closed, even with small papers stuck between pages. My small Moleskine has a side pocket where I stuff these little shreds.
3. Most important – good quality paper! I found that the pleasure of writing increases proportionately with the quality of the paper it’s on. Don’t you agree?
Richard | RichardShelmerdine.com says on January 6th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Nice setup that. It sonds silly but it’s nice to have the consistency of a moleskine and a pen. It’s something that you know will be consistent from day to day and it is simple. Goal setting doesn’t have to require advanced technology.
Adam Fairhead says on January 6th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I have two new moleskines in the post for the new year; I hope they arrive soon! Missing valuable days of dumping my brain onto paper!
Memo says on January 6th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Robert, here is a link to the document:
http://docs.google.com/View?id.....13hk72tmgx
Let me know if you have comments.
All Women Stalker says on January 7th, 2010 at 1:44 am
When I had a hectic work schedule, I used my organizer every day. I had my daily and weekly to-dos. I also had my notes and references. Then lastly, I had a contacts list at the back. That set-up kept me sane.
Heather says on January 12th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
That first section sounds a lot like the method I’ve adopted for my sketchbook; I draw on the right hand page (more comfortable) and write notes/make diagrams on the left page. Seems to work pretty well :)
Loving the goal page idea.
david bogie says on January 19th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
This is a topic that has so many incompatible means and ends. For me, the Franklin has been an indispensable and irreplaceable tool for 15 years. There are functions in the looseleaf binder that cannot be replicated in a bound notebook. But that’s just me. All of the hacks described in this article are built into my Franklin but, for course it’s bigger and bulkier. However, it’s also a cool leather zippered binder. And I carry one or two molies at all times.
Looking for a bit more organizational prowess thatn molie offeres right out of the wrapper? Check out Leuchtturm’s line of notebooks and agendas.
http://www.leuchtturm1917.com
david boise ID
Paul says on January 21st, 2010 at 12:55 pm
@dustin
As for the reference. When you swap moleskine, do you need to write the whole reference part over onto the new moleskine?
rezyde says on January 27th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I have tried using a moleskine and end up losing it! I just jot everything down in my iphone.
Clintus says on January 28th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
I love the idea of these notebooks and the process you have outlined. But why not use a electronic device such as an iPhone and a service such as Evernote that syncs it with the cloud that can be accessed anywhere? Curious on everyone’s thoughts on that.
Dustin Wax says on January 29th, 2010 at 5:54 am
Clintus: I use online tools as well, but find that a notebook is more conducive to broad thinking than a keyboard — it’s less of a mental “channel” for me. Your mileage may differ, of course.
Amy G says on February 1st, 2010 at 7:40 pm
I am going to try this! I am a Take Back Your Life follower (using similar principles with MS Outlook and handheld device) and this system seems complimentary. I’ve had some nicely bound logbook/journals that I use in meetings or on the train, but never had a good way to organize them and therefore never bothered to reference later. I am excited about this! Too bad my 4 year old already tore 5 pages out of my pristine new large size moleskine just a day after I bought it. I won’t be detered, though!
Dale Bird says on February 23rd, 2010 at 1:58 pm
i might be wrong but that is no Moleskine. Looks like a fake. Look at the bookmark ribbon. what r u trying to pull. haha. not that it matters much but if you had a real moleskine you would know what i was talking about. the acid free italian pages alone are worth the extra cash. get the real thing. its legendary!
Dustin Wax says on February 23rd, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Dale: That’s a stock photo. My Moleskine is bright red.
Liz says on March 12th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I just got my first molskine, but I set it up the same way I do my composition books.
I cut (Horror, I know) the top right hand corner and use this section for things that I refer to often. my phone numbers for physisioans, family and friens go in this section.
Notes come after the reference section. The first couple of pages are for “links” to the notes section. I do most of my writting on the right hand side and use the left for things to follow up on, short term to do lists I use the ribbon to mark my current place.
I work in from the back for lists of medium to long term goals. The bucket list is the very last page.
So my notes work back from the front and the goals work in from the back and I’m done with the notebook when they meet somewhere about 2/3 of the way from the front.