Comments on: A Look at My “Idea Notebook”

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:24:04 +0000

Excellent idea!

By: Deborah

Deborah — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:01:54 +0000

One of the most important things I ever learned was in a Priority Management class. If you write things down in a place your brain trusts, your brain won’t wake you up or otherwise interrupt you with cycling ideas… To this day I use my little notebook for those ideas, love the Moleskines but I don’t go through one a month and I love to sketch in mine as well so the Moleskine is really nice for that.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:16:05 +0000

Trent, Space Pens are like $10. The one you linked to looked like some kind of special chrome version. Look at all the related products on that page; they’re all 10-12 dollars.

By: SLCCOM

SLCCOM — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:29:09 +0000

On getting locked out: figure out a way to put keys out in such a way that a bad person can’t use them. For instance, if you have a garage with a keypad, put one key in there somewhere. (Not the key to the door to the house!) Then put another key under the mat or someplace else for the other lock. The bad person won’t know which key works for which lock or where to find them.

Or, as I did one place I lived, ask a neighbor for permission to put YOUR house keys under their door mat.

By: MelodyO

MelodyO — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:18:18 +0000

Laura, I’ve also kept track of all the funny/important things my kids have said and done since they were babies (they’re 11 and 15 now), and those notebooks are more important to us than even their baby photos. In the event of a fire, that’s what I’d carry out with me. I’d love to trade kid stories with you!

By: MelodyO

MelodyO — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:13:09 +0000

I’m writing a novel, and I can’t count the times I’ve lost plot ideas because I couldn’t write them down before I forgot them. OTOH, there have been plenty of notes I’ve jotted down that, when read a week or two later, make absolutely no sense. So…details are your friend.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:52:41 +0000

I carry a notebook in my purse for all the purposes you described. One additional thing I do is whenever one of my children says something profound or makes me laugh, I write it down. It’s so fun to look back at some of the things my now freshman said when he was 4. There’s no way I’d ever remember what was said even from the timespan of when it occurs to when I get home to the computer to log it.

By: Molly On Money

Molly On Money — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:58:35 +0000

At work I get at least 10 people a day telling my little bits of important information. I listen and if I can’t solve it in the moment I tell them to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in my box so I can look at it later. They are learning that I don’t remember much right after the conversation is finished.
I use to carry a notebook and write these things down but what I learn was that if it was REALLY important to them the person would write me a note, if not they wouldn’t.
When I have a quite moment in the day I take my stack of notes and do what ever needs to be done!

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:44:37 +0000

I just use my phone, which has a notebook feature and I can leave myself notes, lists anything. Super easy to reference and one less thing to tote around, as when I am not carrying an enormous diaper bag for 3 kids, I like a very litte purse.

By: Lisa @ Cents To save

Lisa @ Cents To save — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:26:12 +0000

I love my little spiral Mead notebook. I tend to be a random thinker with a busy mind, and writing down ideas, recent pruchases, things to do so I don’t forget has really uncomplicated my life.

I don;t go anywhere with out it!

By: Maureen

Maureen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:59:50 +0000

An excellent idea. I shall jot it down! :)

By: Debbie M

Debbie M — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:02:42 +0000

I love having one of these notebooks, too. Looking through my latest one, see notes on:
* books I’m reading
* dance class
* suggested books, movies, etc. from friends
* tours and other stuff I do on vacation
* recipes from magazines at the dentist office
* notes on measurements taken at the doctor office (blood pressure, etc.) plus other things I want to remember–and questions I want to remember to ask

The other day I locked myself out of my house with nothing but my wallet (I leave my notebook in my purse) when I followed the tamale lady to her car and the wind closed the door behind me, and I had a few hours before meeting my friends (including my roommate) for a walk, so I went to the library, and it was not so easy to remember the ideas I got from magazines there!

By: et

et — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:22:44 +0000

Trent – I’ve used a variation on this idea at work and it’s gained me a reputation for really being on top of things. I keep a legal or steno pad on my desk. Every morning I write in the full date at the far left margin. As ideas occur, people call or stop by my desk, anything that I might need to deal with or remember or is pertinent gets jotted on the page. That clears my mind to go on to the next thing, as I can review the notes when time allows, transferring items to the calendar, calling people back, writing up a note to a file, etc., plus it gives me a reference (since I don’t discard the full pages) down the road when some bit of info needs to be retrieved. I do usually have a small notebook in my purse too, but don’t use it as regularly as you seem to, though it is handy in some of the most random of situations!