Bullet Journal - Follow-up

I've continued to use the bullet journal idea to try and keep most of my stuff in the same pile on most days.  I don't have an "important" job with tons of appointments, but I always have little tasks and priorities to take care of.  I no longer need that big old Daytimer binder with the pre-printed pages and since I'm becoming more of a free spirit as I get older, I really enjoy the free-form nature of the bullet journal idea.

I spend a couple of bucks in May and bought this leather notebook cover from Gearn8tion at All Day Ruckoff.  It seems to be well made and who doesn't like a nice leather notebook?

I pondered using a larger notebook but realized that I needed something I would carry with in my pockets or drop it in my briefcase.  So I settled on the Field Notes notebooks for my preferred planner.  I originally just carried a notebook in my pocket, but found the cover coming off well before the notebook was filled up.  The leather cover solved this problem.

I put 2 notebooks in the cover and am happy about the size.  My idea is to use the left hand notebook first.  When it is full, I'll just start on the right hand book and then, when I no longer need quick access to the left hand book, I'll archive it, move the right one over and insert a new one on the left side.

Following are some of the pages and how I use them.  The daily pages are generally a running log of what I need to do and what I've done or noticed or whatnot.

I've experimented with different calendar layouts and have settled on this style for now.  It is pretty conventional but still allows for some customizing.  I primarily put appointments or deadlines here.

I'm experimenting with a weekly layout to give me a little more room for information about appointments or big ticket items.

I've stuck with the bullet journal idea for at least a year now and I think it might work for me.

Bifocal wearing hipster? Field Notes and Blackwing Pencil

I have always been a list writer. I like little books. I like pencils. So I bit the metaphorical bullet and purchased some Field Notes books and a box of Palomino Blackwing 602 pencils. Look for a review of each in the near future.

I must finish this Clairefontaine book before I start on the Field Notes.

Here is your humble blogger styling the new nausea inducing no lines progressive lens spectacles.

I'm still alive! and a notebook followup!

I am back! No seriously, I am, so my legion of follower can rejoice!

We are all moved into southern Colorado and have already completed 6 weeks of school. We are having a ball. We love the 4 day school week and 3 day weekend, every week!

So, over the past 7 months or so, I have been carrying a little pocket notebook. It is my faithful companion in my hip pocket. I have been using the Clairefontaine Basic staple bound notebook. I wondered how it would hold up to the abuse of my fanny sitting on it every day, being yanked out, scribbled on and unceremoniously shoved back into my hip pocket where it adds a most unsightly bulge to my skinny backside.

Well, I must say, I am very pleased with how this notebook is holding up. Here is a photo with a red notebook that I don't carry. You can see that it is in pretty pristine shape.

Now here is another picture with the one I carry every day in the center.

I really use every inch of this notebook. I take notes on only one side of the sheet at a time. When I finish that page - whatever I have recorded on it - generally some sort of to do list, I fold the page over and move on. Pages aren't folded until I have completed the actions listed.

I am now on lap 2 of this notebook, so it is flipped and I am writing on the blank pages. I think I will have about 2 more weeks on this book.

It has held up remarkably well. Sure the cover is getting tattered and it has sort of a roundish butt influenced profile, but it has been well worth the couple of dollars it cost last year.

Here is my next notebook. It is a simple little composition book that cost me exactly nothing because my darling wife gave it to me! I hope it holds up half as well.

On another note, I am back to writing to penpals. I will start taking pictures of mail as I receive it and hope to get back to blogging a little more regularly.
If you are one of my pen friends and you haven't received a letter in the last few days, drop me an email and I will sit right down and write you one!

Notebooks

I probably have too many notebooks. But each one was purchased with a specific purpose in mind.

This is my log of mail received. It is a simple Clairefontaine Life Unplugged pocket size notebook.

I use this one at school to capture notes of what is happening in each class.

I keep a journal in a Quo Vadis Habana.

I'm keeping some Bible Study notes in a Rhodia Webnotebook.

And I use this humble composition notebook to keep lesson planning notes in.

I thought I would stack them up and snap a few photos of the notebooks I am writing in at the moment.

Sometimes I practice my handwriting -

I don't have a problem, do I?

Rhodia Unlimited pocket notebook

One of the challenges of using a daytimer for personal organization is that the desk size is not always convenient to have with me at all times. But since I am an old guy that always wears shirts with pockets or pants with pockets, I thought it would be important for me to have something that I would be able to carry with me all the time.

I am going to review a couple of pocket notebooks I purchased from Goulet Pens. As always, Goulet's service is impeccable, even e-mailing me to confirm the details of my order. In a few short days, my package of notebooks and paper arrived in the secure Goulet packaging. After 35 minutes of slicing, dicing and pulling, I was able to free my merchandise from the bubbled and shrink-wrapped cocoon.

I purchased the Rhodia Unlimited notebook for $7 and two sets of the Clairefontaine Life Unplugged duo packs for $7 each. Today's review will focus on the Rhodia Unlimited.

Here it is with a Lamy Safari to give you a bit of perspective on the size.

First impression - who doesn't love the bright orange Rhodia cover? But this has a secret inside!

Opening the book reveals the unique "soft-touch" cover is black on the inside. I don't know if I can adequately describe what the soft touch cover feels like. Its smooth, yet has an almost tacky feel that has been dusted with powder - soft and smooth.

Rhodia paper is simply among some of the best for writing using fountain pens.

One final touch with this little book is that the pages are perforated for easy removal of the sheets.

This wouldn't be a good thing if I was planning on using this book as an archive, but since it is only going to be used for on the go notes, I think this is a good thing. It appears that the perforations will help the notebook open up a little flatter, which is always a good thing.

I'll conclude with a couple of photos of the Rhodia Unlimited notebook along with the CF Life Unplugged (what's a blog without lots of gratuitous pictures?)

Settling On A Brand...for now

I've noticed that I enjoy writing on Rhodia paper. I seem to have several versions of their products. So, I post these photos for you.

To heighten the interest in Rhodia products, Stephanie at Rhodia Drive has a huge Rhodia Give-Away going on right now! Enter to win a pack of 3 Rhodia items (technically 4) and discover for yourself how nice this paper really is!

Leather Notebook Cover

I purchased this leather notepad cover from Jack and Kelly Gully about a month ago. I realized that it would hold an A5 notebook with just a little modification. So I pulled out the 5X8 notepad, cut off the pencil loop and front business card holder and popped in a Clairefontaine clothbound notebook. It works very well and keeps the pages of the notebook from getting knocked around in my briefcase. Not bad for $35.

I just realized that I need to select my pictures in reverse order,so they will be in the proper order on the post!