Comment by FreezerburnV | Hacker News Reader

Comment by FreezerburnV | Hacker News Reader

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I actually use a nice paper journal (with awesome leather Portal cover sleeve, so I can replace the book inside) and a fountain pen, in general. As well as just starting to adopt this system (which was on HN recently): http://www.bulletjournal.com/

The main things I've learned is that indexing is incredibly important. Number your pages, and keep at least one page in the front of the journal for referencing what pages belong to what category. Don't overthink the categories, sometimes broad is good. Most often I just use "Random thoughts/writing" or "programming".

It might seem odd to keep an actual, physical paper journal in this day and age. But for some reason, the tactile nature of it just feels right. I have more motivation to pop open my paper journal and physically write some things than I do to pop open VIM, or Evernote, or Simplenote, or whatever. Even on a phone or a tablet. (especially so, in fact) On top of that, there's less of a chance of a paper journal being stolen, you never have to worry about internet connectivity (Evernote, non-premium), or battery life, or having to fight a multitasking system... the list goes on. I've had times where I just want to take a quick note and I end up fighting something auto-opening, or already being open, or waiting for a new note, that I just get frustrated and end up back with real paper. I haven't found anything that is as flexible or works as well to date. (I also HEARTILY recommend you get either blank paper, or graph paper. particularly graph paper. I have a huge notebook I carry around of graph paper, and it has proven invaluable for so many things. from diagramming software code flow, to diagramming an interface, or even just plain writing notes. this is what I use: http://www.jetpens.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Imagination-Noteboo... It's good for carrying in a bag/backpack for serious needs, not as great for a journal. I tend to have both with me)

I've recently tried adopting the http://www.bulletjournal.com/ system, but using Evernote. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it work for me.

After just a few days I've found myself not being able to figure out at a glance what's next and having to go back and forth the notes. That even if I've spent the time to inter-link things. But at this point I should also mention that in my role (product manager) I have quite a few projects on my plate at all time and a month long list of things is usually in the high tens/hundred items (and doesn't include meetings).

I was really attracted by the BulletJournal system as it felt in a way similar to what I've been using, but with a nicer/cleaner visual representation. Basically I have my long list of things in a tool. Every Monday I spend a bit of time extracting what's the focus for the week into a separate file. In this file I also log daily activity. At the end of the week there's a short review and then I'm archiving the week.

I'm sorry you weren't able to make it work. That kind of workload sounds like a lot for anything. You might consider using something like Omnifocus or Things in order to keep track of all of that. (among other solutions for tracking all of that kind of data) They're a bit more tailor-made for something like that. Evernote is less of a heavy task-management system as it is a place to dump a lot of information. (such as the entire web page with a brownie recipe I have saved. perfect for that, less for managing 10 complicated projects)

Honestly though, it sounds like you have a system already in place that works well for you. Why switch away? The only thing you might do is use a notebook to dump all the stuff from one week into, then have your short review on a separate page(s), then start over. (using indices in the front of the notebook to keep an easy reference to start of each section. start of week 1, start of week 1 review, start of week 2, etc.) But I suppose one size does not fit all. Do what works and helps you keep track of things!

Interesting, I may adopt a paper system. A few questions.

1. What do you do if you don't have a journal handy, but want to make a note?

2. What's the portal cover sleeve?

3. Do you keep a daily diary, or is it a collection of thoughts on various topics, or both?

1. Don't get into a situation where you don't have a journal :) Seriously though, there are a couple solutions. One is to have a simple note-taking app on a smart phone (assuming you have one) that you can quickly tap something into. Transfer it to paper later, or leave it on the phone, your choice. The other is to get something like this: http://shop.moleskine.com/en-us/notebooks-journals/reporter/ and just keep it in a back pocket at all times. It isn't your main journal, but it's at least a place to jot some stuff down into.

2. Kinda hard to answer, as I don't know the company that made the cover for my journal. (I got it while at MAGFest last January, so they're likely to be there again if you're an attendee) It looks somewhat like this though: http://photoguy42.deviantart.com/art/My-take-on-the-river-so... except black leather with a blue portal on one side, orange on the other. It's a 5 1/2" by 8" size journal, (http://www.art-alternatives.com/products/items/sketch-books.... the AA75121 one) which for me is a good size to be able to write whatever without feeling too constrained. Your mileage may vary. However, the cover is fantastic because it's definitely very tough, and keeps the journal safe from damage. (the Bullet Journal website recommends this so that it doesn't fall apart over the year or so you're supposed to keep a book) You could get away with something else though. I personally don't want to buy a journal which can only be used once, and prefer nice covers where I can swap out the paper. If you want to just buy a single book, no fancy cover, that's fine. You should look up Rhodia for that, as they have very nice paper. Or you could get what I'm using, which absorbs fountain pen ink very nicely without bleeding. A very rare quality in paper :)

3. Thoughts on various topics. Whatever I feel like is worth writing down. A game idea, ideas for a game engine, poetry, tasks, etc. A daily journal is a great idea though, if you feel like you can keep it up. And I always have whatever I write in a category, which I have in my index. Do I want to review my notes on the Scala course I'm taking? Index says page 34-35. Handy!

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