Pocket notebooks have become my everything books. They are my sketchbooks, home to my to-do lists and shopping lists, my planners, my idea-books, my journals, and my commonplace books.
I’ve tried keeping multiple books at once, each with their own purpose, but honestly it’s too much work. Ensuring the right book is with you at the right time, keeping track of multiple open loops… I find it to be a massive energy and time sink and so I’ve sought to simplify my processes¹.
I’ve learned, very recently, to stop being precious about a book’s contents. Spill ink, cross out mistakes, practice your handwriting, or devote whole pages to fruit labels. Books are made to be used, and to be used now. Who cares about the presentation? Regardless, these books are for my use anyway
Now my books look lived in. They have stories. They are messy and chaotic and I love them.
My outgoing book is my last Field Notes Group Eleven special edition from Winter 2019, specifically the Silver book. Fitting because the Commonwealth Games wrapped up during this usage and silver is, of course, the medal given for second place. “Second place” is kinda how I feel about this edition. Very good, but not the best. The books feel great in the hand and the foiled page edges are a nice touch, but the graph ruled paper doesn’t like fountain pens.
The incoming book is Field Notes Snowblind. Also a winter book, also a white cover, and also my last one of a three-pack
Footnotes
¹ I keep only one other book, and that is for work notes. Gotta have some work-life notebook balance, right?
Notepaths 