Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Great Men Keep Journals

artofmanliness.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 73 posts

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#41

Post by lhnn »

hammock wrote: post #32
lhnn wrote: post #20

I keep a Moleskine journal in my rear jeans pocket. It's small, and contours to the curve after a day or two so you don't even notice it's there. I keep it with me like I keep my keys and wallet, without exception. I write on it on a semi-regular basis. The purpose of keeping with me is so I have something to write on as ideas come up, as girls give phone numbers, or ifI have free time to write down the thoughts of t…

I do the same thing but mine's a Field Notes. Smaller (about the size of 2.5 credit cards). I write my travel itinerary, phone numbers and dates, random ideas, todos, etc. It's also good for sketching, something which my smartphone cannot handle. Would love to find a book that has a more durable, fabric cover though as opposed to a paper one. Sort of like the old US passports had, my passport has seen so much abuse i…

Field Notes is made in the USA (Plus)

But has goofy writing on the cover and has staples, not, stiches (Minus).

More expensive than Moleskine (Minus)

Doesn't have detachable back pages (Plus). Keeping these in the back pocket, the papers tend to try to separate.

TIPS FOR TAKING A JOURNAL WITH YOU ALWAYS: -Get a Moleskine or Field Notes and keep it with you like your keys and wallet. Never, ever leave it behind. Get in the habit.

-Don't let anyone read it themselves. If you use it as a diary, this rule lets you write in it more confidently. Also, don't tell everyone it's your "diary" or "journal". Tell most people it's just a private notepad. This keeps nosy people out of it.

-Don't forget the pen! A good pen (not gel) or pencil should do fine.

-Sitting around at the DMV? Write a bit. Thinking about a movie you saw? Write about it. Looking at a cute girl across the bar? Take note (if you have time). It's the little things that bring back memories you'll never remember you have.

Oh, and if you're drunk and your friends put you in the shower with your clothes on... take the journal out of your pocket.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#42

Post by idoh »

sleight42 wrote: post #33
alanfalcon wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They send you an e-mail daily... one that you presumably actually look forward to getting. Surely they could add an advertisement to this e-mail if they wanted?

Probably. And don't call me "Shirley". I'm so sorry. I just couldn't resist.... (If you don't get it, watch this movie soon: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080339/ )

Never explain jokes! You can dissect a joke, but it dies in the process.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#43

Post by startupmike »

I've created a web site called "PublicLog.com" which is at http://publiclog.com

It's 100% public.

It's for sharing your activities (past, present, future) and learning about other user's activities.

(I know, I know the UIX design is horrible! I'm working on improving it!)

Hope you find it useful.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#44

Post by derefr »

Andrew_Quentin wrote: post #38

I have written a journal almost constantly since I was perhaps 15. I love it. I can express on it all of my emotions, but still secrets are kept. I can write on it all of my thoughts. It is, I must say, because of the journals I have kept that I have overcome so much adversity and it is journals which help me to push myslef further, and become better, every singl day. More often I do not know it, but the simple act o…

> Diaries can be dangerous. They are a perfect tool for narrowing your thinking. What you want is repeated over and ver, to the point that you do not feel that you want it anymore but are just saying so.

Indeed. It's sort of like the danger of writing only for your peers and thus subscribing to their groupthink (a danger especially present on sites like this one), but even more so: you're writing for a peer-group of one. You'll never get an alternate opinion thrown at you that can disrupt you from going down a stupid path, when you're making that journey alone.

However, that can be useful in some situations: unlike evolution, where every complex adaptation has to be made up of simpler adaptations that were each successful on their own, we can refine thoughts in textual meditation that would seem stupid if presented to others in their prototypical forms: we can climb down the fitness landscape to explore.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#46

Post by naner »

hammock wrote: post #32
lhnn wrote: post #20

I keep a Moleskine journal in my rear jeans pocket. It's small, and contours to the curve after a day or two so you don't even notice it's there. I keep it with me like I keep my keys and wallet, without exception. I write on it on a semi-regular basis. The purpose of keeping with me is so I have something to write on as ideas come up, as girls give phone numbers, or ifI have free time to write down the thoughts of t…

I do the same thing but mine's a Field Notes. Smaller (about the size of 2.5 credit cards). I write my travel itinerary, phone numbers and dates, random ideas, todos, etc. It's also good for sketching, something which my smartphone cannot handle. Would love to find a book that has a more durable, fabric cover though as opposed to a paper one. Sort of like the old US passports had, my passport has seen so much abuse i…

I actually use a small sketch book. Hard cover, acid free paper with no lines, and heavy enough paper that ink doesn't show through. Also about 1/3 the price of a Moleskin.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#47

Post by dhimes »

idoh wrote: post #42
sleight42 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably. And don't call me "Shirley". I'm so sorry. I just couldn't resist.... (If you don't get it, watch this movie soon: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080339/ )

Never explain jokes! You can dissect a joke, but it dies in the process.

But it's ok to point to a reference for the joke. It helps to educate people.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#48

Post by bmj »

maxwell wrote: post #36
jw84 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I write the same way in my blog as I do in a diary and leave it open with my name attached. I prefer it. Other than that I'm not sure what we're arguing about. Though it is interesting you have things to hide.

For me it's not having things to "hide", it's editing and keeping drafts. And I sometimes like pen and paper to supress premature editing. If I have a keyboard, it's hard to keep my fingers off Alt and Ctrl. (I exclusively use web apps and I haven't found/made a good browser-Vi yet.)

Why is it a bad thing to keep some thoughts to yourself? And I'm not necessarily referring to thoughts about other people.

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#49

Post by patrickgzill »

alanfalcon wrote: post #29
dabent wrote: post #5

I used to journal for years and stopped. Then I messed with OhLife (a YC startup) and kept going with it. I'm not connected with them other than being a user, but if you're online anyway, it's a pretty handy tool to keep a journal. http://ohlife.com/ It's also a good example of a clean design and user experience.

Phenomenal, simple idea. I, too, signed up. I can still dig up random LiveJournal entries that I wrote on a whim ten years ago. What would people here rate the chances of me being able to do the same with OhLife entries in ten years?

Don't you keep all emails you send in a "sent" folder?

Re: Great Men Keep Journals

#50

Post by patrickgzill »

lhnn wrote: post #20

I keep a Moleskine journal in my rear jeans pocket. It's small, and contours to the curve after a day or two so you don't even notice it's there. I keep it with me like I keep my keys and wallet, without exception. I write on it on a semi-regular basis. The purpose of keeping with me is so I have something to write on as ideas come up, as girls give phone numbers, or ifI have free time to write down the thoughts of t…

Borders has their "Piccadilly" line of moleskine-alikes, about 1/2 the price and 90% of the quality. I really like their larger sized ones.
Post reply on HN