But why? What's wrong with a tidy notebook?
They serve different jobs.
The tidy todo notebook or lab notebook is to offload working memory or keep records.
The chaos notebook is for disorder.
I started a “dirt notebook”
71–80 of 105 posts
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#72> I can't seem to keep my notes messy. Eventually, I start structuring the notes, doing cleaner handwriting, adding a cover or some stickers Is this a so-called humble brag? FYI my notebooks are messy, unorganized and dirty (from lying unprotected in my backpack). I rarely use it because I always lose the pen after each scribble.
I don't see it as a brag. I think they're saying that the specialness of the notebook starts becoming an obligation and a burden, and then the notebook loses its original purpose, because "messy" notes and "neat" notes are for different things.
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#73I have finally solved this for me. My system consists of two notebooks: 1. Small A6 pocket notebook which I always have on me because it fits in any pocket. Write down anything and everything in it. Bundled with a pen, leather cover,and tiny e-ink ebook reader 2. Big A4 notebook which I usually use at my desk. I used to have an A5 but since it’s not portable anyway, I might as well go with an A4 I really like this se…
What kind of notes do you take? It's always been kind of difficult, as someone who takes maybe a page of notes a week, to imagine what people fill entire books of notes full, outside of university etc.? I had a friend who would write notes on everything. Every time he learned something, he would write it down in his own words. This sounds good, but he ended up basically internalizing and studying his own misunderstan…
Sure. For me writing is an aide to thinking and remembering. When I have a thought, a task or anything I don’t want to lose, I just pull up my pocketbook and write it down. For my bigger notebook, I use it to jumpstart any task or project that needs several steps. I feel it helpful to write thoughts down, like it forces me to actually think thoughts through and end a sentence with a dot. I also sometimes sketch, make tiny drawings or tables to see ideas visually. Basically anything that gets thoughts out of my head and into some semi-permanent medium. Also for each day I usually write down its date and throughout the day write down what I want to do, what I did, and how I feel. I think it helps with emotional regulation. I believe in the act of externalising thoughts as a way to improve and remember them. I noticed this while listening to writers, as many of them are very eloquent and outspoken. No wonder - they are not improvising, these are the thoughts they thought through before. So I think if there’s something you care about that you would like to think more deeply or clearly about, it only makes sense to write it down. The physical movement of your muscles while you write also force you to be more deliberate and to remember better. If you’d like to start, I can recommend just getting a small notebook that fits in your pocket and a nice pen/fountain pen/mechanical pencil to go with it and just get into the habit of pulling it out as much as possible to just write down whatever concerns you at the moment. It keeps you off social media and doomscrolling too!
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#74I relate to this. I once bought a beautiful notebook at an airport. Ten years later still haven't written a single thing in it.
Meanwhile I'm most productive with disgusting tear-off scrap pads, made of recycled paper (or like, composted bananas or something).
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#75I have a similar idea in the note taking app I've written for myself over a couple years. I have a new daily page everyday with a simple but powerful tagging system. Adding automation soon that will be kick ass, but for now the mcp server plus Claude Code is pretty dang powerful. It's basically a clone of logseq with my own features. It's got templates and saved views and powerful filtering. It's been super useful fo…
How in the world is this similar?
Every daily log is the same as the dirt notebook. It reduces friction when going to create a note because you don't have to think about where to file the note _before_ it's even written. I tag things and can sort them later, if I want, or not. Or can schedule things to loop back into my life (move to the current daily) if I choose. It's the exact same concept as their dirt notebook.
It's not a new concept. Bullet journal, logseq, zettelkasten, org-mode, etc are all inspiration
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#76i do the same thing, i have a notebook stream of thought writing, notepad for scibbles, and a notebook for journaling (the one i dont like to dirty).
funny how someone else had the same exact problem and we came up with similar solutions independently.
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#77IMO goal based note-taking & productivity systems can end up being where the attention is focused instead of the goal. The more complex the system, the more focus is put into it. The focus feels productive but the reality is that the goal has been abandoned or delayed until the excitement of the system dies down. I've struggled a lot with this. For me I think it comes down to not being intentional enough about why I'…
notion did this for me at work, in hindsight, probably spent too much time 'organizing.'
now i just use excalidraw as my todo / thought board
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#78Idk that sounds like psychological issues, one must first tidy up the their mind before trying to find external ways like multiple types of notebooks for clean,semi dirty,scribbles and dirty notes. How about discarding messy thoughts or thinking them through until they become well organized and only then put to the good notebook. Notebooks are notebooks no need to complicate things. Its ok if its separated into themes like a notebook for general thoughts and a journal. Though in my note-taking experience of 19 years its ussually noy that important. I would just add extra ripped pages to my journal as notes on notes.
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#79A nice thing about being left handed is there a few things I can't get precious about. Fountain pens are never going to feature in my life as I'll just smudge everything. Similarly, I'll never end up collecting gaming mice as most of them are not usable for lefties.
Top notebook tip from a fellow lefty - flip the book, start at the back and write on the left hand page.
Re: I started a “dirt notebook”
#80Whenever I get a new notebook, I immediately scribble on the front page before I have a chance to stop myself. There. It's tainted and imperfect. And then I've given myself permission to make messy notes, and jot down just whatever, rather than treating it like some museum-grade archive.
my good notes have their origins in thoughts I had while in the shower or while driving or watching a movie or a conversation with someone close to me. Ideas evade me when I'm at my desk in front of my notebook with my awesome pen. This was a huge problem I never noticed that my notebook is never there for me when i need it the most. the second problem, because its my original thought, I'm naturally attached and bias…
> As i look through, my binder has so many backs of mailer's i've received and scribbled on. cant figure why.
Is your mailbox a short walk from where you normally work? Walks have been credited for the assist in idea generation from Aristotle to Nietzsche (and beyond).
I personally just keep a little pocket notebook and a couple pens on my person at all times. That replaces the need for the distributed folders of your system. Every week I go through and add them to either my paper notebook or my digital notes.
I don’t really trash the “bad” ideas either since my notebook is bound. I try to be neither precious with the good ideas nor embarrassed of the bad. I treat them all as just a record of thoughts.