Category Archives: Personal

What’s the Next Notebook?

I’m coming into the home stretch with my current notebook, an unlined Moleskine. My choices for the next one are: a squared Moleskine an unlined softcover Moleskine an unlined Moleskine Volant a Filofax Each of these would have its advantages and disadvantages. I rather like the squared paper for list-making and doodling, though it can … Continue reading What’s the Next Notebook?

Modified Note Pad

Here’s another amusing item from my childhood collection: This started out as a simple plain notepad, the kind with glued-together pages and a cardboard backing. They came as a pack of 3 that were meant to be separated, but I liked the chunky thickness so I left them all together. I decorated the first page … Continue reading Modified Note Pad

Memorandum Book Made by Northern Central Co., Milwaukee

Another notebook that was probably manufactured in the late 1970s to early 1980s: a slim lined memorandum book by the Northern Central Co. of Milwaukee. The cover has a textured fake-leather look, but it’s just glossy card stock, stamped in gold foil. Dig that cool logo on the front! I didn’t use very many pages … Continue reading Memorandum Book Made by Northern Central Co., Milwaukee

What’s Your System?

Do you have a “system” for using a notebook? A lot of people talk about using notebooks for GTD– the method of organizing tasks promoted by David Allen’s best-selling productivity book Getting Things Done. I’ve had a few different methods of tracking tasks in notebooks and on a computer and PDA, but here’s my current … Continue reading What’s Your System?

A Chinese Diary, 1980

When I was about 8 years old, my grandmother took me to visit the office where she had formerly worked. One of her friends there took a liking to me, and for several years afterwards, we kept in touch through short cards and letters. A few years ago, the friend, whose name was Lucy, returned … Continue reading A Chinese Diary, 1980

Paper King Memo Book, late 1970s or early 1980s

Here’s a gem from the late ’70s/early ’80s. I love the simple cover design with the 25 cent price at the bottom. I wonder what ever happened to the Eastern Tablet company of Albany, NY. When you google it, not much comes up other than the obituaries of people who worked there at one time. … Continue reading Paper King Memo Book, late 1970s or early 1980s

Notebooks at Work

I’ve been thinking a lot about how people use notebooks at work. Yesterday’s post showed a few of Obama’s staff with notebooks among the tools of their trade. Certain professions use notebooks as a matter of course: reporters, for one. If you look at the Alwych website, they describe their notebooks as being used by … Continue reading Notebooks at Work

1980s Notebooks from My Collection

Here’s a few blank books from my childhood: Remember those Nothing Books? They were all the rage for a while. They sold them at a local bookstore and they became quite a fad at my school– kids mainly used them for autograph books, I think, where you’d just have your friends sign a page and … Continue reading 1980s Notebooks from My Collection