#19

I am so glad there is someone else like me in the universe! :laughing:

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#20

Yea honestly, I used it to note guitar riffs, pedal settings, as well as noting pedal configurations almost like a second personal manual for the pedal. I always used to forget what the colors meant on the Dry FX button for the POG2 and so I noted it, not having to relearn the thing when I sit down to use it added to the immediacy of the whole thing, which is important to me, otherwise I will feel bad and have a lie down.

#21

Here’s a tip about dedicating a notebook to a subject, I tend to work both front-to-back and back-to-front. Front inside first few pages have references or diagrams or important details I’m constantly wanting to look up. More custom / evolving notes go a few blank pages in from there forwards.

From the back you have a few options: specific presets, setlists, or other related-but-different data sets, or a second machine/instrument, or personal notes/thoughts that correspond with the more technical/reference-able data in the front. I often turn this upside down so that it’s easy to figure out when I’ve crossed sections when flipping through.

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#29

I think it’s great to see so many posts on Field Notes and note taking in general.

Everyone at my work thinks I’m a bit archaic still taking notes by hand :joy:

Bullet journaling and always listing the date has helped me greatly keep track of everything that I’ve written.

What I realised about notebooks (both for home and for work) is that if they hold some value to me (both financial and emotional), I’m much less inclined to constantly lose pads and grab another one (which kind of defeats the purpose of a notebook).

I think this is why things like field notes (or the rollbahn I use) are great; they hold a bit more value and personal attachment than just being something you get given for free, or can grab from the stationary cupboard at work.

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#31

Note-taking is a habit you often need to train. I still occasionally pull out my phone to jot something down - a leftover habit from a time when I was heading in the opposite direction I am now. This means that for some people, it’s difficult. Finding what mental blocks you have for it, the why you didn’t reach for your notebook that time, or the what that makes you leave it at home instead of having it at the ready, and then considering whether those reflect your values or not, can often help more than just your note-taking. In fact, realizations of that type are perfect for jotting down in a … notebook!

As others have mentioned, bullet journaling, GTD based practices, or other self-organization techniques are great ways to often begin addressing several issues at once: personal coherency and rhythm, enhancing mental focus and presence, efficiently organizing your time and effort intentionally towards your goals (or figuring out your goals from your values, if you’re not at that stage yet - which is entirely valid too), and of course just the value in having one place to put some of the chaos so your brain can let go.

One of the things I learned early on about note-taking in any form is that if I don’t write it down, the to-do and don’t-forget lists in my head get significant and I go around always with a heavy mind, clouded and cluttered and anxious that I’ve forgotten something. The more I transfer out of my brain and into organization systems around me (and then build habits to utilize those systems!) the clearer and more peaceful my mind becomes, and that helps it do more useful work like deeper thinking, handling difficult situations with more grace and reserve, or just being free to play and dream and imagine without feeling tired and weighed down. Field Notes for me are almost perfect. I still need to be able to effectively utilize a paper planner - the automatic reminders built into my phone are a gods-send for me right now - but that’s not an urgent transition. It’s one I’m sure will come with time and a more personally structured lifestyle, the organization and creation of which are my main goals right now.

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On Longhand, Note-Taking, Paper &c
#32

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Well… this post has made me realize my Field Notes purchasing has gotten out of hand. Making decisions tonight on what to keep and let go. If anyone wants to try Field Notes based on this thread (and is in the US) PM me. I’ll be giving away/mailing out at least 4. Two Expedition the orange one in the top left (waterproof paper, pens aren’t great on this, pencils are good). As well as two Cold Horizon, the blue ones in the top left.

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#35

I’ve got one and my only complaint is that perhaps it’s too nice. If a notebook’s not a bit tatty I get stage fright. Luckily, I’ve had it kicking around the bottom of my bag for a few months now, so it’s a bit bashed up and now more likely to be used.

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#38

Just a polite note to remind you all that this thread is specifically for Field Notes love and the process of using them, and while it’s ok to veer a little to one side or the other, discussing significantly different notebooks (thread/perfect bound, non-pocketable) or other brands in specific is very much outside the topic and spirit of the topic. It’s fine to love Leuchtturm and other brands, but this is not the thread to discuss that love in specific. Thanks! :heart:

#39

There seems to be a lot of love for discussing notebooks and writing on paper in general, so maybe I’ll start a new thread and move some bits over if that’s okay?

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#40

What makes Field Notes different? I’m not familiar and when I see these things I just see a moleskin notebook.

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#41

I’ve written extensively across several posts above about many of the factors, the others you might have to discover for yourself. They have a nearly cult following for those who really love them, and they’re nothing at all like a moleskine or any of the other common journals. A quick summary of many salient points:

  • Slim, slim, slim. Only 48 pages. Easy to fit in a pocket, jam into an overstuffed backpack, or slip into a portfolio.
  • Simple paperfold and staple binding means they can be sat on without damage, repeatedly. They’re surprisingly durable.
  • Cheap. A 3-pack is US$10 or thereabouts. You don’t need to treat them like precious cargo. Fill 'em up. Move on.
  • They’re not a “journal”. They’re a pocket notebook. They’re for living in the present, storing small but important things, being lived in and on and with. Not taken out just once a day or used as a massive strategic planner (though many people do love them for exactly this - a microplanner).
  • A dedication to materials, techniques, and styles of printing that aren’t really in vogue anymore, along with
  • A highly creative assortment of themes, variations, and other special editions (which often push the boundaries of the techniques or re-use obsolete ones in a special way)
  • A team that celebrates what makes a country great. I don’t even live in the US and they’ve found a way to translate the good aspects of the culture into something simple, useful, and timeless.
  • The abandonment of the “modern” fetish. They’re almost the opposite, an attempt to go back to simpler mental times, a reflection of an ancient practice. They’re not trying to be cool, they’re trying to be fun without losing the purpose. All the other notebooks are either fashion statements or utterly boring. Field Notes tries to strike a balance, and plays with that balance every new edition.
  • Plus print geeks love their transparency on production technique, paper choice, and other fun aspects.

I could go on, and I’ve probably not even captured half of other people’s favourite things about them, and perhaps some of the things I’ve written don’t resonate with others for whom many other things do. They’re deeply personal. That’s part of what makes them wonderful.

Yes, please that would be lovely. I don’t want to dampen the enthusiasm on the generic subject, but that’s definitely not what I want to discuss here.

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#42

so funny I have done the same thing with most of mine

#43

A post was merged into an existing topic: On Longhand, Note-Taking, Paper &c

On Longhand, Note-Taking, Paper &c
#44

Would editing the title to “Field Notes™ Love and Process” in the title to make it clear what this threads about? Or does it feel icky?

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#46

It’s well-made but dramatically less substantial than a Moleskine or other spendy perfect-bound notebook. It begs to be written in and used. It is informal, ever-present and a joy to hold. And it doesn’t mind if you also have a Moleskine on the side for Big Ideas.

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#47

This is me exactly. Eventually I start using them, each for a separate project, but quickly lose track of which is which(or where the needed one is) and then they all end up with random notes for different things.

I’m far too unorganized.

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#48

I have a bit of Field Notes problem. I’ve had the subscription for several years, to the point where I have more books than I might need for years to come. Also sadly, I never write down stuff as much as I intend to, especially for creative endeavours, possibly due to my poor penmanship and scattered thinking (although, had never considered indexing before, which…shame on me? Will start making an effort towards that end). I plan to cancel the subscription every year, but when time comes figure that a) it isn’t an exorbitant cost for me, and b) they’re so pretty. But next renewal for sure!

Unmentioned above, but whomever they outsource their branded pencils and ballpoint pens from, they make in my opinion the greatest version of each. My wife adores the clicker pens, we got an extra supply just because we were stealing each other’s for a while. And the round, no. 2, non-lacquered wood lead pencils are perfect for weight/shape/comfort. We have one resting at every place we might write something down in the house, I’m sure I pick one up at least once an hour.

I use the notebooks a lot for mundane work things, the reporter’s pad is especially great for taking notes during meetings.

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#49

Was just over in this thread Pocket Operations: A portable book of drum machine patterns which is an amazing resource in and of itself.

But I really liked the way the patterns were depicted, and that the author was nice enough to provide blank templates at the end. I was on my way to print the the PDF when I realized the templates are just grids… my Field Notes (for the most part)are all grids… for a 16 step pattern you’d need 16 + 1 cells to be able to contain the steps and type of drum.

I am very happy with this coincidence…

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#50

I’ve just finished up a year long subscription (to the UK…) from Field Notes. I use mine purely as a pocket based take everywhere notebook, mainly to stop me looking at my phone to jot things down (as soon as I look at my phone I forget why I picked it up).

Given that I only get through about one notebook a month, the subscription has given me enough for 2 years use, and though the current edition is very pretty, there is only so much Americana that a non-American can handle!

Well now, let’s just compare ink drawers and see who really is the biggest FP nerd shall we… :stuck_out_tongue:

Anyway, in fairness to Field Notes, the properties of paper required to make them work with modern nib sizes and inks would end up with too many other sacrifices, their choices would be:

  • increase the paper weight, but that would be detrimental to their compactness, or
  • coat the paper (e.g. like Tomoe River and Rhodia), that causes the ink to dry on the surface and therefore not ‘feather’ or ‘bleedthrough’, but at the expense of increased dry times for all inks, and coated paper isn’t that nice to write on with pencils either.

I think if one was really desperate, it would be possible to find a nib and ink combo that would work, but I’m not sure if it would be a very fun combo. Personally I think you can’t beat a good wood-cased pencil with a Field Notes notebook. Either a Blackwing (any core) or a 2B Mitsubishi Hi-Uni for me. Kutsuwa Stad pencil caps are great for keeping pencils in your pockets too.

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#51

20 characters of I absolutely love this!

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