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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Location notebook

Now that I am preparing to move to a new destination, there is a lot of information to record such as: addresses of important places like schools, banks and doctor's offices; points of interest I'll want to check out while I'm there; contact information for people I'm meeting; and loads of other info.

In the past I've always created a new section in my Filofax for this type of information, so that I can use it while I'm there and then when I move away I just remove and archive the section. But this time I'm thinking of using a pocket-size notebook for this information instead.  I'm not using my Filofax as my planner, so having an information section in it is not as convenient as it would be as an all-in-one planner and guide book.  And since I'm trying to downsize these days, it would be more bag-friendly to use a small notebook for this info.

As always when using a notebook, the issues of filling it too much or not enough arise. What will I do if I fill up the notebook?  Well, I doubt I will since I rarely ever fill a notebook. The opposite problem happens to me much more often: if I only use a couple of pages, the rest of the notebook is wasted (since I would hate to use a notebook for two unrelated topics!).

What about you? Have you ever used a notebook for information about a specific location?  How did it go?

14 comments:

  1. I dunno, but I'm dying to know where you are moving next!

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  2. Right now the destination is Indonesia, but that is still unofficial.

    (And to answer your next question, yes I am freaking out a little bit.)

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  3. Laurie, the way I look at it, a notebook has fixed pages therefore you don't have as much scope for organising the info you want to keep as you would in a loose leaf system. That said - perhaps a smaller notebook with sections? Another option is to buy a set of Field Notes books (you get three in a set) and using them - you could use a different one for different types if info - for example all your addresses in one. You can get these from my friends at The Paperie. Otherwise how about using a Filofax mini or pocket that would be more portable but have the organisational advantages of the Filofax?

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  4. How about a Topaz pocket slimline? You can but a wo2p diary plus all kinds of note paper, and it will easily fit into pocket or purse. I have one in black that is just great, and I use it daily.

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  5. A cheap lightweight Filofax pocket like the Mode or a Moleskine Information pocket size notebook - it's already subdivided. Indonesia, a beautiful place but with vast cultural differences. No wonder your freaking out? One day (moment) at a time and enjoy. K.I.S.S. Good luck!

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  6. Good ideas about a smaller Filofax, but I don't really want to buy one. I don't want to get into a whole 'nother size of Filofax because I tend to go overboard with buying inserts etc. I already have so many pocket size notebooks lying around I'll just use one of those. I'll number the pages and create an index.

    Yeah the whole Indonesia thing came as a huge surprise last month. That part of the world was not even on my radar. But I'm coming around to it.

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  7. Well, it should certainly be interesting! Hmmm, I guess my opinion would lean towards loose-leaf of one flavor or another, because you will no doubt find that you need to add sections and pages as you go along!

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  8. If I get the urge to buy a new Filofax, this would certainly be my justification! ;)

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  9. So - about that problem of only using a few pages in a bound notebook ...

    Maybe I'm the outlier here, but I always fill up my notebooks from *back* to front. I think I got into this habit when I found it really hard to dig in to the first clean page of a shiny new journal, but realized I had no problem writing on the last page! Odd, huh? It's the same old journal!

    The upside of this is that my journal looks "new" right to the bitter end (!) and it's easy to neatly remove pages from the back - even in a Moleskine-like journal - and sort of start over. No harm - no foul!

    Having never met a notebook or other paper item I didn't like, this has saved me a lot of money. No one ever said I was normal. :-)

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  10. I just started using a pocket-sized Moleskine cahier so I could have one day-per-two pages for my pocket-sized Urban Filofax. On the right side I write the numbers 7 through 9 (7am - 9pm), with the date at the top, and then fill in the page with my day. I only fill out a template for one page at a time. On the left side I write notes - to do's, observations, etc. I wanted more space, with no rings, than the Filo pre-printed pages afforded. Oh, and I wanted it blank (no lines). So I take the little cahier, with doodle-friendly, paper-bag-brown cover, and attach it to the inside back cover of my filo with a paperclip clamp at the bottom (what are they called?). I attach the clip so the book flips open to the current page - love it! The notebook actually stays wedged in there without the clip, but the clip makes me feel more secure and I don't have to think about holding it in place when I swing open my planner to get at the billfold in the check-out line. ANYWAY... maybe you could piggyback a cahier to your notebook? They come in packs of three, so there's always more if you fill up the first one.

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  11. O.M.G. Indonesia!!! Challenging but what an adventure! Go get yourself a new planner NOW.... you'll definitely earn it! :-)

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  12. LOL Stefee! Yeah I figure moving to Indonesia is a good excuse to buy...pretty much anything I want, right? I'm going with that. :)

    Robin, great minds think alike--I had thought of starting my Indonesia notebook at the back so that the most recent, and probably the most currently relevant, info is toward the front. Then if I end up using only a few pages for whatever reason, I can repurpose the notebook and start the new info at the front.

    Nancy I LOVE your idea!

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  13. I'm a bit of a notebook addict & own a mess of them. The issue of using one notebook for more than one subject is a problem for me too.

    I've temporarily solved this problem by using 1 notebook for related subjects & using plastic TABS to divide the sections.

    I have a brown spiral "Markings" notebook that I use quite frequently. The front is used as a writer's notebook, where I jot things related to story ideas or writing advice, etc. The 2nd half i use for general self development, mostly tips, quotes & notes from books i'm reading.

    I'm liking this set up cuz I only have to keep track of 1 book instead of 2, and the whole book is used up so I feel I'm being less wasteful.

    I've also ripped out unused notebook pages to use as scratch paper. I cut off the ragged ends with a paper cutter.

    I'd be freaked out by Indonesia too. :-)

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  14. I'm using the Moleskine Info book suggested by Savannah and it's perfect! It's already getting filled up with loads of information, and it's so small I take it everywhere. Thanks for the suggestion Savannah! :)

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