Two Books

Part of having a lot of ideas is there's way more than I can work on in a reasonable amount of time, so I have to have a way to keep them safe and preserved in a useful format for when I can get to them. It's not that hard, I just had to spend some time experimenting with what worked and what was convenient until I found a good solution. My current method is simple: I write it all down in a notebook. It's easy to reference and add to, organized with a consistent logic, durable, safe from the problems electronics have (battery, signal/connectivity, accidental erasure issues, etc), and the entries are detailed enough that they still make sense after time's passed. It's perfect.

The exact form of the notebook took a little development. What I used to do was just put my pending ideas in the same spiral notebook that I always carried with me. That way I'd have them on hand to work on at any time. There would be pages of my to-write lists mixed in with the blank pages and I'd just cross off ideas as I finished them. It worked well enough, but it'd get more and more fragmented as I got things done; and each time I used up a notebook I'd have to consolidate and migrate the remaining ideas to the next one or cut the pages out and keep them as loose sheets that could get lost. It ended up being a waste of paper and time as the ideas built up.

What I do now is carry two books: My spiral notebook for doing actual writing and an ideas notebook that's a repository for pending projects' rough notes, bits of ideas, and anything else I'd want to revisit. When I get an idea I'll write it down on whatever's at hand (my spiral notebook, pocket notebook, scrap paper, whatever works) but not immediately in the ideas notebook. I'll let it sit for a while then transfer it into the ideas notebook. There will usually be a batch of ideas ready to be recorded by the time I transfer them over. Doing it this way means I only have to recopy the ideas once and I can look over them again and judge if they're really worthy of being on the to-write list, then refine the wording so future me will know what I meant.

It works great because it's a to-do list but it's also a collection of all the things I thought were inspiring enough to write down and preserve. If I'm off my game or just bored I can flip through the book and something will jump out to kick me into gear. It does mean that I end up carrying more stuff around but the tiny bit of extra weight and clutter is worth it.

The way I record ideas is straightforward: All entries are organized chronologically since they're added as they occur to me. Small ideas are listed as bullet points (as detailed as they need to be) and larger projects (zines, books, anything more than a single blogpost) get outlined on their own pages with some extra space after in case I think of more to add. I write everything in ink and use different colors for small and large ideas so I can easily find the larger projects while flipping through the pages. (In my last notebook little ideas were recorded in green and larger ones in red, maroon, or black.)

I'm also picky about the notebooks I choose for the job. My normal MO of 'cheap and durable, as long as it works' is good for my everyday working notebooks because I burn through them so fast, but the ideas notebook sticks around. It's going to be with me for a while so it needs to be nice to use and do its job well. I look for something durable, portable, and convenient. An A5 size book with a stitched binding, waterproof soft cover, and thin profile (~1/2" thick spine) is perfect. It's a nice easy to carry size and weight with plenty of space to write in.

To go with it I also have an 8" zippered tablet case. It's just cheap lightly-padded fabric with a few pockets on the inside that's waterproof and closes securely. I use it to hold the ideas notebook and any more detailed notes (on loose pages/papers) for the project I'm actively working on when I go out. It lets me collect everything into one compact and protected bundle that I can throw in my bag without fear of scrunching or losing anything. There are purpose-made journal cases and covers with extra slots and compartments for stationery or tools, but I think the tablet case works better for my needs because it's so simple. It's got everything it needs to do the job I have for it and nothing else to get in the way.