I have been looking to find ways to be more productive and be more present, so after seeing a lot of videos on Pocket Notebooks, I decided to try using one for 30 days to see what happened.
I have just had a bullet journal before, and I love the size of an A5 notebook, but it’s not the most portable. So it would stay on my desk, and I wouldn’t use it as much as I wanted to.
In this post, I want to run through the Pros and Cons of moving to a more analogue approach to tracking my life. What bits will I carry on with, and which bits will stay more digital?
PRO’s
- Organisation & Productivity
- Thinking More
- Catch All System
- Reflection
CON’s
- Portability
- More Time Consuming
Let’s dive into this in more detail below 👇
Pocket Notebook Pro’s:
Before we get into the pros, let’s cover the most important element of this 30-day experiment, the notebook itself. I am using the Leuchttrum 1971 A6 Pocket Notebook (hardback) with 80g/m blank pages.
The notebook itself is one of the pros for me, I love notebooks and the variety that is out there. The different sizes, dotted, squared page and the different colours.
But let’s move on to the main benefits that I have found over the past 30 Days.
Organisation & Productivity:
This was one of the main reasons for starting this challenge to become more organised. Can I say this has happened? Yes, I guess I can. My to-do list is no longer in my head, where I often forget what needs to be done. It’s also more targeted to what I really need to achieve on that day, it’s not an endless list of things that need to be done and or things I want to do.
Because I am been targeted on my list, I am being more productive or at least I feel more productive.
Thinking More Intentionally:
Another benefit that I have found is that writing in a notebook makes me think more! Because it takes longer to write than it does to type, I am more conscious of what I am writing. Starting to plot out my blog post on paper has helped me ensure that I really thinking about what I want to cover and expanding more on those topics.
Catch All:
This is the place where I am now capturing all my to-do items, ideas that come into my mind or just random thoughts that I want to capture. Before, I would try to remember what I needed to do for that day or even that week, which generally led to me forgetting.
I tend to think a lot when I am out walking with Derek (my dog), so blog post ideas would pop in and then out pretty quickly. I did try using my phone, but I didn’t really get on with that. Now I can pull out my notebook and just jot it down to come back to later to expand on in my pocket notebook or as a page in my bullet journal.
Easy to Reflect:
This was an unexpected benefit for me. When I have used a digital tool, I have not looked back on what I have captured. With a notebook, it’s so satisfying flicking back through the page and reading the entries and reflecting on what you were doing or thinking that day.
Pocket Notebook Cons:
I didn’t come across too many cons in this 30-day experiment, but there were a couple that I wanted to share.
Remembering To Take It Out:
I have been so used to just grabbing my phone and heading out that I was forgetting to grab my notebook at the same time. This took a bit of time to get used to, and I still forget now, but it happens less now.
It’s not the most portable of things, hence why I went for the pocket size. It doesn’t fit perfectly in my back pocket, but it fits well enough. If you carry a bag, then the size you choose is less likely to be an issue.
More Time Consuming:
It’s definitely quicker to just pull your phone out and quickly type an action compared to a notebook. So if you are looking for something to save time, this might not be the approach for you. I think that although it is a con here, it makes you think a lot more.
Final Thoughts
I have enjoyed this experiment and I have found it to be beneficial in ways that I wasn’t expecting. So the question is, will I be continuing to use a pocket notebook? Definitely Yes!
I would really recommend those of you who want to try and become more organised, as well as clear their mind of clutter. I am not saying that digital ways or bad. I still use many digital tools, I just found this to help me be more mindful about what I want to do. I am still working out how I make the most of my pocket notebook, and that’s another great thing is you can just experiment with what works best for you.
It’s a blank page that you can take anywhere, and that lies in the beauty of it. So why not give it a go?