this morning, i walked to the coffee shop, intending to sit there for a bit and plan out the rest of my day. i brought my backpack, but it turned out that i forgot to pack the e-ink device i usually use for taking notes.
thankfully, i had this little contraption in my pocket (well, technically, in my fanny pack, because i don't like to transfer things between clothing pockets all the time). i would call it my pocket notebook, but in truth, it's not really a notebook at all. it is a couple of leaves of warm-colored cardstock, cut down to 5.5 by 6 inches, and center-folded with the paper's grain. instead of actually binding them into a notebook, i just secure them to a piece of thicker cardboard with a rubber band, and a pen tucked in as well. the cardboard is cut down from some random packaging, with an extra quarter inch of margin on each side.
this little bundle of papers was the result of a long quest and some trial and error. but in the end, this specific method has won over all of the pre-made notebooks and pads i've tried, as well as my other hand-bound notebook experiments. it may not be perfect for everyone, but it's perfect for me for the following reasons:
- the cardstock is thick enough for me to use both sides with no bleed-through, and is pleasant to write on.
- individual leaves are better than a binding for me because it takes the pressure off — if i draw something terrible that i never want to look at again, i can simply remove that leaf from the stack. (in regular notebooks, i often either rip stuff out, or just don't use them because i don't want to "mess them up.")
- if i have a table or flat surface to write on, the leaves can be unfolded to their full size, and lay flatter than most notebooks.
- if i don't have a flat surface, i just remove the rubber band and use the cardstock itself as a rigid backing.
- the cardboard keeps the whole thing flat so the rubber band doesn't curl the paper. it also provides a little bit of protection against the corners getting bent in my pocket.
- it's extremely lightweight.
- it's modular — all of the pieces come apart and can be replaced individually.
- if i leave the whole thing behind by accident, i can make a new one in a few minutes, for a total cost of a dollar or two.
i use it to doodle when hanging out with people or waiting for food at a restaurant. i also use it for writing things down when i'm away from my larger bags and items. it helps me avoid looking at my smartphone, which i feel is rude in social situations, and which i often dislike using when alone as well. (any notebook can be a good alternative to certain types of screen time, but if it's not one i actually want to carry with me all the time, it doesn't help with this.)
i usually carry three blank folded sheets with me at a time, and i have a stack of extras pre-cut on the shelf, so i can swap out the used notes with new blanks. depending on what's on the used notes, i usually don't need them anymore. the process of writing or sketching is important to me, as a form of synthesis. most of the artifacts become irrelevant quickly, or i copy down the information somewhere else if i need it for later. but if i ever end up with a bunch i want to keep, i could easily add a pamphlet stitch to bind them into a real book.
after my rabbit hole of trial and error, i settled on this method and just... stopped thinking about it. i kept using it, and began to take its presence for granted. i only thought of it again today because it saved my butt as i sat down in the coffee shop, writing my to-do list. so this is a note of appreciation for my little "notebook," and also a note about the particular specs that worked for me.
the other photos are from my walk through the cemetery, which is between me and the coffee shop.
