On Carrying a Pocket Notebook

In my quest to quiet my mind in this digital age, I’ve grown fond of the idea of carrying a pocket notebook. A couple of years ago, I got myself a Field Notes subscription. I loved receiving these. As a former design student, I looked forward to the different designs I’d receive through the year. My only complaint is I love dot grid paper and there was no guarantee I’d receive dot grid notebooks in the mail, depending on the design.

But, I attempted to buy into the concept. I bought the Bellroy notebook folio for Field Notes and carried it everywhere. Eventually, I started treating it as my wallet for cash and for those cards I didn’t use all that often. I got myself a pocketable pen, the Mark Two from Studio Neat, and had it tucked inside the folio. I was really digging this everyday carry setup.

Yet, I wasn’t using the notebook inside the folio. For some reason, it seemed cumbersome for me, fumbling with the folio with one hand while I attempted to use the pen with the other. It never felt comfortable. The result was me carrying a wallet with a notebook around in it.

Between moving into my own place again and reevaluating my task management, I bought a pack of Bullet Journal pocket notebooks. My goal was to have the pocket notebook fill the gaps for the bigger notebook I did my journalling, thinking I would copy my notes over to the big notebook, either when I had a chance to sit down or at least every evening.

Bullet Journal’s version of the pocket notebook is too large for my Field Notes folio cover. The decision making for the size is if you’re to open it in portrait orientation, they’re the same size as one page in the bigger notebook. I’m not sure if it was because I could treat this notebook like my Bullet Journal, a practice I enjoy, or if it was simply the convenience of having a notebook on its own. Regardless, I’ve become so accustomed to using the pocket notebook that I rarely leave home without it.

As a result, these pocket notebooks have become my daily driver. I’ve unintentionally stopped using my larger notebooks. I have separate notebooks for work and home, but everything goes into the pocket notebook. They’ve lasted me about a month, as I use a full spread for a single day, again in portrait orientation. Sometimes I only fill half the spread, while other times it’s the entire thing. It all depends on what the day brings. This system has even replaced the task management notecards I was using for work. These are my all-in-one notebooks. There’s nothing I won’t put in them.

I don’t think it’s purely because these are Bullet Journal pocket notebooks that’s causing me to use these daily. I think it has more to do with the simplicity of having only the notebook in my pocket. The pen I was carrying in the folio actually fits in the change pocket of my jeans, along with a pocket flashlight I carry. I still have plenty of old Field Notes memo books lying around, so I’m going to try using one again once my current notebook is filled up. Either way, I’m really happy with the system I have now.