Mundane Monday's Motivation Moment

Got to love alliteration, just string together a few adjectives and adverbs, sprinkle in the odd noun or verb (ensure they all start with the same sound) and you get a smug "aren't I clever" feeling deep inside.

One of my problems - aside from starting things, finishing things, or just doing things - is remembering things. There are lots of things I do remember - like people’s birthdays (women's birthdays at any rate). However, I find that ideas pop into my head and I think, “Gee, that's a good one, I'll have to remember it for later." Of course, I never do. Of late, I have taken to sending myself e-mails to record my ideas - which works great … if I have access to a computer with e-mail privileges.

Since I was young, I always remember reading that I should keep a log book where I write things down. I don't do that - it never felt right (as an aside, I have a log book at work. I have had it for 6 years - it is about 3/4 full. A snail's pace when compared to the prodigious use of log books by a coworker of mine, who had compiled 30 log books in the 7 years she worked here).

But, as mentioned, I feel it is time to start having something to record thoughts on. I sit far to often, zombie like trying to recall post ideas. It took me a while to recall that one of the positive experiences I had yesterday was playing checkers and tic-tac-toe with Tania. There are so many things I have forgotten about my kids that I promised I would never forget.

So, I am resolved to find some discreet notebook in which to record fleeting thoughts and ideas - something small, yet durable which can be unobtrusively carried with me.

I am leaning towards a small spiral notebook that flips upwards - but only because I don't know any better. I recall them being fairly fragile. I will head off to Staples later and have a look around at what supplies they have.

Suggestions are welcome.

Comments

I get a million ideas a minute and I always forget them! I have started writing them down but in all different notebooks and pads. I needed one place so I started using a really nice journal book someone gave me and put all my important thoughts there. That doesn't help me if I get an idea while I'm riding my bike or swimming though!

The flip up spiral reminds me of the kind that police and detectives use! "The facts ma'm, just the facts."
tin-tin said…
honestly, i have the same memory. it's like i have a short-term memory span. i would remember memories of long ago but what was said yesterday, i could forget. hehehe
Barbara said…
Maybe a little pocket tape recorder would be better. Just a thought.
Anonymous said…
tic tac toe,nostalgic to me :)

here in japan,they sell "10 yrs/30 yrs"diary for a good souvenir when someone got older.it has small spaces so it means u dont need to write a lot .some people do it,i never buy one but yeah,maybe its a good idea though im so lazy to write :)
Richard said…
MOI: that is my thought on the spiral bound flip notebook. I can empathize, the idea is to have something I can almost always have with me and that I can use discretely.

tin-tin: I am willing to bet that your long term memory is not that good. Can you remember the colour socks you wore to school 17-April-1992? For some reason, people seem to believe their long term memory is better than their short term (aside from people with Alzheimers). It is an illusion and we only remember really "important" things from teh past.

barbara: I would be too self conscious about speaking into a tape recorder - especially at work. Besides, I doubt very much I would "flip" through it. It has to be written, I go through papers and docuemnts, I never go through audio clips and videos. Of course, if I had someone transcribe them for me, that might be different. But I would still have to get over the whole "talking out loud to myself in public" thing.


Ah well, I had no luck at Staples last night. They had a number of spiral bound notebooks, but they were side bound and too big for my tastes. There were a few with perfect binding, but they were too big. Doesn't anyone make a slim, discrete notebook?

I did consider buying some post it notes and just sticking those in my pocket - but I would rather have something bound.
B said…
Richard, my absolute favorite journals are made by PaperBlanks. I have a few of them. The Old Leather Slim journals might be perfect for what you describe needing. I took one of these to Paris with me and it was not a nuisance at all..very compact and well made!

You can take a look here.....

http://www.paperblanks.com/old_leather/oldleatherslim.htm
Richard said…
breal: Those notebooks are positively beautiful. I would feel suitably bohemian and eclectic whipping one of those out and journaling in it. However, it is still bigger than I want - it would not unobtrusively in my shirt pocket. If it was a quarter the size (1-3/4" x 3-1/2") and had only 30 pages (for slimness - who want a bulky pocket?) I would probably go for it. Actually, I may go for it (or something similar) anyway, because they are so sexy.
Richard said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
B said…
You have me laughing out loud over here! "I would feel suitably bohemian and eclectic whipping one of those out and journaling in it." Big smiles on that one!

They are incredibly sexy though and I am happy to hear someone else say that. The old world look, the texture of the leather...I go crazy for these things.

But yes, despite how compact they are in comparison with larger journals, they are definitely not easy to fit in one's shirt pocket. As a woman, I take the whole purse thing for granted...just throw it in there and it is not an issue.

You know what would be utterly bohemian? You carrying a man-purse around to accomodate your journal! Okay, now I'm just getting ridiculously silly! I'm done.
richard, no, no, no. leave the tiny flip-up notebooks to detectives and police writing tickets. i once saw an episode of 'curb your enthusiasm' where larry david lost his little notebook of ideas and comedic material, and he was frantically offering a reward for it. if you've never seen that show, do me a favor and rent the seasons on dvd's and then tell me how hard you laughed. everyone should have an idea notebook - i have millions of places where i can write things down - my regular planner, palm pilot, etc. but very often i find myself scribbling a word or two on my hand. weird. anyway, get yourself a regular notebook - spiral or not. i see tons of guys with them recently in stores but i'm fairly certain they're checking things off their Christmas lists.
Just me said…
I find that a planner helps me keep on track and I jot down things I want to remember either in the notes or on the date. It's great when you need to look something up. I also keep a pad of post-it notes around me at all times so I can jot down quick ideas and expound on them later when I have more time or privacy.
tin-tin said…
for one thin, i am sure i didn't go to school that day. coz it's our summer vacation. heheeh. but the color of the socks.. i'm just not sure. if it's for school, it's white. but it's not for school.. so i don't know. i'm not even sure if i wore any socks. hehe. and i'll probably forget it. coz i'm not keen to that details :)
Richard said…
breal: Sofia would definitely never allow me to carry a purse. I would not be comfortable with it either. At most, I carry a backpack around with me. I don't even have a wallet - all my cards and IDs are just stuck in my back pocket.

run-around-paris: I'll see if the video is available from the library (funniest comedy series ever was Fawlty Towers). The problem with regular notebooks is that they are too big. I am looking for something discrete, that I can always have with me, regardless of circumstance (except maybe swimming or something similar). I will also write things on my hands or forearm if I want be discrete with what I have written (only works when wearing long sleeved shirts).

freckled-one: never use a planner, everything is kept up in my head. I don't want to live such a hectic life that I have to structure it. Of course, maybe that is my problem, that life is way too amorphous and unstructured.

tin-tin: hey! I thought you remembered what happened a long time ago, but not this morning :P
But thanks for trying.
I do that all the time. Something comes into my mind, and I am afraid it will disappear if i do not jot it down somewhere. So if I do not have a notebook on hand, i will scribble it on my hand, a receipt, an envelope...anywhere.

When i reach home, i will key it into my ideas bank in my computer and have them safely stored away.

if notebooks are your style, I may have just what you are looking for. The vertical flip. Let me see if I can grab a few for you and send it to you where you are. :P
Richard said…
elvina: as long as they are discrete and will fit into a shirt pocket without sticking out.

Did you check out the link breal provided? Those are very sexy little journals.

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