How to Finish a Damn Notebook
How many of you have problems buying so many notebooks but never finish a single one? I always end up with two problems. One, I have multiple notebooks of separate topics but still have plenty of blank pages left. Two, I write anything and everything in one notebook and my mind gets so scrambled I start a fresh notebook.
It also doesn’t help I buy multiple packs of notebooks as if I’m expecting a nuclear disaster and all the world’s production of paper gets destroyed. Assuming I survive such an event, what am I going to do? Throw pieces of paper into my makeshift fire pit? Write my last will and testament? Or write “valuable” insight to revive human civilization?
Okay, got way off topic. So, this is my best system on how to finish a notebook. First, I buy a pocket notebook (3”x5” or 4”x6”) and keep it in my pocket or nearby at all times. What’s great about smaller notebooks is that I keep my writings short. Second, I use it only for my thoughts and blog posts so it’s easier to review back a topic. Finally, I don’t under any circumstances, use another notebook until I finish it. Once done, I write my name, dates started and finished, and a table of contents written on the inside book cover.
I buy larger notebooks (8.5”x11”), for long essays and book projects and leave them at home. Anything I write on my smaller notebooks that needs to be expanded I transfer to the larger notebook.
A small and large notebook is all you need. And don’t buy more than three notebooks of each size at a time. You have enough writing material without acting like a crackhead always needing a fix. If you have a better system let me know.