Notebooking Strategies

I'll be the first to admit it, I'm a "process junkie."  A lot of times I get more wrapped up in what I'm writing in and what I'm writing with than in what I'm actually writing.  The end result is the same thing that a lot of people in this community complain about:  having a dozen pens inked up and another dozen half-finished notebooks with sharpened pencils scattered everywhere.  I finally got tired of this, and lately I've been working on developing a coherent, clutter-free system for collecting my thoughts while still providing some enjoyable variety in terms of the products I use on a daily basis.

I've never been able to use organizers, so the Hobonichi Techo is not an option for me (putting aside the fact that I really, really want one, just because...).  I've explored various "systems":  I like the bullet journal system, and Getting Things Done was a revelation, but neither provided everything that I needed on a day-to-day basis.  What I've settled on is a mash-up of both, taking the filing, organizational, and information processing aspects of GTD and merging them with the monthly/daily task list elements of the Bullet Journal System.

My current notebook carry:  Iphone 5, Doane Paper large Utility Journal; Twsbi softcover notebook (lined), and Doane Paper pad.

So here's what I've found myself using the most and how I've been using it: 

  • Daily Calendar:  Iphone with Outlook.  I need the automatic reminders of deadlines and meetings, (especially for things people schedule without my knowledge).  While I'll sometimes write a particularly important appointment down on my "daily list" in my pocket notebook (sort of an "I'm writing it down to remember it now" thing), given the nature of my work an electronic calendar is really the only thing that's foolproof enough for me to use. 

  • Daily Notebook:  What I call my "Daily Notebook" is where I keep my Daily/Weekly/Monthly "Task Lists" of things I need to complete during those time frames.  This doubles as a sort of "daily journal" that I can look back on and revisit what I accomplished on any given day.  I also keep other short lists here, such as grocery lists, housework lists, bills to pay, used books, music and video games to be on the lookout for, etc...  This notebook is almost always a pocket notebook such as a Field Notes, Word. Notebook, Backpocket Journal, or Doane Paper Utility Journal although I am currently using the slightly larger-size Doane Utility Notebook now.  While I love Doane products, I'm not sure how I feel about the larger Utility Notebook, because my Daily Notebook should go everywhere with me, and pocket-size works better for this purpose.

  • Work Notebook:  I take a lot of handwritten notes during the typical workday, generally in meetings.  These can last a while, and go on for pages.  It's more comfortable to take these notes in a larger book.  Borrowing from the Bullet Journal, I don't use a different notebook for each subject, but rather devote the first few pages to an index, number the pages, and just start a fresh page for a new meeting/telephone call.  Currently I'm using a TWSBI lined notebook with the soft cover and elastic closure.  I love the paper for both pen and pencil, and the notebook seems like it has lasted forever.

  • Scratch Pad:  I always carry around some sort of writing tablet or notebook with perforated pages that I can use to sketch out ideas, outlines, and/or drafts.  If I need to save the material, I'll tear it out and scan or file it.  If not, I'll shred and recycle.  Lately, this has been a pad of Doane Paper or a perforated Fabriano Grid Notebook.  The pads of Tomoe River Paper sold by Nanami are also excellent, but tend to get bent out of shape and don't hold up well in a briefcase.   

What's your "system"?  In talking with various people in this community and reading stuff that we've all posted, I've learned that most people have them, and many people develop a system on their own that works for them.  I find this process fascinating because it provides pretty clear insight into how we think and process information.  Please share if you want!

I've focused a lot on product reviews recently, so I thought I would shake things up a bit with some different content.  You may also have noticed that my posting has been sporadic over the past few weeks, and that's due to a heavy work travel schedule that's left me very little time to test out new things and brainstorm on some new ideas.  This won't last forever, but my traditional Monday-Weds-Friday posting schedule is probably going to suffer in near future, so bear with me. 

Ticonderoga Laddie: The Fat Pencil Review

Upon my return from my trip I had two packages waiting for me.  One contained these:

A fresh dozen of Ticonderoga Laddie mini-jumbo pencils with erasers, plus my lone eraserless version.

The Laddie is Dixon's "mini-jumbo" pencil.  It's slightly larger than the typical no. 2, with a thicker graphite core, but not nearly as big as the "My First Pencil" Ticonderogas.  I haven't tried those out yet, but I think I'd probably find them too wide, as my handwriting can be on the small size. 

I love the Laddie.  It sits very comfortably in the hand, and Ticonderoga markets this product not only to school-age kids learning cursive, but to "those who like a slightly larger pencil."  I'm not sure this would replace the other pencils I use on a daily basis, but yesterday at work it was the only pencil I used. 

The core is extremely dark, sharpens to a nice point in my Carl CC-2000, and maintains that point, due to the thickness of the graphite.  Of course, given how wide the core is, if you're one of those people who insists on having a super-sharp pencil point all the time, you may find yourself sharpening frequently.  I didn't mind so much, as I made sure to rotate the pencil from time to time to maintain the point.  It's somewhat unusual how smooth and dark these pencils are, given that they are made in Dixon's Mexico factory.  My past experience with Mexican-made Ticonderogas have been mixed.  The graphite typically is not as smooth and dark as the Chinese-made version.  These pencils, however, are excellent.

Ticonderoga Laddie writing sample. 

Martin, one of the readers here, originally sent me a Laddie in a pencil trade.  They come in two varieties:  with eraser, and without.  I enjoyed the eraserless version so much that I couldn't help but order a dozen with erasers included.  The erasers are larger versions of the normal Ticonderoga eraser, and do a nice job.  I have no complaints there.

My only knock on the Laddie is that they are somewhat difficult to find.  Stores don't carry them, at least around me, and I had a heck of a time finding them on Amazon with Prime shipping included, but eventually I did. (Update - As of my last check, only the Laddie Tri-Write is Prime-eligible as a stand-alone item. You can still find good deals on the standard Laddie as an add-on item.)  I hope Dixon is not going to quit making them, because if they are, I'm going to have to buy myself a gross. 

A picture from one of my earlier "pencil comparison" reviews, which I think accurately demonstrates the size of the Laddie compared with a regular No. 2. 

My Favorite Budget Pencil (This Week)...

And no, it's not the Chinese manufactured Dixon Ticonderogas, although those are nice, because the "warping" issue knocked them out of the top slot.  I've either purchased or been sent so many pencils over the past year or so that I haven't yet gotten around to testing all of them out.  This week, however, I sharpened up two Palomino Golden Bears, and I'm quite impressed. 

Two Palomino Golden Bears after at least a week of fairly heavy use.  Check out how much pencil's still left!

The Golden Bear is Cal-Cedar's mid-range pencil.  Setting aside Blackwing range, the "classic" Palomino is the more expensive offering (at $12.95 per dozen); the Golden Bear clocks in at a bargain $2.95 per dozen (or $30.09 for a gross!), and the "budget" Prospector sells for $1.95 or $2.25 per dozen, depending on whether or not you want them in green or unfinished.

I have not yet tried the Prospector, but the Golden Bears are quality.  They easily hold up to any office supply store pencil, and compare favorably to your standard Dixon Ticonderoga or General's Semi-Hex.  The graphite core is dark and fairly smooth (just a touch grittier than the Palomino, which is to be expected at this price point), and the wood is still genuine incense cedar.  My favorite things about these pencils is the point retention.  They don't dull easily, and the cedar is such good quality that they seemingly last forever.        

A quick writing sample.  The Golden Bear is roughly the same on the "darkness" scale as the original Palomino, perhaps a touch lighter.

To my understanding, these pencils are manufactured by Musgrave in Shelbyville, Tennessee (close to home), and have the telltale Musgrave "sharp edges."  To those of you who have not used a Musgrave pencil, the hexagonal edges are not "rounded" like most pencils, and therefore can cause some problems for those who grip the pencil either too tightly or in a way which causes the pencil to dig into their fingers.  I've not had this problem, however, and I like my Musgraves.

The Golden Bears are either blue or orange (the signature Palomino colors) and are fitted with the opposite color eraser on a brass ferrule with an orange stripe.  The erasers are excellent. 

Pencils! Five More.

First, a reminder to enter our giveaway, which closes tonight at midnight.  Link Here. 

Second, here are five more well-used woodcase pencils that I found myself enjoying this weekend on my pencil tear. 

Today's lineup, from left:  General's Cedar Pointe #2; Staedtler Wopex; Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie; Dixon Oriole 2.5F; and General's Semi-Hex #2.

  1. Dixon Ticonderoga Laddie.  I received this in a trade.  Currently I only have the eraserless version.  I really need to get some more of these pencils.  The wood case and the core are both slightly thicker than the typical Dixon #2, but just slightly.  The pencil sits comfortably in the hand, and works well for longer writing sessions.  The graphite is similar to General's Layout Pencil, if you've used that.

  2. Staedtler Wopex.  I never in a million years thought that I would like this pencil as much as I do.  The Wopex is an extruded (recycled) wood pencil that has a plasticky feel to it, and is HEAVY, making it your perfect pencil-fighting companion against people who don't know what they're doing and may not catch on until you've broken a half gross of their cheap Office Depot #2s.  The Wopex has much lighter graphite than a typical "woodcase" pencil, but it has one advantage--it doesn't smear.  I've read somewhere that the wopex graphite is "complastic," meaning that it's formulated like mechanical pencil lead, so there's very little ghosting and smearing if you want to use this pencil to write in your pocket notebooks on both sides of the page, as I do.  Hand sharpen, because crank or automatic sharpeners don't auto-stop with the Wopex and will eat your pencil in one sitting.

  3. General's Semi-Hex #2.  A great, classic yellow #2 pencil that's still made in the USA, and is fairly inexpensive to boot.  I only wish they sold them by the gross.  My one complaint is that the eraser is small, somewhat hard, and leaves something to be desired.  I have a couple #1's as well, but as of now the #2 strikes a great balance between darkness and point retention.  Sharpen one of these babies up with a long-point sharpener and you can write for a long time. 

  4. General's Cedar Pointe [Sic] #2.  Weird spelling is theirs, not mine.  An excellent #2 with graphite similar to the Semi-Hex that you can find at most Hobby Lobby stores.  Unvarnished cedar pencil smells great and develops a patina as you use it.  The black eraser on this pencil is much better than the Semi-Hex eraser, IMHO.  Again, I wish General's sold these by the gross.

  5. Dixon Oriole #2.5(F) (USA version):  I picked up three dozen of these pencils about 10 years ago at my law school bookstore because I needed them for exams.  I still have them today, and the quality of these things pretty much knocks any big-box store pencil out of the park.  The lettering doesn't rub off, the eraser and ferrule are quality, and the graphite is dark for a 2.5 pencil.  Knowing that these were Dixon's second-line pencil, after the Ticonderoga, pains me because I can only guess what I was missing when I failed to pick up the USA-made Ticonderoga when it was in circulation.

Sharpened up!

Another round of writing samples.

I'm not sure how long my pencil craze will last.  I tend to shift between obsessions on a weekly/bi-weekly basis, so stay tuned.  Also, I trade pencils semi-regularly, so if you have anything unusual you think I might like, drop me a line and I will be happy to send you some from my collection/hoard in return.

Pencils! Pick Five.

First of all, thank you to everyone who has participated so far in my giveaway here.  I'd like to remind all readers that a winner will not be chosen until Tuesday, so you have until 11:59 p.m. on Monday to enter. 

Second, for some reason pencils have been calling my name this past week or so.  I've still been using my fountain pens for certain things, but the giant cup of pencils that sits crammed-full on my desk has been bothering me for a while, urging me to sharpen them up and use them.  So I have.  I'm not a pencil purist, meaning that I don't use them exclusively by any means, but I do love me some graphite. 

My pen and pencil cup runneth over.

Here are five of my current favorites:

  1. Palomino "Classic" Eraser-tipped HB.  If I was stranded on a desert island and could have one writing implement, I would choose this pencil.  To me, it has the perfect combination of smoothness, darkness, and point retention.  If I had one criticism, it's that the ferrule and eraser tend to loosen up, and eventually fall off, as the pencil is used, but that could just be a bad batch.  Oh, and the cedar smells great when you sharpen this pencil.  Theoretically, I know there's not much difference between this and Palomino's Blackwing 602, but I just like this pencil.  A lot.  (As of October 1, 2016, It looks like the Palomino HB is out of stock. I've been unable to find a source of them anywhere. Hopefully they aren't being discontinued.)

  2. Palomino Blackwing 602.  A close second.  The point retention in this pencil is second to none, but I sometimes wish it was just a hair darker (but not as dark/soft as the original Palomino Blackwing or the Blackwing Pearl).  The gunmetal finish on this pencil is gorgeous. 

  3. Dixon Ticonderoga #2 HB (Chinese Version).  (Formerly) an American classic.  This is still a decent quality pencil, the lead is smooth and very dark, and you can't beat the price.  I docked this pencil some points because the QC is not what it used to be.  Several of the pencils in the 30 pack I purchased were warped.  Not to the point of being unusable, but still...when I spend $4.00 on a pack of 30, I want my money's worth.  Oh, wait.  In terms of smoothness and darkness, you can't really beat the combination of price and easy availability. (Don't order these online - Go to your nearest big-box store and pick up a pack that says "Made in China." The "Made in Mexico" versions aren't as good.)

  4. Faber Castell American.  There are better pencils, but I love these because they were, to me, the classic yellow #2 that I used growing up.  I bought a half gross on Ebay for next to nothing, so I can use them freely.  These pencils aren't as dark as any of those listed above, which doesn't put them at the top of my list, but they are dark enough and the point retention is excellent.  They write more like a modern German HB pencil.  They are also made of real cedar and the lacquer and ferrule have a quality you don't see much anymore in a budget pencil, other than Musgrave.

  5. Field Notes Pencil.  A great pencil in concept, but I've had some performance issues with the graphite core breaking as the pencil get's shorter.  If you don't use a long-point sharpener, the problem isn't as pronounced, but what's the fun in that?  Otherwise, the unfinished raw cedar smells amazing, the graphite is acceptably smooth and dark, and the green eraser is offbeat enough to be interesting and works well.  I really want to like this pencil, but I'm going to use a few more before I make a bigger purchase.

From left:  Field Notes Pencil, Palomino Blackwing 602 (with replacement pink eraser), Classic Palomino HB, Dixon Ticonderoga, vintage Faber Castell American.

This is a pretty accurate depiction of the darkness of the lead.  In terms of darkness alone, I would rank them:  (1) Chinese Ticonderoga; (2) Palomino Blackwing 602; (3) Palomino HB; (4) Field Notes; (5) Faber Castell American.  In terms of smoothness, the rankings would be similar, thought the Palomino pencils would both trump the Chinese Ticonderoga, with the Blackwing 602 taking the prize.

By far, these are not the only pencils I use, simply those that I have been using recently.  I'll be trying to get more woodcase pencil reviews up, since I know there's demand out there for more pencil-related content.