Get Everything Done

I've been using AF since January and during that time have tried several notebooks. Here's some notes on what worked and I'd be interested to see what others have concluded with.

I started with an A4 hardback, spiral bound Niceday journal, front for Work sections, back for Home. I loved the space of A4 and the hardback, but it weighed enopugh for it to be a pain to cart around in a bag all the time.

I followed with a cheap A5 bound notebook from Wilkison's :) . Gerat size, light, but too flimsy and the pages fell out which gets in the way of frequent reviews!

I've now got what I think is the best so far: the large Volant notebook from Moleskine. It's very light, 96 pages, about A5 size, really well bound with a durable and flexible cover. One each for work and home, easy to carry around, and works a treat.

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moleskine-Volant-Notebook-Large-Ruled/dp/8883708601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249907553&sr=8-1

Combined with a Berol rollerball and a pen highlighter and you have an easy kit for great RAF.

Regards
Jonathan

Jonathan,

After using a cheapish WH Smith Airport shop A5 notebook when the AF1 beta started, I moved a couple of months later to a hardcover Moleskine notebook, also about A5 size.

The durability is good and the paper quality excellent. My pen is a Bic metal pen (which I've only found at Schipol Airport), but with Parker gel refills.

That said, I'm really looking for something a bit more flexible, see my recent postings. I want A5 with most notes etc to hand, but with easy filing/moving etc. That's why I'm having a look at Atoma and ADOC here in the UK.

I too find A5 a convenient size, better than A4. My "pocket" needs are met mainly by my HTC Touch Pro 2 Pocket PC Phone.

I use a 'Silvine' A5 size with green cover:

http://www.silvine.com/products.php?SIZE/A5

which has excellent quality paper, combined with a Lamy 'Safari' fountain pen.

Roger:

If this isn't too nerdish of me, can you give details of the Bic metal pen and the name of the shop you got it from? I will be passing through Schiphol next week and would love to get one - I am a big fan of Bic pens, which seem to be getting harder to find these days .... excuse me while I reminisce about the good old days, when Bic was availabe everywhere ....

Thanks!

I use an A6 ADOC notebook. It has dividers, so not only do I have my AF list in it, but I also have sections for notes, ideas and so on. I need it to be small and light so it can go into any handbag that I carry, and the fact that I can add and remove pages gives me all the flexibility I need.

The only problem is that it's become quite difficult to buy ADOC notebooks and refills now, especially the smaller sizes. Can anyone recommend an ADOC supplier? The only one I've found online charges £7 postage for each order, which is a bit steep if all you need is some refill paper!

I use a propelling pencil, so I can rub out stuff where necessary. In terms of the AF list, I only rub out the asterisks I sometimes use to highlight tasks that absolutely must be done today. They make it easier to spot important tasks, but I erase the asterisk when I do the action and cross it out.

acedia:

There is a big shop on the ground floor (for passengers checking in) between D and E which has magazines/newspapers at the D end and audio=visual stuff at the E end, It's almost directly in front of you when you come through passport control.

The main checkout for magazines/newspapers/books had the pens on display on the cashier counter. I'm sure they are Bic, metal with rubber grip, comfortable. They take Parker refills as well.

Buy two!

Roger J

Thanks, Roger - I will!

Annette,

Try this llink http://www.pegasusnational.com/index.php

The prices are allegedly discounted, but I'm not sure of postage charges. The thing is that most quality goods and services do carry some sort of premium. I'm not sure how durable the ADOC system is and Atoma might be a tad too expensive.

As some other users do, each item in my RAF/AF lists starts with a dash (about 7mm on average. When I "target" and item (for whatever reason), I draw a vertical line so that the dash becomes a cross. This enables the item to stand out, and when completed or ready to be re-entered, I just continue the dash right to the end of the text, then highlight in green.

Roger J

For work, I just use the 50 page, spiral bound, narrow ruled, 8.5X11" page notebooks we have here at work--nothing special at all. "Skilcraft" is the brand:
http://www.arkansaslighthouse.org/alb/Products_Pics.html
I even hesitate to post it, because I only use them because they're what we have here and would use anything else that was similar. They work just fine. I normally don't take them out of the workplace (just occasionally to review or to transfer in some items from meetings), so portability is not an issue. At home, I use an 8.5X11" spiral bound notebook that has some pockets, which I like. Again, nothing special--I likely picked it up at a drugstore.

Oh, it's the very first item in the link - the side bound "Memorandum book."

I've tried a few books this year and have settled on my current one which is a Red Moleskine Hardcover book. Really pleased with it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moleskine-Large-Ruled-Notebook-Red/dp/8862930046/ref=pd_sim_b_4

I also keep an extra small volant moleskine notepad in my handbag to make notes when I am out to then transfer into my RAF book. Loving them both! Bought them from Simply Moleskine which delivers pretty much the next day, free of charge.

http://www.simplymoleskine.com/page/Volant-Notebooks

There's one other thing which I carry everywhere, even when I don't have my work or hom AF books with me. It's small, portable, easy to use and to capture thoughts, ideas, actions, anything: a small digital voice recorder. I've had my Olympus for two years and it works a treat.

See here for insipration: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=digital+voice+recorder&x=0&y=0

Jonathan

"Annette,

Try this llink http://www.pegasusnational.com/index.php

The prices are allegedly discounted, but I'm not sure of postage charges. The thing is that most quality goods and services do carry some sort of premium. I'm not sure how durable the ADOC system is and Atoma might be a tad too expensive."

Thanks very much, but that's the site I found, and it charges £6.95 postage for orders under £75. I'm happy with the quality of ADOC having used it on and off for some years and the prices of the products themselves are good at that site. But the delivery charges make it rather expensive if I don't need a lot. Rymans used to stock ADOC, including refills, but they have very little now.

Jonathan, couldn't agree with you more. My DVR is my main in-box, supplemented by a flexible pocket notebook. The DVR is useful because I am moving through my place of work at a rapid pace usually and stopping to write notes would sometimes put me behind on some timed tasks. I also find it handy to record interesting things from NPR (US - National Public Radio) when I am commuting. That is where the multiple folders come in handy; I can record in A as my main inbox then move to B, C, or D if it is something I want to keep for reference or enjoyment.

When I get back to my desk, I enter the delegated/trackable items into my work binder on grid paper that I've divided into quadrants for the 4 areas of responsibility I have. These items are 90% delegated. I treat these lists AF style, usually AF1. The stuff that is 100% mine, or a significant follow up is needed, I'll put those things into my Miquelrius notebook at the back and work from a daily page a la DIT or GSD then go back to those lists RAF style.

My main problem occurs when I neglect to process the DVR notes in a timely fashion.

Clay

I worked for a management consulting firm that specialised in coaching top execs of fortune 500 companies. They insisted on the use of A4 hardback notebooks (c200 pages) for all execs. Their 'system' revolved around this 'single place to note important actions and commitments'. (www.supreme-stationery.com)

So for decades I have continued using them. I use one such notebook per month. So when I started Autofocus in January I just used the same format. For no particular reason I select a different colour cover each month.

I only use the right-hand-side for Autofocus lists. The left-hand-side pages are where I take notes.

I find the quality of the paper is vital - I love the feel of the paper based system. There is a whole sensory experience associated with doing my pages - it sounds silly - but it is part of the attraction of Autofocus.

Down the years I have had every variation of PDA and pocket computing device - I could start a museum with my collection of cast-offs. In the end I find paper works best for me.

I use a calligraphic fountain pen (http://www.sheaffer.com/calligraphy/) as I write using a Gaelic script that needs a wide nib (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_minuscule). The pen also slows me down so I write more legibly and neater. With a ballpoint pen I go so fast I can’t read it later.

In front of me is the stack of completed notebooks for 2009 - I get a good feeling from that stack - hundreds of pages of completed tasks - thousands of tiny steps forward on my life’s journey. Hmmm.

Paul

Very interesting Paul, thanks for that

Paul,

FWIW, neither link works.

Paul wrote:
<<Down the years I have had every variation of PDA and pocket computing device - I could start a museum with my collection of cast-offs. In the end I find paper works best for me.>>

Same here. I've tried and tried, and in the end I decided that even an employer encouraging PDA's isn't enough for me to stick to digital. Paper just feels better.

Mike:

<<FWIW, neither link works.>>

That's just Mark's forum software including the closing bracket (and the full stop with the second link). Remove it and it works.

Just because I have abandoned PDA's and electronic gadgets, does not mean I have stopped experimenting with technologies. I have totally changed the 'pen and paper' technology I am using for AF over the last few weeks.

First I was having problems with the 'pen' part. As I posted earlier - I gave up using ball-point pens for two reasons - first they write too fast and my writing degrades into a scrawl that even I can't read afterwards - secondly I find ball-point pens get blotchy when you use them to draw long straight lines (as when I cross-off items on my list).

So I used a wide-nibbed fountain pen which slowed me down, encouraged legible (even pleasant) handwriting. However it does not cross-out things easily and I was always running out of ink or having the nib go dry at the wrong moment.

Recently I began following Barbara Sher's [1] program for 'Scanners' from her book 'Refuse to Choose' [2] and keeping a Scanner Daily Pages notebook for all my weird and wacky project ideas. For that I use a propelling pencil that allows me to sketch and doodle (and erase!) to my hearts content. That book is an A4 sketch pad with lovely silky blank pages. It’s great to be free of the ruled page for a while!

So when I filled up my last AF notebook a few weeks ago, I went in search of a way to combine the structure of the ruled page for my lists with the freedom of the blank page for my mind-maps and doodles. And I found it - its called a 'Nature Study Book' [3].

It’s an A4 hard-backed book (128 pages) with alternative leaves of ruled and blank paper. I use the ruled pages for my AF lists and the facing blank pages for my notes, mind-maps, sketches and doodles. And I have abandoned the fountain pen for an HB propelling pencil (and I keep an eraser in my pocket). The paper is high quality and the pencil glides over its silky surface in a very satisfying way.

It may sound silly - but both my left hemisphere and my right hemisphere are rejoicing and very happy with this new toy. I can combine my AF lists with my creative Scanner pages all in one place.

I have suspected that one of the key ingredients of the magic of Autofocus is the way the left and right hemispheres are involved in the decision-making process when it comes to selecting the next task to pursue – and my new note book feels like it has enhanced that magic even more.

Respect
Paul

[1] Barbara Sher (author of Wishcraft and others) www.barbarasher.com
[2] ‘Refuse to Choose’ by Barbara Sher www.amazon.com/gp/search?index=books&linkCode=qs&keywords=1594863032
[3] Nature Study Notebook; www.supreme-stationery.com product code: HB-0851

For personal I have been using a Staples brand notebook called spineguard. I like it because it comes with pockets to put stuff like bills in, as well as five color post it type flags to mark things. It has a poly type cover so it is durable. The one I have is 6 by 9 inches. It is very versatile.

For work I am using a regular 8 1/2 by 11 inch legal pad, which is what my new system is built around.

Gerry
http://simpletimemanagement.blogspot.com/

Paul,

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing your system, it is intriguing.

Another thing that intrigues me is that I can't seem to locate supreme-stationery.com anywhere! I am in the United States. . . perhaps I can't access it? I did find a UK company called Wise Owl that seems to sell the supreme-stationery items though.

--Joseph

@Joseph

The URL www.supreme-stationery.com is printed on the back of all my notebooks but, as you say, the link is not working - most odd! They are sold in almost all the local stationery stores I visit in Ireland.

Regardless - I am sure that other stationers produce Nature Study Notebooks - with alternate leaves of ruled and blank paper?

Paul

I find it essential to have my notebook with me at all times, thus I use an A7 one, ring bound at the top, and keep it in my pocket. It is PDA sized. This has been working well for me. In the UK, they are available in Sainsburys and I think Tesco carry the same design. The notebook is hard bound and survives well so far (almost full).

For note-taking on the run I carry a pocket-sized Moleskine cahier, cut in half. It's small enough to fit in any pocket, large enough to scribble a few sentences on each (half) page.

I try to always keep my notebook with me, and since most of my work is office-based that works quite well. I've started out using Moleskine large-size lined notebooks, and recently I've tried X17 (www.x17.de) in A5-size. I really like the X17 size and portability, plus the fact that it's easy to mix lined, squared and blank paper in one binder, but the paper is a bit thin for fountain pens, and it's very white, so I may switch back to Moleskines. The Moleskine large cahiers also fit in the X17, so I may try that instead.

Forgot to add that changing notebooks every now and then is my way of keeping the system fresh; every time I start a new notebook (once every 2-3 months or so) I'm eager to clean up some high-resistance tasks, so I don't have to carry them over to the new notebook.

I use a really minimal AF system no larger than a wallet as I love to travel light and always have my AF list handy. It's probably too small for most people, but might appeal to some.

My AF list is a loose leaf Filofax organiser - Mini Guildford Extra Slim. Starting from the front, I only use the pages on the right hand side as they're easier to write on. Finished pages are crossed out, turned upside down and reinserted, or thrown away if full. A clip in ruler bookmark marks the current page for adding new items. Short notes can be jotted down at the back though I could use the other side of the page for notes, as some AFers do.

The best Filofax pen IMO is the amazing Tombow 717 which is thin enough to clip onto the Filofax rings without stopping them turning. It usually gets clipped into the current page as a temporary bookmark. It's only a ballpen, but that does mean that the ink doesn't show through to the other side of the paper.

A small column ruled down the right hand side of the page is used for putting a dot against started items, a cross mark against completed items or a filled in square for dismissed items. Crossed out lines get too messy for my taste. It seems easier to scan down a small column looking for empty squares than looking for lines that aren't crossed out.

The Filofax doubles up as a wallet with just enough space for some cards, papers, and bank notes folded into three. It's a good discipline having a small amount of wallet space and not accumulating paper in it.

If it's awkward to get the AF list out to note something down (e.g. if walking) then it gets entered into Erica Staduns basic iPhone To do list program (typing with one thumb) or as an iPhone voice memo. There's a recurring AF task to empty and re-enter tasks into AF from these 'collection buckets' (in GTD terminology).

For making notes, journal entries and 'thinking on paper' I need more space. I use a separate notebook/journal (when I can be bothered to carry it). My notebook of choice is a large Noto journal (similar to a Moleskin) from PaperChase which has quality paper and soft binding with elastic to keep it closed. Occasionally it's more convenient to type notes into draft emails on the PC or iPhone. There's a recurring AF task to review these notes or drafts and cross out or delete them when finished.

Nicole:

<I carry a pocket-sized Moleskine cahier, cut in half.>

For the uninitiated, how does one go about cutting it in half?

Mike C,

<<A small column ruled down the right hand side of the page is used for putting a dot against started items, a cross mark against completed items or a filled in square for dismissed items. Crossed out lines get too messy for my taste.>>

Brilliant! I'll have to give that a try. It sounds very orderly.

Joseph

@Laurence:

the cahier are only 64 pages thick, with a cardboard cover, so I just cut it with a steel ruler and a sharp knife on a cutting board. That way it becomes 9cm wide and 6.5cm high.

Just be careful for your fingers :-)

@Nicole

I looked at the X17 website - thanks for the pointer - and was impressed.
Such a simple idea yet so versatile - I must try to pick up one of those when I am next in Germany.

But I must say that having ruled and blank pages alternating is working very well for me – its as if my artistic side and my ‘logical’ side get on together much better with this arrangement.

As for paper size – I have tried smaller formats and keep going back to the A4 standard – seems I need space to think!

Paul

The X17 site looks great. Did I miss something the first page is in English, but I did not find an English version. Would love to pick up some of their products.

Thanks

Gerry
http://simpletimemanagement.blogspot.com/

@Laurence:

I did the same (halfing a Moleskine Cahier), but I used a good paper guillotine. Probably easy to break a cheap one that way :-)

OTOH, I found the half-Cahier a bit too small to be practical.

Yes, the X17 site is only available in German and French. The companion-site, X47.com (the more luxury more expensive version) is in English, except for the shop-part which is German only.

About the half-cahier being too small: I only use it for jotting down reminders when I'm not carrying my AF-notebook, as a capture device for the actual AF-list. Otherwise it would indeed be way too small. I've tried A4 and A6, but I've found that A5 is the best compromise for me between writing space and portability.

I'm using a Field Notes pocket size book (9x14 cm) and a good ball point pen.

http://fieldnotesbrand.com/

The X47 products look very nice. I just can't warrant the expense. Zane, thanks for the tip on the fieldnotes, they look very nice and it apears as though the firm is doing a lot of good things with this company and others.

Gerry
http://simpletimemanagement.blogspot.com/

For a long time now I've been using a pocket-sized address book.

Actually, I threw the address book away, and kept the cover, which is like a binder cover with plastic pockets. It's 50mmx80mm folded over, and it easily fits into my jeans pockets. I put business cards and a small pen into this cover, and write new tasks on the back of these business cards.

When I get back to my computer I enter the cards into OneNote. If I want a checklist for on the road, I can print tasks out of OneNote and take it along.

P.S. I also recommend Barbara's books, and I find OneNote to be a great spot for recording project stuff, but I also have a spiral bound notebook with a magnetic clasp that I like to use.