For many of us, our paper notebook is a precious personal possession. Like everything else, we’re likely to use it for different purposes – based on our interests, goals and desires. If you’re wondering how best to use yours, here are 11 ways you can use your notebook as you journey to self-fulfilment and personal growth.
1. JOURNALING
A good way to keep in touch with your feelings and document your life experiences is to regularly capture them in a notebook. Keeping a daily record of happenings in your life can help you track trends and understand yourself better. You can see patterns in outcomes resulting from certain actions and inactions, which can come in handy when making future decisions. In addition, if you fancy exploring nostalgic memories, then keeping a notebook for journaling is the way to go.
2. GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS
This is one of the most popular ways of using a notebook – to write personal goals and aspirations. It is often said that a goal not written down is just a wish. Have you got some goals you’ll like to achieve? The giant steps towards achieving these goals usually start with the simple one of writing them down on paper.
3. DAILY TASKS
We all have many things to do on a daily basis, but completing them has been a challenge faced by everyone. No matter how much we do in a day, there are usually things left undone. A well tested and trusted way to manage this effectively is to prioritise few tasks and see them to completion. This is where writing everything on paper comes in. A visual review of your tasks helps you re-arrange them in order of importance and urgency. Keeping a notebook for your ‘to do tasks’ can be the key to taking you from just being busy to being productive.
4. IDEAS TO REMEMBER
If it’s worth remembering, then it’s worth writing down. You never can tell when the next great idea will come. Having your notebook handy means, you can write your ideas down as they come so you don’t forget them. An A5 or pocket notebook is easier to carry about and will surely do the job.
5. MEETING PREP
Writing in a notebook is a proven way to prepare for a meeting, as it helps you arrange your thoughts in advance. This exercise is even more important if you’re the organiser, because you’ll need to manage and control the conversation in order to prevent people from talking off tangent and wasting time on irrelevancies. During a meeting, you can also jot down some real-time ideas you want to share while you wait for others to finish speaking.
6. FAVOURITE QUOTES
There are many inspiring quotes out there but we all have our favourites. Some people actually dedicate a notebook to writing their favourite quotes. This can help keep things organised, as it lets you know what notebook to pull out of the cabinet when you need some inspiration.
7. CREATIVE WRITING
This is an obvious way to use a notebook. Writing the first draft of a song, poem, book, speech or even a movie in a notebook is something done by many renowned creative writers. This can then be fleshed out and improved with time. If you’re into creative writing, keeping a notebook is an awesome way to capture, nurture and develop your creative ideas.
8. SKETCHING
Artistic people know the importance of keeping a notebook when it comes to capturing ‘in the moment inspirations’ and developing their craft. Also, designers and inventors know they will save a lot of money and time by first sketching and exploring an idea in their notebook before developing them using more expensive tools.
9. BRAINSTORMING
Thinking on paper is a popular technique for problem solving and idea generation. Using a notebook for this purpose can be really rewarding, as it not only helps in completing the process but also allows you document the journey for future reference. For instance, drawing mind maps in your notebook gives that visual edge that reveals new angles to existing ideas or solutions.
10. DREAMS JOURNAL
Another way to use your notebook is to record your dreams. It is best to do this immediately you wake up so you don’t forget. This can help you identify patterns and learn more about yourself. Guess what? Your dream can also be the source of a major creative idea. Keeping a dream journal is the perfect way to ensure such ideas are captured and developed.
11. FOOD AND EXERCISE DIARY
Keeping a food diary helps you track what you eat and drink - the quantity, frequency and nutritional components of your food intake. Combining this with a record of your exercise activities can be incredibly valuable. Reviewing this record can be revealing, as it helps you see what needs to change, in order to achieve your nutritional and fitness goals.
There is no right or wrong way to use your notebook; it’s about what works for you. That explains why there are probably other ways to use a notebook apart from those discussed above. Nevertheless, make good use of every page of your notebook by filling it with the breathings of your heart.
Segun Ojediran (MSc) | Rhodium Mines®
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