The Notebook

When we get to the office as an employee, we are always looking for ways to be efficient in our tasks. I am one of those persons that like to be reminded of the activities being asked by my superiors. I for one does not have a good memory. I need something to write on. Even when i was studying i knew that a good notebook or writing material should be on hand. Of course you need also a pen.

When I was in school, I even liked covering my notebooks. I just don't know why. Maybe it is because my parents are both teachers and they like to see us exert an effort to be good at school including protecting the books. My books should be well covered and properly at that. The edges should be right angles.

During that time, the notebook that I use is the big one. I read a book when I was in High School that the best notebook should be the one where once if you glance on the page you could easily understand everything. Not much of deciphering using a Rosetta Stone should be made. It is good to have such a large notebook but here in the our country the cost of large notebooks are really out of the budget. Merit notebooks cost a pretty penny. Similar to other brands like Cambridge or Mead. The cost is so expensive that you don't want to write on it, let alone touch it. Or if you have the courage of writing unto it, make sure that to avoid erasures because erasing wastes so much space. 

Since I came from a simple family, what me and my sisters do is buy those inexpensive ones. The ones that has actors/actresses as covers. So this might be the reason I want to cover my notebooks.
 
But there are times, that I switched to other notebook sizes. Because having only one type becomes kind'a boring. But then again efficiency is more important than looks. So I always returned to the big notebooks. I even used the lesson plan type that educators/teachers use.

This preference changed, when I went to work. This big notebook proves to be a burden. Especially if the company issues you a laptop. I tried a planner because most planners have small size. It even has dates and you can put any entry on it. However, planners are bulky and honestly, we need to have some seminar on how to effectively use the planner. Planners have division for entries for daily, weekly and monthly. But we need to think what do we need to seperate instantly. Sometimes this makes planners very difficult to use. C'mon if you have an entry in the planner you have to be very good in using it to think that you have to write it immediately in any of theses sections. And also what should be the size of the planner. There are so many sizes to choose from. If you go to the different bokktores you will find out what I am talking about especially during yuletide season. Planners are great gifts. Although all the planners that I receive I just give to my sisters.

If a company issues you a laptop why not use it instead. Well not everything can be typed in a laptop as fast as it can be written in a piece of paper. You cannot simply sketch something in the laptop and then put labels on them. It is not like doing it using simply a notebook.  

So what is the ideal size? Is there really an ideal size? What I can recommend is to use a notebook that can fit on the pocket of your jeans. A small steno notebook will do. I bought something similar to that that works best for me. I simply made some additions to strengthen the back cover. I put a simple plastic as some sort of reinforcement. This protect the cover from being damaged by wet surfaces. Believe it or not we always forget that the table we are writing was wet. the technique  How to write on this is to consider writing on one page So you do not have to turn the pages often. This makes it very to scroll when backtracking your notes.  I suggest also to use a thin one rather a thicker one. Since we put this into the back pocket of our jeans, it is very easy toget ruined especially at the springs. We do not expect for this to last for one year. What is important is for it to last while we have something to write into it.

Because that is the essence of the notebook. We write into it.