How do you organize your notes?

[ses5909]

Rob (http://www.theblogexperiment.com/blog-forum/showpost.php?p=2140&postcount=18) mentioned that he uses google notebook to keep organized when he is working on his posts. What tools do you use?

I've used google notebook, but I didn't stick to it. I have also used backpackit (http://www.backpackit.com), but again, I don't stick to it. I'm still looking for the best way for me. Right now I save a lot of drafts in Wordpress or just write notes down in textpad.

[goldfries]

wordpress draft + my brain.

[rodaniel]

Google Notebook is glitchy, for sure, but I like that it travels with me. I can organize, add, & tweak on blog post drafts from home, work, or wherever.

I also keep code snippets & boilerplate text in there that I reuse frequently.

I don't really care for the way that saving drafts directly into Blogger works...

[Jeremy]

hahahaha, notes?!

Man, if you could only see my desk. I have some 4x6 pads of paper that I use to jot things down and they get thrown all over or pinned up on the corkboard. I have a moleskin pocket notebook that I try to use, but I'm always misplacing it.

Sometimes I don't even write down notes and I just start a new post in wordpress with a makeshift title that hopefully reminds me what to write about and save it as a draft. I need a good system, I have dozens of ideas floating around all over the place.

[smittenbite]

ah well what i'd suggest is to get something like this:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=660826&Ntt=desk%20pad&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

that is sort of like what i have, but i cant find mine on the website right now, mine look like this:

http://www.rogueidea.com/images/deskpad.JPG

basically a plain pad with a little calendar vertical on the side. perfect for jotting down anything real quick while at the desk . i know the pic is small and a little zoomed out but i had some passwords written on there :p its also from office depot but i cant find it on the website right now


i think its perfect for being convenient and plus, you always know where it is. they come in pads of sheets so when youre done or the sheet is all full you just take that one out and theres a new one under it.

good for writing down quick notes like ideas for your blog posts and things you come up with. obviously if youre writing a whole draft you'll have to use some software to type it up.


it takes some time to get used to it being there but its very flat and stays in place. i put my laptop on it sometimes so most of my notes end up being along the side area when i do that.



if this is too big, id suggest this:

http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=13-832|PageID=5846|Level=2-3|Link=PI|special=search|ID=SearchClicked|i=11

yeah its pricier (cause its fancier) but thatd be perfect if you keep your laptop directly infront of you unlike me or have limited room to spare.
you can buy the paper pads alone though, 3 for 10 dollars.

i also use mindmap for bigger projects sometimes : http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

[pbradish]

My thumb drive and pda sync with a folder on my business PC's desktop. That seems to work fairly well.

[Cedric]

I go for the classic one - Using a REAL note book. I will write all the things in my personal handbook and transfer them from it to my blog. :) If it's a quick note taking then I'd use Microsoft One Note.

[Jeremy]

Thanks smitten, those are some great ideas. I'm very, very analog when it comes to my thinking process (which is odd since I spend 90% of my day on a computer). But I can't even keep my damn outlook calendar up-to-date for work, let alone try to manage all of my thoughts in some sort of software.

I like the idea of a big desk pad though, I could go hog wild with jotting things down and not have to worry about my fan blowing my notes off my desk :D

[smittenbite]

I like the idea of a big desk pad though, I could go hog wild with jotting things down and not have to worry about my fan blowing my notes off my desk :D

no prob, i found it works really good for me too. and thats one of the best things - you always know where your notes are! =) no more sticking post its around and the mistaking it for trash which is what i used to do all the time :p

[BPartch]

I generally just keep a .txt file on my desktop with any upcoming ideas I might have, though I generally never follow up on anything I list there.

I like the looks of this huge notepad too, I remember when I was a kid hanging in my Dad's office I would scribble on the one on his desk. Now I can relive my youth through doodles. :p

[ses5909]

I like real notebooks too. When I have meetings with clients; i write my notes down in a notepad instead of typing them. I love collecting cool looking notebooks and pens.

[rodaniel]

I was keeping up with drafts in TXT files too, Ben, but I find it much more convenient to have 'em in Google Notebook so I can access & tweak on my notes from anywhere.

I'm not 100% there - and it hasn't been the easiest thing to do - but I'm darned close to paperless.

[Cedric]

The reason why I stick with the classic notebook is because I don't have a laptop and it'll be much convenient to jot things down immediately when i don't have a laptap, PDA bla bla bla.

[rodaniel]

I'm "digital," but my wife is much more "analog" - she loves, loves, loves pens and notepads and drawer organizers and, and,... well, all that old-school paper-bound stuff!

But oddly enough, she handles almost all of our bill-paying and finance stuff - all online or via Quicken.

[LiquidReflex]

Usually it's pen and paper ... and not good paper either, I have scrap paper that I use all the time. Whether it's something I printed out but didn't need anymore, or that 2nd page with one line printed on it that you really didn't need, etc ... I will keep those and store them in a folder that I bring with me just about everywhere. It has any papers I am working on or vital notes that I may need while I'm out and about. Obviously I don't bring it everywhere, but when it comes to work / business stuff ... I need that folder.

Otherwise I will use my Palm (the electronic device, not my hand) to store important dates and tasks I need to do.

[Dan Grossman]

I've been sending myself e-mails with notes, especially from work to home. The plan now is to use multiple Tadalist todo lists; it takes less time to enter a note there than to send an email. The reason I hadn't been using a website to do it in the past is I'd forget to check the website when I got home, and wouldn't remember the note. Now with the WP plugin I'm writing, notes I leave myself will be on my blog sidebar, which is one of the set of webpages I always have open.

[deronsizemore]

I use the to-do list gadget in iGoogle and I've got it set up as a compound gadget so that each site has it's own tab. I can take some quick notes on ideas that my hit me while I'm online. I just browse to my homepage and write it in the list. If I'm offline, I just use a pen and paper and then put it into iGoogle once I'm back online.

Works well for me because iGoogle is my homepage and I see it everyday once I log on.

[Megan]

I have a big fat pink notebook which I keep all of my notes and stuff in - not just blogging notes...

[dojo]

Ahem .. notes? Ooops .. I knew I lack organization .. Better start keeping notes too .. I usually just have an idea and put it down. I could use more discipline ...