Photo by Julia Joppien on Unsplash
A devoted reader asked me to write an article about my notebook system, so I’m happily obliging her. I call it my carnet (kar-NAY), which means “notebook” in French.
Lots of people keep track of their lives on their phones. That just doesn’t work for me. There’s something about actually writing things down that helps them stick in my head and helps me think better in general. I take my carnet with me everywhere.
What I use it for: my carnet is a combination journal, list keeper, habit tracker, doodling pad, and commonplace book. I write down:
Regular diary-type entries
Funny/crazy/interesting things people say
Quotes I want to use or memorize in future
Questions I have about scriptures and any answers I find
Other questions that occur to me
Notes from other reading/research
Story ideas and brainstorming notes
Outlines for talks, essays, and novels
Drafts of song lyrics I’m writing
Phone numbers
Ideas for dinners or other meals, as well as weekly menus
To do lists
Shopping lists
Lists of movies, books, music, restaurants, or other things to explore
Recipes
Sketches
Gift ideas
Notes from meetings
Lists of long-term tasks (cleaning out the garage, etc.)
Lists of expenses
And I’m sure there are other things I’m forgetting, but you get the idea.
How I use it: Ideally, in the evening, after looking at my calendar, I’ll make a to do list for the next day. (Sometimes I do it the morning of.) I head the list with the date. I include anything on my schedule along with its time, like “Orthodontist at 2pm.” I also include what I’m planning to make for dinner, along with a note to defrost or buy anything, if needed.
Once I’ve completed a task, I put an X to the left of the item. I used to cross them out, but then the lists were hard to read, and sometimes I need to look back at them. By the end of the day, if there are things I haven’t gotten done, I either put a — to the left of the task (if it’s something specific to that day), or a > to the left of it, which means I carry it forward and write it on the next day’s list.
Also, if I accomplish anything that wasn’t already on my to do list? I absolutely write it down and then put an X by it. Celebrate small successes, people.
I have an abbreviation for stuff that tends to keep getting carried forward, like phone calls or other procrastinated errands. In my book, they’re “LFOS,” short for List-Falling-Off-Stuff. Super articulate, I know. Sometimes I have an actual LFOS list on the right side of a page, and I’ll devote some time to getting rid of those things once and for all.
If I run out of something, like olive oil or cotton swabs, I try to write it down in my carnet right away so I don’t forget next time I go shopping. Generally, my daily to do lists will be on the left side of a page, and special lists, like LFOS, shopping lists, or weekly menus will be on the right.
Special pages: At the beginning of the month, I set up two pages. One is to list all of my expenditures for the month. I date them and then record them: ALDI $102 or CVS $39.50.
The second special page is my habit tracker. This is an idea I borrowed from the bullet journaling system, and I love it. Before I started doing HT, as I call it, I’d write some of the same things on my to do list every single day: scripture study, piano practice, French study, exercise, etc. That got old, but I wanted credit (in my own mind, let’s be clear) for doing them, so I wrote them out.
Instead, I now write the dates of the month down the side of a page. Across the top, I write abbreviations for the habits I want to track. This can change from month to month, but for example, right now I’m tracking:
Morning Prayer
Walk with Dog
Swimming OR Rowing
Yoga
Breathing/Neck Exercises
Scripture Study
Writing
Reading
Piano
French
Evening Prayer
Then I make vertical pencil lines to separate the tasks, so I have a grid. When I do one of the items, I X its box. If I miss a day, I put a dot. If I didn’t do it because I don’t have to (for example, I generally don’t exercise on Sundays), I put a —. On the far right of the page, I have a little space left where I put a star if I get every task done that day. I put down a dot if I don’t. I’m way more consistent with my habits when I track them.
Sometimes I’ll make a special page that’s just for listing movies I want to see or books I want to read. When I read a good review, I go write down the title. That way, I don’t have to waste time scrolling through streaming menus or the library website in search of something; I already have ideas.
My final special pages are my index. When I get a new notebook, if the pages aren’t numbered already, I go through and number each page. Then I leave either the first or last few pages blank so I can use them as an index. When I write down something I know I’ll want to find later—an inspiring quote or a list of recipes to try—I write it in the index along with its page number. I use the index a ton.
Some people are super artsy with their notebooks, and I love to see people express their creativity like that. That’s just not how I choose to spend my time. Though I have good handwriting, my carnets are not pretty. But they are incredibly useful.
What to use: for decades, I used college-ruled composition notebooks. I’d buy them on sale in August and keep a few spares on hand. On the front, I’d list the dates it covered: 3 June - 17 November 2009, for example. I would tape a piece of construction paper with clear packaging tape on three sides on the inside of the back cover, leaving the edge next to the notebook’s spine open so I could use it as a pocket for papers I needed handy, like prescriptions or receipts.
Now I can afford to be a little fancier. I switched to Moleskines for a while and lately have been buying Leuchterm 1917s. They have sturdy covers in lots of pretty colors, thick paper that resists ink bleeding through, and a little pocket already built into the back cover. They also have prenumbered pages and an elastic strap to keep them closed.
For writing, I prefer black pens, but you do you. I used to use Pilot V5s, which worked great. Then I decided to try a fountain pen, which is a subject for a whole other article. Suffice it to say that after trying a few other inexpensive brands, I’ve settled on a Lamy with a very fine nib, and I love it.
Pro tip: I always put my name and phone number and/or email address on the front page of my carnet. Here’s why. Once I was visiting Utah. On my way to the airport to fly back to New York, I stopped by a hospital in Orem to briefly cheer on my niece, who was giving birth. It was dark when I left, and I must have set my carnet on top of my rental car while searching for my car key. Then I apparently drove off with the carnet on top, all unawares.
Near the airport, I stopped at a gas station to fill up the rental car. While I was there, I got a phone call. A kid who was going up to Salt Lake City to go clubbing with friends saw my carnet lying on the side of the freeway onramp. He pulled over, got out, picked it up, and called me after finding my number. “It looked really important,” he said.
It was. It was most of the way full, and it was my brain and my life. I was astounded and grateful, and I fortunately had time to drive into downtown SLC and meet him. I picked it up and thanked him profusely before turning back around and getting on my flight. Amazing, right? That angel.
So, there you have it; my notebook system, refined and personalized over years of use. What works best for you? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Well. You absolutely MUST read Piranesi. MUST.