For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to write things down – even before I could even write! Hahaha. I used to have this small binder, and I would pretend I’d written stuff on the pages, but it was actually just lines and scribbles. Fast forward to today, I am still that obsessed with writing things down for many reasons I will share next, and also for silly reasons that finishing a book would grant me a reason to buy another notebook XD.
I Am a Forgetful Person
I am not the type of person who can just pull up a memory from my head, especially if it’s something intricate, related to work, or just, well, many things in general hahaha. Back when I was still in school, writing things down helped me recall how my teachers/lecturers explained them. If I did not have any notes, I would have little to no memory of what happened in class – I kid you not.
This is also applicable to scheduling and stuff now, which I put in calendars because it’s not just once or twice; I would give an okay to more than one person on the same day. This is not a good example, okay. Thankfully, so far, any overlaps can be resolved. Plus I have the tendency to say yes easily (still working on the people pleasure trait in me tho).
So I think I can conclude that my love for writing was born from my self-awareness of a lack of having a good memory(?) Lol. But you know, as we’re getting older, even for those who have a good space in their mind to remember stuff, I think it’s wise to have it somewhere – maybe on the note app on the phone. The book ‘Hyperfocus’ explains attentional space. And writing things down in a note (whether physical or digital) will boost our focus, especially when we need to do deep work.
Re-Organised and Categorised My Thoughts
When I read or even watch videos with the purpose of learning something, I like to write them down, not particularly for me to remember them, but more to make myself understand them. I would write down in my own words, maybe in simple lines, and emphasise here and there, which helps me get into my thoughts better.
Another example is when I have to make a priority for things I have to do – it’s easier for me to categorise them all in a writing instead of just going blindly. I also realise that whenever life gets a little bit too overwhelming, writing makes it less daunting. Not saying it removes all the problems down okay – just having it on paper itself is already an act of taking some of the burden off my mind.
Types of Notebook
Currently, I have a night journal for me to reflect on the day and just write whatever I feel like sharing on paper. Things I’m grateful for, any interesting activities, lessons learnt, exciting news, or just how my day goes. So the content is really personal.
My other notebook is for work stuff. I take notes during meetings, on things I need to do, and on any information I need for my work. Not the exciting part – I know, but really essentials.
Other than work, I also have a notebook for my learning purposes. There’s one for my English lesson notes, and another one is the general knowledge I learn from books or videos. Since I mentioned in my previous post about learning Swedish, I am thinking of starting a new book for my Swedish studies. Currently, I just have a bunch of post-its because I want to keep it casual and no pressure hahaha, but the ‘me’ in me just wants to make a note for my Svenska learning journey other than just learning on the app.
I also have a notebook that I fill with miscellaneous stuff, artwork of my own and others, printed stuff (mainly K-pop things and cute Pinterest images), and basically anything. Maybe can be called a junk journal(?) But I don’t really lay it out tho. And actually, I will create a new one specifically for a collage. I’ve been into collage since forever but silly me, I thought I wouldn’t be as good as those in youtube videos and I didn’t really try until recently.
And lastly, I have also dedicated my uni days binder to my master’s study notes. Notes on the universities, essays, and any notes needed for the preparation.
I used to put all my notes in one notebook, for whatever purpose there was. But this is back when I was still in high school. As I get older (and life just gets more complicated) plus I get to have my own adult money to spend on cute notebooks, I have the ability to buy more notebooks.
Things To Improve
Based on my experience so far, things that I want to improve from my note-taking journey are not to try to make it perfect or tidy. I am now in my era of battling the perfectionist mindset in me. And I have this unreasonable rule I have in my brain that’s just stopping me from enjoying life and just doing things.
For instance, when this post is posted, it will be my 14th day streak of posting every day in my blog. I used to overcomplicate things by having the need to make it all perfect and planned (maybe the J in me, from the MBTI hahaha). If I were telling myself, 15 days ago, that I would have posted every single day for two weeks, I would not believe myself because I used to think that I couldn’t do it. But here I am. Making the effort and time, and actually excited to share on my blog. Sometimes, we just need the prove to convince ourselves that we can do better.
The second thing is I need to not feel bad about ‘wasting’ a page. Yet another unreasonable rule I made in my head, that I need to use all of the page fully. No, I don’t mean not finishing the book, but to maybe leave some blank spaces on the page.
For instance, I am now using a guided book on my night journal. I feel the need to fill out the space to the max since the pages are assigned to different days, I wouldn’t be able to fill them up the day after. I just have to remind myself that there are days I can just write a one-liner journal when I need to. Yet finding the right balance between giving yourself a break and maintaining consistency to push through is another battle for me.
Next time, I will share my favourite notebooks. I don’t have all the photos with me now, but I will make the time to document them all. How many types of notebooks do you have? Or do you even use a physical notebook these days? Please share with me in the comment section.
VERONICAKUDO 
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