Different Heights of Brows

In Search Of The Perfect Note-taking System

I've tried notebooks of all shapes, colours and sizes. I've tried post-it notes of all shapes, colours and sizes. (I'm kinda addicted to stationary.) But nothing, nada one has ever worked as a good solid note-taking-to-do-follow-up-don't-forget system for me. Even throughout school, I'd change up my notebooks and binders at the start of every school year because I could never keep up the adopted system for the entire year.

I am not a creature of habit. I get into a ruts, sure. I just can't stick to any sort of routine, unless of course it involves my television. I could never keep a journal/diary/agenda. Three months worth of daily multivitamins lasts me a year. I'm lucky the pill is not my birth control of choice because there is no way I'd remember to take it everyday. Heck! Some mornings I even forget to put on my glasses!

In my current job, however, I need to keep a lot of notes. Multitasking is imperative to the position. When I was younger I would soley rely on my memory to keep track of appointments and deadlines, but as I get older the more I forget and the worse my memory. This leaves me in a bit of a pickle. I need to write down the notes so I don't forget anything, but every system was a failure. There were many problems with the notebook route. For example, I would list my notes in point form down the page and cross out the completed tasks, but then I was left with a page full of scratched out notes and one pending note that wouldn't stand out enough. As well, sometimes a post-it note was more accessible than the notebook, resulting in notes that were not contained in the same place. I love post-it notes and prefer to write each note on it's own post-it. Yet, to only use post-its would mean the potential loss of important notes or not being able to find pertinent information immediately, which is usually the timeline I'm given to pass along the information.

I believe I have finally figured it out! I have been writing the date at the top of a piece of legal sized paper, punching holes in it and adding it to a clipboard. I write my notes on various coloured post-its (colour doesn't mean anything except to break up the monotony of a monochrome so I don't miss anything) and stick it to the page. I cross out the notes that are completed or else move them to the next day's sheet. As my boss astutely noted, I can't seem to keep a notebook so I am actually creating my own book instead.

I can't believe I just made you read (or skim, as the case may be) such a long entry on something that has got to be boring to everyone who is not me!

A Highbrow notekeeping method for Ms.
Lowbrow

posted by highbrow @ 3:10 PM