The notebook, ubiquitus, and available in many sizes. It can be one of your best information gathering tools. Although in today’s world every “smart” device can function as a note-pad, this time around I am focusing on the paper version of the notepad.

Notebook uses are:

  1. Inbox
  2. Password Management
  3. Task and Project Management
  4. Writing Ideas
  5. Journaling

    Inbox

    A notebook is a great place to centrally place useful information, which comes to us in analog form. The bottom-up planning systems, as well as the Middle Way Method, encourage use of tools to capture information, A good tool to do this is a notebook. A notebook can hold loose papers, as well as have information copied into it.

Password Management

In today’s world managing strong passwords is a must. Many people use password management apps on phones or tablets. These tools make sane management of passwords possible. You can however use a notebook, to the same effect.

I suggest these columns for the notebook, Name, Username, Password, Last Updated.

Name is the name of the site, or computer the password is for. Username and password are for your current username and password. Updated, would be the date you last updated the password. This way you can come back around and when you see the password needs to be changed, you can make the change make a new entry in the list of passwords, and cross out the old one.

Task and Project Management

A notebook can be a good way to track your progress with your goals, which you turn into projects of tasks. You can use a page for each goal/project, with a line for each step needed to accomplish it. Once you complete a step you can cross it off, and move on to the next one.

Writing Ideas

If you like to write, either blog posts, books, or whatever ideas will strike you at unusual times. Use your notebook to jot those ideas down, and come back to them later when you are ready to write about the subject.

Journaling

You can use a notebook as a journal. These make great treasures to go back and remember events from earlier in your life, or for your family to find after you have passed on.

Conclusion

There are many useful ways to make use of a notebook. They come in many configurations, and sizes. You can even make your own. In our digital world, the analog sometimes makes mundane things special.