Do you get ideas when you’re out and about – in your car, on a plane, while generally strolling somewhere or sitting in a cafe? How do you capture these ideas to make sure you don’t lose them? Do you take out your phone and use some sort of note taking app? Do you message yourself?

Using a digital app definitely has its advantages – your phone is with you all the time, so you’ll always have access to the app. It’s easy for an app to become the one central place where you keep your ideas. Apps will typically have “unlimited” space for you to add as much content as you like. Apps will also come equipped with features such as the ability to search, making it easy for you to go back and look up things.

And yet I find that often times, I just don’t feel like taking my phone out and staring at a screen again (and also running the risk of getting distracted by everything else on the phone). Instead of opening my phone again and again, I prefer just using good old pen and paper.

Now – pen and paper is not as convenient as using an app. It’s easy to write and never come back to what you wrote. It’s not easy to search or look up stuff you’ve written in the past – definitely not as easy as an app. And over time, you’ll have a large collection of notebooks that you might have filled up. BUT – it’s so much more fun and nicer to write things down! I also find that the act of writing things down, vs entering things using a keypad, seems to work better for being able to remember things. I find the act of using pen and paper more satisfying I guess 🙂

(Shop super cute handmade pocket notebooks bound in Italian leather here, like the one pictured below!)

And in case you’re wondering, pocket notebooks were once a trusted companion of a number of a historical figures, who used them to capture their ideas and observations on the go. It’s true that there were no mobile devices during their time. But they still accomplished quite a bit! 🙂 Here’s a list to name a few –

Leonardo da Vinci – The famous artist and inventor is known for carrying a notebook with him at all times, in which he would sketch and make notes on a variety of subjects, from engineering and architecture to human anatomy and botany.

Thomas Edison – The inventor of the light bulb and many other groundbreaking technologies was known for carrying pocket notebooks in which he would jot down ideas, observations, and drawings.

Albert Einstein – The renowned physicist was known to carry a pocket notebook with him at all times, in which he would make notes and calculations related to his work.

Isaac Newton – The famous scientist and mathematician was known to carry a pocket notebook in which he would make notes and record observations on a variety of subjects, including physics, mathematics, and alchemy.

Charles Darwin – The naturalist and biologist, famous for his theory of evolution, was known to carry a pocket notebook with him on his travels, in which he would make notes and observations on the plants and animals he encountered.

Henry David Thoreau – The author and philosopher kept a journal of his thoughts, observations, and musings during his time living in the woods at Walden Pond.

Frida Kahlo – The Mexican painter was known for carrying a notebook in which she would sketch, paint and make notes on her thoughts and feelings.

Virginia Woolf – The English writer was known for carrying a notebook in which she would jot down ideas, observations, and musings on a variety of subjects, from literature and art to politics and society.

Samuel Pepys – The famous diarist, recorded his thoughts, observations and events in his pocket notebook during the 17th century in London.

Jules Verne – The French author and pioneer of science fiction, was known for carrying a pocket notebook in which he would jot down ideas for stories and novels.

Enjoy pocket notebook-ing! 🙂