alt.hn

3/30/2026 at 4:23:56 PM

Take better notes, by hand

 https://brianschrader.com/archive/take-better-notes-by-hand/

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 5:46:47 PM

I have a dedicated couple of pages in a notebook, where I write down the note-taking conventions I use. When transitioning to a new notebook, I would copy those pages, possibly making a few improvements based on past usage. A most unhurried release cycle, if I can say so myself.

Regarding the space management, there are many solutions straight out of the programming world, of course: utilize both sides of the notebook, reserve a minimum number of pages per topic, keep an index with free pages, etc. But there are some hardware ones as well, I'm trying Atoma notebooks (https://atoma.be) these days.

by h45x1

3/30/2026 at 5:49:52 PM

It's basically just designing a dictionary data type. I recall the Python devs talking about a lot of this stuff from the early days.

Everything is related.

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 7:43:02 PM

Would you share your notetaking schemata?

by hammock

3/30/2026 at 8:23:22 PM

Sure. Though to each his own, I'd imagine. Mine is quite basic.

- 4 pages at the back are reserved for index.

- Daily journal starts at the back.

- There is no obligation to have regular entries in the daily journal.

- ◦ denotes a past event; ◦ hh:mm denotes an upcoming or past event.

- → denotes a task.

- "circled" → denotes a completed task.

- strikeghrough denotes a cancelled or refiled task.

- ¿ optional task, not sure about something ?

- "-" is for all types of second-level bullets.

(As a side note, I mostly do task organization on the computer, but sometimes in a journal as well.)

- Topics start at the front.

- Topics are free-form.

- A new year starts a new journal. (I don't care for the new year resolutions though. At best, a list of side quests I'd like to do.)

by h45x1

3/30/2026 at 6:02:24 PM

Paper is just too inconvenient to use for long term storage and revisiting imo. It's better suited as a transitive storage medium, either for short lived stuff like tasks, checklists, or acting as a writing inbox that you later capture into a digital medium.

Even with the capture downside, I don't think that I can do away with paper and pen. There's something invigorating about using paper that no keyboard or screen could replicate. More in touch with your brain and with your own words, that your feelings flow better into the ink. It is something that makes me enjoy writing.

I've considered e-ink devices in the past but I don't see much value from them. They're a fancier way to draft things at best, in my case, and a worse PKMS/Todo list if anything compared to dedicated tools. I'm paying for an extra device that gives me a bunch of things I won't use, anyways.

by Bridged7756

3/30/2026 at 6:05:40 PM

I use a Boox E-Ink tablet with the built-in handwriting notes app. It exports to PDF and I can copy everything to my Debian machine via ADB. I absolutely love it. E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me.

by dotancohen

3/30/2026 at 7:44:42 PM

Yeah but do you trust those guys?

by kid64

3/30/2026 at 9:48:28 PM

I am aware that people don't trust the Chinese. Which brands do you trust?

As another poster mentioned about the ReMarkable, the Boox works just fine offline. I do use mine online, e.g. for reading HN as I prefer the E-Ink screen for text. But as for note-taking, everything I do is offline, including moving the PDF documents to the desktop via ADB.

by dotancohen

3/31/2026 at 3:08:30 AM

It's not about their Chineseness. They're notorious, unapologetic GPL violators with a poor track record when it comes to privacy and general integrity (paying for reviews, etc)..

See:

- https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/privacynotincluded/onyx...

- https://www.reddit.com/r/ereader/comments/13e8bw3/psa_onyxbo...

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735962

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31247982

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37665408

- https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F0...

etc...

by kid64

3/31/2026 at 5:18:12 PM

Thank you. The GPL violations are a long-term problem, most agreed, but the lack of a privacy policy is an immediate problem. What frustrates me is that I'm usually not complacent about such matters, but I purchased the device during a period of extreme time pressure so I never got around to checking that. In fact the device was specifically purchased to help me better reduce my cognitive load - which it does.

I just wrote to the company in the Feedback feature of the device, asking about where the privacy policy can be found and giving an example of where the privacy policy is found in my Samsung device.

Thank you for making me aware of the issue. I was vaguely aware that there were GPL concerns with Boox, but I did not realize that there is no stated privacy policy - technical potential for exploitation aside.

by dotancohen

3/30/2026 at 8:44:08 PM

reMarkable tablet, for example, works offline just fine

by throwawa324

3/30/2026 at 8:46:52 PM

I was in the same position as you when I started my law degree!

My solution was:

- Take notes on paper

- Scan with Genius Scan (free) or similar

- Upload to Microsoft Document Intelligence on Azure to get character recognition and a PDF output (standard OCR sucks for handwriting; also free for up to like 50 docs a month)

- Tidy up the text and store in Mediawiki long-term (you can also upload a copy of the OCR enabled PDF) (FOSS)

- File paper notes

- Throw paper notes once module is complete

by ferngodfather

3/31/2026 at 11:14:17 AM

I totally agree, I own a few fountain pens and Midori notebooks and for my lecture notes I just enter flow state using those.

I've recently gotten an iPad and the most effective use case for it is to open up an infinite canvas and do active recall by drawing everything from (mostly) memory allowing me to find more connections, avenues to explore, and debate an idea.

Eventually, I have to put those connections back into prose but I haven't gotten to that yet.

by f0cus10

3/30/2026 at 5:10:12 PM

I love taking notes by hand for better retention, but (my) longhand is just too slow. It's also an inconvenient format for representing a hierachy or graph of connections.

Anyone else into what my high school biology teacher loved referring to as "pseudo-arachnomorphic diagrams" (Mind Maps[1] / Spider Diagrams)?

They're still my primary paper-based realtime note taking method. They seemed to get a lot of attention a couple of decades ago, but I don't hear them mentioned much recently.

Lots of online/local Mind Map tools available, but I've never really gelled with them (though you do get self-organisation of the nodes!). Once in the digital realm I'm more likely to make notes in Markdown.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

by coldcity_again

3/30/2026 at 6:50:56 PM

The slowness is a feature, not a bug. It gives your brain time to chew on it a little bit, digesting the information and storing it away instead of just copy-pasting.

Speed-hacks like shorthand and stenographers' machines are for copying exactly what was said, not consuming and understanding it. I would be very surprised if there were not very old studies moldering in a paper journal somewhere investigating the information retention of secretaries / stenographers compared to "naive" note-takers.

by WhyCause

3/30/2026 at 7:38:39 PM

I recently started journaling by hand and was somewhat frustrated with the excruciatingly slow speed versus typing. Eventually, I realized that the slowness was, as you said, a feature. It forces you to think. You have no choice but to take time with your words. Sometimes brevity is a gift (one I usually don't have).

I migrated to fountain pens and haven't looked back. Partially, it's because I enjoy the experience itself as much as writing, but partially it's because they've forced me to become even more deliberate.

I'd highly recommend it!

by Zancarius

3/30/2026 at 8:21:48 PM

Same principle applies to, e.g., Leica cameras. Yes, they're pricey (absurdly so), but the lack of features, the slow speed, and the lack of configuration contributes to me improving my photography. It doesn't make me a better photographer, but it gives me the time and space to focus on being one, rather than just firehosing my camera at whatever is in front of me. It makes my photography intentional rather than reactive.

by flkiwi

3/31/2026 at 1:39:01 AM

Any old rangefinder camera will do that at a fraction of the price.

by SoftTalker

3/31/2026 at 12:07:46 PM

Or get an Canon 5d MKI or MKII. Not many features and great kit and can be bought for less than $500.

by uxcolumbo

3/30/2026 at 11:36:42 PM

A sidenote along these lines - I've recently done an MSc, and found that the default approach to lectures is now to present slide decks. One of the profs, however, delivers a more traditional lecture, writing everything on a blackboard. I've found the second style far more effective, largely because writing caps the rate at which information can be conveyed. Because slides have no such bottleneck, I've found they're often misused and overladen with information which is skipped over too quickly.

by ainch

3/31/2026 at 3:40:57 AM

It gives your brain time, but reality may not give you that time.

Someone who is typing a fast paced one time lecture, who can then take their time afterward to digest, is going to do much better than the "slowness is a feature" hand writer.

I've seen this first-hand with people taking handwritten notes in meetings

by Ferret7446

3/30/2026 at 7:44:28 PM

+1 Deciding what to write is the critical step. You can get it with careful typing, but it's harder because you can type fast enough to skip that step.

by MengerSponge

3/30/2026 at 7:01:11 PM

You could look at an alphabetic shorthand such as Orthic:

https://orthic.shorthand.fun/

The learning curve is very gentle, you could learn it in a day. Honestly the hardest part is getting used to reading it fluently.

You can also look into various systems of abbreviations developed for telegraph (Evans basic English code), or you could look into using Yublin, which is basically taking all 2-letter combinations and assigning the most common 676 English words to them. Personally I like the idea of Yublin, with the addition of suffixes to modify common words so the word "add" might be "ad" in Yublin, but to make it "addition" you might turn it into "adn" and to further modify it to "additionally" you could write "adnly". This way you get more words out of your limited number of bigrams instead of polluting it with a word plus all it's commonly used variations. Write that shit in Orthic and you'll be flying.

Food for thought.

by helterskelter

3/30/2026 at 7:44:16 PM

> Anyone else into what my high school biology teacher loved referring to as "pseudo-arachnomorphic diagrams" (Mind Maps[1] / Spider Diagrams)?

Yes! Nearly all my notes are mind-map-ish. I’m a visual thinker/planner with ADHD and mind-map style “spatial notes” are the only ones that make sense to me when writing and reviewing later. I’ve tried a few methods of moving this process to digital over the years but nothing sticks like pen & paper.

by pch00

3/30/2026 at 11:08:38 PM

1. Obtain a good fountain pen.

2. Obtain paper and ink that works well with the pen.

3. Practice cursive handwriting.

Possibly get a 2x improvement in speed.

by abdullahkhalids

3/30/2026 at 5:18:56 PM

There are ways to write that are faster and more legible. I recommend looking into the Getty-Dubay style.

by cratermoon

3/30/2026 at 6:34:24 PM

Thanks, though I think part of longhard feeling labourious these days is RSI sadly. I did try to correct my scrawl for effort and legibility a while ago, but it just wouldn't stick!

by coldcity_again

3/30/2026 at 10:54:13 PM

I had pretty terrible RSI (and even more terrible handwriting) and could write much without cramping up or pain. What helped for me was teaching myself proper cursive and fountain pens. Rather than clutching a ballpoint and marking with jerky finger/wrist movements, I now use my arm for larger movements and let the pen glide. It’s helped tremendously. It’s slow going at first but keep at it. Plus fountain pens are pretty fucking cool. Also, paper matters too; but paper and notebooks are another fun rabbit hole.

by mrexroad

3/30/2026 at 8:37:49 PM

I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned the Cornell Notes method which is practically the same thing as what this author describes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Notes

by clobmclob

3/31/2026 at 3:36:54 AM

Oh wow, I think I remember learning about this in middle school. I totally forgot.

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 5:03:56 PM

I retain information better when taking notes by hand. However, being able to attach an image and search is absolutely required for me, hence why I use digital notes at work.

I can keep years of notes in a file which I can take and access anywhere whenever I want.

by avgDev

3/30/2026 at 5:26:10 PM

Personally I like Goodnotes since it is pretty good at searching handwriting.

by nathannaveen

3/30/2026 at 5:47:30 PM

Plus 1, Goodnotes is such a well developed product. I also have an iPad screen guard which gives a paper like feel when writing which makes my brain think I am writing on a book.

by warmcat

3/31/2026 at 4:12:51 PM

I wonder if this is age dependent. Do young (15-25) people take notes by hand?

If I do anything to do with math, I need paper; anything else is in markdown.

Recommendation: There are folders that you can add pages to; that way you do not worry about space.

by malklera

3/30/2026 at 8:25:49 PM

I keep hearing this from time to time, and hey, if taking notes by hand helps you, go for it. More power to you.

But I'm not you. What works for you may not be a panacea. I work best with notes in a text editor, in markdown. I like to be able to move thoughts around, rearrange them, refine them. That also makes me remember them better. Handwritten notes are not conducive to that.

by kstenerud

3/30/2026 at 5:49:10 PM

I am 43, and for my entire life I have hated writing by hand. I am sure a lot of it has to do with how I hold my pen/pencil but I have never been able to change my grip. My hand hurts and my writing is barely legible. I just hate it.

I have tried over the years to get into hand writing and note taking. It never works. I am so grateful for typing, it has saved my life for decades. I can type ridiculously fast, and it doesn't wear me out.

I have finally stopped apologizing for this, or thinking something is wrong with me. It just isn't for me

by cortesoft

3/31/2026 at 1:46:45 AM

I reckon if you asked fountain pen enthusiasts whether they'd prefer to type or to use a cheap ballpoint pen, I bet they'd agree with your assessment.

by rgoulter

3/30/2026 at 11:38:33 PM

Taking notes by hand makes you better thinker and more organized.

I use my notebook like everybody else, but list of topics I wanna check late and don't wanna forget, I do like Japanese Mangas, from the last page towards the first page.

So I check which topic I wanna check at the end of the notebook, then I go back to the first pages to cover it, be it a task at work, a hobby project, etc.

And of course, work has its own notebook, hobbies has its own notebook, DIY has its own notebook.

That way I keep things organized, and allows me to draft thoughts before spending time actually looking into them.

by h4kunamata

3/30/2026 at 5:34:42 PM

anyone try e-ink style tablets (like remarkable?) the form factor/ability to backup is attractive to me but the price tag is a bit nuts...

by railgunmerlin

3/30/2026 at 5:43:14 PM

My coworker got the reMarkable 2 about four years ago now, and was really into it when he got it. I had sort of forgotten about it until the other day when I was reconsidering whether I wanted to get one. When I asked him about it, he was just as enthusiastic as when I asked him years ago. It was sitting right next to him ready to go, with notes from that same day on the screen. Just an anecdote to consider.

by stronglikedan

3/30/2026 at 6:43:31 PM

It feels like one of those things where if you think you want it and you can imagine how you'll actually use it, you'll use it a ton. I had been on the fence about getting an e-paper device for a long time. When I heard the details on the Daylight Computer, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. I pre-ordered it within hours and I have probably used it more than any other devices I own since it arrived a year ago :P

by Zambyte

3/30/2026 at 10:17:49 PM

I checked it out and they conspicuously omit the thickness from the FAQ "dimensions" answer. They also avoid any photos of the product that clearly show the thickness. So, guessing it's pretty thick?

by kid64

3/30/2026 at 10:27:13 PM

I guess? I don't know the exact thickness either, but I held it up sideways behind my Samsung S10 and it was maybe a millimeter or so thicker, so it's not huge. Like 9mm-1cm. I have never thought much about the thickness of it

by Zambyte

3/30/2026 at 6:15:35 PM

I have a Supernote which I like primarily because it's repairable and the developers are very responsive. It's the A5 version. It's very nice to write on and if you haven't tried eink in a while, it's pretty impressive. The soft surface is also a replaceable film. It has a Lamy colab pen which is very nice.

Downside is no backlight which many users tout as an improvement, or praise it as a minimalist perk. I don't really agree, but it does mean that the ink surface is closer to the pen so there's less parallax error. It makes it less usable as an ebook reader though, for example on a flight you'd have to use the blinding overhead lights.

Sure the price is comparable to 20+ notebooks. I think if you actually use notebooks, they're good. If you don't, it's questionable whether it'll change your habit. It also doesn't replace the satisfaction of a nice ink pen on nice paper. I have a collection of fountain pen ink that I've used since university (for years of daily lecture notes which is more writing than I'm ever likely to do again - we're talking up to 20 A4 sides a day) and the bottles are still practically full. So good writing equipment can be very economical. There are other issues like no colour (on mine) and PDF support is still ropey.

by joshvm

3/30/2026 at 6:39:57 PM

I am currently typing from a Daylight Computer that I've been using as my primary mobile device (over a laptop or smartphone) for a bit over a year now. I've used it so much the edges have started to peel off a bit where I hold it. Easily worth the money for me. Days of battery life, buttery smooth animations, reflective e-paper display, full android with an unlockable bootloader, it's great.

by Zambyte

3/30/2026 at 9:10:37 PM

Can you really unlock the bootloader? I see it mentioned a lot as an upcoming feature (since 2024…) but couldn't find documentation about it.

by kerneis

3/31/2026 at 6:56:29 PM

I have the Onyx Boox Max Lumi (or something like that) and after a few abortive attempts, went back to paper. Paper just cannot be beaten.

by eudamoniac

3/30/2026 at 5:42:18 PM

I tried various ones out over the course of a few years, but in the end found they weren't for me and I went back to using paper notebooks.

I won't say they're bad solutions at all, but just that they brought no actual benefits for my use cases so there wasn't a reason to put up with their downsides. The downsides are relatively minor, though. For me, they are cost, the need to charge yet another device, and the inconvenience of the form factor (you can't tear pages out to hand to someone else, they rigid tablets instead of flexible paper, writing on them isn't the most pleasant thing, etc.)

by JohnFen

3/30/2026 at 5:45:56 PM

I love it as a reader when travelling, and books too long to print. I do take notes when i bring it to conferences, but most of all just to keep engaged, though to keep all notes at one place is practical.

Though when at home/office nothing beats paper and the possibility to visually have multiple pages side by side. Any research article I want to work through I print out, and I buy more paper books now than before I bought the remarkable. Paradoxically, the remarkable helped me realize the incredible value of paper.

by complex1314

3/30/2026 at 6:09:21 PM

I just commented on another post, so this is a copy-paste of my of other comment:

I use a Boox E-Ink tablet with the built-in handwriting notes app. It exports to PDF and I can copy everything to my Debian machine via ADB. I absolutely love it. E-Ink is close enough to paper for me, and the EMR (Wacom) stylus is close enough to a pen for me.

The device was worth every penny, even before considering the other uses for it.

by dotancohen

3/30/2026 at 6:44:43 PM

Yeah my remarkable2 was the only way for me finally to break free from paper bullet journals. And using a custom hyperpaper.me navigable pdf template was a game-changer.

A few months ago I sold the rm2 and got an rm3 "paper pro" and despite the $$ it has ROI as a daily driver (alongside Obsidian running on my M4 macbook air).

by chrisweekly

3/30/2026 at 5:51:39 PM

There is also the question of real estate. I can have several paper notes side by side (when taking notes on loose sheets) but with iPads or ReMarkables that'll be rather decadent.

by h45x1

3/30/2026 at 5:47:00 PM

I had a ReMarkable2 for awhile and don't really recommend it. It's not the same as writing on pen & paper and I like the aspects of finding different papers, pencil lead, pens, etc. anyways.

To be more specific, the ReMarkable 2 had a wildly inaccurate pen tip, but only on like the bottom 1/2 to maybe 1/3 of the screen, which was enough to completely destroy my desire to use it at all. On top of that the software is pretty meh. It wasn't bad so much as it was minimal to the point of being harder to work with than real paper. The UI was clunky and slow. Any real advantage to digital nature (built-in OCR, sorta search) was so poorly implemented that it wasn't worth it.

by packetlost

3/30/2026 at 5:57:08 PM

I hated writing by hand, but I got into fountain pens and that really helped change my note taking habits. I mostly write letters, but recently I’ve taken up writing notes during meetings. I loathe doing so, but my FP addiction really helps.

by JLO64

3/30/2026 at 11:01:29 PM

This. FP usage changed my aversion to writing and helped me stay the course on re-training myself to write cursive and move past RSI/cramping. Pilot VP is my goto FP for meeting notes since it’s retractable.

by mrexroad

3/30/2026 at 5:57:52 PM

Writing letters is so much fun. I have a blog post in the works about that too. Glad to hear you enjoy it.

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 9:02:06 PM

I love to use a paper notebook for fast notes, random thoughts, and to capture tasks (something similar to a GTD inbox). With it, I use a small system of symbols (some degree of similarity with the bullet journal method).

The only issue with paper is the edition. My solution has been to use a compact, slim ring binder with a notebook-like feel. If required, you can move sheets to reorganize content, move the most important ones to another place, etc. Until now, the best alternative that I have found is the Kokuyo Campus Smart Ring Binder.

by juanpabloaj

3/31/2026 at 4:28:20 AM

> it can be done basically anywhere there's ambient light,

With a digital tool you don't even need light!

Curious whether the "OCR as soon as possible"workflow would maintain the engaging benefits of paper while eliminating all the issues in the rest of the article

by eviks

3/30/2026 at 6:39:56 PM

I haven't used pen and paper for note taking for years and years now. I used to keep a lot of notes in markdown organized into folders (used obsidian for a bit but was just easier to do in Vim). These days I don't take that many notes, usually only to capture key points/decisions in discussions but usually are pretty short lived. I find things get captured in other forms such that notes aren't really needed that much anymore.

by keithnz

3/30/2026 at 5:24:31 PM

I keep notes in Obsidian...but when I'm genuinely studying a text I write out a precis as an outline in my bullet journal, and later transcribe it. That means that I engage with the material at least twice: once when I first read it, and once when I transcribe it. And yes, writing it by hand genuinely does help. And then, when I want to look at it later, my original notes are in my journal, and my transcription is available digitally.

by wduquette

3/30/2026 at 6:07:26 PM

Loose leaf, works great [1]

[1] Lion Kimbro. How to Make a Complete Map of Every Thought You Think. 2003 https://users.speakeasy.net/~lion/nb/book.pdf

by rasengan0

3/30/2026 at 6:44:24 PM

Amazing seeing this here. I hung out with him a few times back then, and I was just thinking about this again just a few days ago. It was really great spending some time with such a smart person. He showed me how he would write little notes and mind maps in the margins of books, and the peg system of mnemonics. One of the times I was there, he was teaching python lessons to someone. I tried to make sense of his notebook system, and to this day I still use color coding, and things like a triangle for pieces of data in my notes. Somewhere, I have or had a copy of this with a lot of writing in the margins trying to make some linear sense of it.

Lately, I've been keeping an "engineering" notebook, using similar technique to the original poster's technique: dated entries and a place for a table of contents (that I need to update).

by drivers99

3/30/2026 at 6:10:14 PM

Read it a while ago, one lasting impact it had on me is I became a devotee of the bic tri-color pen :)

by supersrdjan

3/30/2026 at 5:08:49 PM

This is all good advice but one thing it doesn't touch on is: which pen and notebook?

I like the pilot precision v5 pens because they come in a lot of different colors and the point is very fine.

For notebooks, I prefer the Leuchtturm 1917 series. They come with page numbers, a space for TOC, a pocket in the back for stuff, two book marks, and lots of different sizes and colors and page layouts.

That's important because the other important thing about hand notes for me is one book per topic, and keep them different colors because they will pile up and it helps with differentiating them.

by ModernMech

3/30/2026 at 6:01:22 PM

> This is all good advice but one thing it doesn't touch on is: which pen and notebook?

In what way could it possibly be relevant? Do you actually believe that the author could suggest a universally suitable pen and paper type? What if he'd had his best results with toilet paper, a sugar thermometer and a soot/diarrhea/lemon juice blend for the ink? Would his advice be any more complete?

The moment you lose sight of the habit and instead pay homage to paper and pens, its a fetish instead of a practical discipline.

by squidbeak

3/31/2026 at 2:38:16 AM

> The moment you lose sight of the habit and instead pay homage to paper and pens, its a fetish instead of a practical discipline.

"Practice the hard thing until you are good at it" isn't as fun of a topic as "what can I buy?"

See any subreddit about cameras, guitars, ham radio, etc.

by floren

3/30/2026 at 7:26:57 PM

You can't separate the tools from the craft. Practical disciplines aren't just about doing things but also doing them well. The title of the piece was "take better notes, by hand" so you know, the tools I think are relevent. And come to mention it, the "by hand" part needs some attention too, because one complaint I often hear is that typing is less fatiguing than writing longhand. Ergonomics plays a big role here -- you're not going to write anything at all if you get cramped up. So yeah, I think that the tools are wholly relevent to the idea of taking better notes.

Generally people don't write with diarrhea for a good reason. I think anyone suggesting positive results would be suspect.

by ModernMech

3/30/2026 at 6:49:38 PM

My favorite writing implement these days is a black Milwaukee Inkzall ultra fine pen, bought in 4 packs at Home Depot.

I have three primary things I write on, mostly todos for home yard or office, groceries and hardware or tools to buy, and bands and songs to listen to, and the occasional song lyric.

The first is a mini clipboard made from a 3" x 4" piece of cedar shingle and a mini binder clip holding a 4x6 craft paper card folded in half, giving me four sides to write on. On the back side I keep a one-year calendar printed on standard letter paper and folded down to fit where I keep track of my band gigs.

The next one is a standard wire-bound 4x6 note book, mostly for work todos using sort of a bullet-journaling type of progress system.

The third at this point is a regular letter sized clipboard holding scrap one-side-blank printer paper, mostly for meetings.

Then I frequently take pictures of any of these pages so I have a dated copy on my phone.

They also all get added to with typical 3x3 sticky notes in mostly neon colors.

Finally I also do lots of writing in Obsidian, notes in source files with Sublime Text, and sometimes even the StickyNotes Windows app.

My philosophy about this over the last few years is that its better to write something down anywhere on whatever system, even on multiple systems, rather than to try to adhere to one format all the time.

by yardshop

3/30/2026 at 5:29:42 PM

I love the Leuchtterm 1917s. They've got everything you say, and they hold up under daily use without falling apart.

As for pens, I use the Uniball Jetstream 0.38 ballpoint--fine point, doesn't skip, and I prefer ballpoints. I used a Coleto Hitec C multi-pen for a while, but the refills are skinny and run out of ink quickly, and I like the feel of the Jetstream ballpoint better. (The refills for the regular Coleto Hitec are much thicker and last a lot longer...but skip horribly. Life is too short.)

by wduquette

3/30/2026 at 5:40:49 PM

If you like Leuchtterm, you'll love Quo Vadis Habana notebooks, if you can find them in stock.

by pklausler

3/30/2026 at 9:10:53 PM

The Habanas don't seem to have page numbers, which is one of the things I particular like about the 1917s.

by wduquette

3/30/2026 at 10:34:30 PM

Enjoy!

by pklausler

3/31/2026 at 2:54:57 AM

I can answer this with confidence, honed on 20+ years of notes / journalling:

// NOTEBOOKS

- Pocket x 2 books, dotted, soft cover. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015NG44ES

- A5 x 4 (2 x personal journal, 2 x work journal) (OPTIONS: Moleskin: A5 dotted, hard cover; fun colors; Lechtturm191: A5 dotted, hard cover, fun colors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDYQKJLC?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_...)

// NOTEBOOK CASE

Galen Zipper A5 folio x 2 colors

Personal book: https://www.galenleather.com/products/leather-zippered-a5-le... , -

Work book: https://www.galenleather.com/products/leather-zippered-a5-no...

// PENS

- Uniball Micro 0.5mm x 2 boxes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CRDU8QY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_...

// BAG

- Think Tank Retrospective v2 shoulder bag: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Tank-Retrospective-Shoulder-Mes...

SUGGESTIONS

- I cut off the bookmark strings that the books come with - always gets snagged

- Be honest

- Use your imagination

- Have fun!

by dv35z

3/30/2026 at 5:48:29 PM

I think pens and pencils are mostly just preference and habit. I have some draftmatic mechanical pencils, nothing special really, but I’ve been using them for decades.

I suspect the real advantage of handwritten notes (for those who benefit from them) is that writing them fulfills a learned ritual for putting the brain in learning-mode. So, might as well match the environment as closely as possible, and prioritize familiarity over some quality.

Anyway, I can write obnoxiously small with my draftmatics, so I don’t see how the process could be optimized by a fancier pencil or pen anyway.

by bee_rider

3/30/2026 at 5:44:27 PM

A good 0.5mm gel pen, and a pad with blank 8.5x11 pages, no lines no nothing. About once a week, I consolidate whatever is still relevant onto a few sheets.

by stronglikedan

3/30/2026 at 5:22:38 PM

I've blogged about this before too!

https://brianschrader.com/archive/the-practicals-of-writing-...

But I'm in the process of upgrading my pen. I ordered a TWISB ECO.

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 5:52:07 PM

What ink are you gonna pair with that? I’m not a lefty, but I’ve heard fast drying FP inks are best for writing with a left hand to prevent smudging.

by JLO64

3/30/2026 at 10:09:59 PM

I'm right handed, but write from right to left (Hebrew). Smudging is not an issue with any ink, I don't drag my hand over written text. I don't know why people do that.

I usually use Pilot inks, I currently have a dark blue that I've added a touch of old green to. I absolutely love it.

by dotancohen

3/30/2026 at 7:29:07 PM

For other left-handers out there, Pigma Micron pens from Sakura are outstanding. They aren't fountain pens, but their archival quick-dry ink doesn't smudge at all when writing with the left hand. They come in varying weights, and I tend to prefer the 05s or 08s. Lots of arts and crafts stores stock them.

by sfRattan

3/30/2026 at 5:56:08 PM

I'll def be looking around. I have some bottled ink already, but this is a huge concern. Hopefully the fine tip has decent portion control. That helps a lot.

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 6:58:06 PM

You may be unpleasantly surprised. I have TWSBI Eco-T pens in both <M> and <F>, which write similarly to some Japanese <B> and <M> nibs respectively. I would recommend, if you want something with true portion control, to get a Pilot Prera in <F> or a Kakuno in <EF> (or any pen with a Japanese nib), just to check it out. Both are fairly affordable.

Also, given you’re a lefty, you may want to avoid “good paper” for fountain pens. Coatings on the paper that allow inks to “sit on top” of the page while they dry, preventing feathering and allowing the ink’s properties to develop, understandably slow the drying process. In addition, avoid Noodler’s inks. They look beautiful but dry at an absolutely glacial pace—in my experience, up to several days’ time to fully dry (unassisted, in a dry environment) on Midori MD notebook paper.

by zbikowski

3/30/2026 at 6:01:45 PM

I’ve used an ECO and while it’s not my favorite pen, I have nothing bad to say about the nib (I believe mine was a fine as well). The way FP’s write can vary dramatically between different inks though. I’d recommend first trying out the ink you have and seeing what about it you don’t like before researching other inks.

Just asking out of precaution, but are you sure this bottled ink of yours can be used with fountain pens? Even if it is, it’s best to be careful with a fine nib (I’ve learned the hard way).

by JLO64

3/30/2026 at 6:09:22 PM

Good to know. TBH I haven't checked. I have some cartridges too (for a different, cheaper fountain pen) but if none of those work, I'll scout for options.

What got you into writing letters?

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 6:46:44 PM

I’m in a long distance relationship at the moment, so one of the things I try to bridge the distance is sending letters! That’s how I got started, but now I’ll send letters to any of my friends (or anyone really) that sends me a mailing address.

One thing I strongly advise when it comes to writing letters with FP ink is to use waterproof/permanent inks. I had to learn that hard way that typical ink doesn’t handle rain well… Diamine just came out with a new lineup of permanent inks which I quite like, but the Platinum stuff (my favorite being Carbon Black) is quite good as well.

by JLO64

3/30/2026 at 11:06:24 PM

I’ve got a whole box of inks, many colors I adore using, but for any functional usage I find I’m always reverting back to Platinum Carbon Black.

by mrexroad

3/30/2026 at 6:51:50 PM

That's lovely! I do the same now with a few friends. Postcards, letters, etc.. It's a blast. Just got some Strathmore letter paper too. So much nicer than what I was using.

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 6:54:33 PM

Noodler's has some left-hand friendly fountain pen inks.

by WillAdams

3/30/2026 at 7:15:45 PM

Ooh will check out! Thanks!

by sonicrocketman

3/30/2026 at 7:30:03 PM

I love writing things down when I brainstorm; it helps me think. But taking notes by hand is not feasible for me. My handwriting is atrocious (always has been); if I want to write a nice-looking text, I have to slow down significantly, and then it becomes too slow. Also, searching, indexing, and everything - it works better with digital.

by Artgor

3/30/2026 at 9:24:49 PM

I think iPads now have a feature that 'neatens up' your handwriting. It's supposed to retain some of the original character, but just be a bit more legible. I've not used the feature but look forward to trying it when I upgrade to a newer device.

by apparent

3/30/2026 at 6:53:39 PM

For memorizing stuff, I use pen and lighting markers. This works quite well, and they are easy; I can quickly memorize things that way.

However had, for anything else I use the computer, and I style everything the way I need via HTML+CSS for the most part. I don't use HTML directly but a simpler and easier to use template, which is programmable (via ruby). There I also make use of javascript and have a multitude of effects to use. I can use the browser to research past content I stored and it is visually pleasing. And it takes not as long as handwriting either. So while I do use pen and paper still and probably will for the rest of my life, I am mostly in the digital era myself. I don't understand why I'd want to use pen and paper. Granted, I have to archive a lot of things, but I use various USB sticks and USB-connectable harddiscs; these don't take that much space away, compared to pen and paper written stuff or other hardcopy books. I don't think I will go back to the only-pen and only-paper, ever. I am not saying digital-only has only benefits, but if I compare all advantages and disadvantages then the digital lifestyle has more benefits. For instance, I don't need to store hardcopy books anymore (I still have them, I still use them, I still like them, but whenever I am about to purchase anything anew, I ask myself whether I want to have physical space be occupied by a book. Often the answer is no, if I can just use a .pdf instead.)

by shevy-java