Which Moleskine?
October 23rd, 2007
I’ve hit the end of yet another mini-Moleskine (quadrille, natch), and find myself facing a dilemma: Go with the portable-yet-cramped solution I’ve been using for everyday notes for a couple of years now, or try out this new fat one (5×8½″)?
Your personal experiences, suggestions, and (as usual) unbridled mockery are welcome here, or over on the photo page. Your choice.
Update: more hott Moleskine photos inside.
10 responses
I’m a big fan of the 5×8.5, grid ruled. It’s small enough to be portable, big enough to keep track of and lay flat on a table. Also consider the folio style (with the manila covers instead of the hardbound). I tried using three of them, one for each project I was on…best part is that the last few pages of paper are perforated, so if you need to tear a page out you don’t have to ruin your binding…
comment posted at 11:45 pm on 23 Oct 2007
I’ve always used the large (5″×8½”) lined notebooks for journals whenever I travel. One thing I like about the large is that it’s big enough for writing in your lap if there’s no table nearby. And the pocket in back obviously holds a folded piece of paper nicely. I tried using the reporter style once, but it didn’t lend itself to writing on both sides of the paper — a necessity given how much I write.
comment posted at 1:39 am on 24 Oct 2007
@Chris, I’m afraid I’d miss the ability to quickly stuff the notebook in a back pocket when I’ve otherwise got too much to carry (e.g., left hand: coffee; right hand: keys or open laptop or other modern spinning-plate-on-a-stick).
Oooh, and I never tear a page out. I leave a few pages at the front for an index, then go through and number every subsequent page (well, half of them). Then, when I have some downtime (or finish the book), I go through and update the index:
For situations where I need to jot something down to hand off, I toss a couple of 3×5 cards in the back pocket and and stick a small slice of a Post-It™ block on the inside cover opposite the pocket.
comment posted at 9:12 am on 24 Oct 2007
In case you didn’t see ‘em on Flickr, here’s what happens once my noteboox are exhausted: they get labeled and filed away, Lost-Ark-style.
comment posted at 9:53 am on 24 Oct 2007
I just started using the ruled 5 x 8.5, and I like that it doesn’t cramp my hand as badly as the pocket-sized version does. On the other hand, I carry my man-bag with my everywhere, so the size issue isn’t a problem. I also tend to write longer narratives which means I’m able to make better use of the size than I would if were only making short notes.
comment posted at 10:09 am on 24 Oct 2007
Yeah, as I think more about it, it’s absolutely necessary for me to be able to jam this thing in a pocket (even if sitting on it would be awkward). I use it to (sometimes surreptitiously) take notes in meetings and lectures of all kinds, and there’s not always workspace for me to use something larger.
For example, I already have a full-sized quadrille research notebook (8½″×10½″); it’s hardbound, acid-free, archival-quality, and pre-numbered. (I have a whole box of them, actually. Thanks, Mom!) It’s just the thing when I have Science™ to do and need to fill a page with diagrams, experimental notes, or longhand drafts. But it doesn’t fit in meetings, or cramped lecture seats, so it pretty much lives on my desks and in my bag.
comment posted at 2:51 pm on 24 Oct 2007
My solution is to have two of ‘em on me. The 5×8 stays in my bag and is used for meeting minutes, brainstorming, etc. I’m far too lazy to number the pages, so I mark each entry with the date and set up my TOC accordingly. The smaller one — which is actually too large, in my opinion — is for jotting down quick thoughts before I forget them, to-do items before they get recorded elsewhere, and other things that would normally just slip out of my brain after a minute. What I need is a set of Cahiers, which I figure are thin enough to actually slip in a pocket and go with me.
comment posted at 6:11 pm on 24 Oct 2007
Or Field Notes.
comment posted at 7:42 pm on 24 Oct 2007
Blair’s right. The Cahiers are a nice compromise (even if you don’t tear out the pages). I’ve shoved them in my back pocket on occasion, and they ride along comfortably and without giving you the squarebutt. perhaps not as official as hardbound notebooks, but they smell really nice.
comment posted at 2:42 am on 25 Oct 2007
Clearly you just need bigger pockets.
comment posted at 12:17 am on 29 Oct 2007