OK, so yeah. I bit the bullet. I’ve been hearing about the Midori Traveler’s Notebooks for a long time now, and I am kind of surprised at how long I managed to dodge this purchase. The first review I found was this one, which utilized the MTN for a single notebook. That just seemed really unnecessary to me, so I didn’t think much of it.
I then saw Krysty’s review, and saw that it didn’t work out for her, which nixed it automatically for my fickle self. Then, I saw Bea’s post and it was like a choir of angels (really). I went on an obsessive spiral of timesuck, watching videos and posts of setups and inserts and what-have-you.
Warning: This is a pretty long post about journals and planners, so just a warning before you go any further. The dork is strong in this one.
I got the Midori Traveler’s Notebook Passport Size in Brown. I switched out the brown elastic for the orange one, though I might put the brown one back, because reasons.
I’ve only had this for about a week and a half, so I can’t give you a truly accurate review of how it does in the long-term. However, I’ve been pretty happy with the set-up I ended up sticking with after a few frustrating tries. I’m sure it will change over the course of the year and the next year, though, but that’s fine.
So, like the title says, I use the MTN Passport Size with my Field Notes notebooks. I have amassed quite a stash of these and at some point, I stopped using them, favoring my Rhodia Webnotebook, a desk A5 in black (mainly because of the dot grid and FP-friendly paper), which I also recently stopped using for day-to-day activities. More on this later.
Basically, I thought I could go paperless, but alas. It was not meant to be.
I should note that the Field Notes are quite a bit larger than the Midori inserts (3.5″ x 5.5″ vs. 3.5″ x 4.5″), so for the passport size, I can only actually fit about 3 books inside the cover before it starts to look a little clunky and gets a little tough to write in. I can slip in an extra notebook into the elastic front, if I really need to, but I like having everything tucked inside.
The first thing I did to figure out my system (i.e. what to do with the refills) is to list down what I wanted and needed my Midori to do for me. I am very scatterbrained and my brain likes to work in many, many tangents, which made it ultimately hard for me to keep just a single notebook for everything, i.e. the Bullet Journal, which comes into play, too.
So, I decided I wanted:
a) a journal
b) a place for writing drafts, and
c) a place for lists
… that was compact, portable, and simple.
I had wanted a separate refill for blog posts, but I decided against it because I figured I could just transfer ideas or outlines from my b refill and into a separate notebook I kept at home. This led me to decide that all single project notebooks would stay at home and all these refills I had would have the pertinent information that I needed with me at all times.
REFILLS
Refill 1: Journal and Brain Dump
This is where the unfiltered thoughts and pasting-in happens. Tread lightly. I like using blank, graph or dot grid FNs for this. I wanted to get back into journaling and just keeping track of the things that happen in a day, since I stopped doing that at some point in the last few years. It’s made me feel a little off, to be honest. I used to carry this ginormous journal around in school, everyday, like an asshole:
(It expanded to something like an inch and a half or two inches of whining and other dramatic things. Hello, white iBook!)
I put random thoughts, day-to-day stupidity, and some very rudimentary scrapbooking in here. This is also a great way to pretend you’re busy when you’re alone somewhere, waiting for something or someone, haha.
Current in use: Field Notes County Fair New York Blue (Graph)
Refill 2: Drafts and Outlines
One of my 2015 goals is to write more, so this is an answer to that. I use at least a page for each “project,” like blog posts, book reviews, drafts for writing assignments, notes or anything like that. I review this at the end of the day (… or eventually in the week) and transcribe important data into my Evernote account. This essentially contains rough outlines, very informal notes, etc.
The front I’ve used to store some sticky notes I may need, though I find I don’t usually use the cutesy ones. But, you know, just in case.
Current in use: Field Notes Night Sky Book 2: Midsummer (star/cross graph) + sticky notes
Sidenote: Night Sky’s star/cross graph:
Refill 3: Bullet Journal
This is my Bullet Journal. I like using graph FN Notebooks because I have an abundance of those and they are convenient. I ended up needing a Bullet Journal because I love lists and I need day-to-day micromanaging, like a child. I started out using a Traveling Salesman FN, since it used a ledger layout inside, but I decided to leave it at home to transfer “important” lists to from my Bullet Journal.
So, my Bullet Journal is basically a catch-all for all lists, as it’s supposed to be. I struggled with using this after my initial enthusiasm, plainly because I’m lazy. My Bullet Journal Key is on film sticky notes on the first page of Refill 3. These are mostly task and notes-based.
My Bullet Journal setup is very much based on a modified version by Interpuncted Thirty that includes a modified months page that’s more forward planning-friendly. I still kept my Index Page because I’m using this refill/Bullet Journal for other lists, too.
The back page is a tracker for “daily tasks” like flossing (lol), vitamins, achieving my water intake goal (the boring ol’ 8-glass standard), and computer-based things I need to get out of the way everyday to keep on top of things. I know this makes me sound like a crazy person, but I have slid down a pit of doom many times, and I just really want to get myself back on track. I think micromanaging is the way to do that, unfortunately.
Current in use: Field Notes Cold Horizon, opposite the back cover of Field Notes Night Sky
ACCESSORIES
I don’t really have any fancy accessories like the slide-y pocket (though I’m looking to get that one) for cards and sticky notes or (I ended up getting it, haha) any of the fancy inserts people buy on Etsy or print out for themselves. I just don’t like how the handmade inserts look + I don’t want to bother.
I do use washi tape for decorating and organizing, and I borrow my dad’s Fuji Instax Share SP-1 to print some photos, occasionally, for journaling. Other than that, my MTN is a pretty standard 3-insert deal.
NOT MIDORI RELATED
Forward Planning
Right now, I need a visual way to present my plans (ha what plans), and I honestly favor the Weekly Views for calendaring.
For all my forward-planning needs, I got the Evernote x Moleskine Planner for 2015 to try digitizing my manual notes. I was going to just try to solely use my MTN, but then I bought this back in September. I just have a Weekly View, so I mainly rely on my Google Calendar for a monthly overview. I am thinking of printing out a Monthly Grid View and slipping it somewhere with my MTN inserts, just so I have it at hand without having to use technology, heh. I’ll probably make a separate post for that if it ends up working out for me.
Pre-2015, I used this I.DO Weekly Planner (there are similar ones here from Artbox) that you have to input the dates in. I brought this around everywhere but, unfortunately, only sporadically wrote in it. I think I really have an aversion to cutesy stationery after all. In the final stretches of 2014, it’s working out well for me, and I guess that’s what matters.
On one page, there is a weekly view of columns. On the other side, there’s a three-column memo page with a checklist, a blank space, and one with grids. I mainly use this planner for scheduling blog posts, social events, and trips.
Project Planning
For now, this is sort of anything goes territory. I like dedicating a single notebook (i.e. a Field Notes notebook) to larger, more time-consuming projects that have many little tasks (e.g. a web project or a book design) or are continuous (e.g. blog ideas and scheduling). For shorter projects, I file them away in the aforementioned Rhodia Webnotebook. It really all depends on what would suit whatever it is more.
FLAWS IN THIS SYSTEM
The flaws of this system mainly concern the paper quality of Field Notes and my affinity for Fountain Pens. Some Colors editions (LE Field Notes books) take on FP ink better than others, but I mostly stick to Pilot Frixion Pens (I mainly use the Frixion Ball Slim in black and red, and this Frixion Colors pen/marker set) or the Uni Pin Fine Line Pens (0.05, 0.2, or 0.5) for my Bullet Journal.
My other pen of choice is the LAMY Safari (2013 Neon Yellow!) with an EF nib (OK on County Fair and Night Sky, HORRIBLE BLEEDING MESS on Cold Horizon).
Naturally, I can change the refills, but I mainly wanted to try this system because of my overflowing stash of Field Notes notebooks, so I’m kind of in a bind. (But not really, because this is kind of a minor gripe.)
That’s it. That’s the only thing I don’t like about it, and it’s not even the MTN’s fault.
I plan on posting another update about one month in, and maybe three months, six months, and so on. As you can see, I’m still pretty attached to this system. I just hope it stays that way.
ETA: I’m trying out a modified version of a Spiraldex/Chronodex and holy cow, I waste so much time being idle. It’s a tedious additional task to remember to do, but it’s good to visualize your day and how you spend your time. I think that I underestimated just how much time I waste sitting around, procrastinating. This is, for sure, an eye-opener for me.
I also purchased a zip/cardholder insert where I put my Spiraldex print-outs, a few bills, and washi tape and post-its. I’m in lurve.
INFORMATION
Where to Get an MTN: Scribe Writing Essentials (I got mine at Megamall)
How Much? Php 2,295.00
Where to Get Field Notes: I buy mine directly from Field Notes. They ship to the Philippines, but they take a while. They are locally available at the ff:
— Avalon
— My Ticker Tape Parade
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