Hello! I’ve been wanting to make this post for a long time, mostly because I’ve changed my set-up quite a few times since this post (made in 2014, wtf?), and I’ve had a lot of iterations that went undocumented, but this one’s been working the best for the longest, I think. Wrote this up quickly when

This is currently my Everyday Carry (hereafter known as EDC): just two Midori Traveler’s Company Notebooks (passport size) and a blue black Uni-ball Signo RTI with a 0.38 point.

TRAVELER’S COMPANY NOTEBOOK (TRAVELER’S STAR EDITION)

This was my second MTN/TCN—a Star Ferry edition I found in Hong Kong in 2015. I use this for scheduling and to-do lists. The first insert is an any-date weekly notebook and the second one is a ledger-ruled notebook, both from the Field Notes Ambition edition.

Insert 1 is quite no-fuss, just a scheduler for dates I need to remember. Sometimes I put post-its on the pages for things I need to do for that week. I don’t like putting everything on the weekly page itself because it tends to look cluttered.

The page has events and deadlines, basically dates to remember.

If the page looks too cluttered, I’ll highlight specific events I need to notice using Zebra Midliners. These colors are my favorites. I almost never bring these along; I just whip them out when I’m planning my week. (The colors I love are Mild Gold, Mild Dark Blue, Mild Gray, and Mild Vermilion, if you’re interested.)

Insert 2 is just a task-tracker. I basically have a running list of things I need to do, something like a simplified Bullet Journal set-up. I have pages also for to-buy lists and story pitches.

This page looks like crap because I spilled tea in my bag :(

TRAVELER’S COMPANY NOTEBOOK 2 (BROWN)

My second one’s my first MTN/TCN—a brown passport size—with one notebook insert and a zipper case. The zipper case has cards (health insurance, cards~), cash, and a USB. I keep my coins in a FINO coin purse thing I got for Christmas a few years ago.

Insert is a Field Notes notebook I use to write drafts or sometimes use as a brain dump or to sort through my ideas, if I have too many things in my brain. This is just a standard memo book with notes and stuff, not worth a peek!

TL;DR

Anyway, so this set-up has been working really well for me. Both notebooks are light and carry all the information I need with me “at all times,” and the Uniball Signo is the only pen I really need. I found that carrying so many things got in the way of my real productivity (I get frazzled and overwhelmed) rather then help me get things done, so here’s my boring set-up.

I also journal in a few places sometimes, use a desktop planner at home to put in specific tasks if a big item on my list is made up of many tasks, etc. or if I need to do many things on a work-from-home day. I mostly leave those at home.

If I wanted to bring a journal along, I usually pick between my regular size Midori/Traveler’s Company Notebook or my Hobonichi Techo.

And that’s it! Let me know if you have any questions. Sorry it’s so boring, but this is what’s been working out for me so far.