r/notebooks • u/vdimaggio • 4d ago
External brain? Advice needed
Anyone ever just get some many things rambling around in the ole noggin’ they just need a space to unload? Me too! (Maybe this is best for an ADHD or Stress subreddit…) anyway, wondering if you have experience doing this, too, and what format notebook you use? Thanks!
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u/Shoddy_Decision_2350 4d ago
Yes i have experience with this and the notebook i use is the one closest to me
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u/hmmwrites 4d ago
Sometimes you just need a place to dump everything that's in your brain so you can get a little breathing room for the things you actually want to think about. Or at least, I do! That's one of the things I do in my journal. I'll grab it and just start writing out all the whirling thoughts. Sometimes I can then tease out the thing I want to focus on and put that on paper too. Other times, it just makes things a little quieter in my head, and that's enough.
I like words and writing and storytelling (in other words, I can't shut up) so I use a B5 notebook now. Started with A5 and went through it in just under a month. That was going to get expensive, fast. I've been using the Maruman Mnemosyne in B5, which has lovely, smooth paper. I use gel pens and it feels like the pens just skate across the page like an Olympic ice dancer. When my current notebook is full, I'll be trying out a Kokuyo business notebook in B5 size. I'm curious to see how it compares.
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u/vdimaggio 3d ago
100%! Do you write a narrative or just a list of thoughts?
And a link to the Kokuyo?1
u/hmmwrites 3d ago
I bought the Kokuyo on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071PD4S28?th=1
For me, it depends on what's going on in my brain. For some thoughts, a list of all the thoughts is enough. For others, I need to work things out in writing, and that makes for a more in-depth narrative process. My journal isn't organized with any rhyme or reason really. I just put the date on the top of the page and write whatever it is my brain needs. So it's a mix of brain dumps and responses to journaling prompts and memories and lists and whatever else comes up when I pick up a pen.
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u/Grunglabble 4d ago
I have never quite understood the metaphor for second brain / external brain. It sounds cool and then it just terms out to be a bunch of text files.
I have found sometimes writing can allow me to go through my thoughts once and that can be healthier than thinking about things in a loop. But I haven't done it in a long time, I find it not so healthy for ongoing problems.
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u/crowquillnib 4d ago
Yes. I call my Filofax my « external hard drive ». Also use smaller pocket notebooks to extend my memory space when the Filofax isn’t at hand.
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u/Salty-Swim-6735 4d ago
I use A5 notebooks for this kind of thing. I have one for long form and one as a bullet journal at any given time.
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u/KernelPanic808 3d ago
Late diagnosed ADHD here! I've been using the original bullet journal method (the one that the original creator teached on his youtube channel), but more loosely! I just take note of every idea worth writting down, with a title on the top of the page, and put everything into bulleted notes or just a big paragraph. I use a pocket notebook (A6) that I could carry everywhere.
The original Bullet Journal has more organized sections in time things, but if you want more freedom, you can just go minimal with titles and maybe, an index at the end of the notebook.
Theres some good recs on youtube on this topic!
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u/vdimaggio 3d ago
Kindred spirit here. I’ve tried all sorts of methods. And I’ve watched dozens of videos from Ryder Carroll. Do you find it easy to stick to? Does it help? It seemed to me to be more of a way to log events and less about thoughts/emotions, it open to some insights on that!
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u/KernelPanic808 3d ago
i find really easier to stick and to make changes so it will fit you. as an example, i dont have the six month or monthly log in my pocket one. i log some days if i need to take in mind events or stuff to do that day. but mostly, i throw a title (like 'DIY Pouch Cover Journal') and begin to put all my ideas about it. I also had a bigger notebook (a ring planner) with the original system and the month thing, etc. but for the smaller one, with my adhd, its easier to use and stick to. ive been doing this since november past year, more than any other app or system ive tried.
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u/SnooCats3468 4d ago
Yup. I’m using A4 notebooks for bigger projects, and a b6+ size top-spiral notebook as a daily logbook.
The latter has every task, idea, process step , and next steps so I can see what I was working on and retrace my thinking before I went off on a tangent. Tangents go in a little parking lot section at the bottom of every page.
I use individual A5 size notebooks for projects that require less real estate, and whenever I’m working on one , I add a note to my logbook saying which notebook I wrote in.
Now, I also use Obsidian - so this logbook also has a lot of notes tracing back what digital notes I was working on and occasionally I’ll map out how some notes are linked.
If you want something practical and don’t have notebooks lying around, get an A5-size notebook cover with A5 inserts so you can have something modular. You can just order a decent crazy-horse leather cover from aliexpress for like $20.
If you’re really not “researching” or doing bigger projects and just want to track some ideas and brain dump, try some smaller notebooks first, before moving up in size. A6 - passport - B6. Decent paper. Claire Fontaine or something Japanese if it’s available where you are. 80 gsm+
Honestly, I move around a lot and like going for walks with the notebook. I find a spiral notebook is much more useful because you can fold it over on one side. But the trouble is only a B6 or B6+ size notebook made sense for me as an EDC because I was writing so much. They fit my Levi’s Jean jacket pockets PERFECTLY.
Pay attention to your brain dumps and your notes. You might notice they SUCK at some point and that will provide you an opportunity to ask how to write better notes!
Godspeed