With all the technology at my fingertips, I still don’t go anywhere at work without my steno pad. It’s constantly open on my desk, and I bring it to meetings, and I try to remember to bring it home if I’m working from home. I am a horrible note taker, but I find that I do want to jot some things down – cue words that will help me to remember bigger ideas later. Names – that’s a big one – who was in the meeting? I’m bad at remembering names too.
It has to be a steno notebook. I like the size – not too big, and not too small. I like that it’s spiral bound and has a cover. I can flip through the pages easily and tear pages out if I need them. I like that it has lines and is divided down the middle so that I can make two lists on the same page.
I use my steno notebook for taking notes, but I use it for lists a lot. On Mondays I jot down the days of the week and plan which of my meal plan meals we will have each day. Then I make a quick grocery list of the things I need. I make packing lists and to-do lists. I make Christmas shopping lists and lists of the things I need to buy or do for entertaining. I like lists. I like the feeling of accomplishment when I cross something off the list.
Sometimes, I just have too much to remember to keep it all in my brain, so a list helps me dump it out on paper so I don’t have to try to remember it all. I’ve mentioned lists in a couple of previous posts. If I’m going to use a list again – like for packing for vacation, or for the annual Easter brunch I host, I will make a Word or Excel document with the list and save it on the computer. That saves me a ton of time and helps me to not forget items that I pack/use year to year. But, for a quick “weekend to-do” list, it gets jotted down on the steno notebook.
I know that there are a bunch of apps for the PC or phone that you can use to make to-do lists, but they all seem like so much work when I can quickly jot down a list on my trusty steno notebook. But, I do like the idea of always having my to-do lists with me via my phone, where as I usually leave my steno pad at the office, so I might give an online to-do list a try.
What do you use for taking notes or making lists?
