How I keep my mind free – My Moleskine notebook

So you are trying the GTD system. You’ve performed a mind sweep and cleared your head of clutter. You’ve organized all your stuff. How do you sustain having a “mind like water”? If you do not make an effort to keep your mind clear of clutter, you will not achieve the free state of mind that you desire (make that, deserve!).

For me, I took a low tech approach to keeping my mind free of clutter. I use a Moleskine (pronounced mol-a-skeen'-a) notebook to record everything. Anything and everything goes into my Moleskine. It is my temporary holding bucket until I can get it into my system. Once in my system, the idea/thought/to-do is crossed out in my Moleskine.

My Moleskine notebook goes with me most places. If I am brushing my teeth and I think about something that I need to do later, I find my Moleskine and write it down. If I bump into someone in the hall and they ask me to send them something, I record it in my Moleskine. If I’m in a meeting and my mind wanders to another topic that I need to follow-up on, I jot it down in my Moleskine and return my mind to the meeting at hand. My Moleskine is my “safe place” for my stuff.

At least once a day, I review what I’ve jotted in my Moleskine and run the GTD drill:

• If the item is not actionable, I file it.
• If the item is actionable, I decide what the next action is.
• Once I know the next action, I Do it, Delegate it, Defer it or Delete it.

Yes, even “delete it” applies. Just because I jotted it down in my Moleskine does not mean I need to action something. What I thought was a good idea 6 hours ago, may turn out to be a bad idea now. Using my Moleskine as a temporary holding bucket allows me to reevaluate things with a clear mind during my review. This has saved me from acting on some pretty bad ideas!

So why do I use a Moleskine notebook when a PDA or simple piece of paper would suffice?

• A Moleskine notebook is a well made piece of equipment. It has a durable thread bound binding. The cover is a hard and makes for good writing support. The acid free paper is heavy and does not dog-ear. Moleskine notebooks also come with a ribbon placeholder and an expandable accordion pocket in the back (two nice touches).
• I use a pocket sized 3.5 x 5.5 inch Moleskine and it fits just about anywhere. Easy to transport.
• I’ve tried many electronic PDA’s over the years and I have yet to find one as simple as a piece of paper and a pencil for recording quick notes. My Moleskine does not need to “boot up”.
• It’s all in one place. I don’t have scattered scraps of paper that I need to account for.
• It looks good. Like I said, it’s a well made, nice looking piece of equipment. You have to be happy with the tools you use day in and day out. It may sound crazy, but why do you drive the car you drive when a Yugo would do? Why do women carry around nice looking purses when a paper bag would do?

Whatever tool you use to record your next idea/thought/to-do is up to you. My only consultation is that you record it somewhere. The feeling of relief that your idea/thought/to-do is in a safe place will be quite refreshing. Your mind will be free of clutter and you will achieve a mind like water.