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July 10, 2012
29 Comment

Pigeon of Discontent: “How To Organize My Notes?”

Each week, I post a video about some Pigeon of Discontent raised by a reader. Because, as much as we try to find the Bluebird of Happiness, we’re also plagued by those small but pesky Pigeons of Discontent.

This week’s Pigeon of Discontent, suggested by a reader, is: “How should I organize my notes?“

 

But, as I reveal in the video, I don’t have a good solution for organizing notes. I have the most basic of systems. (Though I should have noted that in addition to my catch-all “Notes” document, I do have enormous, dedicated “notes” documents for each of my book subject–happiness, Churchill, JFK, etc.)  I would love to hear from readers who have a system that’s more refined!

If you want to read more about this resolution, check out…

In which I acknowledge that a key to happiness, for me, is taking notes.

Be Gretchen. Make strange lists, for fun.

7 tips I use to spark my creativity.

So, how about you? Do you love to take notes? Handwritten or on the computer? If you’ve found a good system, please share.

You can post your own Pigeon of Discontent at any time; also, from time to time, I’ll make a special call for suggestions.

You can check out the archives of videos here.

Also ...

  • Lifehacker--"tips and downloads for getting things done"--is a wonderful resource. So much interesting, helpful material.

  • Would you like to launch or join a group for people doing Happiness Projects together? Get information here; you can download the "starter kit" for launching a group here. These groups have started all over the world.

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  3. Pigeon of Discontent: “I Want an Uncluttered LIfe (With Less Shopping).”
  4. Pigeon of Discontent: “Cell Phones Make Me Crazy.”
  5. Pigeon of Discontent: “Help! The Snooze Button!”
  • heidi sayle

    I used to use word documents, but now I like using Evernote for its convenience. I can quickly cut and paste from the web as well as type notes, and can easily move notes into different notebooks so that they are somewhat organized.

    • Anne

      Sounds interesting, Heidi. Is is a dedicated database of some kind? Do you know if it works on a Mac?

      • Jill

        I’m also a fan of Evernote; I use it to take notes and organize recipes. It’s available on Mac and Windows and easily syncs with my computer, iPod, and an online profile so I can use my notes at any time. http://evernote.com/index.php

  • Anne

    I might use word processing, or for a big project, a database.

  • http://twitter.com/#!/JJ_McJoJo Janne G

    I use this awesome software called ‘The Journal 5′ from
    http://www.davidrm.com/ for note taking, it makes it very easy to take notes, to organize them (by using tabs and stuff) and to easily find them back. I now use two accounts on ‘the journal’, one for personal stuff and one with everything school related. In a way it kinda works like a blog. I’ve tried many things before this software, but this is definitely my favorite!

  • Alicia

    I used a similar system with note taking for the first stages of my dissertation writing. I took notes in margins of books and articles that I read and then typed them all up in a huge word document, then used the word search tool to find them later on. That was useful since I didn’t really know what I would need later.

    Now I am in a stage where I just write notes in the margins of books and don’t really need to type them up because I use the same books over and over again. I use a moleskine cahier journal to make notes about theory that aren’t particularly related to specific books that I have read.

    I also have a moleskine cahier journal for personal notes (fun books… like yours), and self-improvement notes. I like those journals because they look the same (so can be stored on a shelf together later) and lay flat for ease of writing. I also use a specific brand of mechanical pencil (Pentel P205 .5mm) for writing in the journals–I guess note taking is pretty important in my life as well!

    • Sandy Grason

      Alicia, I also love moleskine journals. I use them for everything, quotes, ideas, working out my monkey mind. I try to go back through the last year’s worth of mokeskine around the end of the year- i make a list of “highlights” to celebrate before making any new goals for the new year. I need to remind myself of all that I accomplished before moving onto the next “to do”.

      I also just recently started using Evernote- I find it’s great for research, keeping clips from online articles and quotes together for different projects.

  • Susan

    I take notes all the time and Evernote works well for me (plus, it’s free!). I find I fiddle with the organization of my notes in Evernote quite a lot, but that’s fun for me (most of the time…). My general rule is that if I was going to write it on a sticky note, then it’s perfect for Evernote. You can create up to 220 notebooks, and use tags to find things again, and as someone else said, you can clip straight from the internet and it will remember the source web page, etc. It’s very powerful but easy – a lovely combination!

    Another option is OneNote by Microsoft, which I believe is now part of the MS Office suite. I haven’t used it myself, because I have a Mac and it’s only for PCs, but my research suggests it’s very good too, and quite visual, which I find Evernote is not.

    I’m glad I’m not the only one who struggles with this question!

    • gretchenrubin

      I’m going to play with OneNote. I didn’t even know I had it on my computer. Not so much for taking notes on reading, but it looks like it might be good for brainstorming.

  • Michele

    Gretchen, do you use your laptop for note-taking while you’re reading, or sticky note it and go back later? (Which is what I do.) I’m trying to figure out an efficient method.

    • gretchenrubin

      I usually make a note right in the book, and then go back later. This is useful for me, because I think it helps me remember material better. However, I have to be careful not to let my reading get too far ahead of my note-taking, because it feel overwhelming.

  • peninith

    love all these high tech ideas. I guess I am still in the dark ages where note taking is concerned! To be honest, I usually keep a grid-ruled notebook on hand and put everything in it as I go through my days, from grocery lists to quilt sketches to phone numbers to ideas and quotations and to-do lists. It’s a mess, but somehow I am usually able to find what I want. I like the grid ruled paper because that makes it easy for me to sketch quilt ideas anywhere, anytime.

  • VicAnne

    First, thanks to everyone who also likes to take notes and make lists. Gretchen, I actually remember the day I read a post you’d written about that — it was as if the heavens opened, a dove fluttered down, perched on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “No, my dear, you are not alone! Look, here is a normal person does the same thing.”

    Second, I have no helpful ideas on how best to take notes (I still can’t decide if I like a computer or journal, or pencil or pen), but I wanted to mention that I did try to use OneNote at work for several months, and while I liked the idea of having sections and pages, I did not find the actual note-taking setup very easy to use. You can type anywhere on the page, which Microsoft seems to be very proud of, but wherever you do choose to write, it becomes a text box, so you wind up with text boxes all over the place that need to be resized and reorganized as your ideas morph. And I found it stored itself oddly on my computer and it was awkward to change titles, but that could just be me.

    So I gave up on OneNote and started keeping my To Do and In Process lists on the large monthly desk calendar our office manager got for each of us in January — never thought I’d use it for anything….(my meetings and reminders are actually on my computer calendar — I don’t know if I’ll ever get the paper vs computer thing solved).

  • Kandi

    I loved this.. I too take notes all the time, on anything I can write on. Depending on where I am I may shove the notes into my purse until I get home and then they go into a loose notebook. I love looking through my handwritten notes. Just like my recipes I usually remember what they are written on and that’s how I can find them!!! :) Totally organized Chaos! tee hee

  • WordsnWorlds

    On my phone and on my Kindle, I use Evernote to type notes and clip a ton of articles for reference and comment later. On my Kindle, I like to slow down and write notes so I also use an app called Notes. On my laptop I use a combination of Evernote, OneNote, MindMapper, The Brain and Word. MindMapper and The Brain are both mind mapping software. On MindMapper, I usually explore processes and serious notes. The Brain I use for more open and creative brainstorming and idea combining. For journaling, I tend to use OneNote. Every one of these applications (with the exception of the Notes app on my Kindle) can be linked to each other so I can refer to documents in each of these places and although they are seemingly everywhere, I can find them all back.

  • Susan

    Looks like I need to fly into the 21st Century! I still use a pen and a spiral notebook. I have tons of them handy everywhere which does make for some organizational issues. It’s sometimes fun to go back and read things I wrote years ago in these. I am considering tearing out pages and putting them in file folders to organize them better. However, I am going to try to use my computer more too as I know it is generally easier to find things that way.

    • WordsnWorlds

      Susan, I forgot to mention that I also do use notebooks, papers, pens and planners. I love them all. I find that each one brings a different aspect to how I am writing and how I am thinking. Bits and pieces of all of these things come together in the electronic form. Each note or jotting I value separately but I also value them combined (electronically) as well.

      Enjoy it your way.

  • Padiddle

    I use Notebook (from Circus Ponies software.) A wonderful thing it does is create a set of indices (called the multidex) automatically as you add data to your notebook. It indexes text, capitalized words, numbers, internet addresses, creation date, etc., without you needing to do a thing. I use it mostly for work but it is great for this purpose too.

    • Jenny

      This looks awesome – thanks for sharing!

  • Dori

    I use Evernote on my Mac, iPhone & iPad. I even take voice memos & save to Evernote.

  • Priscila Pires

    I hope you are backing up your notes since laptops love to crash!

  • Familymut

    My pigeon of discontent: Tupperware (and other kitchen storage containers)! Have never found a good way to store/organize these. Any suggestions?

  • Jo

    As a student, I keep to the old looseleaf and binder system. Technology is too unreliable and requires too much adaptation for me to use it efficiently to start off the term, for me at least.

    Each page is dated, the class name or number identified, and numbered in the top right hand corner. My looseleaf is clipped in a clipboard where I take my notes, and when that page is filled or the class finishes, it goes into the pocket on the side. Later that day during my review sessions I transfer it to my binder, which is divided with appropriately marked dividers. This system is really useful for me when I miss a class and have to photocopy someone’s notes. It’s super easy to just hole-punch and put it in the right spot.
    Each different project gets its own page protector.
    I generally use black pens, and then a coloured pen for underlining or titles.

    Since I’m in the Dark Ages, I also use a binder system for important documents and notes that I make at home for the home. If I have a general section then I put more specific things under that header together in page protectors (I love the Avery ones that say they store 50 pages. they can store WAY more than that!!!).

    I hope that might help someone.

  • John

    Notational Velocity.

    I’m surprised no one has mentioned this application yet. It’s amazing. Unlike Evernote, it’s text based only, dead simple to use, and very, very easy to search. If I remember correctly, it’s also free. The index of your notes can appear either in horizontal or vertical mode, and making a new note is as simple as typing a name in the subject bar and jumping into the main window to make an entry. It will also allow you to post links.

    Love this application. Best note-taking device I’ve ever found.

  • http://gingerblue.com/ Chel

    I wonder if there isn’t some sort of notebook (small, but fat) with moveable dividers? I’m trying to figure out how to organize my notes, as well- having 4000 journals going isn’t working for me, and I’m still resisting the iPad for it (which is why I bought it!)

    • WordsnWorlds

      It really depends upon what you mean when you say small but fat. Levenger has a notebook that’s flexible allowing you to make it into whatever you want it to be — add, move and remove pages anytime, add, move and remove dividers. Go to Levenger.com and check out what they have. Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for or at least close to it.

  • Havi

    I can’t recommend Evernote enough. With tagging, being able to take photos or type or record voice, with cross-platform functionality, and with no cost (!), it is simply the best tool around for note-taking and note-finding!

  • Shannan

    I just started using Evernote at the recommendation of my sister. I just recently got an iPhone4s (I know I am way behind) and she told me that I needed to use this app. It has been great. I still haven’t worked out exactly how I am going to use it but I was able to stop carrying around of small notebook of that had a list of purchases I wanted to make. Now they are on my phone and it is soooooo convenient. I would recommend Evernote very highly.

  • Pingback: The Written Journal Just Isn’t Working | Helen's Happiness Project

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