Use Field Notes as Virtual Memory

I don't use hipsterPDA in several reason. I couldn't write fine letter if I'm in standing position. It may be better if I only use alphabet. However, Japanese letter, especially Kanji, is more pictorial. If I try to write fine letter on the hPDA, it costs much effort and time consuming.

It is important to write reusable/reviewable index cards to cumulate ones knowledge. Instead of using hPDA, I started to use Kokuyo Field Notes as temporal idea pool. Later, each topics are expanded into the index cards.

In my method, as a metephor, CPU = my brain, Virtual Memory (HDD) = field notes, HDD = index cards.

Because the field notes is designed for outdoor use, it has many advantage compare to hPDA ; I can write in any position (lying, standing), tough, compact, and reasonable (it costs only $1). If it cost $15 as Moleskine do, it prevent me to write tiny but sometimes important things. Reasonableness helps productivity a lot. :)

I write down anything that emerge from my head. Simple to complicated, life to work, not classification but all in chronological order. I usually write first 2 or 3 lines of the topics (or keyword) to minimize dupulicate effort. My letter on the field notes is sloppy because it is temporal anyway. Rapidness is more important when I capture my ideas. I use the Platina's "Press Man" with 0.9 mm lead for this rapid writing.

Date stamp is made by rubber stamp for each page. Put time stamp sometimes. It doesn't need to be frequent because important here is not frequency but uniqueness. You can interpolate the time between topic to topic.

Simple to-dos, for example, buying toilet paper, are finished in this field notes without copying to index cards.

I use single field notes at one time, and usualy finish in a month. I cannot go anywhere without this field notes anymore. :)

See also :
- Brain Pocket Notebook
- Calendar 09 for Field Notes by Aki
- Pile of Fieldnotes by Foxcalf
- Fieldnote and "Binder Ball" by Foxcalf