My Stupid, 3-Notebook Productivity System for Squirrel-Brained Thinkers

This productivity method works

Full confession, I’m obsessed with office supplies. When I was young, stationery stores still existed. There were three stationery stories in my small suburb of Chicago. I could ride my bike and spend hours looking at different papers, pens, and notebooks.

Now those places are gone for most of us.

The online shopping world has become the new crack-den of notebook fanatics from all over the world. Big Box stores have finally embraced the power of notebook customers. I can’t go anywhere without drooling over the office supplies.

While some people upturn noses at Big Box notebooks, I embrace them.

I have more notebooks than I’ve got finger-time to fill them. And I’m just getting started. I used to be a notebook snob, but over the past few years I found a cheap, hardbound notebook I love, with 100 gsm paper, stocked in the Big Box near me (Walmart, but don’t tell anyone… it’s still stings a little), for less than ten bucks.

Simple answer — I stopped being a notebook snob.

I put so much value on the notebooks I didn’t want to use them. That’s a huge mistake. The value of the notebook is its content, not the embossed logo on the cover.

So, here we are.

As one of my valuable readers helped me realize… it’s time to ruin some perfectly good notebooks.

Lean in.

While I have hundreds of notebooks and dedicate each of them to a different purpose, I finally developed a 3-notebook system I use on the daily.

If you’re a writer or creator, and you’d like a fluid way to plan, and execute your best work, while keeping a record of your daily life — this little system might be for you.

The 3-Notebook system

After years of trying everything, over the past six months I’ve finally rested on this analog system that works well for me. It might not work for you. But if you enjoy the beauty of paper you might like this too.

We start with the three notebooks you’ll need:

1. A disposable, card-stock 3.5" X 5.5" pocket notebook
2. A Squirrel Journal (a link to the more-specific article above)
3. A Five-Year Journal

I’ll unpack each of these notebooks in a second.

First, I want to explain the purpose of the system — to help capture your best thoughts, plan your day in advance without many structure rules, and to have a way to quickly capture what happened today, without spending hours writing at night.

• This is not a calendar (I use my phone for that)
• This is not a goal-setting plan (whole separate enchilada)
• This is not morning pages or self-journaling. Those may be additional tools you want in your life, but the three-notebook system is your daily carry.

I use this system to get more done in less time.

I use these three notebooks to tell my day what to do before my day defines me. I use this system to be a prolific creator.

Here we go…

1. The pocket notebook (AKA the core workhorse of the system) —

I have five rules for my pocket notebooks:

1. They aren’t sacred, they’re disposable. I think of these little notebooks like Post-It notes or scratch paper, not something anyone will see besides me, or anything that belongs in a museum. I toss them when they’re full (sometimes, although I have a tendency to keep some just in case… for what, I don’t know).
2. They are my daily-to list, so they get a date at the top of the page.
3. Anything I don’t finish is either wiped-off the map or carried-over to the next day with the little, bullet journal arrow >
4. The must-do tasks get an A with a circle around it
5. I carry this notebook with me at all times

Here’s what they look like. I buy these notebooks in bulk from Amazon. Any 3.5 x 5.5 will work. I like these craft paper books.

I’m a craftsman too, so I made myself a leather slipcase for my pocket notebook. It keeps the cover in tact through the life of the book (about a month). I am not easy on things that go in my pockets. The pocket slip absorbs sweat and keeps my notebooks alive longer.

Here’s a typical page. I was hesitant to show anything here, but it’s an example. Make each day your own. This is basically a to-do list. I date each page at the top. I build the list first-thing each morning and only add to it if something is truly a must-do that day. As I complete each task I line it out. Carry-over tasks get a bullet journal arrow for the next day.

When I start a new day, I either fold-and-tear the corner off the bottom of the previous page, or I cut it with scissors (scissors make the cut corners more uniform). This way I can thumb-quickly to the latest page.

Note: I also use my pocket notebook to take notes, record a-ha moments, or anything else that needs to be recorded when I don’t have the proper capture device nearby.

Later, I’ll re-record the notes in the right location (different notebook, laptop, or my phone)

2. The Squirrel Notebook —

I’ve written about this in the story I linked above, so I won’t go in-depth here. The Squirrel Notebook isn’t quite a commonplace book. It’s also known as a distraction journal. Basically, it’s a dustpan for your mind.

As I meditate, listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or watch videos. I keep the old Squirrel on my lap. When a have a squirrel! moment I scribble the idea in the book and return my focus to the task at hand.

This notebook alone has boosted my productivity so much. I stay focused longer, while giving my brain a little reward for being distracted.

3. The Five-Year Journal —

I don’t know about you, but when you keep a strong, daily routine, the days can melt-together quickly. I can’t always remember what I did yesterday, let-alone three days ago.

I have a five-year journal that I log every night before bed. There’s only room for a quick paragraph. I try to keep mine strictly to facts, like a reporter. “Today we walked the dog, took my son to the dentist, I wrote five articles, we had such and such for dinner, it rained.”

On each page there’s a line for five-years worth of entries for a particular day. Once you make it through an entire year, you can start reviewing what happened last year, today.

The mundane things we do are also part of our story. This is the majority of our lives. It’s critical we don’t let all these small things be forgotten. The five year journal takes five minutes a night, and you’ve got a little legacy for your future.

This is one of the best journal purchases I’ve ever made. I got mine from Leuchtturm on Amazon (called Some Lines a Day), but there are multiple companies that make these. Best of all, you don’t have to start January 1st if you don’t want to. It keeps looping every year.

There you have it.

That’s my three-notebook system (I don’t have a name for this yet, so bonus points if you read this far and think of a cool name in the comments)

We’re waiting for you.

Creators also need email

If you want more from your creative practice you also need an email list. If you don’t want to trade writing time for income, email is the missing link in th process.

When you’re ready to start your email list I’ve got something for you…

I built a free email masterclass for you (my link, away from Medium). I hand-crafted the whole thing, by hand… with my hands. It took me a couple months to build the first version (many revisions since). I call this masterclass the Tribe 1K.

Now is a great time to start (or grow) your email list.

I’ll show you how to get your first 1,000 (or your next 1,000) readers without spending a hot nickel on ads. Past students include New York Times bestselling authors (yep, the ones you see in the bookstore), high-caliber university professors, attorneys, doctors, scientists, artists… and regular folks too — just like you and me.

Your email list will help you build a legacy creative business.

If you want to grow your creative business you need email before you lose that valuable reader’s attention. Start your list before you need one. Once you need a list it’s almost too late.

Tap the link (offsite link).

Guarantee your seat before I start to charge an enrollment fee.

We’re waiting for you.

August Birch (AKA the Book Mechanic) is both a fiction and non-fiction author from Michigan, USA. As a self-appointed email marketing expert for writers and creators, August helps indies make more work that sells and sell more work they make. The core of August’s process is your email list (offsite link). When he’s not writing or thinking about writing, August hangs-out with his beautiful wife and handsome son, carries a pocket knife, and shaves his head with a safety razor.

And before you go…

If you appreciate my work, why not join Medium as a paying member, which allows you unlimited access to stories (not just 3 free stories per month). Tap this link, or the image below. I will receive a little portion of your membership fees, but it won’t cost you any extra.