There are various ways one can organize their life. You plan your daily activities in several ways. But have you been hoping from one calendar to another or one planner to another and still haven’t found your ideal event planning method? Have you tried the digital planning methods but still, it didn’t work for you? If that is the case, you should try the ultimate form of paper planning: the notebook. Notebooks are the answer to your activity planning problem.
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Ways of Using a Blank Notebook
There are different types of notebooks. Discussed below are some of them:
Essential notebooks
These are the type of notebooks you write your activities for the day, week, or month. They mostly involve personal activities like exercising, take your dog for a walk, among others.
Work-related goals
This is a type of notebook that contains information on what you want to achieve at work. If you run a business and have some goals you want to achieve, you can write to them in this notebook.
Life expenses notebook
Sometimes, we need to keep information on the amount of money we spend. Such data can be written in these notebooks.
Your personal goals
What do you want to achieve in life? What goals do you what to attain? You can list down your life goals in this notebook.
Eating habits and fitness
If you are keen on keeping your body in perfect shape, you will need this notebook. You can write details on the type of food you eat and how you exercise.
How to Use your Notebook for Goal Setting
Here are some of the ways you can use your notebook to set goals:
- Identify a habit you want to start: Figure out a routine you want to start doing. For example, if your goal is having a perfect body, you can pick the habit of regular exercises and dieting.
- Pick a habit you want to stop: Stop the practices you think may hinder you from achieving your goal. For example, if you’re going to have a perfect body, you will have to stop the habit of eating junk foods. List down this information in your notebook as a reminder.
- Pick a habit you want to do daily: Write a routine that you want to be doing daily in your notebook. For example, if your goal is saving $1000 in a month, you need to be saving a certain amount of money daily.
- List something you want to take a break from: There might be certain things you want to take a break from and resume them later. For example, if you are used to clubbing, you might want to take a break from it in the meantime.
How to Organize a To-Do List Notebook
Below are ways to organize a to-do list notebook:
- Start by writing the date at the top of your blank notebook.
- Next, note the name of one of your ongoing work projects. Spaced 5-10 lines away, list two more projects you are working on. Leaving a space of 5 to 10 lines is important because some information about the project can come up.
- Under your first project, list down the things you need to do to accomplish it. Do the same thing with the rest of the projects.
- When you complete a project, cross it off. This will shift your focus to the tasks you haven’t finished yet.
- At the end of each day, list new projects, and indicate what needs to be done to achieve those goals. This way, you will increase the chances of attaining these goals. All it takes a little effort, and you will be right in the mix.
How to Organize a Note-Taking Notebook
Here is the process to create a note-taking notebook:
- At the top of the first and second page, write down the “table of contents.” Draft a table of contents that you can follow strictly. Remember to cover all areas when writing the table of contents.
- On the third page, right at the upper part of it, write “1”. You can also do this at the bottom of the page. Continue listing the pages according to the depth of the table of contents if you have many details and list as many pages as you can. Contrary, if you don’t have a lot of content, list a few pages.
- When you are ready to take notes, go to the page you listed “1”. Remember this is the 3rd page of your notebook. Write down the subject and the date. After that, note down the necessary notes.
- The last and most important step, make sure you match the content in your notebook with the table of contents. How can this be done? Whenever you take any notes, write the page they are located in the table of contents. This makes it easier to locate the notes whenever you need them.
Organize Notebook for Meetings
Discussed below are ways you can organize your notebook for meetings:
- At the top of the first page, write the name of the meeting and the date.
- Underneath the name of the meeting and the date, create a “Prep” section. This is the area you will write any information, ideas, thoughts, or questions you may want to share, ask, or discuss.
- Under the prep section, create another area called “Notes.” This is where you will write facts discussed in the meeting and any information you find important.
- Under the “Notes” section, create another section called “Next steps.” This is the area you write personal tasks, things you need to do, and how you will implement what has been discussed in the meeting.
Organizing a Project Notebook
Discussed below are ways you can organize a project notebook:
- Start by writing the names of your projects on a piece of paper. At the end of it, count the total number of projects.
- Divide your notebook equally into the number of your projects. For example, if you have five projects, you will divide your notebook into five equal sections.
Free Notebook Templates
Do you want to create a notebook but finding it challenging? Download our notebook templates and customize them to your preferences!