I Started a "Dirt Notebook"
The author describes the psychological struggle of maintaining 'perfect' notebooks and the relief found in starting a 'dirt notebook' for messy, unstructured thoughts. This practice allows for creative freedom by removing the pressure to produce high-quality, organized content.
Why it matters
It highlights a common creative block and offers a practical, low-stakes approach to personal productivity and note-taking.
I love taking notes, but one problem that I have is that that I start cherishing every notebook that I start. I can't seem to keep my notes messy. Eventually, I start structuring the notes, doing cleaner handwriting, adding a cover or some stickers ... and before I know it, the notebook is too well-organised for simply scribbling into. This, of course, raises the hurdle for taking more notes and makes me start a new notebook, where the same process repeats again. It's a vicious circle. It won't surprise you that I'm somewhat enamored with the concept of shitty / messy notebooks, like this or this .
The content is a personal essay on productivity habits and does not contain political or social bias.
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