Article may be outdated

This article is 40 days old. Some details may have changed since publication.

Hacker News·3 min read·medium

I Started a "Dirt Notebook"

H
herbertl
AI Summary

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.

Dive DeeperCreate a free account to unlock

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 .

Continue reading on Headlinne

Create a free account to read the full article.

Read full article →
culturedesign
Political Bias
Center
LeftLean LCenterLean RRight
Confidence: 90%

The content is a personal essay on productivity habits and does not contain political or social bias.

Get smarter about the news

Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.

Create free account

Already have an account? Sign in