While I haven’t completely ditched my smartphone, I’m spending a lot less time on it these days. In its place, I’ve taken up singing lessons, kickboxing, and, most recently, stand-up at open mics. It’s been fun riffing about my time in Catholic school, finding ways to spin getting a bowl cut from the principal into something the whole bar can laugh at. I found that my usual writing process — opening my text editor on my iPad and typing until the words find me — doesn’t quite work with stand-up. I needed a way to capture funny ideas as they came to me so I could workshop them before a set, rather than staring at a blank screen until something funny came to mind. I decided to pick up a pocket-size notebook that I could carry everywhere, ready to pull out at a moment’s notice before a good idea slipped my mind. Once I found one that I loved, I couldn’t put it down, and soon I ditched my Notes app altogether in favor of writing things by hand.
Traveler’s Company Traveler’s Notebook (Camel)
$59
I’m a chronic note-taker, so to replace my note-taking app of choice, I needed something that could handle every bit of information I threw its way. While there are many pocket-size notebooks to choose from, the passport-size Traveler’s Notebook caught my eye due to its modular nature. I’ve stuffed it with three notebooks — one for ideas, one for book quotes, and another for doodling — plus a pouch to hold my pens and stray items. Because it’s modular, I can swap the doodles notebook for one to flesh out things from my ideas notebook, or a travel journal if I’m on the road. It’s all wrapped in a soft leather that makes me feel especially fancy every time I’m workshopping bits from my favorite bar.
