Taking notes in the dark

A guest blog by GTD user, Dan Haygeman

One tactic I learned from Ed Lamont (Founding Partner of Next Action Associates) a couple of years ago was the practice of carrying a very small, tiny pad of notepaper in a very thin wallet (about the size of a pack of cigarettes and perhaps half the thickness of an iPhone 5s) with a small pen attached; and carrying that tiny notebook everywhere I went.

I protested that I already had my pocket Day-Timer for making notes portably, but Ed stressed that my Day-Timer, while useful for some things, was too thick and I probably wouldn’t actually carry it everywhere. He claimed that some of his best ideas had occurred to him in situations where he would not have a way of capturing them absent his tiny notepad.

These days I still use that same wallet and notepad, for a number of reasons in addition to those already mentioned. For one thing, the pads are perforated so that I can write a single thought or action item on each page. When I get to my office in the morning, I simply tear out the sheets I’ve accumulated up to that point and toss them into my inbox for when I have a processing session.

I also keep this notepad next to my bed so that if I wake in the night I can open the notepad wallet and scribble something without turning on the light (a feature which my wife, Nance, especially appreciates.) To make sure I can have another “in the dark thought” without covering the previous one, I simply fold each page in half horizontally so it’s easy to locate a fresh page.

Regardless of how brilliant and prolific I am, which happens frequently these days, it’s all because of this tiny notepad.

How do you use GTD? We’d love to hear your hints, tips and personal experiences. Email us at [email protected] 

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