I have been doing something very similar to the note below for the last several years. I also add an interesting twist.


If I open my journal in one direction, it is a chronological journal of my meetings, client calls and more. Turn the book over and it is a "notebook" with pages for writing ideas, books to request from the library, recipes and anything else I want to think about. The journal is full when these section meet in the middle. This seems to allow me the best use of my journals while still being able to locate the items I need quickly. I also try to keep a Table of Contents on the first several pages in both directions.

For more on note-taking, visit this site...

How to take good notes

Publishing company president Michael Hyatt's work life is filled with meetings - and he always takes notes with paper and pen.

At his weblog Working Smart, Hyatt publishes a list of reasons why along with tips and tricks for effective note-taking. I particularly like his simple method of marking items for followup and emphasis for quick and easy scanning:

I indent my notes from the left edge of the paper about half an inch. This allows me to put my symbols in the left margin.

Hyatt's shorthand symbols include an asterisk for important items, a question mark for items that require research, and a checkbox for to-dos.

Recovering the Lost Art of Note-Taking [Working Smart]

(Via Lifehacker.)

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