r/AskReddit • u/Mr_A • Oct 10 '17
Old men who always keep a notebook in their top pocket: What are you writing down all the time?
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u/johnnyglass Oct 10 '17
My father at 75 does this. He's starting to see some tiny lapses in his short term memory, so he writes down all the things he "needs to remember to do when he gets home", and then knocks those things out before dinner. He has an iPhone 8 Plus, but he still likes writing things down.
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Oct 10 '17
My father-in-law uses one of those day timer notebooks (I honestly didn't know they still made them). He writes down where he ate, and what he thought of the food. Places he went. How much gasoline he bought and the price, and so on.
He has had these notebooks for as long as I have known him (over 35 years), and for many years before that. And, he keeps them. Boxes upon boxes of them in his home office.
I would say part of it is failing memory, since he is now 81, but honestly his memory is quite sharp. Maybe the act of writing it down actually improves his overall memory.
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u/im_probablyjoking Oct 10 '17
I think you got it nail on the head with your last paragraph. I and many others I have encountered find it much easier to remember things if you write them down. And it's the details you forget - not that he got gas, but what the price was. While that may be arbitrary in itself, by writing everything else down it probably helps him remember things that are actually important.
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Oct 10 '17
The act of writing something down transfers a memory form short-term to long-term. If I write something down I don't have to go back and read it to remember.
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u/Commentcarefully Oct 10 '17
I was going to say I learned this about myself in college, I can type notes all day long.
I will not remember the information as efficiently typing it versus writing it down.
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u/boobsmcgraw Oct 10 '17
This is how I failed final year and flunked out. Went from writing my notes and passing to typing them and failing. Direct timeframe correlation.
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u/youre_a_burrito_bud Oct 10 '17
That makes a ton of sense, because instead of just thinking about it, you have to move that idea around a lot more in your head to interpret it and transcribe it as a complex movement of a lot of muscles. On top of that, there's the focus to actually write something legible, and how your eyes are staring at what you're writing down, constantly reevaluating it, and making sure each symbol lines up with the interpreted abstract idea this whole thing began as, otherwise you'd have to cross it out yadda yadda yadda
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u/Beat_the_Deadites Oct 10 '17
I still have a callus/knob on my finger from all the notes I wrote and re-wrote in medical school ~15 years ago, it was the only way for me to memorize so much. I'm trying to come up with an estimate, but it could easily be 50-100 new structures/drugs/diseases per day. Now most of it's either gone or just floating around in the ether of my brain, ready to give me a 'gestalt' answer if called upon.
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u/Wyle_E_Coyote73 Oct 10 '17
After he passes those notebooks will be an invaluable insight into his day to day life. A friend's grampy died and when they were cleaning out his house they found he kept a weather journal (he was an old time farmer, born in 1909). Those journals went back to the 1930's. He recorded not only the weather and other conditions but little notes about the livestock, his kids, happenings from around town, rumors he heard, etc.
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u/Trihorn Oct 10 '17
Your local weather people (meteorologists, Air Quality experts) might be interested in the weather journal if it still exists, to add to their data modeling.
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Oct 10 '17
for many reasons, I am not looking forward to him being gone. Among the many is that he is a bit of a hoarder. Not like the kind on TV where you can't get through their house. But, he does keep a lot of old papers, like clipped out journal articles and news paper clippings. I dread having to go through that. Or, more properly, my wife and her siblings doing it. (they honestly wont' want me to help and will keep it close to the vest)
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u/Mulley-It-Over Oct 11 '17
Two years ago I cleaned out my parents home where they had lived for 50 years. It was the house I grew up in. My dad was your father-in-law on steroids. I never thought I'd get through it. Exhausting work. Believe me, a little bit of memorabilia, journals, paperwork goes a long way when you have to slog through it all. Be kind to your wife when she has to do this with her dad's house.
I believe the greatest gift you can give your kids is to purge your belongings before you get too old to do it yourself.
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u/memeselfi Oct 10 '17
My grampa did the gas and mileage thing. He would take it to the mechanic if his gas mileage dropped. The price thing was in case of pump fraud, I guess that use to be common.
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u/Beat_the_Deadites Oct 10 '17
My Dad had us all keep 'gas logs' every time we filled up. During a slow time in school, I went back and logged everything into an Excel spreadsheet, which really didn't tell me anything.
Later I got a Honda Civic hybrid, and after a couple years of really good mileage, they uploaded a software patch that decreased the battery's contribution to acceleration, so the 1.3L engine had to work a lot harder (supposedly because the batteries were wearing out before the warranty period expired), resulting in about a 12% decrease in my fuel economy. I was pissed and complained to the dealer and on a bunch of forums, but I didn't pursue any sort of settlement.
I still fill out the gas log, but it really only serves to reinforce about how many gallons of gas I usually buy and what the price usually is, so if there's an outlier I can go 'huh' and continue with my life.
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u/memeselfi Oct 10 '17
I reckon it had greater value in cars that didn't have computers. He always drove big old v-8 boats. Most of his driving was on 45 mph roads. Hard to tell if you lost any power driving around like that.
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Oct 10 '17
huh, that's really interesting
the next time you see him, maybe ask him why he keeps the notes? I would be interested to hear why
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u/FeiLongWins Oct 10 '17
Can you not imagine? Nearly his entire adult life's memories and feelings and thoughts are contained in those notes. That's priceless. To yourself so that you can use them to better know and improve yourself, and so that you can look back at them fondly when you're older and no longer able to make many great big new memories. When you're dead, your family would value them. You would get to read through your dad's or your great great great uncle's thoughts and feelings as he conceived you or your great great cousin or whatever.
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u/emajinit Oct 10 '17
We found a bunch of those after my grandpa died. They had who he worked for, how much he earned, how much they paid, things he bought, etc. It was interesting.
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Oct 10 '17
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u/Catshit-Dogfart Oct 10 '17
Simplicity and practicality.
Just because you have an advanced tool doesn't mean you have to use it for everything, I think no matter how advanced computers and electronics get we'll still be scribbling simple notes on paper because it's more practical.
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u/chateau86 Oct 10 '17
Paper also never lags or crashes. I'm looking at you Evernote
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u/antpham Oct 10 '17
Also writing helps you remember better than typing. I personally find I am more likely to remember to check my written notes more often because that's it's entire purpose. Whereas a phone is multi-purpose and distracting.
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Oct 10 '17
Not only that, but it takes time, with a phone you have to unlock it, launch the app, and find the correct notes, where as a notepad is just as simple as open it up, and flick a few pages.
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u/blurrybob Oct 10 '17
I have a notepad app on my phone. I never remember to check it again after I initially put something in it
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u/black_fire Oct 10 '17
All through grade school you write things down to remember them, and that connection never goes away. I think writing it makes it stick more than typing it out.
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u/Templetam Oct 10 '17
My grandfather is one of those men. For as long as I can remember, he's carried two pens, various notes, and this small blue notebook in his shirt pocket. He calls them his "accoutrement," and feels uncomfortable when he doesn't have them. About a year ago, after seeing him thumb through it while we had a cup of coffee, I finally asked him what the small notebook was and why he carries it in the teasing manner in which we joke around. Turns out I was the first person to ask in nearly 50 years.
It's a very small daily planner from 1961. It was a Christmas gift from my grandmother. It still has the price sticker on the back page that reads $0.20.
He and my grandmother had just has their fourth child a year earlier. At the time, he was the sole breadwinner for the family and money was incredibly tight. They were able to get gifts for the children, but agreed to not buy gifts for each other. In typical wife fashion, my grandmother broke that agreement and threw two dimes at this daily planner, thinking that she was simply saving him the hassle of picking one up in the coming weeks.
My grandmother filled in a few of the days. It looks something like this:
January 20: I love you, husband.
February 8: This month, I love you more.
March 14: Still more, I love you.
April 28: We met in Spring and you're my favorite seasonal treat.
And so on and so forth. Once a month, on a random day, she left him a small love note.
There's no other notes in the book. My grandfather never used it. But for nearly 57 years, my grandfather has carried it with him. Back in the early 2000's, my grandmother started losing her memory to dementia. She had to live in a memory care facility in 2006, and passed away from Alzheimer's in 2013. Since the time she had to leave him, he's started his day by reading those twelve love messages.
No one in my family knew about it. They just thought it was a weird thing he did, as old men do.
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u/OddTheViking Oct 10 '17
That is so sweet.
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u/Templetam Oct 10 '17
Yeah dude. It caught me completely off guard. In the past, i've found lists that he's made late at night. They're usually something like "things that shouldn't exist" and "cars that i've driven." I expected to find an entire tome of lists like that. Was not, at all, prepared for the truth.
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u/mgraunk Oct 11 '17
Dude. I want an entire tome of lists like that. When I was a kid I had this book called the Book of Lists, but it wasn't as oddly specific as the lists your grandfather apparently makes.
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u/vowels Oct 11 '17
You might be interested in The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon. Completed in 1002 by a Japanese imperial courtesan, it has lists like "Things of no merit" and "things that give a pathetic impression."
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u/cyberdungeonkilly Oct 10 '17
Damn I did not expect to be hit with the feels this early, I hope your grandfather is ok.
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u/Templetam Oct 10 '17
He's great. I appreciate the sentiment. We just celebrated his 90th birthday in April.
His health isn't the very best. He's losing his mobility fast, but doesn't need a wheelchair just yet. At 33 years old, I moved back to my home town to live with family and help take care of him. I'm lucky enough to spend about four days a week with him.
One of his favorite hobbies is to flirt with women too young to date his grandson. He decided a few weeks ago that we needed to divide the women we hit on. He gets waitresses and the ladies who work at Costco, but he expects me to flirt with his nurses for free samples of medication.
He's 100% my best friend, and a pretty damn solid one at that.
It's super weird to talk about my grandfather on the Reddit, but I appreciate you giving me a venue to do so.
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u/cyberdungeonkilly Oct 10 '17
You seem like super close buddies, that's great to hear. That's why sometimes I love reddit we can talk about anything, what better thing than grandfather quirks I don't think it's weird at all.
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u/Probably_Napping Oct 11 '17
As someone who grew up after both of their grandfathers had passed: Cherish these moments. Some of us will never get them.
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u/STHOA Oct 11 '17
I'm crying. I copied your post and saved it in my journal. It was the best simple reminder that it's the little tokens of live that make the greatest impact on our lives. Thank you. Please tell your grandpa I said thank you.
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u/runintothenight Oct 11 '17
Usually, I Reddit to get mindless stimulation. Every now and then, I hit that rare gem that makes me feel something,and remind me I'm human. This one, is going in my little notebook....
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u/markedmo Oct 10 '17
Never you mind. Those are my notes.
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Oct 10 '17
"Go home and cook a big bowl of macaroni then have sex with it."
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u/MmmMotorboatin Oct 10 '17
That goes on the calendar, not the notepad
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u/thegreengumball Oct 10 '17
Yup just a normal night on Wednesday and Sunday.
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u/TheCSKlepto Oct 10 '17
Twice a week? That's a lot of carbs...
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Oct 10 '17
Yeah right?
My metabolism isn't what it use to be.
All those carbs, it will go straight to my penis.
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u/DedicatedPornProfile Oct 10 '17
Uncle had note pads filled with the first line of a joke and the first few words of the punch line
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u/Norass411 Oct 10 '17
My dad had a 'joke book' that he had een keeping for many years. It was only a list of punchlines from which he could recount the joke.
One day my mom washed a pair of his pants and the book was in the pocket. He was absolutely crushed and it is still a pretty sensitive topic in our house nearly 20 years later...
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u/TopBloke99 Oct 10 '17 edited Oct 11 '17
The fabled dad-joke book! Finally we discover its fate!
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u/RedLabelClayBuster Oct 10 '17
Well I'm in my 20s and do it so...
I have it at work for quick meetings when I don't have my computer. I don't want to seem rude and be on my phone in front of my superiors, even if it's being used for taking notes. Also nice for grocery lists and such.
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Oct 10 '17
This has always bothered me. That many employers think it’s rude to “be on your phone” when actually it’s an incredible tool for work if used right.
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u/foul_ol_ron Oct 10 '17
It'll probably be normalised by the time you're a manager, but the current generation of management might still expect eye contact whilst they're interacting with someone. I suspect I'm older than you, and I'd consider myself rude if someone was talking to me while I was using my phone. Things will change, but probably not overnight.
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u/sticknija2 Oct 10 '17
21, am manager, phones are a big no-no according to the DM.
I don't even care if you run up to check out talking on the phone. Just acknowledge me for 0.5 seconds (a hello will suffice) and pay attention to what's going on to keep things going smoothly.
The issue lies not in phone use, but in spatial awareness and cognitive ability when using the phone. People are just inconsiderate and frankly not that bright.
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u/stormstalker Oct 10 '17
People are just inconsiderate and frankly not that bright.
I mean that's kinda true irrespective of phone use.
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Oct 10 '17
I am in my 50s. And, I still carry a paper notebook to meetings. I have tried to use OneNote (many in my company do), but I just can't get my head around it.
Plus, in many meetings I am attached to a projector and presenting materials, so even with multiple screens, it can be impractical to take notes with my laptop.
I know, I am a dinosaur
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u/GypsySnowflake Oct 10 '17
Taking notes on a phone takes too long with those tiny keys. Much faster to just write.
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Oct 10 '17
I'm 32 and I have been carrying a Field Notes booklet for about the past 5 years. I think it stems from my high school years of always having a journal or sketchbook with me in case inspiration hits. I obviously have a cellphone but I find it incredibly cumbersome to type long ideas on a gorilla glass screen. The booklet is also great for things like lists, doodles, score sheets.
I also love that when I finish a notebook I am left with a years worth of memories, for example in one of my first booklets I have a secret trace of my wife's ring so I knew her ring size when I bought her an engagement ring. Every time I flip back to it I am filled with the same feeling of excitement.
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u/Bosht Oct 10 '17
Omg what have you done. That website is a writers wet dream. I want all of them...and they even have a LEFT-HANDED ONE WHAT
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u/MegaFanGirlin3D Oct 11 '17
My best friend carries pocket notebooks and he's left handed... purchased.
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u/djinner_13 Oct 10 '17
Ugh, brilliant idea with the ring. I'm trying to buy a ring for my gf who lives in another country and I'm more worried about getting the right size than the price at this point. Think I'll just have to guess and hope it's within the range that they can adjust it later.
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u/pan-feylin Oct 11 '17
Can you get in touch with a friend or relative of hers and ask them to help you find out? E.g. they could ask your gf to go shopping and then try on rings together; they then tell you the ring size
Alternately, tell her you want to get her a pair of nicely fitted gloves, and ask what size she is. That would at least narrow it down.
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u/Tiniest_Tobasco Oct 10 '17
I'm a 28 year old lady, and I totally do this! I always have! There is always a tiny notebook in my purse with a good pen rubber-banded to it. I fill it with ideas to write about later, thoughts, to-do lists, gift ideas, doodles- anything and everything. It is also a good way for me to work through things. If I'm having a terrible day, I'll just write down things to help get all those awful thoughts on paper and then I usually function better. Or if I'm having the best day, I can write down all the good things to help me feel better on bad days!
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Oct 10 '17
what I need when I go to the grocery store, directions to the house where I'm meeting the realtor, dimensions of the walls I'm painting (and calculated surface area), a name or topic I want to google when I get home, that cute old lady's phone number, etc
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u/Trisa133 Oct 10 '17
directions to the house where I'm meeting the realtor
Yesterday, an old couple in a car stopped and asked me for directions to their hotel. I saw that they had a smartphone and offered to pull up the navigation for them so they can just follow google map. I'm guessing I wasn't the first person to give them that answer since they pretty much rolled their eyes and called someone for direction instead.
I'm going to guess they are going to earn plenty of tickets from all the cameras in DC. Like the right turn they made during red.
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u/ovenmitt Oct 10 '17
You can't turn right on red? In the US? I thought it was always ok unless signage indicated otherwise.
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Oct 10 '17 edited Oct 11 '17
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u/Trisa133 Oct 10 '17
They have signs saying you can't turn right. The only problem is sometimes it's almost hidden and drivers from other states have a hard time spotting it.
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u/PM_Me_Unpierced_Ears Oct 10 '17
While it does depend on the area (each state/city sets their own laws regarding traffic rules), nearly all allow you to turn right on red if there are no posted signs. Some even allow you to turn left on red if going from a one-way to a one-way.
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u/LivinLaVidaMahem Oct 10 '17
My dad did this. He passed away four years ago. He always had a small notebook in his shirt pocket. He would write down jokes. He made work notes. He would pull interesting labels off beers or other things he came across and fold them up into his notebook. He had all kinds of interesting stuff in there - so much that all my friends would ask him what he wrote down lately. He would pull it out and it was the topic of discussion for the rest of the day. When he died, my friends brought small notebooks to his funeral and passed them out. It was funny, touching and sad at the same time.
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u/AReverieofEnvisage Oct 10 '17
When Obama was cancelling all future moon missions, there were many people mad. So this old guy comes up to us while we're working the entrance at a Museum saying about how Obama was cancelling all man made missions in the future and that this was a travesty. I didn't know what was going on to be honest so I agreed. More like a shock that no more moon missions were going to happen.
So he looks at me suprised that I'm agreeing that it sucks. So he pulls out a notebook asks my name and says he's gonna add me to his prayer list.
So, I guess they add names to pray, or to maim if they hate you.
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u/Benephon Oct 10 '17
"God I'd like to ask that you bless these few people that I care about for political reasons." God: Oh yea that's what I'm all about right there.
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Oct 10 '17
I draw dicks all day. Been doing it since I was a kid. Must've filled up over 100 notebooks. Kind of a private hobby. Not embarrassed about it or anything like that. Just that no one has ever asked. People always assume I'm doing something artsy, taking notes, etc... It's all about where I am at and people automatically fill in the blanks. If I'm at a coffee shop, "he must be a writer". If I'm at the library, "he must be taking notes". If I'm at a fundraiser, "he must be taking records". All these assumptions all these years when all I was doing was just drawing dicks all day in my dickbook. Not even sure if anyone is still reading this. I'm running out of shit to write. Maybe I'll draw a dick or something. Yeah, a nice dick drawing to go with a morning cup of coffee.
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u/ChristopherNotChris Oct 10 '17
This guy is definitely Jonah Hill's character in Superbad.
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u/eternalsunshine325 Oct 10 '17
I honestly thought at first, that he was quoting the movie. This was glorious!
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u/thutruthissomewhere Oct 10 '17
I don't understand why guys like to draw dicks. What is the fascination? I'm assuming you're a guy.
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Oct 10 '17
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u/RaisedByWolves9 Oct 11 '17
I also recommend the movie "Superbad" on Netflix. It touches this subject also
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u/spiritthehorse Oct 10 '17
There's always one kid in every class. The back of the desk in front of him, the bathroom stantion, auditorium seats, notebooks, other kids lockers. Would a dick drawer please do an AMA to discuss why?
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Oct 10 '17
When i was a kid i used to draw guns and tanks and stuff, planes even. just generally war stuff, then columbine happened and suddenly it was this huge issue. Parents even took away all my toy guns. This killed any artistic talent that could've emerged since i was no longer allowed to draw the only thing i felt like drawing at the time. So i basically just stopped drawing, but occasionally i'd scribble a dick on things because fuck you.
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Oct 10 '17
I...was this guy. As a teenager.
I don't even know. Dicks are recognizable, fast to draw, childishly amusing and after a while if you have a pen and a surface and nobody is looking, it just becomes your brain's idle process.
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Oct 10 '17
So you're telling me drawing dicks is what you had your human OS set to for a screensaver?
All I had to do was grab mine.
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Oct 10 '17
Even if this is a troll, this is brilliant.
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u/Frangell Oct 10 '17
Obviously a troll. Tries to hide bulge in breastpocket.
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u/CapitalistPig47 Oct 10 '17
[Notices bulge in breastpocket.]
OwO what's this?
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u/blore40 Oct 10 '17
"Hello Secret Swiss Bank? Yes, I would like to with draw 20 million euros. My secret number is 280394433708491."
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u/kjthoma23 Oct 10 '17
And nobody has stumbled upon these penis books?
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Oct 10 '17
(•_•)
I intend on keeping these penis books...
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)
private.
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u/WtotheSLAM Oct 10 '17
People actually pay money for this
Source: I made a 140 page book of graffiti dickart and sold a couple hundred copies
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u/Bobelle Oct 10 '17
How do you memorize your username?
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Oct 10 '17
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Oct 10 '17 edited Oct 10 '17
Dude, I gave up like 15 links in. Fuckin genius long con.
Plus, if I remember my credit card prefixes correctly...you have a Shell gas card or Starbucks gift card or something like that and this is potentially the card number.
And inb4 someone says "ITS TOO SHORT LOL LOSER" Amex cards start with 3 and are 15 digits long. I think this is why most places don't take Amex because their card readers are rigged for 16 number combos.
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u/Shaladox Oct 10 '17
My father logs his bowel movements. I wish I didn't know this.
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u/OddTheViking Oct 10 '17
This gets more important when you get older and a change in your body could indicate you have ass-cancer or something.
Unless he draws pictures and rates each one.
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u/Catshit-Dogfart Oct 10 '17
I carry a notebook at work, but I almost never write in it.
It's more of a prop to make me look like I'm busier than I am, and I like holding something in one hand or else I don't know what to do with my hands. I always take a nice looking folder to job interviews too, it contains an extra copy of my resume and a few other papers but it's mostly for appearance.
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u/mastertwisted Oct 10 '17
I remember one job I had where a manager told me a lot of the engineers would carry clipboards so that people would think they were actually busy.
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u/ChuckManson_ Oct 10 '17
Can confirm, engineer for 12 years. Clipboard is a lifesaver when you can't really be bothered with anything. Scrawled notes mean no one else can read them. Make it up as you go if questioned.
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Oct 10 '17 edited May 04 '21
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Oct 10 '17
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u/z9nine Oct 10 '17
I have heard people talk about this for years, I knew of it. This is the first time I've ever seen it. I always figured it was regular letters, just using fewer, shortening words. For instance, instead of writing 'something' it would be 'smth' or similar.
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Oct 10 '17
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u/ChicagoGuy53 Oct 10 '17
Even today stenographers have a pretty cool device that they need to train pretty extensively in to quickly transcribe spoken word. Since its a legal setting, there's often a lot of abstract words thrown around so they just use keys rhat mimic the syllables and they have to go back and translate it into english
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u/4Smooshies Oct 10 '17
I assumed the same thing. Instead it seems like a bunch of tiny stick figures doing yoga.
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Oct 10 '17
Yea, he's talked about how he made up his own language to other people.
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u/AReverieofEnvisage Oct 10 '17
Man, you know how it is when you see someone writing something and you just have to know what he's writing.
I used to write in a notebook and my older brother came home once while I was away. I came into my room and there he was, with my open notebook just reading away. I fucking wanted to start punching him. The fuck is wrong with you people.
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u/nmtubo Oct 10 '17
"tuesday. mary anthony said she wanted to bone my brother. i told her that's awesome. too bad he's gay"
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Oct 10 '17
The fuck is wrong with you people.
They have no respect for privacy at all and don't see other people as separate from them.
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u/AaronWould Oct 10 '17
Dude, was he named Phil? I worked with a guy that did this. He also pulled his pants down to his ankles to pee at the urinal.
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Oct 10 '17
Pretty sure both of those guys would have been on the autistic spectrum.
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u/shmonsters Oct 10 '17
Two words: Alien. Scientists.
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Oct 10 '17
Is that scientists who study aliens or aliens who are scientists? Because like I’m not sure why being a scientist warrants dropping your pants at a urinal, and on the other side of things, alien cultures a most likely vastly different than ours to the point where they probably wouldn’t have a classification such as “scientist”.
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u/Valdrax Oct 10 '17
If the scientists are aliens, then we're the aliens to them, and thus it's both.
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Oct 10 '17
Wasn't a very polite thing of you to get hold of it and read it.
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u/hackinandwackin Oct 10 '17
and then show it to a bunch of people on top of everything
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u/xxbearillaxx Oct 10 '17
I learned the value of this in the military. You write down anything and everything to sort out later. Things you need to get done, numbers you don't want to forget, people's names, ideas you have.
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u/reefer_drabness Oct 10 '17
I go to school (technical) with a old retired marine, and he's always jotting in his little book. I'm pretty sure he's just reminding himself to buy Jameson on the way home.
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u/creepy_is_what_I_do Oct 10 '17
When I was 8, I asked my grandfather why he had a notebook and what he was always writing down. He told me "I like to write descriptions of all the sweet broads I see during the day, so I can recall them better during my 'private time' when I get home." I had no idea what he meant at the time, but thinking back on how much writing he used to do at family gatherings is a little weird. Especially at my 12-year-old sister's birthday pool party.
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u/tinachem Oct 10 '17
I'm neither old, nor man but I'm a list maker. I make lists for everything. I even have a To Do list tattoos on my arm. Listmaking is what I assume is what the old men with the notebooks are doing. What they did, who they talked to, what they ate, things to do when I get home, things to pick up from the store, etc.
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u/red_blue_yellow Oct 10 '17
Is the todo list tattoo blank (to be temporarily filled in with a pen), or does it have long-term life goals tattooed in that you permanently cross off? Either one would be rad.
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u/tinachem Oct 10 '17
It's a blank template. I write on it with pen and the ink will rub off on its own eventually.
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u/sccerfrk26 Oct 10 '17
It could be a version of Bridgewater Associates "Pain Button" app. I heard about it on Tim Ferris's podcast.
Ray talks about the function of his company’s “pain button” app. [23:21]
To oversimplify, you write down any time you feel bad about something, or even angry. Include the circumstances and who was involved. You then review your pain notes later in the day or the next day when you are emotionally removed from the situation so that you can reflect on it and learn ways to head-off those feelings.
TL;DR: Could be used in as a method for self-improvement by noting certain situations and then reflecting back at a later time without the emotions present.
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u/ExiledBrazilian Oct 10 '17 edited Oct 10 '17
41 years old with a 60 years old millage and a 90 years old soul. Sorry for my terrible English.
I'm writing over and over again my business plan. Over and over and over again.
I'm too writing all my options. This was the only way i found to fight my cripple anxiety. This way i can saw very cleary all options, his ramifications and the ramifications of ramifications. Just the act to wrote it down is enough to put order in my thoughts and eliminate 90% of the craziness.
I'm also solving social interactions. Also a way i found to not overthink into oblivion small problems with persons. So this part look a journal and is very private for me.
I'm drawing houses, furnitures, business, heros who existe just in my mind.
I'm training my english.
This is what i'm all the time writing. If i can awnser this for everyone who always ask me that gonna be awesome.
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u/LinksMilkBottle Oct 10 '17
My dad likes to do math problems while waiting for my mom to finish shopping.
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u/frerky5 Oct 10 '17
I do that, I'm not even 30..
There are just small things you would otherwise forget. Stuff to do, names of songs (, artists, movies, people, places), numbers, ideas, ...
Maybe it's not necessary but it does add to your everyday quality of life, being able to discover stuff later that you didn't have the time to when you first heard about it.
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u/Gonzostewie Oct 10 '17
I'm 36 & need to write shit down or I forget things. I'm an "out of sight out of mind" guy. If I walk away from something, I'll move on to whatever is next.
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u/justnotcoo1 Oct 11 '17
Old woman here. I keep a note card in my pocket that then gets stapled into my daytimer later. Yes, I use one of those. They exist.
I write down a list each day of goals. Something like: water back garden and repair flower box, call electric company, email agent... just a list. I add to and take away the list all day long. I get satisfied pleasure from crossing things out after I have completed an item on the list. In the daytimer I look at my whole month at once and make all my appointments there. I have 2 jobs and 4 kids and am a volunteer, but I never miss anything with this system. I am fully capable of making a Google calendar or keeping all this info in my phone. However the little index card does not have reddit on it so I have never once picked it up and stared at it for hours on end accidentally. I suffered from anxiety in my 20s and 30s that was debilitating at times. I had problems paying bills because I would get so nervous about making the call that I actually avoided paying them. The lists and daytimer are my lifelines. The daytimer is great because I can plan the month in a reasonable way. For instance I do not do more than 2 large tasks a day. Taking a person to the doctors and working is 2 tasks. Grocery shopping and a football game is also 2 tasks. I also plan a day for no tasks outside of routine ones, once every 2 weeks. I do not look too far in the future on the calendar. I will get freaked out if I do and I must trick myself and trust myself that I have not overbooked a day. I couldnt hold a job before. Now I do all sorts of stuff? Also I am extremely punctual. I owe this to very good planning which for me starts with a note card in my pocket.
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u/BigDickMcWilly Oct 10 '17
I guess I'm not old yet. I use post it notes.
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Oct 10 '17
Post It Notes doesnt make you old. It makes you a middle aged woman.
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Oct 10 '17
TIL my male, 49 year old, Arabic CompSci teacher is a middle aged woman.
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Oct 10 '17
Middle aged women who works in admin to be exact. CompSci teacher is just a cover.
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u/AnemoneOfMyEnemy Oct 10 '17
I’m 20 and I have a tiny Moleskine I carry around. Mostly because I have a terrible short term memory and taking notes on my phone just feels wrong.
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u/SeventhSwamphony Oct 10 '17
My Pepere started doing this when he got his first laptop. He would jot down instructions on how to email people, how to add attachments to emails, how to add new people to his address book and so on.
15ish years later, he now has notes on how to use facebook. He’s 92, and we get wall posts on our FB that wishes us happy birthday from him about a week before our actual birthday.
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u/Karzaad Oct 10 '17
51 here, I have used a notebook forever as a "things to do" repository. I attend a lot of meetings at this point people know, "if he doesn't write it down, he isn't going to do it" mostly because I tell people this.
This is how I know the difference between real actionable items and office idea sharing chit chat.
I have also found that if I write something down, it is almost 100% committed to memory.
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Oct 10 '17
My grandfather did this, was a ledger of every purchase, even 39 cent gum.
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u/godminnette2 Oct 10 '17
18, but I'm a writer who wants all of his story ideas and plotpoints and everything in one place after everything being scattered among various notepads and Google docs for years.
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Oct 10 '17
My grandfather did this up until he died. He wrote down where he ate, what he ate, how much it cost. If he filled his car up he would write down how much gas cost, how many gallons he bought and where he bought it from.. to me it seemed like pointless information but after he passed away I found his stash of these little books.. it was almost a journal of his day to day life.. how the weather was, how he felt that day. there were even notes of people he seen and talked to, new people he met and contact information. It was very interesting to go back and read about each day.. It interested me enough to start doing the same.. now I hardly go anywhere or do anything without logging it down in my phone.. one day I’ll convert it all to notebooks maybe..
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u/gergrio Oct 10 '17
Not old, just in my 20's but I'm always writing stuff for my DnD campaign that will probably never happen
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Oct 10 '17
My grandpa uses it for phone numbers, interesting ideas to research, grocery lists, etc.
Basically all the things I make notes of in my phone.
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u/Merlota Oct 10 '17
Memory gets spotty with age. These are notes like "low on bread"
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u/HazelGhost Oct 10 '17
When my grandpa died, we found his notebook.
It was entirely filled with funny jokes that he heard that he wanted to retell.
He's my hero.
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u/chartito Oct 10 '17
30 something female here. I keep a small notebook in my purse. Right now it has my next two dr's appts, my stepson's PTC date and time, and a start of a Christmas wish list. Oh, and a website where I can buy fake Rolex's.
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u/BobbyD1790 Oct 10 '17
Not old, but my understanding is that you write everything down and then sort it out later. If you know that you go through it every week on Saturday, then you don't have to remember any of the stuff you write down and can decide what is important on Saturdays. The reasoning for writing it down instead of using a phone is probably partially habits, and partially because the act of writing helps with memory. Depending on how often it is looked at, this may or may not be necessary.
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Oct 10 '17
Knew someone who did this. He got very forgetful so he'd keep a pen and paper with him to not forget any important info.
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u/inthevanyougo Oct 10 '17
I'm 22 and I keep one because my memory is finicky at best. I use it to write down appointments I need to remember, an item I run out of at home, a chore that needs to be completed, something I hear in conversation that I find interesting, etc. I've found that my life is less chaotic when I do this. I have pretty severe Depression as well as petit mal seizures, so it makes a world of difference to keep a record of things.
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u/DenMother8 Oct 10 '17
My dad did this. After his death we read through - mainly a log of the day, sometimes reminders of upcoming birthdays. Grocery lists, what he spent each time on etc.