Mac Law Students

I’ve found that no matter what task management system I’ve used over the years, capturing tasks the moment I think of them is they key to success. When I used a Franklin Planner, I carried that thing with me almost everywhere I went. But invariably when I would think of a task I needed to do, or had an inspiration of some sort, I’d be without my planner. Riding my bike. Sitting in the theater watching those annoying Pepsi ads. At the beach.

When I made the move to a computerized GTD (Getting Things Done) system a while back, the problem was magnified. It’s bad enough being the dork who hauls his planner everywhere, but a 15″ PowerBook and the beach do not mix well. Not that I spend much time at the beach these days, but you know what I mean.

Last semester I finally smartened up and started using pocket-sized Moleskine Cahiers. They’re 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ and contain 64 thin pages, so they fit in any pocket. They come in sets of three, and you can buy them at most bookstores for $7 or $8.

I use one of these puppies at a time. I write my name, phone number, and email address on the outside, just in case it drops out of my pocket. The trick is to use the cahier alone. I don’t take any other task-related notes in any other location, for fear of introducing a chaos of notes everywhere. When a thought comes to mind, or in conversation a new task comes up, I just jot it down in the cahier. I use a sticky note tab so I can quickly open to the most recent page.

When I’m reviewing tasks, which is usually at the end of the day, I check the cahier for any new tasks or notes that need to be added to my GTD system. I use OmniFocus, but this would apply with other GTD systems like iGTD, Midnight Inbox, or Things. After I copy a note from the cahier into OmniFocus, I put a diagonal line through it in the cahier, so I know it is “deleted”. When one cahier becomes full, I move onto the next. Usually it takes me about two or three months to go through one, and I keep them archived for a few months on the off chance that I failed to transfer something important.

Any small, pocket-sized notebook would probably work, but I like the Moleskine cahiers because they are thin, flexible, and tough. They even include a small inside back flap for business cards or slips of paper.

This certainly isn’t a secret technique, so it amazes me that I didn’t incorporate it into my GTD system earlier. I think it took me so long in part because I was afraid that I’d wind up with two systems - one on paper and one in the computer. But I really do only use the cahier when my laptop isn’t at hand, and I’m pretty diligent about reviewing tasks daily.

There’s something of a Cult of Moleskine in certain circles, and there are some rather slick Moleskine hacks (mostly using the traditional larger Moleskine). There are even plenty of people who use Moleskines as complete GTD systems, without recourse to any digital component whatsoever.

Regardless of how you use it, a Moleskine definitely punches above its weight.

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