what's the big deal re: Moleskine?

[blythe]

Hi all,

Could someone please tell me why everyone seems to be so fired up about using Moleskine notebooks? I've not seen one in person, but it looks like it's just a plain old notebook to me. Please, tell me - what's the big deal?

~b

[mOses nOghbaudie]

Here's why the Moleskine rocks:
- It lays flat when open.
- It has a pocket built in.
- It has a bookmark built in.
- It has a elastic strap to keep it clsed built in.
- It is strudy.
- It is portable.
- It comes in MANY shapes, sizes and types.

Lookie here for more details: http://www.moleskinenotebook.com/

Basically after years of using rubberbands and bookmarks and post-its and whatnot to 'enhance' normal notebooks i discovered the Moleskine. It is a stand-alond swiss-army notebook.

[TesTeq]

Legend, touch of a class, great usability, ability to switch you into "creative mode" and high price.

[TesTeq]

See also http://www.diyplanner.com/node/370.

[Vilmosz]

Here's why the Moleskine rocks:
- It lays flat when open.
- It has a pocket built in.
- It has a bookmark built in.
- It has a elastic strap to keep it clsed built in.
- It is strudy.
- It is portable.
- It comes in MANY shapes, sizes and types.



Good features, all, Moses, but in my opinion, blythe, there is nothing inherent in the Moleskine which warrants its legion and legendary lust factor. It's kind of like the Dr. Bonner of notepads -- Dr. Bonner is soap and it is just soap, but it is hugely popular soap because something about the crazy little sentences combined with the squeeze bottle (when it was gaining popularity, liquid soap was still a domestic rarity) have made it a fringe-culture icon that is actually mass culture. The marketing clicked.

Now I have no idea what the 'F' type of notepads Hemingway or anyone else actually wrote on, or whether or not their loyalty to said notepad was on the order of the worshipful stance taken by present-day Moleskiners. Or even whether it should matter to anyone. That's moot. But the packaging and marketing of the notebooks -- coupled with its adequate but not supernatural features, have found a solid niche.

Probably has something to do with the fact that its very retro design is itself a counterpoint statement to the technological input devices that are shunned by many of the hipster-pda-ish ilk and intellegentsia who gravitate toward the product.

That said, the company's vertical offerings meet varied needs -- if you do "go Moleskine" you are greeted with enough options in size and content to "stay Moleskine" and you needn't make a decision the next time you go to the stationers about which brand to buy.

Personally, in choosing a notepad, I am seduced primarily by the paper, not the container. For a long time I favored Rhodia pads, which has its own cult of followers and is favored by artists and by writers who prefer to sketch and outline their notes. Pop a Rhodia in your shirt pocket and the distinctive burnt-orange cover flap will, I can almost guarantee, lead to a conversation in a coffee shop or subway station. People who use Rhodia feel themselves, like Moleskiners (even moreso, I think, because it is a smaller bunch), to be part of a select cult of afficianados. For better or worse, Rhodias are distinguished also by perforated paper and graph-grid lines, both of which I found limiting.

I have now settled on Clairefontaine which I was told by a stationer is somehow related to Rhodia -- same company, or something. I do not know for sure. In any case, Clairefontaines are spiral bound (which I prefer -- lays flat) and unperforated (I like the permanence) and the size options are excellently varied. The paper is superb -- pencil, pen, marker -- even cheap pens -- glide along the surface with smudgeless clarity.

Anyone who comes to rely on noetpads ultimately, I think, wishes to become loyal to a brand in the interests of being able to create an aesthetically clean and symmetrical archive as each successive pad gets filled and retired. In that regard, Moleskine is as good an option as any.

[Tetsujin]

Could someone please tell me why everyone seems to be so fired up about using Moleskine notebooks? I've not seen one in person, but it looks like it's just a plain old notebook to me. Please, tell me - what's the big deal?

Yep, it's just a plain old notebook. A really, really good plain old notebook.

I use them because they are well-made, and like other good tools (such as my favorite pen or my Zaurus) they help motivate me to get things done. But I use them in spite of all the marketing hype, not because of it. I find most of the manufacturer's blather about "the legendary notebook of Hemmingway" kind of annoying.

Besides, if Hemmingway and Matisse really did use the notebook they've been manufacturing only since the mid-1990s, they could make more money from their time-travel technology than their sales of stationery.

-T.

[blythe]

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies. Must look into this issue in person, I think.

An aside: Every time I look around this forum, I find something else that I need to go and find out about.

This time it's ZAURUS.

Cheers,
~b

[tfadams]

There is a mystique about them that is largely touted by the "converts" :) but the paper is acid-free, holds ink really well and is great to write on. Buy one and write a bit in it, then wirtie in the other notebook you're using now and I think you'll notice a difference. Yes the size, the elastic band and inner pocket (etc.) are all nice but until you write in it, it *is* just another notebook.

[avrum68]

I bought the hype. And I bought a moleskin. And I wasted good cash. I brought it home and did everything I could...smelled it, ran my hands across it...ANYTHING...to lower my cognitive dissonance surrounding the purchase. 5 days later when rational thought returned, I thought: "Dear Lord, I just dropped $27 on a small note book".

As my marketing profs parroted time and again: "People like to think they're smarter than they really are. It takes a lot of effort to make rational over emotional purchases".

[Max]

...I just dropped $27 on a small note book...

The list price for them are $10 - $16. Is that US dollars or Canadian?

[Day Owl]

Gosh, and I thought Clairefontaines were expensive -- before wallowing in all these Moleskine posts and threads and sites, that is.

A couple of dozen times, attracted (make that seduced) by the Moleskine folks, I've gathered up my resolve to buy and try a Moleskine, and chickened out every time because of the price.

After that immunizing experience, Clairefontaines don't seem costly at all. In fact, they seem downright cheap. Except that they're not cheaply made: wonderful paper that takes ink or pencil equally well, an abundance of sizes, choice of spiral or bound, and the list of attractive qualities goes on. (I must confess to a mild distaste for the checkerboard covers, but the writing qualities outweigh that drawback.)

They don't have a bookmark, back pocket, or enclosed pedigree. But they do cost considerably less per page than Moleskines, and they are said to be standard issue for schoolchildren in France (any Francophiles or -phones here who can verify that?).

The more I use my Clairefontaines the more I love them.

But that doesn't mean I won't succumb to the Moleskine one day, if only out of insatiable curiosity, like the Elephant's Child.....

[sonia_simone]

I'm a Director of Communications with a staff of writers, so I figure I get to be a little nutty about my writing implements. I keep a collection of fountain pens in my desk, and one or two in my briefcase. I write in interesting inks, and I insist on good paper. I'm trying out a small 3x5 Moleskine as my "coat pocket" book, and I like it reasonably well but don't love it. The Clairefontaines are indeed fantastic, the paper is actually quite a lot nicer than Moleskine's, especially for fountain pens.

I'm very interested in Rhodia, though. Next notebook I'm going to try one out.

There's a nice selection of Clairefontaine at www.pendemonium.com. (I don't work for them or have any connection, but they are lovely folks and they have a good selection of pens & inks at reasonable prices.)

[ggrozier]

I got the two page per week planner, A5 (8.5x5.5), and I really didn't like it.

If I'm going to have the daily columns down the page spread, I want seven days, since I often have weekend appointments and need the note-taking space (which is in short supply in the mole).

It doesn't have little monthly calendars on the page, the ink is so faint that I can hardly see the hours (even tho I like fairly faint print this was too faint), the hour numbers were too small (you'd need to tuck a little magnifying glass into the pocket to read them)--I like the concept of the subtle lines and hours, but they just were too subtle for me--and it didn't lie flat, even after I bent it around and broke the spine, etc--really abused the thing.

I don't like the fiddly ribbon page marker or the rubber band. I like to whip my daytimer out fast and these things would just slow me down. I'd rather have the pages with corners you can tear off. And there's no pen holder--tho some clever people have made their own.

Their coded holidays at the top of the page would drive me crazy--I'd be trying to figure what holiday it is in what country--don't need any more distraction.

There are no day numbers and no week numbers.

For a planner the paper doesn't have to be that fancy. And anyway, if you want to write, you can write on napkins or legal pads or whatever--the paper doesn't make you a writer. Of course, the mole does make the experience nicer for people, if that makes a difference to them, and if they keep it up as a journal for their kids, I can see getting something that will last.

There were other things I didn't like, but anyway I ended up disassembling it and taking the envelope out (now I know how it was made I could make my own!--it's just a sheet of paper folded in thirds with some tape holding the sides together so things won't fall out) and putting that into another planner.

At least I saw for myself, so maybe it wasn't all wasted money. An annoying open loop that is now closed and buried.

(Sorry for being so grouchy about it.)

[Vilmosz]

Good post, Sonia. I was attempting to explain to my new employer today the appeal of pen and paper and she got it instantly. As I think more and more people will. Rhodia's a different kind of animal -- paper's not as good, but the minimalist design, the perforated pages have their fans.

[TesTeq]

I don't like the fiddly ribbon page marker or the rubber band. I like to whip my daytimer out fast and these things would just slow me down.
Apparently the Moleskines are not for you. They are for people that do not have to hurry so much.

[ActionGirl]

Apparently the Moleskines are not for you. They are for people that do not have to hurry so much.
Though not even for all of them.

[zootski]

I have used the 'original' Moleskine for years. It's the small one with lined paper, a pocket in the back, rubber band, placeholder etc.

One thing that has not been mentioned about this rather expensive notebook is that it is in fact a 'book' - take a look at the design - it's similar to a hardback book. You don't want to be pulling pages out of this, it's more of a permanent record.

Things I like about it:

Very solid - lasts for months in pockets, bags, etc.
Rubber band keeps it closed
Back pocket very useful as portable in-box
Hard cover makes it easy to write in while holding it.
Just about a perfect size for carrying with me day-in, day-out

The price - $11 plus tax, is rather high, but I only get through well less than two per year.

The other book I rely on a lot is from http://www.blacknred.com/ - the hard cover A4 size is wonderful and is amazingly well made and lasts forever. I use this for more lengthy note taking at work and when I have my bag etc. with me. Office Depot has this notebook for under $10.

Note that the downside of my approach is that I tend to rely on the
"it's in there somewhere" approach to managing things - it provides a nice record of notes you've made going forward and as you look back through the pages you are going back in time. So it's easy to get sloppy and not use the GTD methodology correctly.

Zootski

[ommoran]

For a planner the paper doesn't have to be that fancy.

No, but it makes the process of planning so much more inviting. For those that have major problems starting to plan, sometimes a wonderful tool with a good weight to the paper, a nice design, etc., will make all the difference. It did to me. Once my Palm III had a fatal (physical) collision, I reverted first to a Dayrunner planner, then to a Franklin Covey. The Covey was truly beautiful. I do still miss the writing of it. The thing I write most is a signature, hastily.

I think paper has as much resonance to some people as a good pen. I love both, but am not obsessive. I now use a Cross Matrix with gel ink in the barrel, and love it. People that borrow it comment on how smoothly it writes, on any ink. Paper can have the same feel for some people - for years, the paper in my FC Planner was the best paper I wrote on.

[diedre]

I came across Moleskine notebooks at Barnes & Noble and was suprised to see them mentioned here. I had no idea they were a GTD thing.

When I purchased my first Moleskine, I had compared it to other journals and so, the price did not seem high at all. For an attractive, lays-flat journal you can easily spend a lot more than $14.

As a journal, it works great! If your purpose is to create a permanent, easily portable (fits in my purse), sturdy (lasts until it's full), stays-neat (no bent or torn pages because of the elastic wrapper), lays-flat (so convenient) record, I don't think you can beat it. If you're taking notes in Biology class or something, it's not right for you.

[m_s]

In case anyone living in Birmingham, UK, is interested: there are a number of Moleskin notebooks on half-price sale on (I think) the 5th floor of House of Fraser in town. I bought two yesterday (£4.50 each), which should see me through the year!

[Hugh Griffiths]

I agree that using a Moleskine is expensive but also worth it due to the quality of the product. Although I enjoy the larger notebooks from the range due to their book-like tactile quality, I have recently starting using the slim pocket Cahiers in black. They are so easy to carry, there is really no excuse not to have one with me. Being relatively inexpensive I also find it is easy to begin using them without the "is this worth writing down?" 'fear factor' that can stop you beginning to use a £13 notebook.

Following on from the post above, I have found Amazon.co.uk can be good for catching inexpensive Moleskines, particularly if you order enough for free shipping. They have the large notebook available for less than £5 at the moment from the link here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/8883701127&tag=lifechanging-21&camp=1634&creative=6738) to the product (just so you know and there is full disclosure on my part - this does have my affiliate link included!)

[vatark]

Following on from the post above, I have found Amazon.co.uk can be good for catching inexpensive Moleskines, particularly if you order enough for free shipping. They have the large notebook available for less than £5 at the moment from the link here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/8883701127&tag=lifechanging-21&camp=1634&creative=6738) to the product (just so you know and there is full disclosure on my part - this does have my affiliate link included!)Interesting, but I'm not sure they qualify for free delivery as they aren't supplied by Amazon :(

I use the Cahier notebooks produced by Moleskine. The pocket sized ones have 64 pages, a soft cover and a pocket at the back. I like these because they are much easier to carry around than the standard Moleskine which means they get used rather than left on the desk gathering dust...

[JohnR]

I can confirm that they do indeed qualify for free delivery as I have had several delivered this morning on that basis.


Interesting, but I'm not sure they qualify for free delivery as they aren't supplied by Amazon :(

I use the Cahier notebooks produced by Moleskine. The pocket sized ones have 64 pages, a soft cover and a pocket at the back. I like these because they are much easier to carry around than the standard Moleskine which means they get used rather than left on the desk gathering dust...

[vatark]

I can confirm that they do indeed qualify for free delivery as I have had several delivered this morning on that basis.
I take it back then :)

[Hugh Griffiths]

If you like the compact Moleskine Cahiers, you may want to take a look at Amazon uk. In the post above I gave a link for the standard size Moleskine for the amazingly low price of just £4.80, but they also now have the pocket Cahiers for only £1.80 for 3 which is a superb price.

At these prices I am even more of a Moleskine fan than before and am rapidly collecting a drawful of new ones ready to use! If you are interested, the links for two of my favourites are as follows:

Large ruled Moleskine (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/8883701127&tag=lifechanging-21&camp=1634&creative=6738)
Cahier Pocket Ruled Journal (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/8883704894&tag=lifechanging-21&camp=1634&creative=6738)

(again for disclosure, these have my affiliate links built into them should you choose to use them!)

I have come across some stuff on 43folders about using Moleskine notebooks for GTD but are there other sites anyone can recommend?

[sonia_simone]

It doesn't look like the U.S. Amazon carries the cahiers yet, which is too bad. I'm really liking mine.

[Hugh Griffiths]

At these prices I am even more of a Moleskine fan than before and am rapidly collecting a drawful of new ones ready to use! If you are interested, the links for two of my favourites are as follows:

Large ruled Moleskine (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/8883701127&tag=lifechanging-21&camp=1634&creative=6738)
Cahier Pocket Ruled Journal (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/8883704894&tag=lifechanging-21&camp=1634&creative=6738)

I have come across some stuff on 43folders about using Moleskine notebooks for GTD but are there other sites anyone can recommend?

Posted this a short while ago - anyone able to point me towards anyone using Moleskine tools for a GTD implementation? Any help would be much appreciated!

[BigStory]

I am dropping the Palm for a Moleskine - I just was drawn back to the feel of paper. I was encouraged by the posting below by Mike Rohde. You might want to check it out, along with the links Mike provides - some useful stuff there.

http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/001850.html

(P.S. Does anyone have one of the 28 page Moleskine mini-address books they are not using, and are willling to part with?)

Best Wishes,
Gordon

[vatark]

I am dropping the Palm for a MoleskineI think you'll find the Moleskine doesn't break when dropped ;)


(P.S. Does anyone have one of the 28 page Moleskine mini-address books they are not using, and are willling to part with?)
I've got one, but its from the large diary, and would get quite soggy swimming across the pond... ;)

Seriously, if you don't get a better offer locally, send me your address and I'll pop it in the post to you.

[Vramin]

I looked at a few articles on making this shift to GTD in a Moleskine, but I have so many NA's, Projects, and SM's that the act of transcribing them all to paper appeared to daunting. For the moment I am sticking with my Palm.

However, I can see situations where I would carry my Moleskine that I would not take my Palm, so it might still be worth doing...

[prwood]

I'm just curious - for those of you who use a Moleskine, what function does it serve, exactly, in your implementation of GTD? How do you use it?

[mcogilvie]

I'm just curious - for those of you who use a Moleskine, what function does it serve, exactly, in your implementation of GTD? How do you use it?

Uh, it''s a notebook. I write meeting notes in it mostly. It's chronological and I try to date every entry, then go back to extract projects, next actions, and ideas. I am feeling really good about it this week because I am at a conference at a resort hotel. Hotels usually have poor conference facilities compared to universities. Although this is a very nice place, it is no exception: the projector screens are too small, the rooms are flat so it is more difficult to see from the back, and the chairs don't have arms to hold a notebook. The moleskine is large enough to write in, but small enough and firm enough to be used in a lap.

[prwood]

Uh, it''s a notebook. I write meeting notes in it mostly. It's chronological and I try to date every entry, then go back to extract projects, next actions, and ideas.

So basically, you're using it as a mobile 'stuff' collection device. Not as, say, a way to track next actions, projects, etc. That's what I was really getting at with my question... I know the *general* purpose that a notebook serves.

[vatark]

So basically, you're using it as a mobile 'stuff' collection device. Not as, say, a way to track next actions, projects, etc.I'd use a Moleskine diary and a Memo Pockets to help track next actions, and keep bits and pieces collected while out and about. Not perfect, but what is?

It doesn't really matter what you use, just that you develop the discipline to use it.

[Vramin]

But I have not been able to leap back to pure analog.

For me, the Moleskine is an unusual notebook that just makes me want to write in it. I keep development logs and other notes in a couple (I have one that is a pure sketchbook). At each weekly review I mark that point and it gives me a reference for going back to see if any new actions or projects appeared along the way that I might have missed.

So for me it's largely a collection device as well. Google on "Moleskine GTD" and you'll find a couple of implementations that look like they work.