So I got the binder. Not going to bother to mention the kind because it wasn’t relevant to why I didn’t like it.

Tried to use it for a couple of days, and it didn’t work for me. Being left handed the whole binder was always in the way. And I just felt like any of it worked well enough compared to using a Hobonichi plus regular notebooks for the added flexibility to be worth it.

What I’m doing next will be more centered around my Hobonichi and the cover I have for it. More details on that after I figure out more of how that will be.

For about a month and a half now I’ve been looking at binders; everything from regular office binders to Filofaxes to stupid expensive things from Plotter.

If Plotter actually shipped internationally, sorry but shipping to Canada don’t count as “international shipping” if you’re located in the US, I’d probably have one by now.

Instead I ended up ordering something else, much cheaper; I’ll write about in a while. Once I get it and have the time to actually test it out. It wasn’t from Plotter and it wasn’t from Filofax.

The reason I’ve been spending a bunch of time looking at binders for the last month and a half is because I’d like to solve a bunch of issues with my current notebook situation.

• I want to carry fewer pages of paper with me every day.
• I want to combine all my different “keeping my life together” systems into a single thing.
• I wanted something flexible enough to let me most things around as needed.

The idea is that I would get a A5 binder plus some dividers and some daily and weekly calendar pages in it. Plus a hole punch to be able to put things in it that don’t come in holes. Like pages from my A5 Rhodia notebooks maybe cut out the daily themes pages from my Theme Journal.

So instead of having an entire year of planner pages I’ll have a few weeks of them. Instead of having two entire pads of Rhodia Dotpads I’ll probably combined have more like 1/3 to 1/2 of one. And instead of bringing an entire Theme Journal I’ll only have the parts of it I use.

If it works out, I’ll probably cut my daily notebook carry down by at least 2/3.

Can’t wait to test this out.

Outside of the carrying less paper it will most likely make everything work much better by having everything in “one notebook” instead of spread between 3-4 different ones.

Plus it will be amazing to just move pages around as things change.

One of the issues with having multiple blogs is what should go where. And there are surprisingly many posts that could go either place.

The definition I’ve ended up at is that anything mostly technology related goes on my personal site; anything related to desk, pen/paper/etc, carry goes on here; and the rest goes on my personal blog.

I often find myself carrying multiples of what is more or less the same notebook. Or at least using multiples of the same notebook.

I have both sizes of the travelers notebook. Plus that I often have three Rhodia A5 pads with perforated pages. Two ring bound, and one of the stable bound. Where one of each are dot grid and one lined.

And in the past I’ve carried multiple of the staple or ring bound models in different colors.

Why?

The reason I like them to be different is to make it as easy as possible to pick the right one. Lined versus dot grid is easy enough. And the reason that I sometimes use ring bound and sometimes top stabled is because they’re both good for different use cases.

The top stapled is great because of how easy it is to just tear off pages as I’m done with it. But it is terrible for any use where you don’t immediately tear out pages before starting on the next. So, when I don’t do that, I go for a ring bound.

I usually slowly end up in a situation where more or less all of my fountain pens are inked up with something. Where some of them I use a lot, some a little and some not that much beyond keeping them from drying out.

So, I’ve reached the point, again, where I’m just going to write, one by one dry and clean them, and not ink them up until they’re all empty and clean. And ink just a few of them.

I usually do this rather than just empty them all, to make it more difficult and a pain for myself to avoid getting back into the same place too soon.

One of the reasons I almost always end up buying Tom Bihn bags is that I know that I can clean them.

Nothing makes me more annoyed than when I have some product that obviously is designed to be used in situations where it will get dirty or sweaty can’t be cleaned.

All of the bags I use when I go back and forth to the office or when I go down town get dirty. The back usually get sweaty and the front get all kinds of dirt on it.

As is typical if you bike or skateboard.

I clean mine when I can see that they are dirty, usually most visible in the area that goes against my back, where it often gets wet and sweaty when it’s hot or if I’m skateboarding over longer distances.

I just make some soapy water, soak the bag in it, flush it in clean water until all the soap is gone and then I just get it drip off in the shower before letting it air dry somewhere else.

The whole process usually takes longer than a day but not by much.

My fountain pen cleaning routines have changed a lot over the years, from not doing it, to doing it every other time, to every time to my current setup of: it depends.

I usually clean the pens I use a lot every 3-4 times I fill them, and that works well most of the time. And I clean the pens I don’t use as much every time I fill them. Plus that I clean any pen that are acting up as soon as possible.

Plus I always do a cleaning when changing inks. Like any sane person should.

The routine is fairly simple, I just flush the nib and feed until the water is clear, and for the pens where I don’t use a converter I also fill the body with water and let it sit for a while, while occasionally turning it to the other direction. Just to clear out any remaining ink inside there.

Then I dry out the nib and feeds with a paper towel, before refilling them or putting them away if I don’t want to have them in rotation any more.

I got this notebook to see if having perforated pages would be a better fit for my bullet journal

Yes and no?

I think it is better to be able to pull out pages as you’re done with them. But I don’t think Dingbats version of it is a good fit for me.

Partly because their micro perforated pages are too hard to pull out clean to work for me, and partly because only one page marker isn’t a good setup for me. One of reasons why I love the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal notebooks is that they have three markers, and that makes them so veritable. And the usefulness of pulling out pages kind of disappears plus some if I only have one marker.

So I guess the search continues.

In my current project of finding a better setup for my bullet journal and productivity setup I got a tip from a reader about these notebooks and gave them a shot.

The notebook itself is mostly similar to a hardcover A5 notebook from Leuchtturm1917 and the rest. But all of the Dingbats products are both vegan and eco-friendly. A good thing, and I know very important to many.

I haven’t noticed any issues with the paper, something that usually shows up as I run through my regular carry of pens. Like my Lamy 2000 or the music nib on my Pocket 66 usually highlights any paper that isn’t great fast.

This is one of those “A5-ish” notebooks. For some reason this always drive me nuts. Not for any particular reason. Just because: why not follow the fucking standard?!

The aesthetic of the notebook is interesting; not really my kind of things; but still interesting. Instead of the Moleskine / Leuchtturm1917 minimalism everyone are copying they have their own unique look. And I like that they are doing their own thing, even though it isn’ really my cup of tea.

But if you like their thing or want something eco-friendly I’d check them out, because they’re really good.