The Drain Brain Notebook

I used to write in a notepad, scratch paper, tissue paper or whatever piece of paper I can grab once my brain started talking about important stuff. But years after that, I only manage to come up with a lot of junks. I had no system for it. I just gather them in a bag.

But I come up with a realization that if I value my notes I should keep them in one place (not just inside a bag). And so, I created a No Notepad Challenge so I’ll no longer buy notepads and any piece of paper that can easily be misplaced. And then, comes the year that bullet journal became common to us. But I am not as neat or as organize with those who can be creative with their journals. I tried crafting but it’s a hobby I can simply let go to avoid accumulating more things. I simply wanted a notebook that is not high-maintenance and not too pretty to use that I’ll be afraid to touch it with my bare hands.

When the year 2020 begins, I intend to use only one notebook I called DRAIN BRAIN. It’s not a bullet journal though I created a calendar as a divider on my notes per month. Simply put, it’s my brain dump, or commonplace book if you must call it that. It’s the notebook I should remember to grab to write all types of notes, whether it’s an idea, a plot, a future project, grocery list, my needs and my wants, etc. To be more specific, I’ll share with you my definition and mechanics for using this notebook.

WHAT IS DRAIN BRAIN?

It’s a soft-bound notebook where important notes and plans are written or to be written. A journal that doesn’t required to kept after writing on every page.

HOW TO USE THE DRAIN BRAIN NOTEBOOK?

• Use a soft-bound notebook instead of the hard-bound and the spring notebooks because it’s lighter to carry and, compared to the spring notebook, a soft-bound notebook does not causes damage to the other stuff inside a bag we carry once we are required to go out. I had a great experience using the bulleted notebook from VECO so I’ll be using the same brand in the future.
• There is a title page where DRAIN BRAIN can be read followed by the current year.
• Next to the title page is a widespread that shows the yearly calendar. On the left are the months January to June, on the right are the months July to December. Listed below, on every side of the page, are goals that can be achieved within six months.
• By the next widespread, a monthly calendar will be created to track my days. On the side are some notes and reminders.
• After the monthly calendar, I simply write whatever I want on the next few pages until a new month begins and another monthly calendar must be created as a divider.
• I allow myself to doodle, to create charts, to write horribly as I always does, on this notebook. It’s an outlet so my brain won’t simply explode.
• During the first six months, I reviewed all the notes I had written, rewrite the important ones on a digital note or computer and then mark everything that I already done or simply wouldn’t want to remember.
• Then I burn the entire notebook and use another one. Since I cannot gauge how many pages I could use per month, I’ll simply use the same VECO notebook and just continued with the date or year. I used to aim that I’ll only use one notebook per year. But that is no longer necessary since I’ll dispose the notebook as soon as I’m done with it. That way I’ll have less mess in our home.

Let me know if you also have your own process in gathering and disposing notes. I would like to hear other people’s suggestions.