Ode to the Yellow Pad

 I was reminded of my love for Yellow legal pads as I read Wayne Cordeiro’s “Leading On Empty” this weekend.

I can’t live without my stacks of pads. Wayne described using his as journals, pouring his heart and thoughts onto those pads.

I use mine in other ways.

First – my preferences:

Although I call it a “legal” pad, it is really letter sized. These fit easier into my backpack and lap.

I do use yellow because it saves my eyes. (Sorry environmental friends)

I like stiffer backs when I can get them but I don’t spring for super expensive ones. Regular office store brands work for me.

I do use a moleskine pocket cahier for quick notes and my larger moleskine for more “keeper” notes, thoughts and memos. Those go with me wherever I go.

Yellow pads are my brainstorm tool.

They are large enough to draw diagrams, chart drafts, tables and the like and allow me to visualize what they might look like in a more finished document.

I have more room when drafting memos or letters to try multiple sentence variations which can be scratched out and rearranged with arrows or numbers to the side to try different order combinations.

I know the digital mafia thinks this can all be done on the computer and sure, it can. And they are probably faster in the long run. But for me the act of putting words and concept to paper with my own hand is emotionally satisfying

If I am handed a loose sheet of paper, I can slip it behind the bound pages in front of the back to keep up with it.

When I use a fountain pen, the soft cushion of the underlying pages helps the ink and thoughts flow.

And I can remove pages anywhere in the pad, pass them along or toss them when I am finished.

My notebooks are for meetings with others and my yellow pads are for meetings with myself.

So thanks Wayne for reminding me of the value of this tool.

How about you? What are your key “analog” tools and how do you use them?

Comments

[Joshua]

The yellow pad, absolutely! I actually have a yellow pad with some brainstorming on it right now. But I just read in Macworld about new brainstorming software. I plan to pick it up this weekend, but only to transfer my brainstorm from my pads!