An Ephemeral Work Journal: The Kokuyo Campus 20 Ring Binder

While looking for a thin, lightweight, ephemeral work journal I experimented with the Kokuyo Campus 20 Ring A5 Binder. In the last month pairing it with fountain pens, different inks and the Bullet Journal Method to track tasks, meetings, notes, and long-form drafting. The variety of paper rulings and its simple design make it an alternative to lugging multiple notebooks to organize my work projects, personal journal, sketching, and first drafts.

My daily driver is usually a single A5 notebook with blank or dot grid sheets. However, once or twice a week I would need to quickly draft a few paragraphs and reach for a ruled sheet notebook, and when this happens working outside of my journal requires more effort to review later. Often on weekends I fumble through a few notebooks looking for where a first draft was written. I prefer keep everything in one book from start to finish where archiving my thoughts later is easy, but migrating information from a secondary notebooks rarely happens.

I wanted to reorganize older, stalled collections of pages for long-term slow moving projects as they progress so they don’t get buried under pages of under aging day-to-day entries.

The Solution

Using a Kokuyo Campus 20 Ring Binder through May and June I archived or discarded sheets, maintaining only the information I needed in the front of the notebook with clean sheets of lined and unlined paper, enough for a few weeks of information and writing. Through the experience my weekly reviews became easier.

A few weeks ago I began sketching on a blank sheet next to meeting notes, I rarely would do this in a work notebook. Opening the binder and removing pages provides me with the freedom to doodle without a concern of keeping it attached to my notes. This allowed me to I keep iterating, the act became, freeing, fiction-less, the ring binder became a notebook without arbitrary rules.

I archive the doodles every few days and completed tasks joined them a week later, Each month became a binder clipped stack. Eventually I will bind and archive them by year on a bookshelf with my other notebooks.

Applying Getting Things Done and the Bullet Journal Method

I place today’s date alongside “personal” or “work,” at the top of each fresh sheet sheet which serves as a natural collection. All Next Actions lists get their own sheet, just behind my monthly log.

In use, I treat the entire notebook as a GTD inbox reviewing next actions collections, projects, reference as the days and weeks progress placing sheets side by side, work or personal can be pushed aside when not relevant to my current task.

Usability

Great for folding over and writing in the hand but not Not as convenient as a reporter’s notebook. I also make use of the flexibility of single sheets; pulling out three fresh sheets I begin writing provides a softer writing surface and flow and the short stack allows me to reposition the paper under my wrist as I write, not something I thought I’d do, but useful, particularly for longform writing. I also noticed that a short stack of sheets allow me to a flow state.

Comparing Notes and Individual Sheets

Everything spread out on the desk, no flipping through pages; well almost, I write on both sides of a sheet. Linear notes, and my next actions lists can be placed side by side in comparison and review on the same surface making weekly reviews a breeze.

Cons

  • Archived pages run the risk of becoming disorganized or lost.
  • The binder rings do get in the way of writing.
  • The binder does not lay completely flat or fold over flat.

Pros

  • Paper refills are available in a variety of styles from Kokuyo and a few competitors.
  • Write anxious thoughts better suited for another journal without the worry of keeping them.
  • Keep only what’s needed, discard or archive dead-ends, reference notes, or expired information.

Closed Kokuyo 20 Ring A5 Binder with a clear cover.

How I use my Freewrite Traveler

I’m not an author, I have not ambition to be one and don’t intend on publishing the next great novel, screenplay, opinion, news article, or clickbait. I’m a Linux user and a fan of e-ink devices.

A few months ago I purchased a new, first generation, currently the only generation, Freewrite Traveler directly from Astrohaus. I absolutely love this device but it hasn’t replaced my drafting process, it augmented it. I prefer to write my first draft on paper and still do. However, instead of next jumping into a word processor and edit as I go, I now type up my draft on the Freewrite Traveler. Form written text and notes to wordprocessor, to Grammarly, to final published piece. For the purpose of this post I opted to publish this review without any edits, typos and all.

Yep, it’s more steps, but each step is quicker and depending on the product I could go from Freewrite to blog post.

The Freewrite is a Drafting Tool

The Freewrite Traveler is a drafting device similar to writing in Nano, Notepad, Mousepad (XFCE), or any plain text document. There’s no generative AI, no spellcheck, grammar check, or predictive text suggestions or automatic replacement, looking at you Android and iOS.

“What is ducking wrong with you people? I’m a people person! I deal with the ducking customers so the shift-head developers don’t have to!”

If you’ve ever sent a rant in a text or email to be autocorrected to “whatever” this device might be for you.

How does it work with Linux?

I’m happy to write that unlike most e-ink devices that force digital rights management or some random attempt at security. The Freewrite Traveler mounted as read-only, to my desktop, PeppermintOS without issue. I copied and pasted my three months of drafts instantly, all 81kb to a local folder on my desktop for an offline backup.

Admittedly, if the device sits for days without use it has difficulty reconnecting to WiFi, turning WiFi off and on again tends to solve the problem.

[This text posted to my blog without edit.]

My Freewrite Traveler on first boot when I received it in February 2024.

Logitech Combo Touch for iPad Air Gen 4 & 5

Ive decided to see if my iPad can replace other devices and my journal for a week.

Yesterday I picked up a Logitech Combo Touch for my 5th generation iPad Air with the hopes Ill use the device more frequently. Last June I purchased the iPad and Apple Pencil with the intention of using the pair for Journaling and work. However, I find that writing with the pencil is too slow, particularly if I need to perform any corrections.

Starting this evening I will attempt to use the iPad as a convergence device replacing my A5 notebook, desktop, and laptop devices.

Desktop Challenges

  • Replace Microsoft desktop applications.
  • Replace Firefox for desktop.
  • Replace Adobe CS desktop applications.
  • Video Conferencing.

Mobile Challenges

  • Use for Blogging, Micoblogging and Social Media.
  • Banking

Analog Challenges

  • Apple Notes to replace my A5 journal
  • Using the Bullet Journal Method.
  • Using Daily long form journal writing.
  • As an e-reader and Reading Log device.
  • General content editing.

Expectations

I anticipate that typing wont be an issue, but iPad OS apps will fall short of their desktop alternatives for anything but the quickest of edits. I also expect the hardware limitations and freezes to occur. I already dislike using Apple Notes as a journal replacement and hope to change my mind by forcing seven days of work onto the device.