Moleskine Madness

Have you ever had it where you weren’t very familiar with something but as soon as you got clued in you saw it everywhere?

That’s the way it’s been lately for me and my Moleskine Notebook. I first heard about them from this productivity post. So I figured why not and decided to make the purchase. I ended up buying four. I use one and gave three as gifts. Since then I’ve heard/seen references to them almost everywhere. I’ve seen blog posts, heard it mentioned on Freelance Radio, and even some stranger at the coffeehouse commented on me “being a moleskine guy”. So what makes them such a great item that everybody is talking about it.

Simple

Not enough can be said about this feature. In this crazy, cram everything into one society we are in, too often products are unusable because they bite off more then they can chew by trying to make everything an all-in-one solution. The Moleskine notebook isn’t trying to fool anyone. It’s a simple notebook. It has paper inside, a hard cover, a small pocket in the back, and an elastic cord to keep the notebook closed. That’s all it is and that’s all I need.

Variety

There seems to be a moleskine that suits everyone’s personal needs. When I first went to Amazon to get mine I planned on getting just one for myself. But as I browsed around for them I found myself thinking of friends that would enjoy certain varients of the notebook. My cousin likes to do all his work on grid paper and there happened to be a squared paper version, so he got one. Another friend travels to Boston a few times a year so I got him the Boston city notebook. I like the idea of the city notebooks. They give a small map, lists of popular locations for the select city, and places to jot down notes. If I ever vacation in one of the cities they make a moleskine for, I plan to get it. The major categories for moleskine styles are as follows: Pocket Journals, Large Journals, City Books, Datebooks & Planners, Reporter Notebooks, and Cashier Notebooks. Check out the main site to view them all.

Size

This is one of the main reasons that I carry my notebook around. I’m the type of person that hates to not be doing something productive. If I have to wait at a restaurant or at a movie I do my best the fill the void. I used to carry my DS around everywhere and play Sudoku while waiting. Lately I’ve been carrying the moleskine and sketching or writing To-do lists to occupy myself.

It’s kinda ironic that with this technology-driven world that the item that all techies are recommending to make your life more productive is a simple notebook. I’d love to hear your take on the Moleskine notebook. If you like it and use it. Maybe add a few points to why you feel they are so useful. Or if it isn’t your cup o’ tea and why you disliked them.