Benefits of Writing a Notebook

I have recently got a notebook and am quite enthusiastic about sharing the benefits of using one. I record anything in my notebook - ideas, thoughts, facts, recipes, physics and maths, vocabulary, quotes, sketches, anything that I feel like really. I use a mini pocket flip pad (for about £1) that I carry with me to write down anything that comes into my head. I then have a nicer moleskin notebook at home, that I write things in neat and in which I organise ideas and thoughts. It's actually really interesting to read through, but I think that's because it's my own notebook.

There are lots of people who recognise the benefits of writing in a notebook, being very popular amongst writers, but are also used by a vast amount of people who aren't writers. Why? Because of the benefits that keeping a notebook brings. Albert Einstein; Beethoven; Mark Twain; Charles Darwin; George Lucas; Benjamin Franklin; Isaac Newton; Pablo Picasso; and Thomas Edison, all kept notebooks. Not to mention the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. 

1. Creativity

Notebooks are great for promoting creativity as it is a place where you can really let your mind run wild. There's never any worry about being right or wrong because it's your own personal notebook and is meant for your thoughts, ideas, and anything else that you decide to record.

The more that you write in a notebook, the more thoughts and ideas will come to you. This is something that I've noticed since recently gaining my notebook - my creativity seems to have seen a improvement and my notebook is filling up with the things that I want it to be filled with.

2. Inspiration

Inspiration is another thing that springs to mind when discussing the benefits of having a notebook. When looking back through my notebook, I start to become inspired, not because it's the most amazing notebook in the history of mankind, but because new ideas pop into my head about how I can expand or improve upon earlier topics and ideas that I have recorded.

Depending how often you write in your notebook and how long for, will determine how much material you will have to inspire you. The more you write, the more you have to work with, it can be quite shocking how a previous note that you have written can inspire you to achieve something new. 
Albert Einstein when trying to perfect his formulae for his theory of general relativity, came across a discarded formula of his from 3 years before, which looking at these 3 years later inspired him with what he needed to perfect his theory.

3. Keep ideas

Depending upon what you intend for your notebook to contain will depend upon the context of the ideas that you have, but usually when people have a notebook they will jot down ideas. This will allow you to not have to worry about having to try and hold onto a good idea in your head as it will be securely written down in your notebook. 

4. Promotes better writing and reading

The more you do of something, naturally the better you will get. So when writing in your notebook frequently you are going to find that over time your writing will mature. When I look back to some of my first blog posts and then compare them to my most recent ones - I can see the difference in the style and (I would like to think) quality of each post.  
Because it's your own notebook, I assume that you are going to be interested in reading what you have wrote, meaning that as well as your writing seeing an improvement; so will your reading. 

5. Enjoyment

I don't know what it is, but there is something quite enjoyable about the physical act of writing and seeing the results of your work. Writing, I think, seems to help reduce stress as-well and leaves me feeling calmer, and because it reduces stress - it seems to be more enjoyable. As humans, we are 'touchy-feely' creatures, and so be physically holding a pen and acting out the act of writing brings a feeling of comfort.

6. Gives you perspective

Writing a notebook will be able to give you perspective on your life. What you think is important, what you're focusing on, where you would like to be, etc. It kinda allows you to see yourself as another person but yet as the same person. When rummaging through things in your mind, often you wont stop to ask yourself questions about why you are thinking what you are thinking, or what extraneous things are having an impact upon you to effect who you are. These in themselves can be quite deep questions, but when seeing your thoughts written down - it is a lot easier for you to think about these question in more detail.

You'll notice how your thoughts develop over time, and how something that seemed like a priority or of utmost importance (say back in high school for example), just seems trivial now. Having these writings at your disposal will give you the opportunity at giving you perspective on your life, and really, an insight to who you really are as a person.

7. Tells something about your identity

If you fill up a notebook and you decide to keep it for years, maybe for future members of family to read one day, if you're not around to speak to them, through your notebook they will be able to build up a better picture about who you are or were and what you are or were like. Today with modern technology you will be able to record photos and videos for the future, but personal writings can be some of the most revealing and intriguing for future generations. Who knows, your notebook could inspire them to go on and do something amazing.