For a long time I envied friends and coworkers that were disciplined pen-and-paper notetakers. They'd sketch diagrams and write down their thoughts—their notebooks were journeys through their creative process. When I tried, it felt forced. It was difficult to jot my thoughts down. I needed to stew on them, make sure they were good before they were worth writing down. I knew that wasn't how it was supposed to work, but I was blocked regardless. I made myself a pair of cut-off jean shorts and resigned myself to my fate as a never-note.
A friend who has been a long-time notetaker was telling me recently about the japanese notebooks he liked and the pens he used. I ordered his preferred setup: A Midori MD notebook and an Ohto Rays pen.
After they arrived they sat on my desk, mocking me with their pristine, unblemished appearance. Once again, I was worried that I would write something unworthy and somehow ruin the notebook. Stuck again.
A month or so later I had some work that need brainstorming and planning, and for whatever reason I was motivated to try this notetaking thing again. I picked up the pen, opened the notebook to the first page, and just wrote.
This time was different! Whatever my hang up was, I broke through it. Now I was brainstorming and writing down my thoughts, the bad ones and the less bad ones, as they came to me. It felt amazing.
Several months on, I'm still doing it. I have a notebook for work, a notebook for personal projects, a couple waiting in the closet, and space on the bookshelf that needs filling up.