Discussion: Index Cards or Moleskine?

Daniel Choi asked:

What do people think is more convenient, index cards or Moleskine notebooks? I'm rather torn myself.

John Mayson replied:

That's like asking which is more convenient: a lawn mower or a rake. They're both useful tools, it depends on what you're trying to do.

I find a "hipster PDA" works well when I'm out and about and need to scribble notes, but my Moleskine is my primary note taking tool and anything I scribble on index cards eventually gets recorded in the Moleskine.

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Comments

[Mongoose1]

I prefer a moleskin by boyfriend loves index cards.

So I guess it's 50:50 here in my house.

I love the sketchbooks, I tend to draw more when out and about using my moleskin. Although I will admit to borrowing one of his index cards and doing a really fast sketch if there is nothing else to draw on.

Cindy

[Sophie Brown]

Apples and oranges. I write to do lists on index cards and keep a few in my Moleskine. For handing out phone numbers and scratch paper. For writing out anything I don't want to keep forever in my journal. I view them as disposable. And the notebook not. I even write out "rough drafts" of entries on index cards and then copy them out. Sometimes.

[ron]

well, that's not really apples and oranges
more like apples and asparagus, LOL.
^-^

[mikshir]

This has vexed me also. I used to split things between my Moleskine, my pocket calendar, and index cards. But it meant more to carry and things getting put in the wrong place. Now, everything goes in the notebook, no matter how trivial and ephemeral (it's hard to know what's ephemeral anyways). The only exception is todo lists which go on index cards because I like to have them handy loose, and I often recompile my todos. In a notebook it would just waste pages. The downside is transferring the important stuff to the next blank notebook which you wouldn't have to do with index cards. Circa/Rollobind might be a better compromise (features of a notebook but with detachable pages), but it's not as pocket friendly.