My growing addiction(s)

Every day, I fall captive to my growing interest in productivity blogs, blogs about notebooks (and pens), personal blogs, and writing.

It is a great comfort for me that there are people out there, geeks like me, who get excited about new notebooks and different colored pens. I am not alone! Most of these people prefer Moleskines because of their quality and the way they make their “creative juices” flowing, or so they claim. I have never owned one and I probably won’t in the next 24 months or so (when I get to earn some for myself, I’d probably consider buying one of those 18-month diaries). It’s just too costly! More than a thousand pesos for a notebook! I’m afraid if I buy one of those I would end up being too scared to start actually using it.

But, thankfully, there are ways and means. I have settled for some knock-offs. First, my Monoliza (grandluxe) maroon faux leather notebook from Fully Booked. It cost me around 220 and has been turned into my first ever PDA hack. This new friend of mine has served me well for the past 6 weeks. I just find its size a bit awkward sometimes, being a little more than 4 x 6 inches (now I realize it’s as big as a 4R photo).

About a week ago, I finally gathered enough courage to buy me a second notebook (I’m kinda weird, I know). It’s a black Scribe which, to me, looked almost exactly like a Moleskine. This is not what made it so beautiful in my eyes. The beauty of it was that it was plain and pocket-sized (3.5 x 5, roughly) which makes it the more ideal size to me. The best part was that it cost me only 199 and it thrilled me for days that I got such a good bargain. I doubt that buying the real deal would give me a better “high”.

Anyway, it rested in the dark insides my closet for a couple of days, save for a few minutes of being brought out in daylight so I could admire its beauty. Three days ago, I chanced upon a blog entry that talked about using the Moleskine as a sort of Thanksgiving journal. So there it is. I switched from my Daily Gratitude List on my laptop into the little black notebook. One again, analog wins over digital!

I also love wasting precious time hovering over productivity blogs and lifehacks. One particular hack that caught my interest was the hipster PDA, which makes use of a bunch of 3 x 5 index cards held together by a binder clip. Yup, it is so simple I’m going gaga over it! Anyway, I have bought my index cards but instead of using it as a hipster PDA (I have my notebook already), I use them for a bunch of other really useful things - bookmark, scratch, notepad, a place for my prayers, etc. I am currently considering using a few cards GTD-style for my context to-do lists. Ideas include @mall, @online, @grocery, etc.

Last night, I accidentally stumbled upon two blog sites that featured my favorite hacks (the notebook and the hipster PDA) and these were people who loved to write (they actually earn their living as writers) and they loved to drink coffee (though, I cannot imagine spending as much as one of them does on her regular Starbuck visits) and best of all, they were in Manila! Wow, I feel like I am getting less weird.

I loved that they were writers; it’s like they are living a dream. Nothing could be grander than doing what you love most to do, something that excites you, and getting paid for it in the process. Earning a living from a creative outlet, that certainly is one of the best things that one can enjoy in this life. I keep telling myself that it’s time for me to start pursuing one of my own.

As to my “addiction” to coffee, my caffeine-withdrawal headache has finally worn off and I now limit myself to a single 400-ml serving of moderately strong coffee. Nothing fancy here, just plain, old instant Nescafe. I ran out of my Marks & Spencer; it was a gift from my bestfriend. But I realized soon after that sipping on a hot tumbler of coffee can do wonders for my concentration. So, I had this ingenious idea of allowing myself two to three servings of coffee while keeping my resolve. How? The two other servings are placebo; read: decaf. Now I am left to wonder whether it has the same placebo effect on my occasional hyperacidity as well.

Back to the newly-discovered blogs, one of them caught my interest not only because of her being a writer but more so because of her life story as well. She has 4 kids (two teenagers, and two younger ones) and more than a year ago, after years of being unappreciated and abused (emotionally, I think), she left her husband. She switched from what seemed like a relatively comfortable but miserable life, to a life of struggle, and she seemed very happy about it. She rented a small apartment with her kids, cooked and cleaned for them, brought them to school, struggled with tight budgets and endures a daily commute to and from work! She loves CSI and Discovery and NatGeo and refuses to be intimidated by her ex-husband’s brand new, top-down BMW. She has had her share of yaya/helper problems. And she surrounds herself with books, books, and even more books. She is not ashamed of posting pictures of her humble, cramped apartment. I find we share quite a few interests so reading her felt like having a friend. At the same time, the fact that I am happily married and still get to sleep beside him on the same bed every single night makes me appreciate hubby (and the gift of my current situation) even more.