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Pen & Paper

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This community is all about using pen and paper as a deliberate choice — because handwriting helps memory, deepens learning, sharpens focus, and unlocks creativity in ways screens often can’t. Whether you’re sketching ideas, drafting a to‑do list, or mapping out a semester, the physical act of writing slows things down just enough for the thoughts to really land.

All notebook and calendar types are welcome here: plain bound notebooks, bullet journals, Filofax systems, ring‑ and disc‑bound setups, sticky notes, legal pads, or whatever you throw together.

Privacy matters. With paper you keep control as your notes aren’t tracked, used to train algorithms or so. That sense of ownership makes paper a safe place for brainstorming, personal plans, and messy drafts that you don’t want floating in the cloud.

This is a place to share practical tips, clever layouts, before‑and‑after spreads, and what you’ve learned about staying organized (or unorganized) offline. Post pictures, ask for feedback, swap templates, or just brag about a perfect page.

Come as you are: Neat planner nerds, scrapbookers, list lovers, or anyone curious about slowing down. Bring your spreads, hacks, inserts, index systems, and the little rituals that make your setup work.

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A brief (?) presentation of myself and how I use pen and paper (piefed.social)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Libb@piefed.social to c/pen_and_paper@lemmy.world

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Hi,

I just joined and since I can see no other post (indexing issue? or is the community that recent? ;) I thought maybe I could post something.

I’m nearing my 60s and I’ve been using pen and paper most of my life. From school—even it was already on its way out back in the early 70s kids were still taught handwriting using a fountain pen, at least here in France—up to this very day.

Privacy is is one of the two reasons I still use pen and paper instead of any of the many apps and services I have tested and learned to use. The second reason being the… satisfaction handwriting brings me. I’m considered a decent typist (I got my first Apple computer in the very early 80s, and a few years before that I was quite happily writing shitty stories on my grand-dad’s already old Olympia SG1 typewriter, a wonderful machine on which I learned to type… and to stain my fingers, playing with the ink ribbon :p) but nothing beats the simple joy of writing in silent, hand on paper. Early in the morning (most of the time, I like to write between 4AM and 8AM while my spouse is still sleeping and while the city around us is still quiet)

I draft most of what I write longhand, using loose leafs (I prefer the flexibility of being able to move the sheets as I see fit, that’s also why in the 90s I was so obsessed with Filofax) and either a (mechanical) pencil or a fountain pen—those two device are friendly rivals in smoothness (depending the paper) and, unlike most ballpoint pens, require no effort at all to write, the hand doesn’t need to press hard quite the contrary, which helps write longer & with less fatigue.

I also journal longhand. I have been doing so since I was a (not that happy) little boy.

Talking journaling, I’m the admin at !journaling@sh.itjust.works which has been on a bit of a pause but the place is open and do welcome people willing to post content, tips and tricks, questions, suggestions,… The community is open to both analog and digital journaling, btw.

But my main use of pen and paper is my Zettelkasten, aka an endless pile of index card (A6) that I keep organized and indexed. It’s the place where I store all my reading notes (I read a lot, and always take notes while doing so), all the references, quotes, ideas and any type of content (text, images,...) I want to be able to quickly refer to later on when I work on one of my own projects.

Lhumann, the dude that formalized this concept of Zettelkasten (which is in reality much older than that word, people have been using it for centuries) described his Zettel as his second brain. And he was right. That thing is not just a passive pile of cards. It’s smart and it can often be surprisingly… stimulating to browse through it. Just flipping through a bunch of cards will often bring unexpected ideas. It’s a true partner with whom one can have a meaningful discussion, like when one is reading a book, a good book I mean.

Here is the two most important tips I can think of for anyone wanting to give it a try:

Keep it simple. The key to a Zettel is the numbering/indexing. So keep the numbering simple (it can always evolve later on if you feel the need to). Also, don’t try to anticipate all categories, projects, whatever you think you may one day need. Start with what you actually need now (say in regard to a specific writing project/research you're working on) and let your Zettel grow by itself as you go along. It’s one of the things that make it so powerful: it will grow with you. And, yes, this also means some part of it will not grow that much if at all, and some may even become stale, and you need to be fine with that.
There is no need to spend a fortune on fancy materials, a nice fountain pens, a large pack of expensive index cards and luxurious storage boxes. Start with what you already have.

Index cards: I use the back of old letters, recycled invoices, whatever decent paper I can get my hands on that I can cut to size (one A4 sheet makes four A6 cards, and it’s easy to cut of them using a massicot).
Index cards are sturdier, that's true but they’re also (a lot more expensive and) thicker and if you start really using your Zettel you will quickly realize space in your storage box quickly becomes an issue. Also, most of the times those cards will be neatly stored in that storage box or laid flat on your desk, they don’t need to be that sturdy because they’re not, say, library cards.
Storage boxes: I made my own out of… cardboard that I cut and assemble. If anyone is interested, I may post a short guide on my blog explaining how I do that but it's really simple (one only needs some spare thick cardboard from a delivery package, white glue and a cutter/hobby knife) and it’s really sturdy. Before that, I used to use old...shoe boxes.

Edit: typos and a missing sentence.

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[–] Coolcoder360@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I didn't know much about Zettelkasten until I tried using Zettlr, which is basically a slightly different, better, Obsidian that can also export PDFs and handle latex in addition to markdown.

Can you tell me more about how your organize your physical Zettelkasten's indexing/numbering? Like do you bother to number each card individually so you have an index somewhere that has each card topic written down, or do you just give them general numbers for a topic/category and then stuff them in the box any order within that category's section?

I'm split between physical vs electronic Zettel, but I like the idea of it being physical right now because I've started using just a regular little notebook in my pocket for taking notes, copying out recipes I'm making to avoid needing to unlock a phone that automatically locks itself, writing grocery lists or to-do lists or measurements or other such things. Easier to write entries if I can bring cards and pen with me wherever I'm at rather than have to copy it into a computer at a desk.

[–] Libb@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I didn’t know much about Zettelkasten until I tried using Zettlr,

I quite liked Zettlr and I must say I had very enriching discussions with his dev, a few years ago. He had a real good vision & understanding of what a Zettel-like app sh/could be. Imho, it was leagues ahead than all the others apps... but still not as functional, for me at least, as my simple pile of index cards.

I’m split between physical vs electronic Zettel

Privacy (and control over my data and who can access it) is the main reason why I remain analog (even more so with something as intimate as what I think on sometimes very delicate subjects: I know I cannot trust digital and even if I can (Linux is great, I would not want to go back to Apple) it can still bug and fail me at the worst time), but like my previous paragraph may have hinted at I never was hostile to digital per se. I became hostile when the telemetry/tracking/privacy soon to be outlawed nightmare began and when the subscription craziness became the norm.

I’ve started using just a regular little notebook in my pocket for taking notes,

I do that too, save that I use an A6 notebook (like my index cards) and write on the long side, so I can simply remove whatever page I think is worth it, add a number and index it to store it in the Zettel. Being lazy as I'm is a huge boost in finding simple solutions ;)

Can you tell me more about how your organize your physical Zettelkasten’s indexing/numbering?
Like do you bother to number each card individually so you have an index somewhere that has each card topic written down, or do you just give them general numbers for a topic/category and then stuff them in the box any order within that category’s section?

Each card has a unique number (it's required for the Zettel to work), the numbering format itself doesn't matter much if at all. It just need to be unique (which is easy to do) and it can be anything. As a matter of fact, over the time my 'numbering scheme' changed more than once... without any issue and without the need to renumber the existing notes. I would not want to do that ever.

What truly matter is how you index it, and how your cards can be linked to one another.

I have an index for whatever notion I work with or I'm interested in. Some of them have a single entry under their first letter followed by numbers pointing to the relevant cards. Say, Once an entry tarts having too many cards linked to it, I will strike it out and put a link to a new index card, that will be dedicated to that specific topic. An example will make it clearer:

Say, I have a 'D' card listing anything relevant that starts with a 'D' (duck, dance, dirt,...) but then I also have a "democracy" entry that is starting to grow too much. I strike it out on that firs card, add a link to "DEMOCRACY (D)" (which is a new card with that title that I will add to my index) and I put all entries related to democracy on that card (and then on a second one and so on as much as I need to). If the I have say a growing number of entries for "End of democracy" I will simply strike it out on the 'DEMOCRACY (D)" card and create a new one titled "END OF (DEMOCRACY) (D)". The '(D)' helps me quickly remember to put back it back at 'D' (and not at 'E' like I would be tempted reading its title). That index, plus the author's index I also use, is the real workhouse of my Zettel .

I started my Zettel using a few academical categories (History, philosophy, Physics, Biology, Literature and stuff like that, I even created sub categories, for countries and era) but in the end it's more noise than it's useful as I will waste time trying to decide where I could put each new card which serves no purpose at all as I could simply have started numbering all of them from 1 to whatever thousands. Like I said, what really matters is the index (where categories already exist and have a purpose) and then it's the linking between the cards. Those links this is where the magic happens as far as I'm concerned: the index leads me to the specific info I'm searching for, say 'Democracy' but then while I'm reading all indexed card under that entry, I will often find direct links to other cards and that can trigger real unexpected associations.

Like, I remember having links to ethology under some of my cards related to Rousseau Social Contract, while those have links towards some prose or poetry (they too have their place in my Zettel) that will themselves point me back toward stuff related to, say, Augustine, or some passage from the Bible or to Plato, or a painting that will itself point me to some comment made by Proust on the same painting. Or maybe to some notions about light and wave length in physics or even to ship building in the XVII & XVIII century in Great Britain, or in France, that may point me back to ship building in Antique Greece and in Egypt too, that could then lead me to... other stuff.

it's rich and to me it really feels like having a conversation with a smarter version of myself.

I'm sorry, that's along reply... I really should write a blog post instead.

[–] Coolcoder360@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This helps a lot I think!

I've found there's very often a sort of "writers block" I'll get if I sit down trying to like, do something like journal or write note cards or anything like that. The pocket notebook I'm using for grocery lists and everything is actually a notebook I was gifted like 10+ years ago and never used until now, when I decided I wanted to reduce phone usage and switch to analogue more, so I basically just use it as my everyday sort of pocket notebook to write whatever in (I think I've heard this called a commonplace book).

At first I didn't want to really use it for much, even when I decided I wanted to, but what made it work for me was going on a trip with multiple connecting flights, so I wrote down all my flight info (numbers, times, seats, confirmation #, etc) and other travel info, this made it easy to look up those details.

Then once I'd started with that it became easier to use for things like grocery lists, todo lists, etc, things that I used to try to save on my phone or take notes in my phone for. And now I even will like, copy recipes I'm going to make into it so I can have shorter, more concise, instructions to follow and without worrying about getting my phone wet or messy.

the numbering format itself doesn’t matter much if at all. It just need to be unique (which is easy to do) and it can be anything

So in theory I can just, number everything chronologically when I write them (or by date?) and put them in a box sorted by number/date, then just have multiple category/subject based index sheets/cards to find things or refer to other notes based on their ID number or date?

I've never been good at organizing notebooks or other things like that so I can find things, I guess often because I never bother with the indexing part...

[–] Libb@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago

Then once I’d started with that it became easier to use

That's how it works with anything: using your notebook, cooking, riding a bike, learning to write or even learning to walk: we start slow and it feels so difficult and then, after a few failed attempts, we start to get better at it ;)

So in theory I can just, number everything chronologically when I write them (or by date?) and put them in a box sorted by number/date, then just have multiple category/subject based index sheets/cards to find things or refer to other notes based on their ID number or date?

In theory, and in practice. But in practice you will probably quickly realize you may want to add a new card/notes between two existing ones. How to do that? That's easy too, no matter the numbering system you use.

Say, you use the date YYYY/MM/DD as your naming format and have & card labelled 2025/12/14 and another one labelled 2025/12/15 (you've written it today), to add an extra one after the card from the previous day, you could label it 2025/12/14-1, or 2025/12/14/1, or 2025/12/14-A, or any other way that works for you, because in the end it's your system and it only needs to work the best for you.

I never bother with the indexing part…

No guarantee it will work but maybe it's worth trying it for a while, and see if it helps?

[–] zloubida@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I really should write a blog post instead.

Please!

[–] Libb@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

Mmm... I will have to think about how I could do it without making it even longer (and more boring, if at all possible). Not promising anything, but, yeah, I will try to find something to do.

[–] EVIL_MAN@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thank you sir, this is a good read. I have a journal that I have been using kind of like a zettel. I might convert it into one.

[–] Libb@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago

Thank you sir, this is a good read.

Thx.

I have a journal that I have been using kind of like a zettel. I might convert it into one.

Great minds think alike: at this very moment (well, I have been for the last 4 or 5 months), I'm in the process of switching my journal to... index cards, integrating it to my Zettel. Doing so, I can now much more easily index what is relevant in my journal entries into my Zettel, and I can store it as easily, and use it as easily as I would use any other index card. So far, it's working great and my only interrogation is to understand why I did not do that years ago ;)

I wanted to write more about that in the journaling community... just not before around next March. If you feel like it and start experimenting with it, you're more than welcome to initiate such a discussion and share your experience. This would probably motivate me to participate a little more, and I'm also pretty sure this will interest a few other persons.

[–] CoffeeTails@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The community is only 5 hours old! Welcome! I've joined your community as well.

wow you truly have a lot of experience with different writing-tools. I've only tried fountain pen a few times as an adult. In school we used pencils, either regular or a retractable. Now a days I user a retractable one. I mostly stay away from ballpoint pens as I mostly find them annoying.

I truly envy that you have been journal for so long, it would have been amazing to be able to look back. I haven't started a journal yet, but I do write my dreams and other more "random" notes that I have in my Filofax, and of course, a todo list.

oooh Zettelkasten is a cool system, I read about it when I started to use Obsidian. I still use Obsidian as the files are local on my computer and phone, and I use a program that syncs over wifi, so a third party never handles them! But all this AI, surveillance etc makes me want to use my phone and pc less. I find it scary to be honest. I had no idea that Zettelkasten could bring so much joy tho! I think it would need years of work before it gets to that point.

I really like your tips, to summarize: Use what you have and keep it simple. That is something I've struggled with for years. But to start simple and with what ones already have makes such a difference in the long run. It's a lot easier to start a new habit or project when you don't make it into a huge thing.

Since you mention longhand multiple times, do you know shorthand as well? I've been thinking about learning that.

[–] Libb@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

The community is only 5 hours old! Welcome!

It must be because of the topic that I joined so quickly then, because I'm not reputed for being quick :p

I mostly stay away from ballpoint pens as I mostly find them annoying.

They have their use, but they seldom offer any sensation comparable to what a great pencil can give and even less so to a fountain pen. But I still always have one with me: they don't leak and and they are so much cheaper too I never worry about losing one, they're also much sturdier (even compared to a pencil). Also, you can't sign a check or many legal documents using a pencil.

Bic are the ones I like to use: I'm French, like Bic, so they're readily available everywhere for cheap, and they're really fine ballpoint pens. Also, their line of cheap mechanical pencils are excellent and reliable, and since they can easily be refilled (remove the tiny eraser, drop a couple leads, put the eraser back) there is no need to throw them away when they're empty.

I truly envy that you have been journal for so long

That's just a matter of time, you will get there too, provided you don't wait to be 60 to start ;)

Honestly, I would love to not be nearing my 60s and would be ok to have journaled a lot less in exchange. Well, maybe, I don't know.

But all this AI, surveillance etc makes me want to use my phone and pc less. I find it scary to be honest.

You're not alone. This worries me so much (with so many digital stuff going on) that I even quit reading... ebooks (something I started doing in the early 00s). If you're interested, I talk about that in more details here, and here, and even briefly here, on my blog.

I had no idea that Zettelkasten could bring so much joy tho! I think it would need years of work before it gets to that point.

A lot of people seem to think so, but that is not the case.

A Zettel can start getting useful rather quickly, it all depends how you work with it and how you 'feed' it (a frequent beginner mistake, me included, is to over-feed it with too many stuff). What's sure is that if you start using it your Zettel can only_improve_ over time but you still need to start using it by creating your very first index card.

It’s a lot easier to start a new habit or project when you don’t make it into a huge thing.

100%. Small and not intimidating is the way to go. At least, I think so.

Since you mention longhand multiple times, do you know shorthand as well? I’ve been thinking about learning that.

I do. But to be honest i devised my own custom system. It's not a true shorthand, but it fully covers my own specific needs.

It all began at university, while I was taking so much notes (lectures and even more so while I was reading those piles of books we were expected to read) and, here again, I started simple: only shortening a few of the words I used the most, then more, then even more. I also started using symbols to write even faster complex notions that I would frequently use, and so on. After a few weeks it was feeling great. After 4 years, it had become a routine I was barely thinking about or only to improve it. After 40 years or so... I don't even think about it and my manuscripts are all riddled with a mix of sentences and shorthand that no one but me can read ;)

Imho, it's a very useful tool to acquire if you're serious about using going the analog way. When I see young students sweating to write down verbatim transcripts of what the teacher is saying I feel sad for them. They have not been taught how to synthesize (aka, how to listen before writing anything down and only what really matters), and they will probably never learn any shorthand.. .even though this would already help them a lot with their poor (& exhausting) note-taking method.

[–] CoffeeTails@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ahaha I'm glad I'm not alone in being slow, it surely feels like that sometimes!

True, Bic are great!

Oh wow, not even e-books? Well, physical books do have a different feel. I will read all your posts :)

I used to read a lot as a kid and teen. Now I'm trying to get back into it (I'm 30) but I have really struggled, partly because of screens and doom-scrolling and partly because I had a hard time finding something I like, well apparently I'm a sucker for science. haha. I am currently reading "Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst" by Robert Sapolsky. A not to heavy read, I learn a lot and the author is funny.

I think I will learn shorthand one day, but after I've built a habit of writing regularly!

[–] Libb@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ahaha I’m glad I’m not alone in being slow, it surely feels like that sometimes!

It's does, and it's great.

I used to read a lot as a kid and teen. Now I’m trying to get back into it

As you noticed, it helps to try a lot of different types of books until you find one you like better. Real glad to know you've found yours (and welcome back to reading, then)!

I think I will learn shorthand one day, but after I’ve built a habit of writing regularly!

You can do both, progressively, they can help one another by making the other simpler/less tiring ;)

[–] CoffeeTails@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

hmm, good point. I've always struggled to take notes of what others are saying, like in your example.

I have no idea on how to start learning tho, I don't know if I'm creative enough to make my own system but I've seen there are multiple existing systems. I think I need to learn more about shorthand it would be cool to make my own, kinda like making my own language or alphabet, yay! :)

I particularly like the idea of writing what I hear instead of how it's spelled. Or writing concepts instead of words. hmm