Living With Moleskines.

I have to admit that every time I see a female with a Moleskine notebook turns into an instacrush. The idea of someone keeping one of these is akin to the Sexy Librarian in terms of being a nerd aphrodisiac. I've been using these now-ubiquitous black books for years now, and have a rotating roster of four or five small notebooks handy for times when I'm in the creative mood or for when I just want it to look that way.

Needless to say, it can become a dreary task to find that one particular idea for that one specific instance when it will be useful if you don't keep organized. Thankfully, the folks over at Freelance Switch have done us Moleskine addicts a great favor by compiling a list of hacks that will keep our journals working at peak efficiency. In their words:

Moleskine notebooks rank alongside the MacBook Pro, money and caffiene on our fictional list of ‘Most Beloved Freelancing Tools’. It’s a shame, then, that many Moleskine owners don’t realize the full potential of their little black book… much like many brain-owners don’t realize the full potential of their squishy salmon-colored companion.

Recommended and useful reading for anyone who uses a notebook or a journal regardless of the type or brand.

On a related note, for anyone who gushes as much as I do when looking at a well-kept journal, I suggest checking out Jennifer New's Drawing From Life: The Journal As Art. The book examines the process of people of various disciplines by analyzing how they use their journal and includes giant photos of sample pages of their actual entries. Makes for a nice addition to your coffee table book collection and/or a light, inspiring read.