Notebook Tip

Struggling with an effect? Any tips (without giving too much away!) you'd like to share?

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Notebook Tip

Postby FTHO » Oct 12th, '14, 23:05



Hello,

I've always been very good at note taking from lectures, books and videos. I keep lots of notebooks of all my thoughts from these sources.
However I am terrible at documenting little thoughts, my own ideas, quotes or references or anything I think of throughout the day...

My current method is to write the thought down on a piece of paper or card and keep it in a box on my desk which I look through every now and then, I've always intended to write them up into a notebook for easier reference but I just never got around to it.

A few weeks ago I came across a notebook hack which I've linked below. Essentially it is a way of indexing your notebook in a really easy way.

So I've bought another notebook and started going through my box of ideas, leaving a 2 page spread for each one in case I want to expand on the idea. Quotes, references, gags or similar will not get a 2 page spread to themselves but will be listed with other quotes references or gags (each within their own category).
I've then indexed the pages as in the instructions at the link below. Using tags such as "Idea", "Premise", "References", "Cards", "Coins", "Mentalism", "Game", "Gags", "Quotes", etc etc.

It's really useful, and to be honest it has been really fun going over all of these old ideas. I've written up a lot less than I thought I would... since I keep getting distracted by great ideas which I've been expanding on. Hopefully this will allow me to be more productive.

I'll still use my old method since I won't carry this notebook around with me all of the time, but each idea will be written up when I get home.

Luckily W.H. Smiths had a sale on the notebooks, 3 for 2, I've got so many scraps of paper I think I'm going to fill them all up!

I hope the instructions at the link below are useful to someone else. Do any of you have any other notebook tips?


Sam



http://blog.highfivehq.com/posts/a-litt ... -147985357

FTHO
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Re: Notebook Tip

Postby FTHO » Oct 12th, '14, 23:14

When I write notes about a book or video I write a bullet point for each effect/chapter with the effect/chapter heading written next to it.
Then below and indented I'll add bullets for any thought I have about the effect or chapter I'm reading. I always try to write something, even if I hate the effect I'll try to figure out why I don't like it and make some notes about that. Anything useful gets written down.
I then have a colour coded system, I circle the bullets in different colours. If it is a effect/chapter heading bullet then the colour code applies to the whole effect/chapter, otherwise it just applies to the specific thought.
Red = Something I want to learn or apply to the magic I already do.
Green = Something incredible, perhaps it has transformed the way I think about magic? This is something that really stands out to me as being important.

I've taken notes from books for a long time, but previously just noting a few things here and there. This is a new approach I've been using which has meant I get involved with the books I read at a deeper level, and has been very beneficial to me. Just the other day I read something in an preface to a book and it inspired me to write down some of my own thoughts which then led to a solution to a problem which has been bothering me for a couple of years, a problem completely unrelated to what I had read. The solution was the perfect solution as it completely meets my strict demands and allows me to draw out a part of my personality, something I really enjoy, and use that to completely eliminate my problem.

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Re: Notebook Tip

Postby Mandrake » Oct 13th, '14, 09:09

Great idea, thank you!

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Re: Notebook Tip

Postby 10DD » Oct 14th, '14, 15:57

Useful technique by the looks of it, will be sure to give it a try, thanks!

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Re: Notebook Tip

Postby bmat » Oct 16th, '14, 18:13

I write my notes on those post-it pad things. Then when I have a whole bunch and I don't know what anything is, I paperclip that bunch together. Then when I look at it a year later and determine that I have no passwords saved on them or other useful bits of imformation I haven't needed for a year. And have no idea what all the other notes on them mean I toss the entire batch. It may not work for everyone but thats my method.

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Re: Notebook Tip

Postby FTHO » Oct 16th, '14, 21:04

That is quite similar to my old method, except I kept all of those scraps... And now I'm trying to write them all up and organise them. This is taking some time and I've barely made a dent!


I seem to remember Dai Vernon's talking about his notes on the revelations tapes.
He said something about how he had lots of notes were all he had written were names of tricks and ratings. He said he ha. Loads with top ratings but he had no idea what they were.
A shame.

Ever since I've heard that I've tried to keep detailed notes of everything I like enough to perform. I write the instructions out in details an idiot would understand (for when I read them again!) and take pictures where necessary. I also include the reference to where I learnt it, or details of how I came up with the idea if it's mine. I add any tips or thoughts. And finally I add notes on my script along with timings (usually quite a rough script which I'll deviate from)
That being said... I'm really bad at writing these things up. Takes to much time unfortunately but it's really useful, I went back to a routine I haven't performed for a few years and it wasn't going as well as it used to, I checks my notes and realised what I was missing!

Any more tips from anyone?

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Re: Notebook Tip

Postby 10DD » Oct 17th, '14, 11:17

Good ideas, for sure. I tend to do more note taking and creative writing via Google Drive these days. Folder structures based on classifications of effects and then Docs for all effects with all the detailed notes you mentioned on handling, theory, tips, crediting etc. I can update and access this from any device with internet access, so those times where internet is not available is when I resort back to a notepad.

It's been working very well for me and tackles one of the main issues I found when I began to type-up my hand-written notes - version control.

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