My absolute favorite
My absolute favorite UCT is an "M by Staples" brand black leather Note Jotter that I picked up for $9.99. It holds about 25 index cards but I've carried so many in there that now it holds 50. You do NOT have to open it--it has a card on the face, ready to be written on. I carry it in my dress shirt pocket with a click pen, and can (literally) be writing within 2 seconds... closer to 1 second. It fits in a pocket easily and can carry plennnnty of index cards (which are dirt cheap).
http://www.mbystaples.com/journals-and-notebooks/note-jotters/leather-note-jotters/78/
I have used voice recorders (double entry and awkward in restaurants), Moleskine notebooks (I prefer to be able to tear pages out), 3x5 bound index card notebooks (perfectly functional but no character). I use regular 3x5 cards, with the white side out most of the time. If I want lines, I flip some cards over (3 seconds) and am ready to go.
Because of how nifty it is and how good it looks, you can pull it out anywhere without looking like a dork. Mine has sat on the table during board meetings and doesn't look amateurish or, conversely, over the top.
I love it. If they were to stop making them, I would buy 10 of them just in case. I've put mine through rigorous daily use (100+ notes a day on 25+ cards) for over a year and it is ready to go when I am. It's cheap, it's sharp, and it's HIGHLY functional. If an idea strikes while I'm driving, I put it on the console and the case holds the cards steady so I can jot down some keywords for the note.
When I am not wearing a dress shirt, I carry the Note Jotter in my left front pocket with a pen in my right front pocket. Filled cards go into my right pocket, held together with a small binder clip (holds up to 50 cards or so). On the go, processed cards get torn and then put into my left pocket.
When I get home, I empty my pockets into the trash or inbox.
What can I say? I never lose anything. It is a HIGHLY effective system that has no leaks, is cheap, and performs its duties with some style.
JohnV474
My absolute favorite UCT is an "M by Staples" brand black leather Note Jotter that I picked up for $9.99. It holds about 25 index cards but I've carried so many in there that now it holds 50. You do NOT have to open it--it has a card on the face, ready to be written on. I carry it in my dress shirt pocket with a click pen, and can (literally) be writing within 2 seconds... closer to 1 second. It fits in a pocket easily and can carry plennnnty of index cards (which are dirt cheap).
http://www.mbystaples.com/journals-and-notebooks/note-jotters/leather-note-jotters/78/
I have used voice recorders (double entry and awkward in restaurants), Moleskine notebooks (I prefer to be able to tear pages out), 3x5 bound index card notebooks (perfectly functional but no character). I use regular 3x5 cards, with the white side out most of the time. If I want lines, I flip some cards over (3 seconds) and am ready to go.
Because of how nifty it is and how good it looks, you can pull it out anywhere without looking like a dork. Mine has sat on the table during board meetings and doesn't look amateurish or, conversely, over the top.
I love it. If they were to stop making them, I would buy 10 of them just in case. I've put mine through rigorous daily use (100+ notes a day on 25+ cards) for over a year and it is ready to go when I am. It's cheap, it's sharp, and it's HIGHLY functional. If an idea strikes while I'm driving, I put it on the console and the case holds the cards steady so I can jot down some keywords for the note.
When I am not wearing a dress shirt, I carry the Note Jotter in my left front pocket with a pen in my right front pocket. Filled cards go into my right pocket, held together with a small binder clip (holds up to 50 cards or so). On the go, processed cards get torn and then put into my left pocket.
When I get home, I empty my pockets into the trash or inbox.
What can I say? I never lose anything. It is a HIGHLY effective system that has no leaks, is cheap, and performs its duties with some style.
JohnV474