I love taking notes, but I start cherishing every notebook I begin. I can't keep my notes messy—eventually I structure them, improve handwriting, add covers or stickers, and the notebook becomes too organized for scribbling. This raises the hurdle for taking more notes, starting a vicious circle.

To change this, I've started a dedicated 'dirt notebook' nicknamed 'The Drainage Channel'—a place for whatever is going through my head in the moment. I'm using an old, empty notebook with poor paper quality; fountain pen ink bleeds through, forcing me to use cheap ballpoints, and it doesn't open flat, making clean notes difficult.

I've been writing in it for about a week now, and it's been fun. I've used it for random podcast quotes, story ideas, life memos, and new things learned—all scribbled down with no elaborate structure. It's been interesting re-discovering forgotten thoughts at week's end.

My goal is filling this first 'dirt notebook' and learning to embrace the messiness. Once accustomed, I might switch to better paper and fountain pen ink again.