The One Notebook Principle

Note: This post is pinned since it serves as an explanation to the site. At some point I will likely move it to an “About” page. Until that happens please scroll down, or use the left sidebar, to find more recent posts.

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When I was in high school and college, I had a tendency to start off well organized. I had a notebook and folder for every class and every intention to use them faithfully. “This will be the year,” I used to tell myself, “that I will finally stay organized.” I was always wrong. It would never be that year.

Now I am almost 40 and I’ve been kidding myself for at least the last 15 years or so. Every time I had a project or idea, which is often, I start a new notebook, or blog, or social media account, etc. I have dozens of these, at least, all half-filled and unfinished. You know what isn’t half-filled? The notebook I’m using that only has about half the pages because it’s my old English notebook from my junior year of high school (the one I had before I stopped using it in favor of whatever subject I eventually used for everything). This notebook includes: journal entries, to do lists, brainstorming lists for work (I’m a teacher), websites I should remember, appointments, etc. This is not to say that I don’t have a planner. I even use it. Yet somehow everything I tell myself I will keep organized in different notebooks has ended up in one notebook again.

The thing is, I’ve been doing the same thing with websites and blogs. Everyone seems to think that you can’t have a successful website or blog if it’s too broad. You can’t overly specialize either. You should diversify, but not so widely that you confuse your audience. You need to be clear with what niche you’re filling and what audience you’re writing for. Websites and blogs are full of advice and how to’s and seem largely devoid of anything actually resembling real life and hobbies. Maybe I’m just reading the wrong blogs and sites.

I found myself the other day missing Livejournal, back when it was at its peak, where everyone wrote about anything and everything all in one place. Sure, people specialized and could have a tendency to write about certain movies, books, or hobbies. There was also, however, a great deal of variety in general. No one thought twice, or so it seemed, about writing for a specific audience because we all seemed to be writing, primarily, for ourselves. No one seemed to be selling or appealing to anyone in particular.

This website is my attempt at having “one notebook” in website form. Rather than attempt to have numerous websites/blogs that get updated when and if I feel like it, I will instead have have a variety of posts and topics on one website. If you’ve made it this far, and are curious, this can and probably will include the following: general life reflections, my efforts to get healthy again, home projects, crafting, playing World of Warcraft, writing and world building, teaching (oh yeah, I’m a teacher), my pets, book reviews, etc.

Oh, one final note: The first few posts will likely be cross-posted from (and maybe to) some of my other blogs and websites while I debate shutting them down for good. So if you, by some chance, happen to see them on another website that’s likely why.