The Notebook
Paper. Pocket-sized. Outperforms most apps.
Overview
The notebook — small, bound, carried in a pocket — is a piece of equipment as essential to a working builder as a tape measure. It holds measurements, sketches, phone numbers, reminders, grocery lists, and the occasional idea that won't survive the drive home.
What Goes in It
- Measurements the tape caught and memory wouldn't
- Sketches of fixes before they become edits
- Materials lists before the hardware-store trip
- The punch list before it gets typed
- The client's actual request, as stated, before it gets re-stated
- Ideas that arrive at 2 AM (rare but essential)
Why Paper
A phone does many things. A notebook does one thing well. The notebook will not ring, will not die, will not have to be unlocked, and — crucially — will not accidentally open a different app while you're trying to sketch a stair stringer. It also has the quiet advantage of making you think before you write, which is more than can be said for most tools.
"Paper forces you to commit." — Burbridge