How To Use Your Fountain Pens More Often: Write Lists

Many people who collect fountain pens sometimes have trouble using them as often as they would like. If you are not a student or in a profession that requires you to write very often, you might struggle to use your pens at all! In this series of articles I want to make some suggestions that should help you use your fountain pens more often.

Write Lists

Everyone has things that need to get done and one of the easiest ways to keep track of them is by writing a list. These days, most lists end up on phones or computers. It makes sense, as they can sync up with other devices and family members, send reminders and are always with you. Keep in mind, for every list that you type, that’s one opportunity missed to use your fountain pen! The next time you need to write a list, instead of reaching for your phone, maybe you should reach for a pen and paper.

Need some ideas for what kind of lists you can write? Here are a few suggestions:
– Shopping lists
– To-do lists
– Wish lists
– Best-of lists (Top 10 Movies, Favorite Foods, Best Live Concerts You’ve Been To, etc…)
– Goals
– And many more…

Where To Write Your Lists

You can keep lists in any number of places. Some people might prefer a dedicated notebook or journal while others might prefer a notepad or loose pieces of paper. A notebook is good if you want to have something on your desk that you can refer to and be able to look back on. A notepad is good if you want to tear off your lists to take with you or start fresh every day.

For my daily to-do list, I use a Moleskine notebook that I happened to have laying around. I’m not a huge fan of Moleskine paper, but figured it would work fine for something like a to-do list. A few things that I like about this particular notebook are the elastic closure and the bookmark. I use the closure to mark the current day so I can quickly open to it and the bookmark for anything I need to refer back to. Each page is dedicated to the current day, so I can jot down any quick notes if I need to. The benefit (for me) of keeping my daily to-do lists in a notebook is that I can refer back to events, such as when I called someone, made a reservation, last watered my plants or backed up my hard drive and see any associated notes that I might have written.

I use this Moleskine notebook for my daily to-do lists.

For my shopping lists, I prefer to use an A5 Rhodia notepad. Not only is it wonderful paper to write on, but the pieces of paper also tear out so I can take my list with me. This way I know that when I open up the notepad, I’m always looking at a fresh piece of paper that’s ready for a new list.

I use this Rhodia notepad for shopping lists so I can tear them out and take them with me.

Regardless of what goes onto your lists, I’m sure that you can find a system that works great for you. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to make a list. The entire purpose is to use your fountain pens more often. While it might not be possible to get every list in your life onto paper, it should be possible to write down a few of them. This might even be a great opportunity to pick up a new notebook or notepad for yourself as an incentive to write more. So the next time you’re planning your day, figuring out what to cook for dinner, or what to pack for your trip, grab a pen and paper and make a list. I’m sure you’ll find it much more enjoyable than typing it into your phone.

Here are even more suggestions for using your fountain pens more often.