ref. : The Indexcarding PoI Starter
Kit
I have been preparing to provide the
starter kit, and just finished. Now I'm ready to take your order.
You can order Correct's indexcard, dock, and Kokuyo's fieldnote via
the Service page. I accept a credit card and PayPal
account for payment . For a moment, the postal fee is 10 % off.
Please let me know if you have question. Please use comments below,
or send me an
email.
I wish your merry X'mas and happy new year!
Revised 2006.12.30 00:22 : Add photo of the packs.
ref. : Divergence, convergence,
a discussion related to indexcard @ Flickr
I call a state of my Dock like this title. I
have never think my Dock as gem box. There are gems, but not all.
And it's totally o.k.
See a Pyramid in Egypt. It is constructed by pile of stones. The
stones is useless if it is divided one by one. But if a stone is
uniform block and well organized, even though single block is
useless, it is possible to become such a great construction.
Even group of several stones, it is possible to metamorphose into a
gem. As Josh and Jamie wrote before (here and here), we are trying to find pattern between our
individual thoughts, events around us. If we could find a pattern
from several "stone" cards, the knowledge generate new "gem"
card.
Conversely, if my Dock is full bunch of gems, it means I try to
write and select only gem all time. It will be stressful. And the
system doesn't succeed to function as capturing "any" idea.
There are tons of stone card, tiny and apparently useless ideas, in
my Dock. But I don't know their true worth at the time I write
them. As Steve Jobs
said, all we can do is to connect dots (cards) backward. So I
don't trash any single card. Rather, I keep all of them for future
use.
Division of an indexcard and fieldnote
can be easily understood through a metaphor on computer.
brain = CPU / Fieldnote =
Virtual Memory (HDD) / indexcards+Dock = HDD
Main use of the fieldnote in the PoI
system is temporal idea capturer. Almost all topics on the
fieldnote will be copied to indexcard and stored in the dock later.
Simple to-dos, buying toilet paper for example, are processed on
fieldnote without copying to indexcard.
The fieldnote reduce an effort to remember/remind stuffs. It helps
to increase one's brain usage as Central Processing Unit (CPU). Our
brain could work as vaporous, if we have reliable virtual memory
and HDD behind.
| Dock | A box which store indexcards. |
| KM2P | Kaizo (= modified) Moleskine Memo Pocket. |
| Quadcard | Quadrille Indexcard, 5 inch x 3 inch size. I'm getting lazy to say "Quadrille" and "Indexcard". |
| PoI | Pile of Indexcards. Name of this web site, as well as the indexcard system and method itself. |
| PAA | Personal Analog Assistant. Analog version of PDA. |
Revised : 2006.12.23 15:13 Delete SIS and add PoI instead. I replaced "indexcarding system" to "PoI system" through entire blog.
ref. : Cunfucius,
The Analects, Translation by Hawk
ref. : Shibusawa Eiichi, Commentary on the Analects, 2004.
ref. : Beautiful calligraphy by flickr user Kanko*
Cunfucius (in Japanese, Koushi) is great chinese philosopher in 2,500 years ago. This quote is one of his famous superb in "The Analects". There are many interpritation for the original golden words seen in the picture. For example, worship own ancestors, warm up old friendship, learn from history, etc. (Shibusawa, 2004). Here, I interpret and translate it according to my experience on indexcard.
Same rules with indexcard are applied
for the fieldnote.
- Chronological order : Write everything in
order it emerges. Life, work, complicated idea, simple
idea.
- Four Icons : Record, Discovery, GTD, and
Reference.
- Time stamp : I put date stamp on top of every
page with rubber stamp. Time stamp is made sometimes. I interpolate
time when I copy to indexcard. Again, accuracy is not so important.
Rather, uniqueness is a key to define absolute name.
The picture above was taken five months ago according to the date stamp. After five months later, now, I still use exactly same writing format. It may be comfort to me.
# The four icons are useful for anything. I use them for memo on reading book, too.
I used to try hPDA prior to the fieldnote. But it is not compatible with this system in several reason.
- it uses indexcard in portrait (vertical). This is troublesome
not only for writing format in this system, but also when storing
in the Dock. Conversely, it is difficult to use hPDA in landscape
(horizontal) because It doesn't fit for hand.
- it is impossible to write better letter on hPDA. In this
system, an indexcard is data which consists a database. It means we
should write in better letter for good visibility.
- it is dissipative. It hold just with a single clip. But I
really don't want lost my cards. Also, I used to wash hPDA together
with shirts...
Revised 2006.12.26 20:37
Reasonable : Kokuyo's fieldnote costs almost only $1. Surprisingly, the quality is enough good even such reasonable price. I use the fieldnote as temporal memory in metaphor of "virtual memory" on computer. It works well if it won't cost too much. Imagine if a note costs $20, like Moleskine does, one surely hesitate to write small ideas on it. A high price makes us feel that we have to write something "important". However, it doesn't make sense if we don't use a note in daily base. A note should not be a "souvenir". The low price (but high quality) of the fieldnote makes me feel free to write anything.
Revised : 2006.12.21 9:52
Field note (野帳,
Yacho) is mainly used by surveying engineer, field scientist etc.
for long time. Kokuyo, a Japanese largest stationery company, sells
fieldnote in several format with sketch book (quadrille), level
book, etc. Of course, I use quadrille one. It seems the Kokuyo's
fieldnote is the only solution in Japan.
Umesao and Kitagawa, according to their books, seems to use this
kind of fieldnote since they are field scientist. I have been using
the fieldnote on my job, too. Through my experience, I found I can
use it not only for field work, but also personal idea capturing
media.
I hack the fieldnote by adding elastic band as you see in the
picture above. It enables to put a pencil between current writing
pages. I use a pencil itself as bookmark. I open current page in a
second.
ref. : Quadrille Indexcard in
U.S.
I decide to start "tiny business",
smaller than "small business", to provide Japanese indexcard and
dock for someone who really want this system in hand. This
is highly motivated by my experience in U.S ; it was enough shocking to push me
to move. Also, it seems the Correct doesn't responds to email from
abroad.
Now I export the Correct's product personally to you, using my
spare time. I provide "Starter Kit"
with,
| Amount | Price (in U.S. $) | |
| Correct's Dock (C-153DF) | 1 box | 27 |
| Correct's Index Card (C-3532)* | 5 packs** | 12 |
| Correct's Index (C-530) | 1 pack | 3 |
| Postal fee | - | |
| Total |
* 5x3 size, quadrille
** The amount you will consume in 1.5 - 3 months
I guarantee a quality of the products.
I will ship to U.S., Europe, Asia, everywhere in the world. Let's
share experience. 
Revised : 2006.12.21 21:03 I bought scale today. I found the postal
fee must be corrected. Especially for Dock. It will be much higher.
:/ I will update this article with new price table.
News : 2006.12.23 09:06 I have been preparing new order page.
News : 2006.12.26 20:01 New "Service" Page available
ref. : Indexcard Survey @
Shinjyuku
and @ San
Francisco
What is surprise for me with quad
(short for "quadrille") card in U.S. is, as Lepard and Gregkise pointed out, the cut is not
associated with the grid. As a result, if I see the card's edge
from top, the grid is totally random. This quad card could not be
use for the PoI system, especially for "tag".
Another difference is grid spacing. For Office Depot's : 6 mm each,
and for Correct's : 5 mm each. Since I have been using 5 mm grid,
the Correct's one looks more tight, tense, and compact for
me.
I have never imagine how different the quad card in U.S. and Japan.
I realize that how difficult to obtain quad card like the
Correct's. Long time I had thought indexcard like the Correct's is
easy to get even in abroad ; but it's not.
Summarize various reports from my friends (Leopard, Gregkise, John, Ayalan, and David) and my research, only the Correct achieve this marvelous,
state-of-the-art work. And I realized that my method won't be
achieved without the Correct's products. This is one large key of
the PoI system.
As a simple solution for this problem, I decide to provide
"Starter Kit"
to you in abroad.
Revised 2007.01.02 12:01
Revised 2006.12.22 08:25 : Added photos and description about grid
spacing.
I have been to San Francisco to attend
meeting. In my spare time, I walked around Moscone Convention
Center. I tried to look for an indexcard.
I found a stationery store close to the SFMOMA. The indexcards
occupy a corner. There are 5x3, 6x4, and larger index card
available. What is curious for me is there are a lot of colors,
blue, yellow, red indexcards. I could find plain and ruled
indexcard. Same time, I disappointed that I couldn't find quadrille
card in the store.
I found Office Depo, too. I could find indexcard with "Office Depo"
brand. The price is relatively cheeper. This time I could find
quadrille card from the "Office Depo" brand. But it is enough to make me
surprise.
Last sunday, I went Shinjyuku, Tokyo,
to survey how many indexcards are sold in stationery store there. I
went to the Sekaido (世界堂), one
of the largest stationery store in Shinjyuku. And it is close from
a subway line that I use to go office.
It is 5 to 6 floor building, all with
stationery and art goods. The indexcards are settled at the first
floor in Sekaido. I could find name card size, 5x3 size, 6x4 size,
B6 size with plain, printable, section (quadrille), 6 mm ruled, and
8 mm ruled. Also, Dock, index (separator), and purse are available.
I still couldn't find such a plenty of indexcard goods ever in
Tokyo. In fact, I only found B6 and 5x3 card, two kinds each in
another larger stationery store "Loft" @ Shinjyuku Mitsukoshi. The
Sekaido is rare case.
When you come to Tokyo, you should come to Sekaido. This is a
"Macca" for indexcard geek
ref. : Website, Sekaido (in
Japanese)
ref. : High resolution map @ Yahoo! Japan, Sekaido
ref. : Comment by David
ref. : Where to get
Moleskine Memo Pockets?
David Lainer kindly gives some more information
about Moleskine.
"Here are some other sites to purchase Moleskines, and related
products:
0 - 1,000 (0 - teenage) : When I just started using indexcard. I just enjoy writing card day by day. I simply enjoy the Dock is filled by written card. This resembles when I was child. I enjoyed to get new information, knowledge from outside of me. Through family, friend, school, adventure, etc.
1,000 - 2,000 (20- 30 years old) : Keep up writing card. The number of card exceed a thousand. It can be reorganized/reused to find further knowledge. The system starts to function as knowledge database.
1,000 - 5,000 (30 - 40 years old) : Cards in the Dock is full. I added new Dock. Getting more and more difficult handle all cards in the Dock because of huge number. It takes an hour to flip through all cards. Same time, card and card is connected like organ. I find a pattern between card and card; which we call as "wisdom" in our life.
5,000 - (40 - years old) : A complexity of system being maximum. Difficult to handle all cards (ref. : Known issue). Now problem is how to reduce card. I should choose how to write, how not to write. How to keep, how to discard. Perhaps "forgetfulness" is an important feature of human in order to reduce information in a brain. For human, only high quality information survive by forgetting small things. Bunch of wisdom.
There are two size, pocket and large. I use pocket size (14 cm x 9 cm). Confirm the dimension when you buy it.
Usually, Amazon discounts the Moleskine. For more information, please ask the Amazon of your country, or directly to Moleskine.com.