Tools
Even though I’m from the wired generation – I got my first computer in 1983 at age 5, and my first email address in 1990, at the age of 12 – I’m fairly low-tech. I have an analogue Fossil watch, and haven’t owned a TV with cable in five years. (To skeptics: try it sometime, you might get used to not having useless messages coming at you from the living room all the time.)
I travel very light: a carry-on suitcase and laptop case, never any checked bags. Every time I travel, I see countless other travelers struggling with huge backpacks through train stations and cobblestone streets. It always makes me wonder how independent those solo travelers really are.
In addition to the basics – my passport, credit card, a lot of cash – the only things I really need are listed below.
Journal – My wife bought me my first real journal three years ago, and I wasn’t sure what to think. What are you supposed to do, just write in this thing every day? Long story short, now I go through at least two narrow-ruled Moleskin journals a year. I write only for myself and rarely read what I’ve written before.
Notebook – I do travel with a laptop, but most of my writing is actually done in a simple 5×7 college-ruled notebook. I take it everywhere I go, all the time. For organization purposes, I use this notebook to maintain updates on all my projects and associated tasks.
Coffee – I absolutely love coffee, my favorite drink in the world. In
Computer Stuff – I use MindJet MindManager software to create mindmaps for all my projects. I often create the first draft in my notebook and then use the software to expand and better organize the ideas.
I use PhatNotes to organize notes. This site is powered by a modified WordPress theme, but I use Microsoft’s Frontpage software for other web design. I use PocoMail and Timpani’s LivePerson for business email and Gmail for personal messages.
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