Curt Merlo's Art Newsletter

Curt Merlo's Art Newsletter

My Systematic Notebook Obsession

How I categorize my life into books

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Curt Merlo
May 15, 2026
∙ Paid

Hi Gunk Club, lets get into notebooks this month. These are all the notebooks I keep. Well this most of them at least. I try to keep a system of cataloging my notes about life, art, business into this stack of books. But before you call this excessive, just know that it is. However, there is a theory behind the madness. There is a lot to do in life, and it helps to have clear objectives for each activity. My thinking is that if I can define a task by which notebook I have open, I can be more focused on what I am trying to achieve.

Secondly, if I can catalog my life into the proper book, it becomes easier to refer back to important ideas later if I ever need to. Although the big flaw in all of this is that I hardly ever refer back to these books. But I’m working on that, because that is probably the most important part of keeping a journal.

Until then, let’s break down each one and how I use them, because they all serve a unique purpose.


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