Pen and Paper
Seriously. When it comes to getting stuff done and brainstorming variations, nothing beats good, old-fasioned pen and paper. I don’t care how good you are with a mouse, trackball, or tablet, writing something down in a notebook is faster than entering it in a computer. Save the computer for when you have a good working model from your paper sketches and notes.
I keep a small notebook in my bag at all times. My bag is with me, always. It’s a spiral-bound, 6" by 9" single subject notebook with a pocket in the inside front cover. It has a perforated edge (to tear out leaves), and about 250 leaves. I purchased it at a drugstore for under $3 USD. Hipsters who swear by their Moleskine need to get over themselves. I am not going to pay $17 for a notebook, especially one with a flimsy cardboard cover that doesn’t want to stay open. Yes, they look cool, but I don’t get paid to look cool. I get paid to produce. Forking over $17 for a notebook will not make me more productive, nor increase the quality of my output. Pen and paper are Alpha tools, without them, there is nothing. That is why they’re in my toolbox.