IPANLOG a think tank for creative minds

Ideas -- This is the most undefined initial state of something, just a single idea or thought that jumps into your mind. Like the nucleus of something that has to be explored further

Project -- Sometime there is already a cluster of ideas in the preliminary shape of a whole project, that has to be evaluated whether it can be turned into a feasible project.

Action -- It happens regularly that one realises very clearly that a certain action is necessary or wanted or would fit great into ongoing affairs. These insights are often blocked away in daily routine and time schedule. Action is the category which is mostly defined and can be transferred easily into an existing time management.

Note --- The last category are notes that deal with information and facts that seem valuable to keep for later use. Notes are facts for example about a book I want to read, an interesting quote that I might want to remember properly for example.

1. The entry form
There are 100 entry forms in the book. Each entry has already a number from 1 to 100.
After noting the date one of the boxes can be ticked to classify the entry. Then the title or the short form of the idea can be noted in title. Below there is a bigger space for further description.

At the bottom of the entry page it is possible to schedule your ideas by making notes about intended date or time frame for completion.
The final control section is quite important, because it closes the process either with status discarded or completed including information on the date. This seems so important to me as it encourages to read through the entries more often and to check the status. Even if the status is "discarded" a single entry or the combination of various entries can trigger a new successful one.

2. Additional notes
On the counter page of each entry form is a full page for additional notes to explain or to extend the description of the entry. If these two pages are not enough, simply continue under the next free number with the same title to expand the ideas. The different numbers can be connected in the table of content at the end of the IPANLOG by highlighting with a coloured marker for example.

3. Table of content
Of course a written linear table of content is not that flexible and we are spoiled by electronic, tagged data bases. But with the table of content form it is easy and quick to find your ideas.
There are 24 pages as tables of content at the end of the IPANLOG where you can list your notes with number, class and title. Each table has 18 lines. So it is possible to use several lines for one project. Also you might consider starting a new page for each month or separate pages for different categories, topics or fields of interest. Also you can leave lines empty as reserve for potential extensions of a project under different numbers.

A table of content will be valuable sooner or later when the book fills. To file each entry in the tables of content already when the entry is created is recommended. The entry number is filled into the first column, in the second column (IPAN) the class (idea, project, action or note) and finally the title can be noted.

To find certain entries quickly one can use different colours or small and capital letters for identification of certain groups of notes.

The active use of the table of content will help to keep a vivid memory and active sub consciousness of all creative ideas. The whole book is a bit like an activated basin of a water treatment plant, the better the circulation the better the results.

I have used a prototype since August 2009. The number of 100 entries might seem a bit small at first. But 100 ideas per year is quite a batch. I am an experienced user of note- and sketchbooks and a time management book as well. I knew that if the thing would not work I would quite naturally stop using it a couple of weeks. This has not happened. The imperfect prototype of my IPANLOG has become an important part of my artistic activity and a great help to keep my creative chaos under productive command.

After an initial phase of frequent entries, quite naturally I slowed down, because the execution of ideas and projects took place. Indeed the logbook helped me to work more consequently on my ideas and projects. Meantime I think that 100 entries is enough for a full year of records. I limited the number for my copy also because I did not want to carry a big bulky book.

There are two main benefits I see after 7 months of use of the IPANLOG.

1. The notebook is a secure container for all my ideas and projects always at hand. None of my ideas gets lost and is easy to find again.

2. Working through your ideas with the help of the table of content on a regular basis helps to put ideas in to real action. Also it helps to improve existing projects and to create new ones.

In summary I clearly see that have become more efficient than before in my activities. In situations of confusion or mental weakness I always find support in this notebook and re-connection to the flow of activity if and when I want.

If you like the idea of the IPANLOG and you want to have your own personal IPAN logbook please feel free to use the form templates in the next chapter.

I got my own versions printed by a print on demand site (blurb.com). If you decide to use Blurb I recommend to order the IPANLOG only as hardcover book and not as paperback as I fear that a paperback version might fall apart after some time.
Also I want to point out that the paper could be a bit thicker, but there is only one type of paper available for text books on Blurb.com. Notes with pen shine through a bit on the backside of the pages.

Another possibility would be to print the forms on your home printer and collect them in a small size binder for example.

Finally there is a ZIP-file for download of book data available,which can be used on Blurb.com, in case you would like to personalise by changing cover and inside. (IPANLOG-Zip download )