Mr. Tsuchihashi is a famous Japanese stationery commentator on a mission to Hong Kong today. Invited by Messe Frankfurt Hong Kong to write about Hong Kong International Stationery Fair and later on Messe Frankfurt's Paper World. I had the pleasure to meet him again for a nice chat this afternoon.
We share similar interests in journals and task/time management, language wasn't much an issue at all. He always carries a tiny idea notebook, which he modifed to have a Fisher pen inserted at the spine for easy access to the pen. At the end of the pen he taped a thread which allows him to pull out the pen easily and double as a bookmark. His idea notebook is a 24 hours companion, whenever he has ideas or need to capture a quick note, he would pull it out in no time. Because of its small size, he can carry it anytime anywhere without worrying whether it fits his clothing at all, bed time and gym time included. I actually held it close to my nose, no smell :) I hope I wasn't being impolite :)
People with similar interests click right away, that was what happened with him previously and today. I was explaining to him the Chronodex details, while he explained his Clock Style To-Do Memo (English site here). What makes two similar systems in sync is that they both encourage visual representation of time span, only in different ways. In Chronodex I use concentric arcs to represent 24 hours, note taking is radially put outside of the arcs and make use of the whole page. Mr. Tsuchihashi's Clock Style To-Do Memo employs two circles to represent am/pm and note is written inside the pies. Such to-do memo allows users to quickly tack time specifc notes onto any notebooks or surfaces.
We both agree that digitally inputting to-do or schedules do little help to facilitate recall. Writing things down on paper actually ensures enough processing time in our brains for more efficient future recall. That's why paper based diary is still very popular, in fact the business size of diary/schedule books is still growing.
Mr. Tsuchihasi has just released his 6th book called 文具上手 (Proficient Stationery, I hope I'm translating the meaning right), I'm so happy he gave me a copy. In his book, he interviewed 12 professionals ranging from fashion design, medical, stationery, accounting etc industries, it is all about how they use their stationery in their jobs.
Glad to have spent time with him today. I'm inviting him to Hong Kong again this year to collaborate on a speech to share journaling and scheduling experience with the public. It will be great fun, hope everything go smoothly.
