Practice Tip

This is a practice tip that I want to share with the group.

Instead of using a shorthand or a reporter’s notebook, try the 4″ x 6″ Lined Super Sticky Post-It Notes. They come in different colors (I use canary yellow) as either a single pack, or in packs of 3 or more. The reason I’m using these is that I wanted to make annotations in a book, and since I didn’t want to damage the book with ink, I resorted to post-it notes. I discovered that the ruling on the post-it pads was Gregg, so lately I’ve been using them for penmanship practice. I took an old Series 90 book that I had laying around, and started rewriting all the plates in Anniversary. The 4″ x 6″ size is very convenient, as a 150-word letter in Anniversary fits nicely inside one sheet: if the letter goes beyond one sheet, no biggie, I tear another sheet. Once I’m done with the letter, I “post-it” inside the book, and go to the next letter or passage on a new sheet, so that I can keep track of where I am in the book. The width of the pad is not much wider than a standard shorthand notebook column. The post-its would fit nicely inside a variety of shorthand book sizes. Lastly, I can carry these around much easier than a notebook, with the extra advantage that I don’t need a hard surface to write, since I use the book as a surface.

I wouldn’t recommend them for dictation practice, but for penmanship practice they are very good. You may also use them for word lists. Give them a try.

(It’s fun to see the old Series 90 book with Anniversary plates, )


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7 comments Add yours
  1. Cool! I can never find anything Gregg ruled, so if I can find these at Staples or somewhere that would be good. I also always lose my notes, so the stickyness would also be useful (I can put it in my textbook!) It would also help my writing be a little less cramped (I print Gregg paper when I can but it's troublesome).

  2. Careful of the glue with archive-quality books. When stickies first came out, librarians noticed problems. That may have changed. I try not to put the glue over text in any book — some inks come off easily.

  3. Cool! I've been using these at work for project task lists or other things I will need to carry forward — beats recopying. Here's another good use for them.

    The 3 x 3 lined stickies are also Gregg ruled. Nice for short notes and marginalia.

    Cricket, good point about the glue, especially the super-sticky version!

  4. "Those are really hard to get rid of."
    Too true. I have a couple of books that I picked up used that have the English written over or above the shorthand. It's obvious that not everyone paid attention when the teacher told them not to write the words in the functional method manual. It's also obvious that this particular student never checked the key.

  5. Good point about the glue, except that I'm using the Post-Its in books that are not archive quality (nor that I intend to keep for over a lifetime!), and even with those, I place the glued side on the margin, so that it's not over any text. It beats the heck out of "dog earing", underlining, highlighting, or marking the book with ink or pencil. Those are really hard to get rid of.

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