5X3 Cards - How Do You Use Them?

[inkypete]

I have read many discussions on different quality 5x3 cards and I have recently discovered Nock cards. What I would like to know is how people use them?

[migo984]

I have read many discussions on different quality 5x3 cards and I have recently discovered Nock cards. What I would like to know is how people use them?

I must admit I much prefer Exacompta cards to the Nock ones. I carry a handful around in my bag, for note-taking or FP sketching on the go. But mostly I use mine for an art project.

[inkypete]

I must admit I much prefer Exacompta cards to the Nock ones. I carry a handful around in my bag, for note-taking or FP sketching on the go. But mostly I use mine for an art project.

 

I use Exacompta cards too - both are quality.

[mmg122]

I like the Nock cards...I'm a compulsive list maker. I carry them in my Nock Sinclair with a few pens and a couple ink vials. My EDC.

[LizEF]

I use them (1/2 size) on a personal scrum board (goal / task tracking). (That I don't do well with working on the goals is not the fault of the cards - they do their job well. )

 

Merry Christmas!

[NinthSphere]

I tend to us 3x5 cards only when I need to make flash cards or something I want for reference that I can configure in groups on the fly. Last time, it was for quick reference of D&D 4th ed. powers with their various modifiers & differentiating between which were available & exhausted during combats.

[inkypete]

Currently I use them mainly for lists but just reckon I am missing out on other uses. Merry Christmas to all my FPN friends.

[NinthSphere]

They're also good for origami jumping frogs.

[hh1990]

I use them to take quick notes, like most people would use a small memo pad.

[inkypete]

Keen to read more ideas on how people use 5x3 cards.

[jimhughes]

I have carried several in my Shirt Pocket for the past 45 years. The most recent use is to jot down the names and quick note about what things I need to buff up the charts on, what charts I need to recall for follow ups , date time, etc. The patients my interns examined I need to review and sign off on before I leave that day. Any other providers ext #'s I need to call back about someone they sent over for me to see. Any other odd notes or items I need to deal with that day. As those tasks are accomplished I line the entry out with a black sharpie. Before I walk out the clinic door and lock up I shred that card, after transferring any tasks I'll need to do the next day . The next days to do card goes in my book bag for tomorrows duty. The size fits well in my duty uniform pocket, are quick at hand and easy to use. The heavy card stock works better than flimsy pieces of note paper like on a 3 x 5 pad. 3 x 5 cards have been a work day companion, in my pocket, for notes and as a To Do List since my undergrad days 1962-1966.

[FullyLoaded]

Uses:

 

1. I punch a bunch for my Arc/Circa junior notebooks and use them to jot down ideas, questions, notes while doing research on a topic or working on a project--allows me to maintain concentration and not break my work flow. Later I organize them into the notebook and turn them into tasks ala a hybrid chronotebook, bullet journal. Once fully incorporated, they are tossed. They've become the backbone of my system.

2. I use them as vocabulary flash cards. Any word that I need to have a better understanding of its definition, I write the word, the sentenced used, and the definition with synonyms. I'm really liking this system as writing out the word and definition helps with my comprehension. I use book darts to mark the word and revisit it after I'm done reading.

3. I keep a stash in the car and in my purse for quick notes.

4. My husband uses them for To Do lists that he keeps in his shirt pocket with {gasp} a ballpoint pen.

5. I have a circa PDA that I use as an exercise journal. I take blank cards, print the cardio/strength routine and punch them for the PDA. I print about a month's worth for the gym. All I have to do is date the card and record the cardio or strength workout. The old cards I stash chronologically in a box. Any changes in reps, weights, or cardio goals are marked down for the next print batch. One side is cardio and the other side is strength. There are some cool stencils available for journals for those who don't have a printer that can handle 3X5 cards.

 

For fountain pens, the best source in the USA that I've found is at Dollar General or Dollar Tree made from India 2 for $1 and sometimes on sale when the school year or semester starts. They aren't the stiffest or heaviest cards but they rarely feather or bleed. Throwing them into the recycle bin when I'm done doesn't hurt as much either.

 

Just to add: They also serve as impromptu organizers of sorts; right now I'm working on hobonichi uses for the next year. Once I decide how to use the year, month, week, and day sections, I'll have a card tucked in the notebooks as a reminder of how I'd like the journal to be organized. I prefer the mobility of the cards rather than jotting this down on a page because I can pull it out for easy reference rather than flipping pages to find my notes.

Edited December 30, 2016 by FullyLoaded

[inkypete]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm sure there is someone out there in FPN land using cards in a way I hadn't thought of - please continue to share how you use cards.

[Ted A]

I have a stack of them with quotations that I find interesting or useful. I'll cycle through the cards to have a fresh approach to review, examine or think about.

[tmenyc]

I go through 2 packs of the Exacompta a year, and use them for daily little notes and reminders, weekly appointment calendar (even though my phone is usually closer to hand than my pen...), football picks and logic behind the picks (serious Pigskin Pickem player), lots of quick pen tests. They live in my shirt pocket, 2-3 at a time, and get discarded when there's no available space left. And the price is right: 100 for $6, versus 50 Nock cards for $6, and 300 Levenger cards for $29. No bleedthrough, quick enough drying with the inks I use.

 

Tim

[MHBru]

I carry a pocket desk I got from levenger that I carry when I work a trade show (which is quite often). They are much easier to deal with than a notebook when each note needs to be discrete and separate plus I can make notes to hand to the person I am working with if needed.

[inkypete]

I have started using mine for general lists - lists I have never made in the past. Maybe this is just a concession to old age as I do not forget as many things as I used to.

[Miaxina]

I use them to write down questions and points I need to remember in class, mainly biology and chemistry. I punch a hole in a corner and use a binder ring to keep them together.

 

But recently I realized I've accumulated too many stacks of them and not doing enough revision, so I've stopped for now XD

 

I'm going to use the remaining cards to write down difficult words in Japanese and Korean, but I haven't gotten around to writing them.

[Orthostylos]

Notes - To Do Lists - "Oh damn, I'd better write that down" - What did the Doctor tell me to do?

 

Keep them in my pocket or, messenger bag.

 

I can punch holes and cut the holes to insert them in my At-A-Glance desk calendar, shifting them along during the week.

[D.C. in PA]

I use inexpensive Oxford lined 3X5 cards to keep track of the pen collection. I write the name of the pen and its reference number (I keep a photo and description tied to the reference number in the computer) on one line and cut it off the card. The strip then goes into the slot in the drawer in which the pen is stored. I have small strips that have "carry" or "repair" on them that go into the tray when the pen is out for the stated reason.

Edited June 12, 2017 by D.C. in PA