When I think, I write. Most often with a pen, staining a piece of paper with ink. I have amassed a collection of pens, inks, and paper with which I do my best thinking, and people are surprised to hear that I use different combinations of these tools to think in different ways.

Journaling

The bulk of my first-draft thinking I do as rapid bullet journalling. These are single-sentence, chicken scratch notes that I might never read again. The only goal is to get the thought out of my head and into the world. For these thoughts, the primary quality I optimize for is speed. That means fast ink, a pen body that can transition from pad to hand quickly, and paper that is pre-organized.

Ink

OHTO Flash Dry Gel Pen Refill

• Gel ink is the fastest flowing and makes an opaque line with little texture. It’s the paint roller of writing implements. No texture, no subtlety, just a black line on the page.
• For an ink to be fast, it must dry fast. And this OHTO ink dries faster than any gel ink I’ve used.
• A needle point also writes faster because it doesn’t block your view of page or your letters.
• Like anything else that’s fast, gel ink gets used up quickly. I can go through a refill in a few busy days. Buy these in bulk and carry a few extra if you’re traveling.

Pen Body

OHTO GS02 Gel Pen

• To get from desk, to hand, and writing, there’s nothing faster than a click mechanism. The OHTO GS02 click is satisfying, and it’s also serviceable. Meaning you can unscrew it from the body, tighten it up, and also replace it if it breaks. Pretty swell for a pen that costs less than $20.
• For speed, you also want a pen body that’s the right size. I feel like I write faster with a slightly oversized pen and the GS02’s 10mm grip diameter is oversized enough that I can get a grip on it and start writing quickly, but not so big that my hand cramps after a few minutes.
• Texture is also crucial for speed because you’ll grip more tightly when you write quickly. With a tighter grip, your fingers will slide down a perfectly smooth, round pen body, causing you to slow down and stop periodically to readjust. The GS02 has a hexagonal shape at the grip that provides enough texture to give me purchase on the body. But cleverly, that hexagonal shape transitions to a pleasant, comfortably smooth surface where the pen sits on your thumb.
• Oh, and it has a clip. Quick access makes a faster pen.

Paper

Leuchtturm1917 Softcover Notebook — (A5) — Dotted

• “Pre-organization” is getting all the information you need onto the notebook so you can more quickly find where you need to be and just starting adding the content. Leuchtturm1917 notebooks do this by offering lots of colors and stickers for labeling the spine and front cover. This means you can quickly find the notebook you need. They also have two ribbon bookmarks so you can very quickly find where you need to be in the notebook. And they print the pages with numbers and an index so you can easily add organization after you’ve added content.
• Dot grids are also great for speed because it’s just enough structure to keep you writing straight without being distracting or hiding parts of your letters. The structure is subconsciously allowing you to just keep the ink flowing.
• When you write with gel ink, it’s hard to feel the texture or “tooth” of paper. The ink is so thick, it glides over most everything. What matters more for speed with gel ink is fast absorption and lack of bleed. Smudging and bleeding is distracting. The paper in Leuchtturm1917 A5 notebooks is a 80 gsm acid-free, “ink-proof” paper which is nothing to write home about, but it does the job distraction free. Which is what you want for day-in, day-out speed.

Letters

Writing thoughts to someone else is a different goal than thinking alone. You want them to be able to read it, sure, but more importantly you want the best version of those thoughts, not just the fastest version. Letters mean you need to purposefully slow yourself down. Add friction to the mechanics of writing so your thoughts come out better-formed and in the right order. This means ink that you have to work for, a pen body with some heft, and paper with lots of tooth.

Ink

Two options here depending on how much I need to slow myself down: Rollerball and Fountain

Rollerball (slower)

OHTO C-305P Ceramic Rollerball Pen Refill

• Rollerball tips do not flow as easily as gel. And hard ceramic rollerballs really transmit the texture of the writing surface into the hand, which subconsciously slows writing speed.
• Ceramic rollerballs also last longer without corroding or deforming under the pressure of your hand. This makes the ink flow consistently, even if it’s flowing more slowly. Ceramic rollerballs write the same every you pick them up — unlike cheap rollerballs which always seem to need a few scratches to get started and can drift on the page as the ball starts to deform.
• It’s good that ceramic rollerballs tips last so long because rollerball ink refills also last much longer than gels. They literally hold a much higher volume of ink. I can’t think of the last time I had to buy a new C-305P refill.
• The C-305P is also a needle tip.

Fountain (slowest)

Kaweco ink in a medium nib

• Fountain pens are the slowest to write with. There’s a subtle technique to keep the ink flowing consistently and it takes a while to get the ink flowing if you don’t use them frequently.
• Nib size is just personal preference.
• Fountain pens also have an undeniable “occasion” to them which puts my focus more into the sympathetic experience of the reader. I think more about how a person is going to read my letter when I write it with a fountain pen. Using a fountain pen actually makes me less self-centered and more magnanimous when I write. I’m the best version of myself when I use them.
• I amplify this sense of occasion by choosing an ink that’s not quite black, but a midnight blue. The color is a subtle reminder to myself that, “this moment is different.” It’s also an Easter egg to the people who know that I only write in non-black ink when I use a fountain pen.

Body

Rollerball

BIGiDESIGN Ti Arto EDC Titanium Pen

• Grip diameter is 0.6mm narrower than my journal pen which makes it more comfortable to write with slowly and for longer writing sessions.
• Titanium has the right amount of heft for my taste, but you can slow things down even more by choosing a brass pen body. Steel pen bodies are also worth trying, just avoid plastic and aluminum if you’re trying to slow down.
• The BIGiDESIGN Ti Arto can hold pretty much any refill in the world. It’s a great way to try out a lot of refills to see what you like.
• You absolutely do not need a pen body this expensive, nor would I recommend buying anything expensive until you know yourself enough to know you won’t lose an expensive pen. I used to carry a titanium pen in my pocket until I lost a few when they fell out. Now I only have 2 expensive pens and they never leave my desk.

Fountain

Kaweco Steel Sport Fountain Pen

• Same grip diameter as the rollerball body.
• The overall length is nice and compact.
• Easily replaceable nibs (they wear out as they get more dull)
• Steel has the right heft for me and the ink won’t corrode stainless steel.
• There’s an aluminum version that’s a little cheaper and writes a little faster because it’s lighter (but still heaver than an aluminum rollerball body).

Paper

• Writing notes on thick, cotton stationary can be really fun. It has a great tooth, which slows things down for sure, but it is also small (notecard sized) and is expensive enough that you often think of rationing it instead of saying what’s on your mind.
• I have some personalized stationary (similar to this) that I use for formal “thank you” notes, but I only write a dozen or so of those a year.
• If you want to write more letters, you need less formal paper. Cheaper paper that has great texture, comes in bigger sizes, and is thin enough that you can fold a few pages into an envelope and not overstuff it. And that miracle paper is called “Tomoe River.”
• Tomoe River paper has a cult following for a reason. It’s super thin, has great tooth, and handles any ink (including fountain pen) with minimal bleed.
• I keep this Report Pad of Tomoe River on my desk so I can write notes and letters to people whenever the mood strikes.
• Just make sure you use a guide sheet behind the page to keep things even.

Every Day Carry

For just making sure you can get thoughts out at any time, you want durable ink, cheap pen bodies, and waterproof paper.

Ink

Fisher Space Pen

• These are pressurized ballpoint ink refills that always write no matter how you hold them.
• Space pens are the most reliable, durable, and freaking cheap for how long they last. They just always work and the ink seems to last forever. It’s like magic.
• And they’re so durable that I’ve used mine to open boxes, poke holes in plastic, and dig things out of the dirt. They just always work.

Body

Zebra F-xMD

• It takes a little modification, but Space pen refills fit perfectly into this body.
• The F-xMD is all-steel (even the click mechanism), cheap, and the knurling on the grip is a joy to use.
• The clip never bends out of shape and will keep the pen where you want it.
• They’re so cheap, you won’t cry when you lose it.
• They make great gifts! I always carry two and because I give so many away to people who ask for a pen and say, “where’d you get this thing?”

Paper

Field Notes Expedition

• Waterproof, tearproof, plastic paper!
• You need to use a ballpoint pen to really get the ink to show up (the space pen is perfect).
• Perfect pocket size.
• Dot-grid paper is easy to write on quickly
• Bright orange cover makes it easy to find in a bag.