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[AlexVsCoding]

Sketchbooks for me are arguably my greatest tool in terms of games development. I've carried notepads with me for at least 10 years and it's helped me develop so much.

I recently sat down for an afternoon to go through my old sketchbooks and it's amazing how many gems I'd written down and then forgotten about, many untouched not due to the value of the idea, but due to my lack of programming knowledge at the time they were written. Noting these ideas down preserve them for a time where your skill reaches the new heights required to bring them to life, a bit like cryogenic suspension in a weird kind of way...

Anyway, I wrote an article about the benefits of carrying a sketchbook a while back, feel free to give it a read: http://fireside.gamejolt.com/post/take-note-why-having-a-sketchbook-shouldn-t-be-overlooked-ryuy4mwe

[Dylan Moon]

Notebooks I definitely love using. I tend to keep a section of a notebook I label 'Development Notes' for any project I'm working on - I make note down tasks I need to do for said project, and keep adding and ticking off as I go. It helps a lot in my eyes as it keeps me from forgetting small issues that may seem unimportant but are easy fixes - and after all; a lot of small issues do add up eventually!

Besides that I keep separate notebook which I don't mind taking papers from to write down my thoughts as I work on a system, often it includes sketches, flow diagrams and the like along with any ideas I might get that would help that particular system. Then if I need to refer to them I simply look them in the notebook - or I would have taken the paper out of the notebook and put it up on a white board.

I feel like the habit of keeping notebooks has grown on me and I really started to like it particularly when I started to explore different things. I keep notebooks for different things that I use as reference; often after doing some tutorial online, reading from a book or the like I keep any important points in a relevant notebook - so I can refer to them as need be.

I would definitely recommend keeping a notebook - find a system that works for you. In my case - having a notebook for keeping track of tasks in projects, then a seperate one I use as mostly papers to take notes, doodle and so on that I don't mind ripping. Plus a small one for carrying around usually for any quick notes - particularly if I'm going to an event and don't feel like carrying a bag.