sam's guide to doodling
Todays note is a guest post from planner extraordinaire and demon bassist Sam Mackisack. As a keen doodler myself this resonated. Thanks Sam.
'Nick Cohen recently brought a TED video to my attention, Sunni Brown’s 6 minute talk entitled ‘Doodlers, Unite!’. Because it was emailed direct to me by a guy who’s opinion I respect, rather than posted on Twitter by one of those users who are so inane with their sharing they could be bots, I watched it.
It makes a great case for doodling; I’ve always been an inveterate doodler (even though I’m shit at drawing), so hearing some of the reasons why it can be such a powerful cognitive and behavioural tool is great.
So for a doodler, it’s a nice piece of validation. But for people who don’t doodle, and would like to, I couldn’t help thinking some guidance might be necessary. So here is my super-easy 6 point guide on how to start doodling:
#1. DON’T GET HUNG UP ON LANGUAGE
Words can make good accompaniments to help explain doodles, especially in your personal notebook. But don’t get too focussed on trying to find the exact right language – this is about vibe, not accuracy.
Today's note is a guest post from planner extraordinaire and demon bassist, Sam Mackisack on the art of doodling. As a keen doodler myself it resonated. Thanks Sam.
#2. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF DOODLES – USE THEM BOTH
In my experience, there are two types of doodles – “directly relevant” and “seemingly pointless”. Directly relevant doodles help articulate and understand an idea that you are discussing or thinking about in the here and now. They’re often accompanied by language. Seemingly pointless doodles may have nothing to do with anything, and are just pretty much fun to do, and keep your hands and the visual part of your brain active in dialogue-heavy meetings. Both are wonderful, and don’t need to be segregated.
#3. MAKE INFORMATION MAPS INSTEAD OF LISTS
I’ve noticed a great number of people use their notebooks to write long, bullet-pointed lists. The flow of these is based entirely on the chronology of a meeting – a pretty unreliable thing at the best of times. So instead of writing lists, try jotting down points at random across your page. Then join-the-dots – soon you might find synchronicities between thoughts, ideas and reminders where you hadn’t seen them.
#4. DOODLE WHILE YOU THINK AND LISTEN
It’s not rude. Honestly. If someone’s addressing you directly, then eye contact is always nice. But the rest of the time, doodling randomly while someone speaks can actually help you process what they’re saying, and find your own way of capturing their thinking. Don’t get shitty if you see someone doing it in a meeting.
#5. DOODLE LIKE A KID
Children are much better at doodling than us. They don’t try and find a reason for doing it - they just do it. So try remembering any doodles that you did as a child or teenager, and bring them back. My first port of call when I’m doodling is usually the skateboard brands and band logos I drew when I was 14. I know them off by heart, and the process of drawing them helps me concentrate.
#6. USE YOUR DOODLING TO HELP CRAFT HOW YOU PRESENT INFORMATION
Oftentimes, your doodling isn’t just doing to make it easy for you to understand information. It could help others as well. So rather than just jammin’ on PowerPoint slides and bulletpoints, try presenting complex stuff by doodle.'
And here’s this guide in doodle form:
