What is the Kuru Toga and what has it got to do with writing?

I have a problem.

The Filofax I use is great, however the gel pens I use in it are prone to smudging, take ages to dry, and I have to wait quite a while, just to change the page, so getting information and ideas down takes forever.

A couple of days ago I was having some downtime, watching some videos, and I saw something inspiring, that completely solved my problem. The person in the video was using … 

A PENCIL!

All of a sudden, a million thoughts entered my mind.

• I would be able to write faster
• No more throwaway plastic pens
• No waiting for ink to dry
• I can write while laid down in bed with the writing end of the pencil pointing upwards (no more having to wonder when gravity is going to make my ink stop flowing).
• No ink smudges all over my hands
• I can use an eraser!!!

So, I had a look online, and fell down a Youtube blackhole all about pencils, and that was when I found, the Kuru Toga!
The Kuru Toga is a mechanical pencil, which means no messy pencil shavings, no need to carry a pencil sharpener with me, and no throwaway rubbish, because the Kuru Toga body is something you keep, and re-use.

Most mechanical pencils have a really big flaw. The pencil leads go flat while you are writing, causing your writing to go from nice sharp lines to a rather flat-looking smudged line on the page, and most of the time you end up rotating the pencil to keep the lines looking sharp.

The Kuru Toga fixes this! How? The solution is in the name.
Kuru Toga actually derives from two different Japanese words, “Kuru” for something which rotates, and “Toga” for something which sharpens. 
Every time you touch the point of the pencil lead to the paper, the whole lead rotates, and this prevents you from having to manually rotate it, to keep the lead point nice and sharp.

But, that’s not the best bit. These pencils are so light, I can literally write for hours, and not experience as much writing fatigue as I would with my Parker Sonnet fountain pen.
Uni, the makers of Kuru Toga pencils also sell pencil leads, at a really cheap price, and surprisingly, the pencils and leads come in at an insanely cheap price.

I picked up 3 x Kuru Toga mechanical pencils and 3 x packs of 0.5mm pencil leads on Amazon for less than 20 quid, bargain!

I can honestly say, I have found my new favourite writing instrument, and I have only tried the cheap versions of the Kuru Toga. Uni have loads of different types of over-engineered pencils, even one with a magnetic cap, which cut-advances the lead, so I don’t even have to click a button, just carry on writing, forever and ever.. or at least until the lead runs out.

Just one more thought, although I may be using this pencil a lot more than my ink pens in future, don’t worry, I shall still be signing your books with pen and ink.

This is a game changer – Everbook

Other Personal Knowledge Management systems not working for you?Feeling overwhelmed? This system really can change everything.

It’s called the “EverBook”, it’s simplicity is incredible, the setup literally takes a few minutes, and then after that, it takes seconds to implement, and it’s modular, so if you want it to do something, you are literally only limited by your imagination, and the best bit is… you can make it out of old notebooks, and binders.

Check out the videos, by clicking the button below. 

Sorting out my writing area.

I know I’ve talked about this before, but I thought I should review what has changed since.

Last time I wrote about this, I mentioned how I:
– Chose a proper posture-fitting chair
– Organised a desktop environment with lots of different items on it to inspire my imagination
– built a custom PC specifically with the intention of writing, at quite a low spec so that I wouldn’t get distracted by gaming.
– and more.

Since then I have changed a lot of things around with the following ideas in mind
– Stay focused (no more distractions)
– Stop using my laptop in the house – to help get me back in the study
– Using the Mac mini instead of the custom PC
– Updated my phone so I can write on the go using scrivener

I am getting rid of most distractions. The imagination-inducing items on my desk now feel more like clutter than anything else, and I have removed the stacking desk tidy, the small set of drawers, and other such items for a more minimal approach.

I have also stopped using my PC. Since going back to using Scrivener, I have resurrected an old Mac mini and now use that instead. It takes up far less room and electricity, so it’s pleasing on the eye and on the environment. The good thing about this is that the Scrivener sync allows me to edit my novels on the go on my phone, and when I get back home, I can edit at my desk.

The electronic picture frame I had with pics of fam on it has now been packed away, too much of a distraction, so I have replaced it with a cool photo frame with multiple places for photos, much easier on the eye, and way less distracting.

The old MacBook I use is now in storage to encourage me to use the study, rather than laying on the sofa, or in bed writing my latest masterpiece. This way I am in the right state of mind, in e better environment designed to get the best out of the situation, and it has really helped me to get “in the zone”.

Books are no longer in piles, instead they have all been sorted, and added back to the bookshelves, and I’ve decided to put some DVDs and CDs on the shelves too.

I will post photos of the study once it’s done, but for now, I hope this insight into how my writing life has changed, will help motivate you to change things up to boost your life, and your productivity.

Sorting out my writing area.

I know I’ve talked about this before, but I thought I should review what has changed since.

Last time I wrote about this, I mentioned how I:
– Chose a proper posture-fitting chair
– Organised a desktop environment with lots of different items on it to inspire my imagination
– built a custom PC specifically with the intention of writing, at quite a low spec so that I wouldn’t get distracted by gaming.
– and more.

Since then I have changed a lot of things around with the following ideas in mind
– Stay focused (no more distractions)
– Stop using my laptop in the house – to help get me back in the study
– Using the Mac mini instead of the custom PC
– Updated my phone so I can write on the go using scrivener

I am getting rid of most distractions. The imagination-inducing items on my desk now feel more like clutter than anything else, and I have removed the stacking desk tidy, the small set of drawers, and other such items for a more minimal approach.

I have also stopped using my PC. Since going back to using Scrivener, I have resurrected an old Mac mini and now use that instead. It takes up far less room and electricity, so it’s pleasing on the eye and on the environment. The good thing about this is that the Scrivener sync allows me to edit my novels on the go on my phone, and when I get back home, I can edit at my desk.

The electronic picture frame I had with pics of fam on it has now been packed away, too much of a distraction, so I have replaced it with a cool photo frame with multiple places for photos, much easier on the eye, and way less distracting.

The old MacBook I use is now in storage to encourage me to use the study, rather than laying on the sofa, or in bed writing my latest masterpiece. This way I am in the right state of mind, in e better environment designed to get the best out of the situation, and it has really helped me to get “in the zone”.

Books are no longer in piles, instead they have all been sorted, and added back to the bookshelves, and I’ve decided to put some DVDs and CDs on the shelves too.

I will post photos of the study once it’s done, but for now, I hope this insight into how my writing life has changed, will help motivate you to change things up to boost your life, and your productivity.