Smartphones and organizers are small and light, but not very useful for writing, because the endless number pressing and stylus poking is very counterintuitive for me. Besides, such devices are not really designed for writing more than the odd email or text message.

I’ve been considering getting a netbook in addition to the laptop, but I’m not willing to make the investment at the moment. And while a netbook is smaller and lighter than a laptop, it don’t really fit into a handbag either.

However, a good old-fashioned Moleskine notebook is portable, can function independently of available power sockets, it fits into a handbag or coat pocket and it is unobtrusive if you want to sneak in a short bit of writing during a boring party.

Though I agree that transcribing what you’ve written can be a pain in the arse. Though on the upside, it can also function as a first editing pass.

Regarding schedules, I’m a naturally nocturnal person (I sometimes suspect I’m a vampire) and your sleeping time is actually my best writing time, unless I have to get up in the morning. Luckily I’m self-employed and can at least partly set my own schedule.

What helps me getting writing done is that I take a notebook everywhere and have trained myself to use “dead times”, i.e. waiting for a bus/tram to arrive, sitting in the bus/tram, sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, sitting in a restaurant waiting for my food to arrive, waiting for a friend/family member to finish an interminable shopping session, etc…, for writing. Of course, I still have to type it up later, but it give me a good headstart.