History of Everyday Life
I have an analog notetaking system that works. It helps me remember what I should do, get my projects done on time, brainstorm creative projects, store information I would find useful later... For all intents and purposes, it works.
It's just not pretty.
My brain is very messy and I tend to flit between one topic to another, so I have to capture everything right away in the same place. I don't have rigid structures. I don't feel the need to decorate my notes because it feels like it would be a better use of time to cross the items off to-do list.
Then what's the problem? It's not like your notebooks are going to be displayed publicly anywhere.
It's really a me problem. I have the urge to archive my stuff and the delusion that I'll flip through them again one day. I'm not against looking at my old writings and doodles. The way I do this however, half of the contents are plain incomprehensible after the fact.
Sometimes I wonder if I should change my ways in service of myself, so Future Me could get a better reading experience. I would shrug it off all the time. Nah, if it works, it works.
I do admire people who keep readable notebooks/journals though. When studying history, I don't find big events and people particularly interesting. I want to hear how it's like to be a layman of the period. What did they eat in their daily lives? How did they live day to day? Notebooks/journals/diaries provide us a glimpse of such history.
I find that I have a penchant of writing down grocery lists when I get stuck with my stories.