Moleskine Holster for iPod 2G Shuffle Hack

My GTD system has de-evolved over the years from PDA's, to Outlook, to a SmartPhone, to GTDTiddlyWiki, and now finally to a Moleskine notebook. I'm happiest with the Moleskine because it's simply easier and more convenient to enter text, but I miss the all-in-one-ness of my SmartPhone. Juggling my cell, keys, Moleskine, and iPod Shuffle is a drag, so here's a really simple hacked solution for conveniently keeping your tunes and notebook together: Cut a hole in it...

• Step 1: Accept that you're going to scar a perfectly good Moleskine. It's ok, even if you screw up, they're not incredibly expensive, and you'd probably be replacing it in a few months anyway.
  
  
• Step 2: Assemble the tools. You'll need an X-Acto knife, cutting board, ruler (unless you trust my measurements), pencil, iPod 2G Shuffle, and your notebook.
  
  
  
• Step 3: Measure. You need a rectangular hole in the cover sized and placed such that the grips of the clip fit snugly through without much room for jiggling. The top of the cover should butt up against the inside of the clip hinge:
  
  
  I found that the bottom edge of the hole should be 1" from the top cover, it should be 1/4" tall, and 1 1/16" wide. These figures ended up working well for me, but take them with a grain of salt.
  
  Mark the lines for cutting on the inside cover with a pencil.
  
  
  
• Step 4: Cut. Place the notebook on a cutting-safe surface and make several careful cuts on each line with the knife. It took about 5 minutes of slow and steady cuts to break through the cover.
  
  
  
  Lucky me! - the hole nicely frames my name from the identification page, so even when the iPod is not attached, it looks functional.
  
  
  
• Step 5: Attach the iPod and enjoy! It should have a snug fit and not come loose even when opening the cover. The clip is thin enough that the Moleskine can be closed and strapped easily when the iPod is on.