...so you print a copy of your latest version of the database...sorted in whatever order you choose...take it out to the garden with you...make notes on that paper and get it good and muddy, them bring it in and update your database from it. Then you don't need the notebook to take up space...and whenever you need that piece of paper you print out the newest version!
I'm teasing...I don't have a working printer...so the theory falls short for me. But it does allow for easy sorting of information. I have 2 main lists: inventory and wishlist. Then I can sort them however I want. I currently have the inventory list sorted by Cultivar Name, Hybridizer, Class (TB, SDb, BB, etc.), and Year of Introduction and the Wishlist sorted by Cultivar name and by Hybridizer.
Once you get the hang of it the computer does make it easier to manage information...but it's the 'getting the hang of it' that is a catch for a lot of people. In the end...it's whatever works best for you!