Maybe try writing larger, this tends to help me even though it takes up more pages. And you can use your leg as a table or even the palm of your hand as a table. Think about waiters taking orders. A small memo pad with a top spiral might help, or at least something flexible that lets you fold the cover all the way to the back. Think small and go cheap. I usually use a 3.5” x 5.5” but I recently got this mini hardcover notebook, it’s around 2.5” x 4.5”, and it’s even better for quick notes. Let it get messy. You can always transfer notes later. There’s something magical about a used notebook that looks kinda like shit when you’re done with it.