The recent issue of Newsweek has a pretty interesting article about the overwhelming nature of electronic communications - kind of the issue of our age - with a sidebar regarding “The Power of Paper” which suggests one organizational method might be to step away from the monitor glow, and go analog: scribble notes with old fashioned pen and paper.

I’ve actually employed this method at work and am considering doing it more at home. Bookstores in particular, I’ve seen the “Moleskine” notebooks for sale. I recently picked up a few for my Japan trip and am already thinking of some productive uses for them in regards to this blog.

Here are some pros:

• The physical act of writing something down, because it’s more difficult than typing, seems to make it more tangible, or memorable.
• The physical reminder of a note on a desk is much more noticeable and imperative than a digital alert that can easily be “snoozed” as in dismissed.
• The act of scribbling out a word (for a completed task) or tearing up a piece of paper is infinitely more satisfying than deleting a line of text or a file.

And here are some obvious cons:

• Slower than typing.
• A substantial amount of information can be tedious to convert to digital form.
• Difficult to make copies for sharing or backup purposes.
• Not search-able.
• I have bad handwriting, so sometimes returned to scribbled musings and found them incomprehensible.

Once again, I think there is a place for pen and paper as a supplement for my digital world. I don’t think I could ever write an entire blog post (even a draft) out paper. But outlines, lists of ideas, or preliminary sketches all seem totally possible.

My larger point however, is there’s a place for all sorts of technologies in the quest towards being more productive. There’s no reason to completely eliminate some in favor of others. It’s just a matter of figuring out what works for you, and to remember that just because something is new doesn’t mean the old need be abandoned. And mixing things up by adjusting the creative process is certainly one way to avoid burn-out.

Note: and another negative of paper, I’d love to link to this Newsweek article, but I read it in the print magazine and can’t find it on their website. Oh well.

 Please subscribe to the Webomatica RSS Feed!

Categories: General, Technology :: Tags: :: Trackback URL
Previous Post: My Favorite Unusual Drinks
Next Post: Battlestar Galactica: Grace Park Interview At BuddyTV
Related Posts: Getting Zen Through Technology Avoidance :: iPhone Unboxed :: Microsoft + Yahoo!: Here’s Hoping For A Better Option :: April Fool’s Day Round Up ::