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In Praise Of Paper

March 16th, 2007

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.

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  • I love to use paper - though I agree with your point about tediousness. It is tedious transferring an article I've written in a notepad on to a word processor.

    There is, however, a major pro I have recently discovered: You can write with one hand!

    Bear with me on this one...

    I have several reference books I use regularly which do not lie flat. It is much easier to hold them open with one hand while writing with the other. It helps to keep the flow going, and I find I can get almost a whole article written in one sitting. When I try to work at the computer, I need both hands to type - I have to keep opening and shutting the book with a marker in it, or keep it open with my elbow (actually, that doesn't work at all!). On a scale of tediousness, I would rather have the satisfaction of transferring a complete article into the Wordpress editor.

    Yay for paper!
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