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Do you still write notes with pen and paper?

With so much note taking apps nowadays, I can’t understand why does anyone still write notes with pen and paper. You need to bring the notepad, book or that paper to retrieve that information, and most of the time you don’t have it in hand. While my phone almost always reachable and you carry when you go out. For those still like to do handwriting, there’s many app does that and they can even convert it to text notes.

So, if you still write notes with pen and paper, why?

AceFuzzLord ,

If I’m ever using my desktop at home, yes. I always have extra paper I can use as note paper for if I ever need to write something down, so I make use of it. I am never not around a mechanical pencil nor pen either, so that also helps.

Washburn ,
@Washburn@hexbear.net avatar

I do physical and digital notes both, just so that information is available in as many places as possible. I need a number to refer to a thing in an email? It’s in a word doc, on a post-it note on my monitor, on my physical and digital calendar probably, and in a spreadsheet. No matter what, I can find the info I need.

And I feel like the actual act of handwriting helps me remember what I’m writing. I’ll take notes during a meeting or a class, never look at them again, and remember the important info. If I don’t take notes, I might as well have not been there lol.

d3Xt3r ,

No.

Surprised no one here answered with just a “no”. I can’t remember the last time I even held a pen for signing something, even my last job contract and rental agreement etc were all digital.

AMA, all you pen and pencil people.

autumn ,

Sometimes i need to hand info to someone, or paper is just nearby, or i need to draw a diagram.

I do have an ipad, but if you are brainstorming with other people, they don’t always know how to use it/touch the wrong thing.

All other notes are digital, because i am bad at keeping track of pieces of paper.

DagingAnalog ,

Yes, for recipe.

polskilumalo ,

Ah mama’s hand written recipes, they contain more than just her recipes…

The abused paper, the fading writing, her handwriting, the smell of cocoa powder in the paper…

From a simple recipe written down quickly, it turns into a cherished family heirloom.

amio ,

I use sticky notes at home, and write by hand in an actual notebook when hashing things out. I also take notes in a text editor, though.

keepcarrot ,

Yeah, I can type faster than I can write, but I can write faster than I can type on phone. The note winds up in a physical location, which helps me with both retrieval and remembering (say, this section of my desk-cube-thing is for project notes in my garage, this section is events, this is things I need to buy from the shops etc). I can draw little images pretty easily as well, have not habituated to digital art unfortunately. While not insurmountable with apps, is it really worth the additional effort shopping around when I keep inheriting post-it notes and data cards from various sources (idk why).

Also, I get bonkers distracted on the phone. I sometimes forget I am just checking the time.

shashi154263 ,

Yes, it’s very useful sometimes.

Unlocking the phone, looking at it, opening the app, then looking for the info is a hassle sometimes. Sometimes it’s not safe either.

Caspase8 , (edited )

As a uni student I do both. I generally type notes during lectures and live meetings, and handwrite notes for prerecorded videos and other general study.

I still handwrite because my exams are going to be handwritten and I don’t want to lose my ability to handwrite fast lol.

You can also doodle/draw diagrams when you handwrite. It’s harder to do that on a phone/computer.

I still use pen and paper because it just feels better than handwriting on a screen.

superseven ,

Somehow I notice how I think more ‘structured’ and focused about the things I write down by hand. Especially useful when I try to break down tasks into smaller bits or try to plan anything through step by step

jhoward ,

Yes, but I use a rocket book to easily digitize these days. Tried a remarkable, but didn’t quite like the process once many pages were involved (slow to flip through pages).

I also keep quite a few notes on the computer and phone via self hosted Joplin. Which is awesome too.

s_s ,

I do not trust things in my phone to stay private.

techwizrd ,

I enjoy writing with fountain pens, and I’ve got to justify the numerous pens and inks I have. I also find it helps me with recall and focus. So I take notes by hand most of the time.

sgharms ,

Here’s the biggest reason: we are evolved from savannah primates for whom the ability to make eye contact and hold it was a signal of “you can trust me, I’m not about to bite you.” Paper and pen don’t signal “I have decided to break this evolutionary/social contract” in the same way a phone or open laptop does.

I help mentor a lot of young people in early career and their generation with a phone is an excuse for an x-er/boomer interviewer to punt them waiting to happen. It’s career and comp limiting, right or no.

Also if one finds a taken note is missing something, contact the original party. A conversation that begins with: “you got me thinking about this more deeply and I think I may have missed something…” is the key to mentorship, advocacy, and growth.

In short from a transcoding of bits perspective, other media may be better. But for those they acknowledge human constraint and opportunity a nice notebook and (a cheap shill from me) a Lamy Safari medium nib fountain pen will do you quite well.

argv_minus_one ,

we are evolved from savannah primates for whom the ability to make eye contact and hold it was a signal of “you can trust me, I’m not about to bite you.”

Funny. Cats are the opposite. To them, unblinking eye contact says “I don’t trust you. I’m keeping my eye on you.” Hence the slow blink they’re famous for.

Paper and pen don’t signal “I have decided to break this evolutionary/social contract” in the same way a phone or open laptop does.

Why not? Either way, you’re breaking eye contact. When paper first became commonplace, people probably made the same argument, and there are photos of people on trains all looking at their newspapers and ignoring each other.

PersonalDevKit ,

I use my phone for quick notes on the go, or creating lists of information I want to be able to re order and edit.

I use pen and paper mainly for brain dumps. Getting a stream of thoughts out of my head and on to paper. I find trying to use a phone for this will lead to some distraction and the thought will go before I capture all of the info.

I also use pen and paper when studying a topic, especially for a test, I find the simple of act of writing the information down is enough to cement it in my brain, even if I never go back and read those notes.

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